http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:54:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22954/tony-alamo-children http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22954/tony-alamo-children#comments Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:28:12 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22954 Two girls taken from Tony Alamo’s religious compound in southwest Arkansas can eventually be reunited with their parents if the parents sever some of their ties with the church, a judge ruled Friday.

Meanwhile, two days after their children were taken from them in a sweep of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries properties, church members opened the church to reporters, denying that they had ever abused their children and saying the government is trying to destroy their church.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22954/tony-alamo-children/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22949/tony-alamo-18 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22949/tony-alamo-18#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:57:12 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22949 Authorities said dozens of children missing from Tony Alamo ministries in Fouke and Fort Smith, Ark., listed on a court order may be out of the reach of child welfare agencies if they've been taken across state lines.

Not a single child was found on Alamo properties in Fort Smith after officials with DHS and members of the Arkansas State Police searched more than a dozen sites Tuesday.

The orders authorizing removal listed many more children than the 20 taken Tuesday.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22949/tony-alamo-18/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22941/tony-alamo-17 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22941/tony-alamo-17#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:40:06 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22941 Arkansas authorities have taken into protective custody 21 children associated with the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries based on allegations of neglect and physical abuse.

Julie Munsell of DHS says, "We had been gathering information, gathering evidence over the last several weeks, but was actually sped up by the reported movement of families and children in the area. So we went ahead and decided to execute the court order that we had received for the removal of the children." [video]]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22941/tony-alamo-17/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22940/tony-alamo-16 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22940/tony-alamo-16#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:20:14 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22940 At a hearing on the custody status of two girls removed from Tony Alamo’s religious compound in southwest Arkansas, a 14-yearold girl testified that Alamo had touched her inappropriately, and an 18-year-old man described beatings at the hands of another church member.

e girls, along with four others, were removed from the compound in Fouke after a Sept. 20 raid by federal and state authorities investigating allegations that children at the compound had been physically and sexually abused.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22940/tony-alamo-16/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22910/tony-alamo-conspiracy-theories http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22910/tony-alamo-conspiracy-theories#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:13:17 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22910 Six members of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries have been arrested for distributing handbills on vehicles in Texarkana, Texas.

All six members were charged with violating a city ordinance against distributing handbills on unattended vehicles.

The handbills spread the church's conspiracy theories regarding the prosecution of its leader, Tony Alamo.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22910/tony-alamo-conspiracy-theories/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22882/tony-alamo-15 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22882/tony-alamo-15#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:47:16 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22882 A federal judge has moved a trial for jailed evangelist Tony Alamo to Feb. 2.

In court papers filed Tuesday, attorneys for Alamo, whose real name is Bernie Lazar Hoffman, said they needed more time to prepare. Prosecutors filed a motion saying they did not object to the request.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22882/tony-alamo-15/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22844/john-erwin-kolbeck http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22844/john-erwin-kolbeck#comments Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:59:34 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22844 At a federal detention hearing Wednesday for Tony Alamo, several witnesses said John Erwin Kolbeck beat Alamo's followers for even minor infractions like playing with a spray bottle. John Wesley Hall Jr., a Little Rock lawyer representing Alamo, declined to comment about the

Former followers said Alamo sometimes introduced Kolbeck by mimicking Jack Nicholson's menacing "Here's Johnny!" from "The Shining."]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22844/john-erwin-kolbeck/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22823/tony-alamo-denied-bail http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22823/tony-alamo-denied-bail#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:32:12 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22823 After listening to testimony that Tony Alamo has ordered beatings, taken young girls as wives and controls what an FBI agent described as a “vast,” tightly controlled organization, a federal judge Wednesday ordered the evangelist held without bail pending his trial on sex charges, saying he wanted to “assure the safety of the community” and make sure Alamo doesn’t flee.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22823/tony-alamo-denied-bail/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22820/tony-alamo-14 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22820/tony-alamo-14#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:15:10 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22820 Over the objections of prosecutors, a federal judge on Tuesday said Tony Alamo should have immediate access to documents related to the search of Alamo’s religious compound in southwest Arkansas.

The Sept. 20 search in Fouke involved more than 100 federal and state police officers and child protective services caseworkers. It resulted in the removal of six girls, ages 10 to 17, who authorities say were sexually or physically abused and who are now in foster care. Alamo, 74, was arrested in Arizona five days later on charges that he transported a minor across state lines for illegal sexual activity.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22820/tony-alamo-14/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22786/tony-alamo-13 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22786/tony-alamo-13#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:45:33 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22786 Evangelist Tony Alamo told a judge on Friday that he understood that he could get life in prison if convicted of taking a minor across state lines for sex, and he'll argue next week that he should be released from custody pending trial.

Alamo is charged with two felony counts: a violation of the Mann Act — which prohibits children from being brought across state lines for sex — and that he aided and abetted a Mann Act violation.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22786/tony-alamo-13/feed