Witness: Pastor said `Lord told me' to abuse girl

[ccharles000]

A woman who says she was a child bride of evangelist Tony Alamo told jurors Wednesday that the minister had so many partners that he had to schedule when he would have sex with them.

The woman, now 30, said she was a third-generation Alamo follower into adulthood _ until the Arkansas-based pastor took an 8-year-old as his latest bride. At one point, the woman said, Alamo told her graphically how he fondled the girl as she held a stuffed animal _ and she raised concerns about his actions.

"He told me to shut up and that I shouldn't question what `the Lord told me to do,'" the woman said.

Federal prosecutors accuse Alamo, 74, of transporting five girls across state lines for sex between 1994 and 2005. The woman who testified Wednesday said she traveled to California, Tennessee and West Virginia when she was underage to be available to Alamo.

Defense lawyers said in their opening statement Tuesday that girls crisscrossed the country while working for the ministry. Chores for a "bona fide religious group" were not a federal offense, they said.

On the stand Wednesday, the 30-year-old woman said she was married to Alamo at age 15 after he rejected a request from a boy her same age to marry her. She said Alamo told her family that the Lord had told him to take her as his wife, and that she feared her she and her relatives would be shunned if she did not submit.

"We didn't have anywhere to go," said the woman, whose parents and grandparents were also Alamo followers.

After she agreed, the witness said, Alamo took her hand asked if she would take him as her lawfully wedded husband. He kissed her on the forehead and, three days later, had sex with her for the first time.


http://www.rr.com/news/news/article/rr/1110/8341254/Witness_Pastor_said_Lord_told_me_to_abuse_girl/full/

[Odin2005]

1. Monster. Total, complete monster.

:cry:

[get the red out]

8. Amazing

It is amazing how many cults based around men like this are completely protected in this country because of "freedom of religion". I am pretty sick of it myself. A non-cultist criminal would have been tried a long time ago if he could have been so easily identified. We have a warped sense of freedom in this country. It doesn't seem like any respect for the freedom of the children of this cult was ever considered by anyone, or their sex slavery.

For the United States to talk about human rights overseas is a complete fucking joke.

[Chulanowa]

22. There's a big difference, from the American perspective

When a Muslim does it, it's a crime against humanity, justification for further attacks on Muslims abroad, because htye have a "backwards culture that abuses women and children"
When a Christian does it, it's "questionable, but that's freedom of religion for you, oh well"

[get the red out]

33. Amen!

But I see no difference at all. I guess that's why people tend to stay pissed off at me, LOL!

[Odin2005]

40. +1

[LiberalAndProud]

2. "chores". I am flabbergasted that the defense would use that word.

Flumoxed. Bewildered. Say what?!!

[get the red out]

3. We MUST respect freedom of Religion above everything!!!!!

We can't question a holy man's right to do what he wants with mere females. We have to turn a blind eye and support freedom of (his) religion. All these pre-pubescent female possessions CHOSE to be in this situation. We need to change some laws to make sure these good people are bothered in their worship. :sarcasm: :grr:

[SidneyCarton]

23. The alternative is not pretty either.

That this man's perversion and crimes could be hidden and protected under the seal of religion is utterly disgusting, as disgusting to me, a believer as it is to a secular humanist. Rape is rape and this man is a serial rapist and should be punished accordingly.

Weakening freedom of religion because of these offenses, as vicious, disgusting and unspeakably vile as they are, will not expunge this problem from our nation, it will only invite further abuses and further incursions against other forms of free expression.

[get the red out]

31. Respect

The vile things we "respect" under "freedom" of religion are as bad as anything out there. It is time we took a look at what we are calling "freedom" and who it actually gives freedom to. There is a lot of room for interpretation that doesn't step on the toes of decent people. If people like this hide behind religion they get by with their monstrous activities a lot more easily than those that don't.

I believe in a higher authority as well, and that authority doesn't reside on this planet and we don't have to tolerate abuse to allow people to have their own idea of it.

Not much is worse than what a lot of cults are permitted to do to women and girls right here in the supposed "land of the free". But of course the apologists outnumber people that want change as much among liberals as conservatives. We will continue to simply accept this as men's right when they are able to get some brain-washed hold on people. We are as sick as they are for constantly turning our heads in fear of stepping on religion. I can't imagine we will ever do anything to really promote human rights in this country.

When someone is unlucky enough to be born to a cult we basically go along with denying them full rights and citizenship because the cult wants it that way. To me that is utterly vile and reprehensible.

[Odin2005]

41. Exactly.

Just like that boy from Minnesota with cancer whose nutty parents tried to keep from getting chemo because of their "religious beliefs", and there were DUers DEFENDING THOSE NUTTY PARENTS THAT WERE ENDANGERING THE LIFE OF THEIR CHILD!!! That is BS! Tottal, complete, utter BS.

[Xenotime]

27. fundies hide behind that shit to do these horrible things..

They steal, cheat and cause all kinds of problems.

[sutz12]

4. Sorry to break the news...but not all of those voices in your head are God.

Sick, sick people.

[gratuitous]

5. When contacted, the Lord denied any complicity

"I've never heard of this garbanzo in my life," replied Jesus, as he tested this year's vintage at the Napa Valley Wine Festival.

[arbusto_baboso]

7. The Holy Ghost, however, could not be reached for comment.

And really, since that thing in Bethlehem with the "virgin", his veracity is questionable, anyway.

[Tim01]

6. Sex with underage girls is not legal in this country. Off to prison with him. nt

[EFerrari]

9. And we call it rape. n/t

[LiberalAndProud]

10. Ok, but then what?

The witness said some of Alamo's "wives" moved to Colorado to be near him while he was in prison there, then moved to Fouke in southwestern Arkansas, the current home of the minister's compound. Alamo completed his prison at a Texarkana halfway house about 15 miles from Fouke.

[Tim01]

13. You can't MAKE people think differently. You can only punish law violations.

There is a very long list of things that people think that most of believe is not right, but you can't fix that.
From women who feel they only exist to serve men, to pacifists who try to live peacefully with dangerous animals who kill and eat them.

You can't make these people stop being religious kooks. But they don't get to violate the rules of the land.

[charlie]

11. Alamo's been arrested 100 times on a 100 different charges

And yet he always managed to rebuild his ministry between prison terms.

Sometimes I really, really, REALLY don't understand people.

[scheming daemons]

12. Stories like this would make the founding fathers rethink that "freedom of religion" thing...

..

[Tim01]

15. I don't think it would. Not at all.

They were rugged individualists. Everybody gets the opportunity to sink.
And they were probably used to taking brides younger than we are, back in the day.

When they found out about the 8 year old they would probably give him a fair trial followed immediately by a first class execution on the front lawn.

[SidneyCarton]

24. Precisely.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. I think this is the Defense of Marriage poster story of the week

God is in the mix! Sacrament! Hallelujah!

[Turbineguy]

16. "The Lord told me"

How convenient!

Maybe the Lord will be a witness at his trial. We could get a lot of really weird shit sorted out.

[malaise]

19. I'd like the judge to ask him one question at the end of the trial

What is your gawd telling you now. Melt the key this time - someone may find it if they throw it away.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. Free-lance fundamentalism strikes again

Whatever you say about organized religion, UNORGANIZED religion is the real horror.

[Mari333]

18. Please, God, put this man in a prison in general population

with a lot of prisoners who have daughters . Just let him try and survive. Make announcements daily to the prisoners about what he did.

[SidneyCarton]

26. I sympathize, but that is not justice.

If his crime is worthy of death (and under current statutes it is not, call your Congressman?) he should be sentenced to execution. Mob violence and murder, emotionally satisfying as it might be, only invites more. I would not be so quick to sentence any person, man or woman to repeated gang-rape and murder for their crimes.

[Mari333]

29. you are kinder then me. nt

[SidneyCarton]

30. I doubt it, were it my daughter, they would have to physically restrain me

from doing unspeakable things to him.

[get the red out]

35. Justice

In this misguided country? Please.

[SidneyCarton]

43. If you would prefer the cleansing power of mob violence, go ahead.

I would rather aspire to the ideal of justice than have to worry about lynching my neighbors before they chose to do the same to me.

[Odin2005]

42. +1

[SidneyCarton]

20. Try him, prove him guilty, and lock him in a deep dark hole.

Not as satisfying as screaming to feed him through a wood chipper, which, as a father I'm tempted, believe me.

[tomm2thumbs]

21. 'In God's Name...' /nt

[MajorChode]

25. I don't see why this would come as a surprise to anyone

Christians have been using the same excuse for thousands of years for all sorts of vile things like wars of aggression, slavery, murder, torture, and bigotry. Even people like Pat Robertson and George W. Bush claim that they have a direct line to God.

[Initech]

28. Ah the good ol' morals and values crowd at it again!

:eyes:

[Arkana]

32. The Lord apparently works in mysterious ways.

I've read quite a bit of the Bible. Admittedly, not all of it, but I don't remember anywhere in the Old or New Testaments where God said "Thou shalt diddle little kids."

[lukasahero]

34. Sometimes I wish I believed in heaven and hell

because there should be a special place in jail and hell for the fucking asshole monsters. Honest to god, let me at this fuckwit for 10 minutes - he'll never fuck with another girl in his entire life and hereafter.

[snake in the grass]

36. marked for later n/t

[BolivarianHero]

37. You knows stories racist people in Europe tell about gypsies?

They actually weren't lying; what they didn't realize, however, is that they were confusing gypsies with fundamentalist Christians.

[jasi2006]

38. Here is the real story behind this slimball...

http://www.mhrn.org/publications/fact%20sheets%20and%20adivsories/TonyAlamoFactSheet.pdf

His wife was a real doozie too.

You wonder if Sara Palin could ever be elected President? The answer is yes...with millions of brain-dead folks like the kind that followed Alamo and other like him...it's very possible.

[Ilsa]

39. Raping little girls in Jesus' name. I think God(dess) has a special place

in hell for a dick like this. Let's hope the jury and judge see through him.