Religious insanity--Minister, child predator, cult leader....

[bliss_eternal]

Just learned of this story.
Suffice to say, I'm beyond furious. There are no words to convey... :grr::mad::cry:

Yet we, in the US live in a country that insists on politicizing the bodies of women and yes, young girls--presuming their reality is everyone's reality...and that children have no right to say they do not want to carry the child of the man who raped them.

Thankfully, the young women and girls that eventually took this piece of shit down, weren't in that position. But I couldn't help but think if they were, the would have few (or no) options.

Before I go on a bonafide rant, I'll provide the excerpts and links, below:

Tony Alamo, Christian Ministries Pervert Preacher, Ordered to Pay Child Brides $500,000 Each

TEXARKANA, Arkansas (CBS/AP) Christian evangelist Tony Alamo has already been convicted of being a pervert pastor who took underage girls across state lines for sex.

Now he has to pay.

The five young women who testified last year that Alamo took them as "wives" and sexually assaulted them when they were minors are entitled to $500,000 each from his multi-million-dollar ministry, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

-----------snip----------

U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes ordered restitution after a government witness said the women suffered physical and mental pain at the hands of Alamo, who is serving a 175-year prison sentence for taking the women, who were underage at the time, across state lines for sex.

Photo: Tony Alamo and his wife Susan in an undated image.

In his ruling, Barnes noted that each of the victims was assaulted by someone they regarded as a pastor and prophet.

"The defendant has truly, truly damaged these five young girls and I don't think (sic) amount of money this court can order can replace their loss," Barnes said.

--------snip---------

Dr. Sharon Cooper, a retired Army colonel and developmental and forensic pediatrician, told Barnes that the victims had been sexually abused and exploited, falsely imprisoned by Alamo and suffered neglect.

Each woman, now aged 18-33, suffers persistent and painful menstrual cramps associated with sexual abuse and suffers from chronic back pain because they were forced to give Alamo massages every night at his compound, Cooper said.

All five suffered mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. One suffered vision loss in one eye because she said she'd been repeatedly punched at Alamo's orders, Cooper testified.

--------snip----------

excerpts and more from:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6096803-504083.html

Video covering the story, featuring the five young women that put him away:

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Living-with-Tony-Alamo-Video

Note on above:

One of the women, was EIGHT years old, when that bastard declared her his bride. :banghead:

[uncommon]

1. Sigh...

why, why, why...

Can't people just act like civilized humans and stop treating others this way???

[ismnotwasm]

2. God

And this went on for HOW long?

And how about this comment?

by allexus January 26, 2010 9:36 PM EST
YOU LYING EVIL PEOPLE ARE PIGS AND DOGS, YOU DEVILS FRAME A INNOCENT MAN, TONY ALAMO WAS SET UP BY THE FEDS BECAUSE HE EXPOSE THEIR STANK AND SINS THE POPES AND THE EVIL BLACK CIRCLE AROUND THE EYES BENEDICT AND DEAD DOG JOHN PAUL HE IS BURNING IN HELL AND GNASHING ON HIS TEETH IF YOU LOOK AT TONY ALAMO WEBSITE WWW.ALAMOMINISTRIES YOU WILL SEE TONY ALAMO PREDICTED HIS SET UP AND HE WAS FRAME BY MURDEROUS ****** AND THE GIRLS TOOK BRIBERY NOT SO NICE GIRLS, THEY DO NOT HAVE THEIR OIL, JESUS CHRIST , THEY ALSO CRUCIFIED JESUS CHRIST IN PUT HIM IN JAIL BUT HE NOT IN JAIL NO MORE, HE RISING FOREVER, AND HE ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD AND JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS BEHEADED FOR THE WORD OF GOD, THE POPE AND ALL THOSE EVIL PRESIDENT AND THE DEMON AND DEVILS FORGOT GOD JUDGEMENT INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE THEY WILL GO , JESUS CHRIST SAYS You are wolf and sheeps clothes and satan that deceived the whole world except those that name is written in the lamb book of life,TONY ALAMO IS THE GREATEST PROPHET IN THESE LAST DAYS YOU LYING FALSE PROPHET EXCEPT JESUS CHRIST TONY ALAMO IS GREAT RIGHT NOW, AND THE PROPHETS BEFORE HIM!!

Umm, I'll take the pigs and dogs everytime.

[get the red out]

3. Interesting

I see they also worship the "Caps Lock" key.

I will take the dogs and pigs also, I prefer animals that have some decency.

[bliss_eternal]

4. ---gag---

...looks like one of Alamo's disciples is off his/her meds. :eyes:

In answer to your question, apparently this shit went on for many years. :grr::mad: At least a decade (I'm guessing based on what I've read and heard from his captives).

Quote:

On Friday, a woman who said Alamo had sexually abused her since she was 8 said she agreed to testify because she is afraid he will molest her little sister.

A 17-year-old girl also testified Friday that Alamo invited her and her sister to his home at the Arkansas compound near Fouke when she was as young as 8. By 9, she said she visited regularly. By 11, she said Alamo "married" her in his bedroom and immediately began sexually assaulting her.

"He said things like I looked very innocent to him," the girl said, her face and voice betraying no emotion. "And he said I had the body of a 6-year-old and he was attracted to" that.

"He had control over everything," testified a 30-year-old woman who said she was another child bride.



excerpt from:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5174330-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

[ThomCat]

6. The contrast between her quotes

and that ALL CAPS quote from the rabid supporter above are very telling. Of course that supporter absolutely can't believe anything that a girl would say. Of course he (they) have to assume that the girls were bribed to lie to bring down this supposedly saintly guy.

Damn! :cry:

How do these people look at themselves and each other and not see the harm they are doing? :(

How can any of them think that anything in that kind of environment is even remotely positive and uplifting to the spirit? I just don't see it.

[bliss_eternal]

8. it's a whole other world....

...unfortunately, that world is not particularly reality based, you know? no way it would make sense to someone like you (who has a very reality based sense of right, wrong and the ability to empathize with others).

from what i've observed, groups like that tend to focus on biblical teachings of hardship and suffering making one blessed, or of getting blessed in the afterlife (so life is supposed to suck to the max). not much of such teachings is uplifting or positive.

also there's a lot of weird, magical thinking, denial and apologism that occurs among those capable of being brainwashed and indoctrinated in cult-like environments (like this one seems to be).

people i knew to be smart individuals with strong personalities, became entirely different people, after prolonged exposure to these groups. i lost a good friend, and some relatives to such groups. i've witnessed some rather disturbing extremes in behavior. :scared:

a relative used to leave a radio on, and tuned to her pastor's program 24/7 in every room of her home (whether in the room or not), whether home or not. she even slept w/it playing. why? to keep evil spirits and demonic forces at bay, of course....:eyes: (per her pastor telling the group to do this). imagine trying to spend time with, or visit this person's home--with that crap going constantly, in the background. :puke:

brainwashing at it's best. (sigh)

[jmm]

5. A bit off topic but this makes me think of another recent news story

Pentagon reopening probe into employees allegedly tied to child porn

The Department of Defense will reopen its investigation into employees who are alleged to have downloaded child pornography after stopping the reviews because of a lack of resources, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative Service will review 264 cases, according to spokesman Gary Comerford.

.....

A Yahoo News investigation found that only a fifth of the cases had been followed up by the department after it was informed by federal investigators of employee involvement.

.....

Some employees involved in the investigation have pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography, but other inquiries were dropped or are still open. One case against a Defense Department contractor who allegedly admitted to having viewed pornographic material of children was dropped "due to a lack of resources," according to one of the reports from 2009.

When Chris Hansen or whatever his name is from those To Catch a Predator specials can run a better investigation than the Pentagon then it's time to shut it down.

It's sickening to see how people can turn a blind eye to sexual predators, especially ones in power like religious leaders or government officials. The mother of a friend once told me about how growing up "everybody" knew certain priests were rapists but they were priest so you didn't say anything. You just tried to avoid them. Maybe if somebody else did it you could turn to someone but if a priest did it then the girls somehow had to be the ones to blame.

Sometimes sexual crimes aren't obvious but people had to know long before he was caught Alamo was "marrying" these young girls. If we can find the money for wars and the war on drugs then we have the resources to go after people caught with child porn.

[bliss_eternal]

7. the pentagon....?!

:wow: ....damn!