Deep Thoughts

Christian ponzi scheme goes bad

2009-07-03T10:35:00.001-07:00

It must be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Pastor Vaughn Reeves and his sons were retuned to Indiana by U.S. Marshals to faces charges of security fraud.

The men are accused of duping about 11,000 people into buying bonds for church construction projects, diverting money from new investments to pay off prior investors in a Ponzi scheme and pocketing about $6 million.

11,000 people invested $120 million.

The men are accused of duping about 11,000 church members into buying bonds worth $120 million by urging them to fulfill their "Christian responsibility" to support church construction projects, according to a probable cause affidavit. The men said the bonds would be handled by their brokerage firm, Alanar Inc.

I bet they weren't real Christians. Real Christians would not steal a pensioners life savings, right? Thou shall not steal. I’m pretty sure that is in the bible. Hell, if I get the message, I would expect a pastor to get it too. Right?

Technorati tags: Fraud, Hypocrisy

Pastor Xray gets 17 years

2009-07-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

And the bastard dissevers it too. Pastor Jimmie Xray Robinson is a monster.

A former minister and music teacher who pleaded guilty to molesting three boys at churches in San Diego and Riverside counties has been sentenced to prison.

Jimmie Robinson Jr. of Los Angeles received a 17-year sentence Tuesday as part of a plea deal.

Robinson is the poster boy for child predators working within the church to molest children. Of course, “the church” did little to stop him.

Robinson has served time for two previous convictions in San Diego County for assault with a deadly weapon and felony domestic violence with use of a weapon, he said. Those convictions date to about 10 years ago, he said.
During the investigation of the September complaint, police said a detective discovered two similar allegations against Robinson in the past eight years.

Charges were filed in one of those cases, which occurred about two years ago. Detectives are still gathering evidence in the complaint made eight years ago, Henton said.

Well, another pastor falls. I’m sure there another will spring up in his place.

Technorati tags: Rape, Clergy Sexual Abuse

An ugly way to die

2009-07-02T17:01:00.001-07:00

Let’s face it, dying sucks. When faced with the question of how I will die, I always respond with, “I sure hope I don’t get hit by a train.” Now I’m going to add, “I sure I hope I don’t get hit by slow moving training while standing on the tracks hugging my wife.” What a friggen horrible way to die.

North Texas authorities say a pastor and his wife who were hit and killed by a train committed suicide together.

Clay County Sheriff Kenny Lemons said witnesses on the train reported seeing the couple standing and embracing on the tracks in the path of the approaching train Tuesday night.

Pastor Eldon Earl Johnson and his wife Linda Kay Johnson apparently committed suicide by train when their life clock started to flash red. Being Baptists, neither could attend the communal renewal ceremony because it was too much like dancing.

Technorati tags: Suicide, Baptists

What really happened in Webster Texas?

2009-07-02T08:56:00.002-07:00

Texas is my favorite state. It’s full of overzealous cops and over-the-top pastors. When the two collide, the side with the biggest gun wins. In Texas, you never know who has the bigger gun.

According to the AP, Pastor Jose Elias Moran attempted to assist a stopped driver and ended up being hit with a Taser by Officer Raymond Berryman, who went on to use pepper spray on church congregants.

An incident report on the Webster police department's Web site said Officer Raymond Berryman tried to calm Moran and arrest him. But police say he pushed the officer, went inside the church and returned with 40 other congregants.

The congregants say Moran fled into the church when the officer grew angry and began to yell, and Moran's family disputes that the pastor touched the officer.

Moran's son Miguel said 30 witnesses saw the officer turn aggressive and repeatedly kick the church door. Several members were hit with pepper spray and children were present, Miguel Moran said.

The AP left a few important facts out of the story. For example, using the word “assist” when “interfere with a traffic stop” is what happened leads one to assume only good intentions on the part of Moran.

The AP left of the racial nature of the incident. Moran is Hispanic. I assume Berryman is non-Hispanic. Could race have been a factor? Did Moran think the cops were profiling his flock?

The AP reports “congregants” returned to confront the cop. congregants is one way to describe the situations. However, “mob” is also an excellent way to describe 40 adults leaving a building to confront a cop over an attempted arrest.

The phrasing of “pepper spray to disperse the congregants”, leaves one to assume that Berryman used pepper spray on peaceful Christians. But what really happened? After attempting an arrest, Moran fled into his church and returned with 40 adults to back him up. Berryman dispersed this mob with pepper spray and subdued Moran with a taser in order to arrest him. If you tell the story this way, it actually sounds like Berryman was just being an overly aggrieve but within his rights cop (I’m biased, don’t like Texas cops much).

What if you tell the story as if it were happening at a bar. Replace church with nar and congregants with party goers. I’m willing to bet the story would not have even made the news.

Nice going AP – lets create a few martyrs.

Here is another account:

According to Smiley, an officer was talking with a motorist in the church parking lot when he ran a registration check and discovered the man had no car insurance.

Moran approached the officer and began yelling at him, demanding to know why a member of his congregation had been stopped, the police chief said.

“He said we were on private property and wanted us off the property,” Smiley said. “He was pretty aggressive.”

When Moran refused an order to leave, the officer told him that he was under arrest. Moran pushed the officer as he tried to handcuff him, Smiley said, and fled inside the church.

Moran later came out with a group of about 40 people who surrounded the officer, Smiley said. The officer, fearing for his safety, used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

When backup officers tried to make the arrest, Smiley said Moran pushed another officer, who used his Taser to subdue him.

It sounds a little different when you tell it this way. Right?

I don’t need to mention that this story is all over FOX news, right?

Technorati tags: Texas, Bias, Christians

UCR California Museum of Photography

2009-07-01T22:08:00.001-07:00

I finally made it around to the California Museum of Photography in downtown Riverside, CA. I have few fond memories of the area. I was stationed at nearby March AFB back in the day. I hated it. The only thing worse than Sunnymead (Moreno Valley), was Riverside. Wait, no… San Bernardino was downright awful too.

30 years later I’m back. I expect a rundown dirty downtown area. Instead, I find a lot of pedestrian-friendly re-development. The whole area is under construction, you can tell they are trying to upgrade the area to something that will encourage visitors. I walked around a bit and actually enjoyed looking at the public monuments.

The California Museum of Photography is in an older building in the middle of a pedestrian mall on Main Street. The museum is well maintained and spacious with three floors of open exhibit space and friendly student staffers. I visited on a Wednesday. I was the first visitor and had the place to myself while I was there.

There were four exhibits.

Sight Unseen – International Photography by Blind Artists.
Agent Orange – Landscape, Body, Image.
Concrete Abstractions – A gift of Photographs by Aaron Siskind.
Joshua Tree 2009 – A collaborative art event.

I went to see Sight Unseen on the advice of my friend Imogen. The exhibit was worth the trip. I could not understand how a blind photographer would produce images worth viewing. I was stunned by what I found. I particularly enjoyed the work of Pete Eckert.

Gerardo Nigenda incorporates brail into his printed works. The Patio at the Manuel Alvarez Bravo Photography Center, featured on the left, is a great example of excellent photography and tactile modification. You can touch the image while viewing it. I enjoyed the process.

Agent Orange was disturbing. Billed as Landscape, Body, Image, it is a collection of disturbing photographs of people suffering the from the aftermath of Agent Orange use in Vietnam. I have a thick skin. It did not help. I looked at the images quickly and walked away. It made my heart hurt.

Suffering and Smiles, by Minh Duc Doan, is typical of the images from the Exhibit. You can view more images at the museum website.

Concrete Abstractions was interesting, but it was ultimately filler. I’ve made dozes of similar images and saw nothing that really sparked my interest. There is no doubt that Aaron Siskind is an amazing artist. I’m just saying that the exhibit was uninspired. These photo’s were displayed on the second floor in an awkward display space. I think that contributed to the problem.

Joshua Tree 2009 was displayed on three flat screen TVs. It is a collection of 74 photos from local photographers. Some of the images were outstanding, some were just average. This image , Campsite, is by Kaitlin Johnson. It strikes a cord with me. I’ve been the camper a few times in my life. I’ve watched many a moonrise over the barren rock of this beautiful place.

I enjoyed my visit. I plan on returning as the exhibits change. I have one last comment. The Museum website blows. The have one URL and no permalinks to the individual exhibits. Who does that these days?

Technorati tags: Museums, Reviews, Photography

The Atheist Camel Chronicles

2009-07-01T20:15:00.001-07:00

Long time friend of Deep Thoughts, Dromedary Hump of The Atheist Camel, has a new book out. The Atheist Camel Chronicles. “Hump” as he’s affectionately known here at Deep Thoughts, wrote the book to debunks traditional believer apologetics and challenges theist platitudes, while providing food for thought and debate fodder for the neophyte to intermediate atheist.

I’ve signed up to review the book. Until then, you can order a copy Amazon.com, or buy a copy directly from the author via the Buy Now button on his book’s blog.

Technorati tags: Atheism, Writing, Books, Reviews

Texas Pastor gets 17 years for child porn

2009-07-01T19:01:00.001-07:00

Another Texas pastor is heading to prison, this time the pastor had a problem with child pornography. He's been given a stiff penalty for his crime; 17 years in prison.

It’s not like I feel sorry for the bastard. Steve Richardson is a full on freak who liked to tell pe0ple how to live moral lives and then go trade child porn with perverts using his church computer.

The former pastor of First United Methodist Church in Royse City pleaded guilty in March to one count of transporting and shipping child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Prosecutors say Richardson sent a sexually explicit image of a child to an undercover federal agent in Seattle and requested comparable images.

I first posted on Steve Richardson back in September of 2008. Since then he’s been working his way through the legal system. He admitted to his crime back in March, and was sentenced a few days ago. The details are disturbing. This man is sick.

The court documents report when Richardson, under the user name cowboysspades, asked "Vlad," the undercover agent, about a child's age, he stated "even more awesome" when the agent responded four.

"Yeah, such a cute age," the agent responded.

"You ever doing anything with her?" cowboysspades asked.

There is a more detail description of his technique here.

Richardson is a good looking guy. He’s going to make some big bubba a nice prison bitch. The problem is, he will like it.

Hat tip Mikespeir

Technorati tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse, Child Pornography

The Hulk looks pissed

2009-07-01T18:15:00.001-07:00

I did a little photo-walking this afternoon. I found the Hulk trapped in a trailer in Tustin, Ca. He looks pissed.

I was stopped by a curious person. He asked why I was taking a picture of the Hulk. I told him that I take photos of whatever interests me. He said, “Well that's dumb.” I laughed.

Technorati tags: Photography

The Hulk looks pissed [Flickr]

2009-07-01T18:03:05-07:00

mojoey posted a photo:

I found the Hulk bound by cargo straps and stuck in a trailor on Tustin St. In the city of Orange, Ca.

New Photography books for my library

2009-07-01T15:40:00.003-07:00

Great Unknowns – An Exquisite Collection Of Black and White Photography

Edited by Adam Slater
First edition, 2005 We-Zer Publishing
ISBN 0-9646270-2-7

I’ve had my eye on this one book for a long time. It full of budding artists with fresh perspectives. 15 years later, few survived as artists. But a worthy investment at $10.

Parish Kohanim featured a photo called Susie On Rocks which I loved. 15 years later… Homanim's work is not worth mentioning.

Bill Lemke inspired me to take a few nature photos. I failed and failed and failed. He’s gone on to do quite well.

Barbara Peacock’s sacrilegious Forgive My Father was a real interesting and provocative piece. She’s moved on to children's photography. It is a shame too. I would buy the original, now it only exists in my book and perhaps some gallery. I can’t find it on the internet.

I found Jim McGuire’s work exploitive. Oddly enough, I still find his work exploitive.

I also picked up Nexus, Photographs 1975 – 1980
by Murry Smith.

I’ve seen this book for sale in various shops, but always for about $75. I picked it up for $10 today.

Digressions: a blog has a review of the book and even a well-made YouTube video. It’s worth a few minutes of your time if you like photography and art.

Nexus is subtitled: “Photographs 1975-1980, Physics in the Twentieth Century…Observations/Conceptions.” The book has text interspersed among pictures in the form of prose, poetry, and quotations. The text addresses broad issues that should be about physics, but take on a new-age pseudo-hippie metaphysics vibe.

I fought for the book. A fellow art book shopper had her eye on it. I reached up for it as she was reading the titles. She game me the dirtiest look.

Technorati tags: Art, Photography

Feeling that homophobic Baptist love

2009-07-01T08:03:00.001-07:00

Political correctness is a pet peeve of mine. So is punishing the innocent and needy in the name of political expediency. The Southern Baptist convention are masters of the art.

FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) -- A Kentucky Baptist university has, at the last minute, withdrawn its invitation to host a youth mission team from Texas after the Southern Baptist Convention disfellowshipped their church for its toleration of homosexuals.

Brent Beasley, pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, said the church's youth minister received a call June 30 from an official at the University of the Cumberlands informing her that the congregation's youth choir is no longer welcome to stay in dorms or perform mission work through the school's Mountain Outreach construction program, which builds houses for the disadvantaged in Appalachia. Beasley said a church near the school's Williamsburg, Ky., campus also canceled a concert that had been scheduled as part of the mission trip.

Read More…

Poor kids. They just want to sing gospel music and maybe help build houses for the needy. Yet in the zero tolerance world of the Southern Baptist Convention, they might as well be… well Atheists. Their crime? They are tolerant of gay christians.

I’m sure the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention saw this as a way to enforce their core message of intolerance. Where is the love? Meh, what am I thinking, organized religion is not about love.

Technorati tags: Baptists, Gay Rights, Hypocrisy

Christian youth volunteer arrested for rape

2009-07-01T07:46:00.001-07:00

Well, the year is half over and I’m a little perplexed. Either reporting on clergy sexual abuse is much better now then it used to be, or else we have an epidemic on our hands. I’m horrified at the number of cases I’ve posted on this year.

In Knoxville Kentucky a child was allegedly raped by a Christian youth volunteer who worked for New Beverly Baptist Church.

Randall Thomas Hollifield, 45, of Powell was taken into custody tonight after deputies executed a search warrant at his house on Little Joe Road, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Martha Dooley.

He has been charged with two counts of rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor, Dooley said, and more charges will probably be filed.

The usual questions come up but I’ll have to wait for the details. A review of the New Beverly Baptist church website shows nothing related to this case. Unfortunately, this is typical.

Technorati tags: Baptists, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Rape

Christian coach gets 20 months

2009-06-30T23:17:00.001-07:00

Hypocrisy and abuse of authority happen at all levels of a Christian organization. The pastor is often the abuser, but sometimes it is the teacher or coach as well. The common characteristics are religious authority, direct access to children, and insufficient direct oversight. It is a formula I see over and over again. Andrew Scot Bolsinger knows the formula well. He used it to sexually assault a young girl in his care at a Salem-area Christian academy.

Bolsinger, who recently had been living in San Francisco and writing for online publications using a pseudonym, pleaded guilty April 15 to two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse stemming from four separate incidents involving the victim while she was 16.

The victim, who recently turned 26, testified in the sentencing that Bolsinger preyed on her and "misused his position of trust in a Christian academy for his own pleasure."

I’m not sure who to trust anymore. I don’t let me kids anywhere near professional clergy. I use the same approach with public school teachers. It pays to be careful. Of course, if people like Bolsinger were properly supervised and screened, these types of crimes would be less likely to happen. I’ll hold my breath. Heck, they won’t even mention the Christian academy for fear of harming its good name. Nothing will change unless they stop pulling punches.

Hat tip to Hank of Shallow Cognitions. And remember, if you send them, I will post them.

Technorati tags: Hypocrisy, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Rape

Youth pastor faces sex charges

2009-06-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

Uh oh, another Baptist youth pastor stands charged with having sexual contact with minors. “Minors”, that is plural. It makes me wonder what kind of controls Spring Creek Baptist church had in place.

Jonathan Tyler Giles, the former youth minister at Spring Creek Baptist Church, has been charged with three counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, sexual battery by an authority figure and two counts of soliciting a minor.

"Everyone is concerned when allegations like these are made," said the Rev. Paul Bunger, senior pastor at Spring Creek Baptist on Trenton Road. "We are praying for all of the parties involved."

Get your checkbook out Pastor Bunger. If convicted, the parents will be coming after you for compensation. You are supposed to setup controls to protect your children from predatory youth pastors, remember? Or, did you miss that memo?

I checked the church website. There is no mention of Jonathan Giles nor any mention of the sexual misconduct case on the church website. I do not understand why churches take this approach. It would seem that transparency is their best approach. I left this message on their church Guestbook.

What is it that your church does to protect itself from pedophile Baptist youth pastors? Why is it that Jonathan Tyler Giles was able to allegedly abuse children without church leadership being aware of what he was doing? What kind of oversight program do you have in place?

And finally, why it is that no mention of this is made on your website? It is almost like you want it to go away.

What do you think? Will my post last for more than a day?

Please leave your own message. I am really curious about how these people tick now that I’m paying more attention to the whole Baptist cover-up of clergy sexual abuse.

Technorati tags: Baptists, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia

10 years in prison for pastor

2009-06-30T18:51:00.001-07:00

Justice finally caught up with Russell J. Lesser of Bryson City, N.C. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a female child in the mid 1970s.

During his sentencing Thursday, Lesser asked for the court’s mercy and apologized to victim Laurie Asplund.

“I’d like to take that one year out of my life,” Lesser said.

“I’m so deeply sorry for it.”

The former pastor began his advances during a trust game, Asplund said, but then sexually assaulted her more than 40 times from summer 1974 to spring 1976. She was 14 to 16 years old.

Wisconsin kept the case open because Lesser moved out of state. Otherwise, he would have never been convicted. As it stands, he went on to work in other states. I am sure there are some uncomfortable questions being asked. I’m sure he had access to others as he was a Youth for Christ Campus Life minister.

Technorati tags: Clergy Sexual Misconduct, Rape, Pedophilia

What’s $50 million among friends?

2009-06-30T18:26:00.002-07:00

I’m in the wrong business. If Christian fraud and pastor Creflo Dollar can earn $50 million a year sending out subscription based devotional text messages, I am in the wrong line of work. I ought to convert so that I can start making real money. I could come up with 365 decent devotional text messages a year. Heck, I’d be happy making $25 million.

Of course, I’d pay they guy with the original idea his due.

Televangelist Rev. Creflo Dollar is accused of stealing a California businessman’s idea that has reportedly profited the pastor more than $50 million a year.

Devone Lawson of Marina Del Rey, California, also filed suit against the high-profile pastor’s son, Jeremy Dollar, saying in 2006 they stole a joint idea to send daily devotional text messages to subscribers.

I can just hear the idea session now. Hey, your flock will buy anything, right? lets sell them subscription text messages. We’ll make a fortune….

Seriously, is this what Christianity is really supposed to be like. $50 million dollars from wannabe millionaire Christians? Is there any wonder people like me are skeptical?

Technorati tags: Creflo Dollar, Fraud, Christians

A Callis Lilly

2009-06-30T09:43:00.001-07:00

I shot this Lilly during a recent trip to Yosemite. Wildflowers are stunning. I often miss them because I do not pay enough attention to the details of my environment. I was fortunate enough to meet a tour guide who kept pointing out the different types of wild flowers in her endless descriptions of what Yosemite looked like without all the trees on the valley floor.

My wife and I stopped on a ridgeline meadow for this sample. It was worth it. There were thousands of these running out into a marshy meadow. It was beautiful.

I’m not sure about the yellow flower in the background. Does anybody know what it is?

Technorati tags: Photography, Flowers, Yosemite

Camas Lilly [Flickr]

2009-06-30T09:17:57-07:00

mojoey posted a photo:

Camas Lilly found in a meadow on the road to Glacier Point in Yosemite.

The pastor behind Ricci v. DeStefano

2009-06-30T08:50:00.001-07:00

The New Haven Independent has an insightful story on convicted thief and pastor Boise Kimber. Reporter Paul Bass uses the word "nefarious" to describe the role Kimber played in the lawsuit. I agree. Kimber comes off as a connected powerbroker, kingmaker and racist.

Three of the Supreme Court justices who voted against New Haven in Monday’s landmark firefighters case ruling zeroed in on one character they saw playing a nefarious role: the Rev. Boise Kimber.

In fact, Kimber’s role as a New Haven politico, felon, and FOJ (Friend of John, Mayor DeStefano) ended up sparking a lively debate between the Supreme Court’s conservative and liberal wings.

This is the latest in a two-decade-long saga of how Kimber (pictured) has caused political headaches for DeStefano while receiving repeated political plums from the mayor, including a controversial “consulting” housing contract that figured prominently in a 1998 City Hall corruption scandal.

Read More...

I have no trust for politically active pastors. Especially politically connected pastors with a criminal past.

I come from a family of firefighters. I listened to the stories of white discrimination when I grew up. At the time, I knew the stories to be BS. There were no black captains. Affirmative action resolved the discrepancy. My relatives eventually rose to captain or even battalion chief. Every thing worked out.

A small side note, my uncle and a favorite cousin were among the first crop of paramedics in LA County back in the 70s. They remain my heroes to this day.

Technorati tags: Racism, Clergy Misconduct

Priest Accused of Exposing Himself While Driving

2009-06-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

So let's say your driving down the road in your Semi complete with a flash Friday sticker on the back bumper. You notice a car with a man inside. He exposes himself. You freak and call 911 because this was obviously not what you had in mind. My question is, what are the odds the flasher is a pastor? In this case, it’s pretty high.

A local priest is in legal trouble after he's accused of exposing himself while driving on a local highway. Rev. Donald Snyder, 63, is charged with one count of indecent exposure. Rev. Snyder is a priest at St. Ladislas Church in Westlake.

Rev. Donald Snyder is a catholic priest as St. Ladislas Church in Westlake Ohio. If a catholic priest is caught exposing himself, will the authorities look deeper to see if there is any other odd sexual behavior? I sure hope so, although in this case I would guess they would be checking truck stops and highway rest stops, if you know what I mean.

Technorati tags: Catholics, Clergy Sexual Misconduct

Introducing Camels with Hammers

2009-06-30T07:14:00.001-07:00

Please join me in welcoming the newest addition to the Atheist Blogroll, Camels with Hammers.

In the author’s own words:

My name is Daniel Fincke. I was raised a devout Evangelical Christian in a low church denomination (the Church of Christ) and I went to one of the most conservative Christian colleges in the country (Grove City College) for my undergraduate education. There I majored in philosophy, minored in religion, and left the faith in my junior year. That was ten years ago now and in the intervening time I have become a specialist on Friedrich Nietzsche and contemporary moral philosophy. This fall I will defend my dissertation in philosophy at Fordham University.

The topic of my dissertation is "Deriving and Defending an Axiology of the Will to Power" and it first explores both a systematic reading of Nietzsche's texts which yields a coherent reading of his overall philosophy. In the final chapters, then, I update and criticize Nietzsche's philosophy in the terms of contemporary moral psychology and normative theory. In my future work, I want to continue to develop a post-Christian descriptive and normative account of ethics.

The main foci of Camels With Hammers are contemporary ethical paradigms, normative theories, moral psychology, secularism, Nietzsche interpretation, general philosophical education, commentary on current affairs from philosophical perspectives, and the challenge of creating a constructive atheism which can be a force philosophically, culturally, and, where appropriate, politically. Additionally, the blog occasionally reviews and promotes independent film and music.

I welcome philosophical questions and challenges from all manner of readers and am excited to base my blog entries on these whenever it will serve the blog best.

If you would like to join the blogroll, click here.

Technorati tags: Atheism, The Atheist Blogroll

Guess where I was standing?

2009-06-29T20:04:00.001-07:00

I shot this photo on Saturday. I want to make this a little contest. Can anyone tell me where I was standing when I took this photo? Be as specific as possible. The winner will receive a post dedicated to their blog from yours truly.

Technorati tags: Photography, Contests

Christian bikers and whatever

2009-06-29T19:47:00.003-07:00

Image by mojoey via Flickr

I ran into a couple of bikers at the Miners Inn Restaurant in Merced. It’s an OK stop for breakfast on the way up or down the mountain. My family and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. At the table next to ours three bikers did the same. They were two older men and an older woman. My guess is they were 60ish. They seem friendly. I heard them pray before breakfast, so I figured them as religious types.

We did not pay attention to each other during our meal. Frankly, I did not care about anything but my family and was ignoring people as much as possible. Vacation brings out my selfish side. As we left, I nodded to the bikers in friendly way and said, “Have a good day.”

As I walked away, the skinny one asked if I took a lot of pictures with my fancy camera. I could not tell if he was being sarcastic. I felt compelled to answer. We spoke for a few minutes about photography and then the shifted over to bikes and their planned ride. It was friendly. Part of the way through describing their itinerary, they explained that the mountains were their church and that they were Christians out to worship the lord. I asked, “Why is that important?”

They looked at me like I were simple. “You know, so you won’t confuse us with bad bikers. You seem nice. We don’t want to put you off.”

I was in no mood for where this was heading, plus my family was standing in a hot parking lot, so I ended the conversation with a simple, “Do I look scared?”

I mean seriously, I haven't seen a scary looking biker on my vacation except for the shirtless dude with full body tats on a nasty ride the day before. Most bikers riding the mountain roads looked like middle-aged accountants with bad sunburns riding $25K hogs. I’m pretty sure that religion was the last thing on their minds.

What bothers me is the need for these people to tell me they are Christians, and to go a step further and differentiate themselves from the heathen biker masses as if that somehow makes them special and good. It feels wrong. It feels inauthentic.

Technorati tags: Christians, Bikers

They were good Christians

2009-06-29T18:13:00.001-07:00

Every time I hear the phrase, They were good Christians, I ask myself who died. In this case the quote is slightly different, They were good family people, good Christian people, but I ask the same question. Who died?

A college student played dead to escape a family shooting by his father, who killed the other son and their mother before setting their house on fire and taking his own life, investigators said Monday.

Authorities said the father, retired tire factory employee William Ronald Carter, shot his wife, Bonnie, 56, and their 29-year-old son William Ronald Carter Jr. He later shot Timothy Carter, 22, in the back and then again after the son begged for mercy, but only wounded him, Henry County Sheriff's Sgt. Curtis Spence said. Spence said the father killed himself before authorities arrived at the burning home early Sunday.

A wife and a son died, and a son is scarred for life. All because a “good Christian” executed his family. Sometimes they kill their families. Sometimes they kill others. No thanks. I don’t want any part of this.

Technorati tags: Murder, Christians

Thoughts on the passing of Michael and Farrah

2009-06-26T06:12:00.005-07:00

I'm a child of the 70's. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett were iconic personalities from my yo

last.fm

uth. Of course, Michael came of age as a pop star when I was a young parent, so my memories of him are a mixed bag of happy, sad, and perplexed.

I learned of Michael Jackson's death with my family in the cinema while watching Transformers: Rise of the Fallen. Like many significant events, I will never forget my wife telling me of his death. I was already boarded. Megan Fox was not on screen so I had no real interest in the move (just kidding honey). The movie was tediously long. By the end my thoughts kept running to my youth and the frenetic dancing of my sisters. I kept hearing the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple" echoing through my head with visions of my little sisters dancing around their bedroom while the 45 played on our little record player. They would alternate between the Osmonds and the Jackson Five's ABC as if it were a battle for command of the dance floor. For me, that's what Michael Jackson was, a touchstone to pleasant memories from my past. I have the similar memories from my son's early life. We worshiped Michael Jackson videos, when Jackson did the moonwalk, my son did his version. Jackson was an important part of our live then. I have it on video, so I know it is true.

As Michael Jackson grew older and stranger, he become a target of my derisive humor and outright contempt. His odd personal behavior and preferences for life with and as a child moved him from icon to scoundrel. I stopped paying attention to him. Now he's gone. As usual with me, I'll start listening to his music again. The good memories will replace the bad. Life will move on. Megan fox will run in slow motion for what seems like hours, did I mention that already?

Farrah Fawcett was who every girl I knew in high school tried emulate. The only girl to pull it off was my sister Kim. She nailed Farrah hair and the clothing to go along with it. I hate to say this out loud, but in my opinion, my sister was prettier than Farrah. (Oh god, there will be hell to pay for that.) I have two beautiful systers, one was a baton twirling beauty queen, the other was a Lynda Carter-esgue athetic superstar. I was the slacker. It's funny, my wife bills hereself as more of a Jacquelyn Smith type. She told me this just yesterday. It all makes sense now.

A closing comment on the Transformers movie. My youngest son and I spend a great deal of our attention trying to get s clear look at Megan Fox's thumb. We failed. Damn you internet.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson. R.I.P. Farrah Fawcett.

A failure to report

2009-06-24T22:12:00.001-07:00

I don't normally report on this kind of thing, but the pastor involved is a jerk. Baptist pastor Aaron Rodgerson, who is also a city councilman, was indicted on two counts, misdemeanor failing to report an abused or neglected child, and misdemeanor unauthorized practice of law. Rodgerson is pastor of the South Side Baptist Church in Kirksville MO.

“The allegations in that case are that the child at 10 months old only weighed 12 pounds, and City Councilman Rodgerson was giving some advice to these people regarding contact with the Kirksville Police Department and the family services,” Williams said.

What I find interesting is that they don’t report on why he was arrested under the failure to report charge which is a much more significant charge than the unauthorized practice of law. As a pastor, he is obligated to report child abuse, even suspected child abuse. He is charged with not reporting a suspected case of child abuse from a member of his own church and then giving legal advice that could be viewed as benefiting his own case. In this instance, advising the accused to not co-operate with authorities. The second charge seems pretty flimsy to me. That’s advice I (or any reasonable person) would give to most people dealing with a law enforcement agency.

The Mom of Many blog tells the story of baby Alethia, who is the subject of the child abuse charge mentioned above. Alethia’s father, Nathaniel Burns is the associate pastor at Rodgerson’s church. Nathaniel along with his wife Elisabeth are charged with endangering the welfare of their child. Alethia was pronounced as failing to thrive by medical professionals. Failure to thrive is a serious medical diagnoses:

Most diagnoses of failure to thrive are made in infants and toddlers in the first few years of life — a crucial period of physical and mental development. After birth, a child's brain grows as much in the first year as it will grow during the rest of life. Poor nutrition during this period can have permanent negative effects on mental development.

Yet if you read Mom of Many, she claims a medical conspiracy is hiding the true condition of the child.

All the tests showed that she was a normal baby who just happened to be small. They would not accept that and so were forcibly tube feeding Alethia to make her gain weight. She actually LOST weight while in the hospital–the poor baby was only allowed to be with her parents for 1 hour a day and ONLY if a social worker was present. They were giving her so much that she stopped eating completely.

Not normal, not small, not healthily, the term is a failure to thrive and it means trouble for the poor child. This is where I disconnect and start thinking I’ve found another group of nutballs. What finally convinced me was something else I found in reading about this weird case. Pastor Rodgerson is a fundie homophobe.

In a controversial vote on Monday, Kirksville City Councilman and Pastor of Southside Baptist Church Aaron Rodgerson voted against the inclusion of sexual orientation to the Kirksville Fair Housing Policy. When questioned if he would rent to someone he knew was gay, Mr. Rodgerson simply answered, “no”.

I watched his interview with a local reporter. When finished I reminded myself that this man, and many more like him, is the reason I blog about Christian nutballs. I am more inclined to question his character and judgment now that I’ve see where he stands on social issues.

I love this line from the Mom of Many blog.

They have been persecuted a lot for their faith (threatening emails, angry letters…..) America was founded on Christian principles but we are no longer a Christian nation.

Do you want to see hate mail? I mean seriously, you live in bible fundie land. I get the stuff every week, from Christians no less. Cry me a friggen persecuted river.

Technorati tags: Christians, Clergy Abuse, Clergy Misconduct, Gay Rights

Family Minister Accused of Sexual Abuse

2009-06-24T18:17:00.001-07:00

Somewhere in Texas a child is being abuse by a pastor. It is a war we may never win. Too many church, too many pastors, and too many children. At least one corrupt pastor is gone. Tomas Gonzales of Donna, TX admitted to molesting young relatives over a ten year period. Of course, members of his church have it all wrong.

Members of Gonzales' church say they don't understand what happened, but they are standing by their pastor.

"It was a terrible pain. It was very painful, and we are with him. We're not against him. We are with him, and God is with him," says Oscar Juarez.

I’m not going out on a limb here by saying that the next time you see your beloved pastor will be at his sentencing. Following that, you can visit him at the cemetery because he’s never going to see the light of day again.

I’m not sure which church Gonzales worked for. I found a list of 12. But this is Texas so for a population of 14K, I figure the real number is maybe a thousand churches, unless the Primer Iglesia Bautista is one of those Mega churches. Oh wait, I found it. Gonzales is (or was) pastor of Templo Nueve Vida (Source).

Technorati tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse, Texas, Hypocrisy

Veggielunch [Flickr]

2009-06-22T13:16:07-07:00

mojoey posted a photo:

Lunch for a buck
Posted to my blog as My frugal friend

2 Girls 1 Cup skateboard [Flickr]

2009-06-20T20:10:48-07:00

mojoey posted a photo:

My son bought a new skateboard at Van's at the Block of Orange. He thought his mom and dad would not know what the skateboard's graphic represented. When I saw it I laughed so hard that I ended up snorting. We had to explain 2 Girls 1 Cup to the wife.

Board shopping [Flickr]

2009-06-20T19:47:32-07:00

mojoey posted a photo:

Deep Thoughts

Christian ponzi scheme goes bad

Pastor Xray gets 17 years

An ugly way to die

What really happened in Webster Texas?

UCR California Museum of Photography

The Atheist Camel Chronicles

Texas Pastor gets 17 years for child porn

The Hulk looks pissed

The Hulk looks pissed [Flickr]

New Photography books for my library

Feeling that homophobic Baptist love

Christian youth volunteer arrested for rape

Christian coach gets 20 months

Youth pastor faces sex charges

10 years in prison for pastor

What’s $50 million among friends?

A Callis Lilly

Camas Lilly [Flickr]

The pastor behind Ricci v. DeStefano

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Veggielunch [Flickr]

2 Girls 1 Cup skateboard [Flickr]

Board shopping [Flickr]