http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:34:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23920/appeals-court-upholds-removal-of-children-from-cult-leaders-compound http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23920/appeals-court-upholds-removal-of-children-from-cult-leaders-compound#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:41:16 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23920 Among other things, the rulings said the children faced danger of beatings and forced fasts ordered by 75-year-old evangelist Tony Alamo convicted earlier this year of transporting underage girls across state lines for sex and sentenced this month to 175 years in prison.

In one of the appeals court rulings today, Judge Robert J. Gladwin wrote that the evidence “presented a clear picture of the danger to children in the ministry compound at Fouke.” ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23920/appeals-court-upholds-removal-of-children-from-cult-leaders-compound/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23899/evangelist-tony-alamo-sentenced-to-175-years-for-taking-girls-across-state-lines-for-sex http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23899/evangelist-tony-alamo-sentenced-to-175-years-for-taking-girls-across-state-lines-for-sex#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:01:21 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23899 Evangelist Tony Alamo was sentenced Friday to 175 years in prison for taking little girls as young as 9 across state lines to have sex with them.

The decision punishes him for the rest of his life for molesting children he took as "brides" in his ministry.

Alamo, 75, had denied the charges, claiming they came from a Vatican-led conspiracy against the church he led, called the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23899/evangelist-tony-alamo-sentenced-to-175-years-for-taking-girls-across-state-lines-for-sex/feed 0 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/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/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