More children removed from Ozarks church amid sex abuse case

[deadparrot]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Eight more children were taken into protective custody Thursday at a southwest Missouri church compound whose leader is being sought on felony warrants for allegedly sexually abusing a former female church member when she was a child.

Newton County Chief Deputy Chris Jennings said he believes authorities have now taken all the children from the compound, which is affiliated with another Ozarks church community where the pastor, his wife and two deacons face charges of abusing young girls from 1977 to 2005.

A judge in Newton County earlier ordered all children removed for their own safety from the Grandview Valley Baptist Church North, after prosecutors charged George O. Johnston, 63, with eight counts of sexually abusing a former church member starting when she was 8 years old.

Johnston is being sought nationally on felony warrants. Jennings said there were no firm leads yet on his whereabouts.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/638496EED2C8EBA3862571D400797EFC?OpenDocument

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. christian love.

how touching.

glad the state FINALLY got involved.

[VegasWolf]

2. The Pastor wanted them to really "feel" God's love. nt

[sarcasmo]

3. Religious insanity strikes again.

[cssmall]

4. Believe it or not, but the idea of compound communities in the Ozarks

is quite old. The Ozarks are actually the least ethnically diverse region in the nation if I remember my numbers correctly. However, this whole idea of having to wall themselves in against the coming tide of the world around them is amazing. I will paraphrase a quote about Kingston, AR which was written by an episcopal pastor in the late 19th century about Ozarkers: The peoples of the Ozark are the true Anglo-Saxon stock that settled this land in the time of the colonies and those that aided in the establishment of the country; they have never seen a "negro" or any other person of any other color. They have the ability through God's grace tobe the shining example of the Anglo-Saxons in this great country. Note that this was all a lie.

In addition, Zinc, AR (also in the Ozarks) either holds the home to the KKK or has an extremely large base there. The definition of whiteness and of Christianity has severely been preverted in this region.

[IndianaGreen]

5. This church was a communal cult, and a haven for pedophiles

Prosecutors alleged that Lambert, 51, helped by his 49-year-old wife, repeatedly molested and had sex with two underage girls, "as part of a ritual or ceremony," according to the court filing.

The alleged abuses took place over a 10-year span until 2005, prosecutors said.

Lambert told the girls, "We are preparing your body for service to God," according to the complaint.

I'll bet the pastor believes that marriage is between one man and one woman!

[wakeme2008]

6. IndianaGreen probably not

I'll bet the pastor believes that marriage is between one man and one woman

More like... A Man and a Woman and a Woman and a Child and a Woman.... :grr:

[filer]

7. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding.

There must be a rational explanation. The pastor was merely instructing the children on how to handle snakes.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Here's a thread I posted on this early this morning, with a tv clip

linked in it, showing the group of Ozark luminaries who thought up this lovely life-style (:sarcasm: ):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2472332

[Moderator]

9. Locking - duplicate

Discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=162x6434