http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:40:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23819/john-erwin-kolbeck-2 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23819/john-erwin-kolbeck-2#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:13:49 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23819 The alleged enforcer of evangelist Tony Alamo must pay $3 million in restitution to two boys he’s believed to have beaten bloody on the preacher’s behalf and left haunted for life, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The teens have also sued Alamo.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23819/john-erwin-kolbeck-2/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23747/sentencing-for-evangelist-tony-alamo-reset http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23747/sentencing-for-evangelist-tony-alamo-reset#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:04:37 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23747 TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) - A federal judge has delayed a sentencing hearing for evangelist Tony Alamo, who was convicted on charges of taking young girls across state lines for sex, AP reports.

U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes changed the date Tuesday from Oct. 26 to Nov. 13.

According to the Texarkana Gazette, if sentenced to the maximum on each count and if ordered to serve the terms consecutively, Alamo could receive 175 years in a federal prison.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23747/sentencing-for-evangelist-tony-alamo-reset/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23734/john-erwin-kolbec http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23734/john-erwin-kolbec#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:30:29 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23734 When Tony Alamo was arrested last year, his enforcer -- John Erwin Kolbeck -- fled and hasn't been seen since.

The television show America's Most Wanted is in Fort Smith, Arkansas to take the story to a national level in hopes of finding him. [video]]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23734/john-erwin-kolbec/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23731/civil-lawsuit-tony-alamo http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23731/civil-lawsuit-tony-alamo#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:09:49 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23731 The constitutionally guaranteed right to religious freedom didn’t give Tony Alamo the right to order beatings, force fasts and falsely imprison, according to a federal judge’s ruling Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by two men who claim to have been beaten as children at Alamo’s bidding.

“The principle of religious liberty does not give one the liberty to physically attack others; when a threat to society’s or another individual’s safety appears, the power of the state to prevent or punish is obvious,” said a decision from U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23731/civil-lawsuit-tony-alamo/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23702/tony-alamo-32 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23702/tony-alamo-32#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:13:20 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23702 State child-welfare officials say a baby born to followers of convicted evangelist Tony Alamo is at substantial risk of injury.

An affidavit filed last week in Miller County Circuit Court by a caseworker with the state Department of Human Services said the 3-month-old boy is in danger of abuse.

The affidavit also says a judge in January ruled that the Alamo ministry was an unfit environment for the boy's four siblings. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23702/tony-alamo-32/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23542/tony-alamo-followers http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23542/tony-alamo-followers#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:09:07 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23542 Two members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries were released from jail Monday after spending more than seven months behind bars for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of their children.

Many children of Alamo followers have been taking into protective custody.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23542/tony-alamo-followers/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23529/tony-alamo-convicted http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23529/tony-alamo-convicted#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:12:23 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23529 Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who became an outfitter of the stars and fought the federal government over claims he underpaid followers for church work, was convicted Friday of taking five girls across state lines for sex.

Alamo has blamed the Vatican for his legal troubles, which include a four-year prison term for tax evasion in the 1990s.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23529/tony-alamo-convicted/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23526/tony-alamo-jury http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23526/tony-alamo-jury#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:01:47 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23526 Cult leader Tony Alamo is accused of taking five young girls across state lines for sex between 1994 and 1995 after "marrying" them.

The jury began deliberating early Thursday at Texarkana federal courthouse, a day after listening to prosecutors and defense attorneys offer their final portrayals of Alamo.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23526/tony-alamo-jury/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23523/tony-alamo-prosecution-rests http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23523/tony-alamo-prosecution-rests#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:06:20 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23523 Prosecutors wrapped up their case Tuesday after playing recordings of phone conversations Alamo had from jail.

In one, Alamo tells a girl she has to clean up a mess she made or leave his compound. In another, women and girls giggle as he discusses how the charges against him might differ had his alleged crimes occurred in Texas or Arkansas.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23523/tony-alamo-prosecution-rests/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23517/tony-alamo-trial-testimony http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23517/tony-alamo-trial-testimony#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:56:34 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23517 A woman who said evangelist Tony Alamo "married" her at age 8 told federal jurors Thursday that he sexually assaulted her repeatedly until she escaped his compound in late 2006.

Another woman who noted in her Bible the first time she had sex with evangelist Tony Alamo — at age 14 — told jurors in his sex-crimes trial Thursday that she was married to the flamboyant pastor that year in a prison visiting room]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23517/tony-alamo-trial-testimony/feed 0