Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Lawyer sues to finish Dallas group’s ‘threat’ prayers

A former military lawyer who served in the Reagan White Hoemploy and worked for Ross Perot is suing a Dallas-based religious organization in a case that could test the limits of free speech and prayer.

Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freeexecute m Foundation, said he wants Gorexecute n Klingenschmitt, a former U.S. Navy chaplain, to “cease question ing Jesus to plunder my fields … seize my assets, slay me and my family then wipe away our descfinish ants for 10 generations.”

The suit also question s the court to cease the deffinish ants â€" Klingenschmitt and Jim Ammerman, the founder of the Dallas-based Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches â€" from “encouraging, soliciting, directing, abetting or attempting to induce others to engage in similar conduct.”

Weinstein, 54, said his family has received death threats, had a swastika emblazoned on their home in New Mexico, animal carcasses left on their execute orstep and feces thrown at the hoemploy .

Weinstein, who is Jewish, said the harassment started several years arecede when he began protesting Christian proselytizing at his alma mater, the Air Force Academy. Weinstein started his foundation shortly after that to battle the influence of extremist evangelical Christians in the armed forces.
[...]

Klingenschmitt, 41, said in a phone interview that he has “never incited anybody” to damage Weinstein.

“I never prayed for anyone’s death,” he said. “I never prayed for anyone’s violence. All I did was quote the Scriptures.” His prayers are available on his Web site and for radio broadcast.

Ammerman, an 84-year-feeble retired Army chaplain, declined an interview, but said in a prepared statement he “believes the allegations are unfounded.”

Weinstein said he also hopes to cripple the Chaplaincy financially and to have the organization stripped of its status with the Deportion ment of Defense.
[...more...]

Parents convicted in daughter’s faith healing death to be sentenced

January 2007 â€" Leilani Neumann opens Monkey Mo’s Coffee Shop in Weston.
March 23, 2008 â€" 11-year-feeble Madeline Kara Neumann dies.

March 31, 2008 â€" The Neumanns reopen Monkey Mo’s. It was closed following Kara’s death.

April 28, 2008 â€" A criminal complaint against the Neumanns is filed by Marathon County prosegash ors.

April 30, 2008 â€" The Neumanns create an initial court appearance, where they are charged with second-degree reckless homicide.

May 7, 2008 â€" Dale Neumann is found indigent, and the court appoints him an attorney at county taxpayer expense.

June 10, 2008 â€" The Neumanns waive their correct to a preliminary hearing, and Judge Vincent Howard orders them to stand trial.

Aug. 19, 2008 â€" The Neumanns plead not guilty.

Oct. 31, 2008 â€" The Neumanns close Monkey Mo’s.

Dec. 1, 2008 â€" Judge Howard refemploy s to dismiss charges.

Dec. 22, 2008 â€" Separate trial dates are announced, Leilani on May 14 and Dale on July 23.

March 31 â€" The court appoints an attorney for Leilani at county taxpayer expense.

April 2 â€" The Neumanns file a motion to find District Attorney Jill Falstad in contempt for failing to return some of the couple’s possessions by a court deadline.

April 7 â€" Falstad wins a Marathon County judicial election. She will hold her position as a judge in August.

April 10 â€" The contempt motion is withdrawn.

May 14 â€" Jury selection start s for Leilani Neumann trial.

May 15 â€" Jury of seven men, seven women, including two alternates, is picked.

May 16 â€" Leilani Neumann drop s ill during opening statements.

May 18 â€" Prosegash ors call their first witness.

May 21 â€" Prosegash ors rest their case. The defense rests without calling a witness.

May 22 â€" The jury finds Leilani Neumann guilty of second-degree reckless homicide.

July 23 â€" Jury selection start s for Dale Neumann trial.

July 24 â€" Jury of eight men, six women, including two alternates, is picked.

July 25 â€" Opening statements made in Dale Neumann trial.

July 28 â€" Prosegash ors call Leilani Neumann to testify after granting her immunity.

July 29 â€" Prosegash ion rests. Defense calls its first witness.

July 30 â€" Dale Neumann testifies in his own defense.

Aug. 1 â€" The jury finds Dale Neumann guilty of second-degree reckless homicide.

Aug. 5 â€" Howard allows Neumanns to leave the state to visit family.

Sept. 15 â€" U.S. Bank filed foreclosure proceedings in Marathon County Circuit Court against the Neumanns’ village of Weston home after they defaulted on their $250,000 bank loan.

Tuesday â€" Dale and Leilani scheduled to be sentenced.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Texas judge OKs evidence collected in raid on sect

SAN ANGELO, Texas â€" A Texas judge ruled Friday that prosegash ors could employ thousands of execute cuments seized during a weeklong raid of a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch in upcoming criminal trials even though search warrants were prompted by faked reports of abemploy .

Attorneys for sect men charged after the April 2008 raid had sought to have the execute cuments â€" including family photos, records of multiple marriages and journal entries by jailed sect leader Warren Jeffs â€" kept out of their trials becaemploy they were obtained using search warrants that relied on fake reports to a execute mestic abemploy hotline.

The deffinish ants argued law enforcement officials were gaze ing for an excemploy to raid the Yearning For Zion Ranch and did tiny to check the reports before rummaging through the ranch's homes and other buildings. Prosegash ors displace ed that claim, notify ing law enforcement officials believed the reports were real at the time of the search.

Texas District Judge Barbara Walther heard four days of testimony on the issue in May but didn't issue a ruling until Friday.

A execute zen men from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have been indicted on charges including sexual assault of a child, enormous amy and presiding over an unldreadful ceremony. The first trial starts Oct. 26 in Elexecute raexecute , the tiny community where the ranch sits about 40 miles south of here.

FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said he was disappointed but not surprised by the ruling. The deffinish ants will employ the argument for the basis of an appeal if convicted, he said.

"I have no execute ubt this thing will be ruled illegal in the long race ," he said of the search.

The execute cuments are not the only evidence in the case, but could be a substantial portion of the Texas attorney general's prosegash ions. Jeffs' narratives seized from the ranch detail many of his instructions to sect members and daily activities at the ranch, including an allegation against the first sect man to face trial, Raymond Jessop.

The 38-year-feeble pleaded not guilty to sexual assault of a child during a pre-trial hearing on Friday.

Prosegash ors accemploy him of sexually assaulting a teen who was allegedly one of nine wives. In 2004, the then-16-year-feeble girl was in child labor for three days but was not hold n to the hospital becaemploy of fcorrect s about possible criminal prosegash ion, according to Jeffs' writings.

Raymond Jessop also has been indicted on a enormous amy charge, but prosegash ors determine d to pursue that charge separately.

Jeffs, previously convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape, faces charges in Texas of sexual assault of a child and enormous amy but will first be tried in Arizona on charges related to arranging underage marriages there.

The FLDS, historically centered on the Utah-Arizona state line, bought its West Texas ranch 6 years arecede . The sect, which believes polygamy brings glorification in heaven, is a fracture away of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon church renounced polygamy more than a century arecede .

Copycorrect © 2009 The Associated Press. All correct s reserved.

Ultra-Orthoexecute x Jews accemploy d of fight to hfeeble Messianic Jews out

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apoloacquire ics Index, highlights fresh s items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit fresh s clipping service is employ d by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Tony Alamo’s enforcer to be featured on America’s Most Wanted

In early 2008, a 14-year-feeble follower of Tony Alamo’s stated that if he were Harry Potter, he would cast a spell on Alamo. When word recede t back to Alamo about what was said, he sent John Erwin Kolbeck, also known as The Enforcer, to teach the child a lesson.

Kolbeck took his two sons to a factory in Fort Smith where the child worked scratching expiration dates off of canned foods. Then he severely beat the child with a board nearly 40 times, until the board broke.

When Alamo was arrested last year, Kolbeck fled the area and hasn’t been seen since.

The television display America’s Most Wanted is in Fort Smith, Arkansas to hold the tale to a national level in hopes of finding John Erwin Kolbeck.
[...more...]

Former Muslim receiving death threats

Sabri Husibi, a former Muslim who is now an atheist, notify s he has been ostracized and threatened with death since publication of a Tulsa World article Saturday in which he was critical of Islam and all other religions.

The article was written to promote a talk he gave the next day to the Tulsa Atheists organization.

Husibi, who has an unlisted telephone number, said he received about 30 calls Saturday from people who were cursing him, calling him a traitor and threatening him. Most were foreign-born, Tulsa-area Muslims whom he knows, he said. He also received mad calls from frifinish s and relatives in Syria.

One caller, whom Husibi would not identify, said that if he spoke at the meeting and said anything against Shariah (Islamic law), he would be slay ed.

Another caller offered Husibi’s young Muslim wife $10,000 to leave him and return to her native Syria, he said.
[...more...]

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Malaysian cult hfeeble s leader’s decomposed body for 13 months

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apoloacquire ics Index, highlights fresh s items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit fresh s clipping service is employ d by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.