IT'S RAINING BABIES (HALLELUJAH) AND THE CULT OF NO PANTS

Dropping Babies From Rooftops = Health and Prosperity, Apparently
In New Delhi, activists lashed out at local officials who allowed hundreds of infants to be dropped from the roof of a mosque in the belief that the fall — which ends when the babies are caught in a bedsheet — would ensure good health and prosperity for their families. This bizarre and dangerous ritual has been practiced for nearly 700 years at a local Muslim shrine, with both Hindus and Muslims engaging in this nutty behavior. At a ritual on Thursday, infants were dangled from the roof of the shrine before being dropped about 50 feet onto a bedsheet held by parents and other believers. Fortunately there were no reports of injuries.

Former Police Chaplain Arrested For Sexual Assault
In St. Cloud, Minn., an 82-year-old former police chaplain was arrested for sexually assaulting a minor. Police say Pastor Arthur Ree, sexually assaulted a female minor over an 18-month period from 2000 to 2001. Responding to the arrest, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which Ree was a member, released the following statement:

“The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Southwestern Minnesota Synod is shocked and deeply saddened by the arrest of art ree on charges of criminal sexual behavior involveing a female victim. Ree is a retired pastor of the ELCA. Charges of this nature are very serious and even more disturbing when they involve the life of the church. The Southwestern Minnesota Synod does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse in any way. Our synod and congregation are and should remain always safe places for all people. We offer prayers for the victim of the abuse and her family and friends. We also offer our prayers for Mr. Ree and his family. Situations like these bring deep pain and sadness to many people. Our comfort rests with God who is with us At all times we pray that God’s care, concern, healing and wisdom may be experienced by all who have been affected.”

This statement is much longer than it needs to be. "Offering" prayers and making throwaway statements about God's love ring very empty when an innocent child has been violated by a disgusting old pervert. Where was God's "care, concern, healing and wisdom" when Ree was having his filthy ways with his victim? I just can't believe the audacity of the religious mind sometimes.

Pastor Accused of Sexual Abuse
In Louisville, a pastor has been placed on leave after a man alleged that the priest sexually abused him in 1985. In quite an unprecedented move, The Record, a Catholic newspaper, listed Schook's previous parish assignments and asked that any alleged victims of abuse from those parishes contact the archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Louisville was at the center of a massive sexual abuse scandal in 2002 and 2003. Nearly $30 million was paid out in settlements by the archdiocese after more than 250 people made abuse allegations. More then three dozen priests and other church workers were accused of abusing children as far back as the late 1940s.

Priest Busted in Sex Sting
In St. Louis, a Catholic priest was arrested in an FBI sex sting targeting men who wanted to rent young girl for sex. According to the police, James Patrick Grady (r.), 57, showed up at the home of what he thought to be a 16-year-old girl, who he offered to pay for sex. On Wednesday, Grady had responded to an online ad offering young females and started exchanging emails with an undercover officer. Eventually, Grady asked the "girl" for a massage but was refused so he then inexplicably propositioned her for kissing and oral sex. (Perhaps he thought that would be less degrading for the girl.) After he was arrested, Grady said he came to the house because he was "curious". Where the hell is Chris Hansen when you need him?

And finally...Pantless Sex Cult Leader Jailed For Blasphemy
A kinky sex cult leader in Jakarta who performed sermons in his underwear was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for blasphemy against Islam. Agus Noro (l.) aka Agus Imam Solihin, meaning "leader of the faithful," would demand his Muslim followers to perform group sex in front of him and banned them from praying and fasting -- I'm gonna guess it was the latter two injunctions that got Noro into the real trouble. While prosecutors demanded a four year sentence for the pantless preacher, the judge cut him some slack because Noro withdrew an earlier statement where he claimed to be God. So at least he's not crazy.

Big Daddy Cane: Sex cult leader Agus Noro

Today's God Crimes: The Inefficacy of Prayer & The Christian Wrestling Coach

Parents of Dead Girl: Sickness was a test of faith
In Wisconsin, the mother of an 11-year-old girl who died of undiagnosed diabetes as the family prayed for her to get better testified that she believes sickness is caused by sin and can be cured by God. Leilani Neumann (l.), who was convicted of second-degree reckless homicide in her daughter's death, told the jury in her husband's trial that she thought her daughter's illness was a test of her religious faith and she didn't take the girl to a doctor. Neumann's husband, Dale, who is described as a "full-Gospel Christian" by his lawyer, also considered his daughter's illness "a test of his faith".

Woman Facing 40 Lashes for Wearing Trousers
In Sudan, a woman facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers in public made her first appearance today in a court packed with supporters, in what her lawyer described as a test case in Sudan's decency laws. In an act of defiance, Lubna Hussein (r.), a former journalist who works for the UN, attended the hearing wearing the same green slacks that got her arrested for immodest dress. Hussein is using her case to campaign against dress codes sporadically imposed in the capital.

180 Hostages Freed Amid Islamist Violence
In Nigeria, police have freed more than 180 women and children from a house where they had been held for six days by a group of radical Islamists demanding the adoption of Sharia law. The group is responsible for three days of deadly violence which has killed more than 250 people and has forced more than 3,000 people from their homes.

Father Held in Brutal Honor Killing of Daughter
In the Gaza Strip, a man is being held on suspicion he bludgeoned his daughter to death with an iron chain in an honor killing. Apparently the assault was triggered by the Jawdat Najjar's discovery that his 27-year-old daughter (a divorced mother of five) owned a cell phone, which he suspected she used to speak to a man outside the family. Najjar is believed to have beat her with an iron chain, while also kicking and punching her for about 40 minutes until she died of a fatal blow to the head.

Christian Wrestling Coach Sues Muslim Principal
And finally...in Michigan, a former high school wrestling coach who is Christian filed a lawsuit against Dearborn Public Schools and a high school principal who is Muslim, saying he was terminated because of his association with an assistant (who also turns out to be a pastor) who had helped convert a Muslim student to Christianity.

Today's God Crimes: Rabbi Organseller and Obeying the Voices in Your Head

Schmuck Rabbi Accused of Illegally Selling Human Body Parts
In New Jersey, following the wake of last week's FBI take-down of a multi-million dollar money laundering operation that included the arrests of five rabbis comes the shocking news that one of the rabbis, Levy Izhak Rosenbaum (left), brokered the illegal (and lucrative) sales of human organs. Prosecutors say that Rosenbaum was trying to sell a kidney to an undercover federal agent for $160,000 and has been involved in the international black market for kidneys for 10 years.

Randy Reverend Gets Suspension After Sexual Allegations
In Boston, the Archdiocese has suspended Rev. Pedro Jose Damázio from performing any public ministry after receiving allegations against him of adult sexual misconduct. (Great, more time for the priest to be alone and doing God-knows-what!) Meanwhile, Damázio's congregation is in predictable "disbelief" and praying for him. So supportive is this bunch that one follower is prepared to excuse Damázio's --and perhaps other randy reverends' -- transgressions by saying, "They are fathers, but they are men, too...I am OK if they are going to be married." Of course! What victim doesn't wanna marry their victimizer? This is yet another reason why I'm a Yankees fan.

Perv Priest Denied Appeal for Child Sex Convictions
In Australia, a Catholic priest jailed for more than seven years for raping and sexually abusing four boys has been refused a chance for an appeal. Terrence Melville Pidoto was ordained in 1971 and began his child rape-spree a year later. To give you a sense of the depravity and brazenness of Pidoto's libido, one of his victims was a 12-year-old boy who he raped after officiating at the boy's sister's wedding.

That's Hot: Female Lawyers Must Now Wear Headscarves in Gaza
In the Gaza Strip, the top judge has ordered female lawyers to wear Muslim headscarves when they appear in court. The move is being perceived as the latest sign that Gaza's Islamic militant rulers are increasingly imposing their strict interpretation of Islamic law. I just hope there's air conditioning in the courtrooms over there.

Four Arrested in Village Honor Killing
In India, police arrested four people in connection with the honor killing of a 21-year-old man who married a fellow clan-member despite the disapproval of her family. While venturing into his wife's village --under police escort-- to take her back with him, Ved Pal Mor was allegedly attacked by an angry mob and lynched. The four men who were arrested are believed to have "egged on" the mob.

Another Reason to Accept Jesus: 10% off at Denny's!
In Texas, if you dine at a particular Denny's and bring a copy of your church bulletin, the restaurant will donate 10% of your bill to your local church and, as an added bonus, they'll also take 10% off your bill (see right). Although I'd rather eat tumbleweed marinated in vulture excrement than dine at Denny's, this promotion is clearly discriminatory. Fortunately, the good people at the James Randi Educational Foundation are investigating.

Pastor: Obey the Voices in Your Head -- No Matter What
And finally...I came across this very disturbing column in Kentucky's Richmond Register where a local pastor, John Settles, encourages his readers to obey God when He "speaks" to them (instead of, say, seeing a shrink) and admonishes those who balk at carrying out the orders of their imaginary friend. Here is an excerpt:

"Some folks believe they would respond to God if God spoke to them in a vision. I’m not sure if they would. There are so many instances where God has made his will clear in his word, but we hesitate to follow his commands. Maybe we are waiting for a vision.

I suspect we do not follow God’s commandments for other reasons. Where God’s will is clear to us, there is no acceptable reason for us not to follow his will. We may refuse to follow out of fear. We may refuse to follow simply out of willful disobedience. Whether God reveals his will through a vision or through other means, he wants us to be guided by his will. Amen."

Now I don't expect any semblance of wisdom or profound insight from pastors but this is absolutely irresponsible and potentially harmful demagoguery. I would love to hear what Mr. Settles thinks of Jesus lovin' citizens like Jim Jones and Scott Roeder, who claim they did what they did because they were following the commands of the Almighty. Oh, that's right, that would be an unfair comparison because those motherfuckers were crazy!

Today's God Crimes: Sex and Drivebys

In Ireland, a new report has identified hundreds of victims of child sex abuse by Irish Catholic priests. Church authorities had identified between 400 and 450 people that allege they were abused by one of 152 Dublin priests since 1940. Unfortunately, this may just be the tip of the iceberg according to the archdiocese spokesperson, "I would like to stress that that is a very conservative estimate and is likely to rise."

In Utah, 21 felony charges have been filed against a former Mormon seminary principal accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student. Michael Jay Pratt, 37, was the principal of Lone Peak High School's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seminary. The church terminated him as soon as the allegations surfaced. Oh, the irony.

In Thailand, local police are blaming Muslim insurgents for drive-by shootings that killed three civilians. Last month, at least 36 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in violence in predominantly Buddhist Thailand's only Muslim-dominated region.

In England, a married Arabian princess who had a baby with her British lover has been granted asylum because she fears she will be stoned to death if she goes home. As we all know, the punishment for adultery in Sharia law-abiding Saudi Arabia is being stoned to death. Last year, Sharia courts sentenced 102 people to this inhumane punishment.

Today's God Crimes: Priests Gone Wild

In New York, a 41-year-old man pretending to be a priest has been jailed on accusations of performing a sex act on a teenage male parishioner.

Also in New York, yet another priest was charged with the sexual abuse of six males, aged 11 to 19. The Rev. James McDevitt,63, is alleged to have told the six males to lie bottomless across his lap while he spanked them. Devitt is also facing other misdemeanor sexual abuse charges.

In Canada, a retired priest is facing 22 charges of sexual assault involving boys aged 8 to 16. These incidents are believed to have occurred between 1958 and 1978 when Levi Noel, 83, was a priest in the Diocese of Bathurst in New Brunswick.

Today's God Crimes

In Arkansas, a victim/wife of evangelist Tony Alamo told a federal court that the preacher had so many partners that he needed to schedule how often he would have sex with them. Alamo, now 74, is accused of sexually abusing girls as young as eight. When Alamo's wife (who he married when she was 15) began to scrutinize his behavior, he told her not to question what "the Lord told me to do."

In Connecticut, after reading the Bible, a 24-year-old nutcase allegedly beat several people (including two children ages 1 and 3) with a two-by-four while screaming he was "the Son of Jesus".

Today's God Crimes

In Maryland, a Roman Catholic priest was convicted of sexually abusing an altar boy in Maryland more than seven years ago. The 57-year-old Reverend Aaron Cote is expected to be sentenced to 10 years of probation and must register as a sex offender.

In Baltimore, two members of a religious cult want to represent themselves at their upcoming trail for the starvation death of a one-year-old child. The members are accused of denying food and water to the toddler after he refused to say "Amen" after meals.

The French government has condemned the flogging of several women in Sudan for wearing trousers, which violates Sharia law.

Cult leader escapes island prison in helicopter

You really can't make this stuff up. This sounds like a scene out of a bad 80s action movie. Where's Michael Dudikoff when you need him?

On Monday, French cult leader Juliano Verbard, 27, escaped by helicopter from an Indian Ocean island prison where he was serving a 15-year sentence for rape and child molestation; the preferred crimes of cult leaders. Verbard leads a cult called the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Eye roll.)

Three of Verbard's deluded followers allegedly hijacked a helicopter after posing as tourists. The trio then forced the two-man crew to land on the prison grounds. The Verbard devotees then sprung their master and two prison follwers. The helicopter then took off and landed a few hundred yards away, where Verbard and his clan drove off in an awaiting van.

Ain't it amazing how cult members can devote their lives to nonsense but still have the intelligence to plan such a calculated escape? Crazy doesn't always mean stupid.

Pedophile ex-priest says he's a victim of vandalism

In Omaha, NE, a former Catholic priest who served prison time for child porn and molesting an alter boy and was recently jailed again for fondling himself in a parking lot is telling police he's a victim of vandalism.

64-year-old Daniel Herek is claiming that someone smashed the driver's side mirror of his pickup truck the day after his birthday.

Cry me a river.

Ex-priest admits to downloading child porn on church computer

A former priest has pled guilty to downloading kiddie porn on his computer...in church (!)

Matthew Bagert, 40, was indicted in November for downloading four sexually explicit photos of boys. He's facing up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine and possibly a lifetime of supervised release -- hopefully the "lifetime of supervision" bit will be handled this time around by a parole officer rather than just the Almighty.

However, there is a bright side to all this. Bagert was reported to the police by a fellow clergyman --something that doesn't happen quite often enough-- after he noticed questionable images on the pervy priest's church computer.

Now, I don't know about you, but if looking at pictures of young boys in the nude was my thing, I'd probably do it in private, as opposed to inside a church with nosy priests (who, in all fairness, may not share the same fetish) walking around. But that's just me.

Child raping ex-priest sent back to prison

From today's Chicago Sun-Times:

Defrocked priest back in prison
Sex offender Campobello picked up for probation violation

By MATT HANLEY Beacon News

Mark Campobello, who was defrocked as a Catholic priest after being convicted of molesting teenage girls, is back in prison for violating his parole.

Authorities said today that Campobello, who was a priest in Aurora and Geneva, had been living in McHenry County but had to move out of his house and no longer had a permanent address. Not having a permanent residence is a parole violation.

Campobello was imprisoned for three years and eight months after he pleaded guilty in 2004 to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl over five months in 1999, while he lived at the rectory of St. Peter Church in Geneva.

He also pleaded guilty to molesting a 15-year-old girl while she was a student at Aurora Central Catholic High School between November 1999 and March 2000. He was assistant principal of the school.

Buddhist parents beat "demons" out of 3-year-old son

From today's Houston Chronicle:

Prosecutors: Houston parents used bamboo sticks to beat toddler
Sister says couple also poked the boy with chopsticks



By DALE LEZON Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
April 7, 2009, 12:02PM

Both parents of a 3-year-old southwest Harris County boy beat him with bamboo sticks and poked his feet with chopsticks in a violent attempt to remove demons from his body, a prosecutor said today in a court hearing.

Assistant Harris County District Attorney Darin Darby, citing a witness statement from the boy's 6-year-old sister, today presented new details of the attack to state District Judge Debbie Mantooth Stricklin in the case against Phung Tran, 36.

She and her husband, Jacky Tran, 35, are charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony. He was arrested at the scene, but his wife was charged Monday.

Both face up to life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors say the parents, devout Buddhists and vegetarians, believed demons entered the boy through meat he ate.

Medics flew the boy to the hospital, where he was being treated for multiple skull fractures. Officials said he is expected to survive.

The Trans remain in Harris County jail on $100,000 bond each. Phung Tran's attorney, Charles Brown said he wanted a psychiatric evaluation done soon. At Monday's hearing, she shuffled through the courtroom with her eyes closed.

Sheriff's deputies visited the Lone Dove Court home after 7 p.m. Saturday after a security alarm sounded.

When they arrived, all the windows were open and Buddhist chants were blaring from within. Through an upstairs window, Jacky Tran could be seen repeatedly punching down with his fist, prosecutors said.

During a lull in the loud music, deputies heard a child screaming. Inside, they found the naked, battered, barely conscious boy in his mother's arms in the bathtub.

Sunday night, Tran told tearful relatives who visited him in jail that he had not hit the toddler, but had simply knocked the demon out of him.

The beating left the little boy unresponsive, his head maroon from bruising, his eyes nearly swollen shut.

Child Protective Services has placed the couple's older daughter in foster care and planned to ask a judge for custody.

The Trans are scheduled to appear in court again May 14.

Cult member starved "demon" son to death

A woman in Maryland involved with a religious cult pleaded guilty to starving her one-year-old son to death, but insists she will be exonerated when he is resurrected by God.

Ria Ramkissoon, 22, starved Javon Thompson to death after the leader of the One Mind Ministries (an apt name/description for any religious organization), "Queen Antoinette" decided Javon was a demon because he refused to say "amen" after meals. After he died, the Queen told her flock that "God was going to raise Javon from the dead". Nothing happened.

After leaving the child's corpse in a room for a week or so, the decomposing body was stuffed into a suitcase and discovered in a storage shed in April 2008, approximately two years after Javon's death.

Nevertheless, Ramkissoon still insists her son will rise from the dead. Just in case this happens, there is a "resurrection clause" as part of her plea deal, which would (I believe in theory) allow charges to be dropped. Unfortunately for Ramkissoon (a former Hindu), the court ruled that reincarnations don't count.

Ramkissoon was born into a Hindu family, became a "devout" Christianity and then somehow discovered the One Mind nutjobs. Inter-religious converts have always puzzled me. I can understand a non-religious person being convinced/coerced into believing that "something is missing" from his/her life and then "finding God". I can also understand a religious person who slowly realizes his --and any-- supernatural beliefs are all a load of donkey manure. In this particular case, how did Ramkissoon decide her Hindu ideologies (i.e. reincarnation, chanting magical words, cows-as-sacred) were soooo obviously phony bologna but them Bible stories of talking animals, raining bread and 900 year old men), there's NO WAY that could be made up!

Brazilian Archbishop: Abortion is worse than rape

Yesterday in Brazil, a doctor received a standing ovation at a national convention on women's health for performing an abortion on a 9-year-old rape victim. The girl was four months pregnant with twins after being allegedly raped by her stepfather, who, authorities say, began abusing the child since she was 6.

But there was one guy in town who wasn't singing the doctor's praises and that man was Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, who excommunicated the doctor, the child's mother and the medical staff involved with the procedure. Now before you accuse Sobrinho of being an irrational religous zealot, he did exhibit some restraint. Exempt from the excommunication: the rape victim (but only because children are exempt from excommunication) and...the accused rapist stepfather!

Sobrinho justified his decisions with this nugget of sage wisdom: "A graver act than (rape) is abortion, to eliminate an innocent life." Then he explained his own stupidity by asserting, "God's law is above human laws."