Tag Archives: christianity

Denver Pastor Scammed flock with Cryptocurrency

Posted on by

I feel bad for today’s young people. When I was entering my adulthood, the Internet was coming into itself, which meant that there were real opportunities for people to succeed with the invention of new technology. Today, however, all that’s been invented is new ways to scam people. The creation of cryptocurrency has tanked an estimated 2 trillion dollars from the economy. That’s not counting the 3 billion that is stolen annually by hackers, which account for almost half of their own losses. This is the grifted generation, to be sure.

Imagine now what happens when you combine the scam of crypto, with the fraud of religion? Why, you get something called INDXcoin. The brainchild of Rev. Eli Regalado, an online only pastor that congregates his virtual flock on a (former) website called victoriousgracechurch.org. The site has since been taken down, as Regalado is currently in a legal battle with State regulators, for his little scam.

Regalado and his wife did what all of these crypto hucksters do when they have people’s money: they spent it. So, while easily manipulated people sent him their savings under the promise that the proceeds would be donated to “orphans and widows”, it went instead into purchasing handbag, snowmobiles, a Range rover and countless other luxuries. Almost 300k of it went to their “church”, which again was simply a way for these people to pay themselves.

Both of these bozos were also not very experienced coders which meant that their crypto and virtual exchange were sloppy messes that was given a “zero out of 10” grade by a company that specializes in evaluating crypto security. It mattered little, as all of the transactions were done via Regalado’s Venmo account, or by direct money transfers. Since they were both spending the money so quickly, they routinely had to close their exchange to avoid running out of money. They were essentially operating as a bank, and then spending any deposits they received. The virtual coin they were given was merely a representation of what they thought was in investment in new technology. In reality, it was nothing more than a basic con with a fresh coat of virtual paint.

What’s crazy in all of this is the fact that the 3.9 million they stole from their own flock is a civil matter, and not a criminal one. This means that they face no jail time for this huge scam. All the victims can hope for is that some of the money can be recouped. Judging by how quickly these bozos burned through the funds, it’s not looking too good.

Connecticut Youth Pastor Guilty of Sex Abuse of Minors

Posted on by

The hits just keep on coming. Yet another youth pastor has plead guilty to cohering minors into sexual service. Jean Bernard, a 45 year old had been moving around to various cities in Connecticut, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

In one arrest warrant affidavit, he is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy at the boy’s home in Bridgeport and in the parking lot behind Madison School. The boy later told police that Bernard… would kill him, his sister and his father if [he] told anyone what Bernard had done to him, the affidavit states.

He plead guilty to other crimes, which include driving a bunch of kids to his place, and paying each of them 50 bucks to have sex with him. He would do these abominable acts around 2-3 times a week. It was, quite literally, routine for this pervert to sexually abuse children. Bernard’s new routine will involve attempting to survive the confines of an institution that tends to make quick work of such “men”.

When he was finally arrested, a number of other victims started coming forward, each story more heartbreaking than the last. I’m sure this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Considering that many of his victims were also recent immigrants, he knew that many of them would be too afraid to approach law enforcement for fear that they might be deported.

Each time I write about these stories, I’m continually baffled by the depravity of these sexual predators. The manipulation, the threats of violence, and the targeting of the most vulnerable human beings is sometimes more than I can bare. Think of the emotional scars that this vile human being has left on all those people. How many collective years of torture will they endure reliving their trauma? If there was any real justice in the world, those same tortures would be visited upon him. Tenfold.

Until we actually invent some form of empathy machine that would force these reprobates to experience the nightmares they inflict upon others, we must rely on locking them away, far from the innocents they love to torment.

New Hampshire Official Quits after Religiously Motivated Harassment

Posted on by

By all account, Jim Gleason is a good man who always wanted to do right by his community. For over three years, Gleason had acted as town manager for Littleton, N.H., working diligently to serve his fellow neighbors. All of this changed recently after a row with one of his constituents over a number of paintings that had been commissioned by a local LGBTQ group.

It began first when one of the board members, Carrie Gendreau, had labelled the paintings as “demonic”. Her responsibilities as a state senator are, in her words, “informed” by her religious faith, which simply means that she has theocratic justification for spewing hatred. If this would have been the only pushback, it would not have been sufficient to merit a resignation. After all, religious people are always calling things they dislike “evil”. The unpleasantness that led to him quitting was the result of something far nastier. A woman by the name of Jean Chouinard visited him, and things did not go well:

Jean Chouinard came to Gleason’s office in October to complain about a production of La Cage Aux Folles by Theater UP at the municipally owned Littleton Opera House. She wanted Gleason to shut it down. He said he couldn’t because it would be an infringement of First Amendment free speech rights but told Chouinard she could exercise her own rights by protesting the show. She then called him weak and asked if he was pleased that his son Patrick, who died of cancer in 2016, “was in hell with the devil where he belonged.

Not long after the incident, this hateful bitch also sent a picture of him with the words “Queer Bastard” written across it. The fact that she admitted to sending it allowed Gleason to file a restraining order against her.

Meanwhile, state rep Carrie Gendreau defended her actions, and has zero sympathy for a man being harassed for allowing the citizens he worked for the opportunity to express themselves. It’s just another sad example of how religion makes people into hateful monsters with no understanding of just how messed up their behavior is. Now, the city of Littleton is a poorer for losing such a committed member of government. This is how Christian nationalists win: they make the world unpleasant for everyone, and when there’s no one left to rule, they simply take over and impose their faith on the rest of us. Expect this kind of thing to happen more and more.

Evangelicals Think Jesus is Weak

Posted on by

If you’ve ever attended church in the south, odds are you may have heard the song “Give me that old-time religion”. If you have, you might remember these lyrics:

It was good for our mothersAnd it’s good enough for me,

Makes me love everybodyAnd it’s good enough for me

It seems that this message of love is no longer resonating with Evangelicals, specifically those that have been spoon-fed the recent rhetoric of Christian Nationalists, who see Donald Trump as their new messiah. They now see this Jesus character as a bit of a pussy.

Moore told NPR in an interview released Tuesday that multiple pastors had told him they would quote the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the part that says to “turn the other cheek,” when preaching. Someone would come up after the service and ask, “Where did you get those liberal talking points?”

The whole, “turn the other cheek”, and “judge not lest ye be judged” sounds like liberal hogwash to them. They want that REALLY old time religion, the one where there was lots of smiting from God, and where his enemies were routinely destroyed. This is the great wish of Evangelicals of today. Even though they have won major victories, such as the Supreme Court repealing Roe v Wade, they are still convinced that the world of the future is a terrifying secular hellhole that needs fixing, and only their special brand of crazy is the solution.

Unlike the election that first won him the presidency, Trump’s new strategy is bound to blow up in his face. Sure, he has the loyalty of the Religious Right, but it’s impossible to win the office without getting a lot of independent voters on your side. The first time he ran, these voters were already sick of Democrats in the White House, and they felt a change was needed. It didn’t last long. Now that he’s literally referring to himself as the new messiah, the messaging is proving quite distasteful to pragmatic voters who have no real party affiliation. The Republican party used to understand this, but because of how much Trump loves to be worshiped, it’s doubtful he’ll change his tune to appeal to a broader base.

He’s even slowly eroding his base, by essentially acting as a false prophet. When he loses the presidency, there’s no doubt that there will be a need for the Evangelical community to do some serious soul searching. As new sexual abuse scandals erupt, the hyper focus on Trump will spell disaster for their membership in the long term. If there’s any comfort to be had, it’s the fact that this is decimating churches all over the country. It’s a reckoning that’s been a long time coming.

Scorsese Says New Jesus Film Isn’t “Preachy”

Posted on by

Christians are always falling over themselves when it comes to praising their main guy. There isn’t a second on this planet where one of these poor brainwashed idiots won’t say his name, declaring him to be a “prince of peace”, and other such nonsense. As far as having a glowing reputation, there are few that benefit as much as this bearded weirdo.

However, if you’re a non-believer, Jesus just isn’t that impressive as a moral teacher. For starters, the man was always speaking in riddles. Most of the time, it was difficult to really pin his morality down, since there was always a confusing parable waiting to be recounted. Even religious folks are often unsure of what exactly the man was trying to say, though it doesn’t stop people from trying, often to pathetic results.

Well, I am not a child, and I am not one of the apostles, but let me admit it publicly, “I don’t think I understand Jesus’ parables.” And you know what? I think that is EXACTLY what Jesus wants. In fact, confusion is the goal of the Jesus’ parables. Did you know that? So if you are confused by what Jesus says in His parables, you are on the right track.

That’s some high level of copium right there. Morality is based on clarity, not interpretation. If I tell you that murder is wrong but them refuse to define murder, it doesn’t serve any higher moral purpose to state that.

So when brilliant filmmaker Martin Scorsese says that he’s releasing a new movie about Jesus that is meant to “take away the negatives associated with religion”, he doesn’t realize that his golden boy is actually quite lame when it comes to being a great moral leader. I can name on one hand the positive messages he conveys, while running out of digits for all the weird, inconsistent, and even morally repugnant things he says.

Everyone like to blame organized religion for corrupting the message of religion, but this is honestly just a copout. The founding documents of the three major Abrahamic faith are quite irredeemable, and it’s not surprising that any organization that adopts the Bible, or the plagiarized Koran as their primary foundation is bound to reflect the evils of these ancient tomes.

It’s sad that in Martin’s waning years that he is wasting his time making Christian propaganda. Unless he wants to completely rewrite the character, Jesus isn’t the kind of guy you should be basing your life on. He was purposefully aloof, occasionally violent and seemed more interested in fulfilling prophesy than actually doing any good. He left zero moral impact on the community he was trying to change to begin with. It was only decades after his supposed death that anyone started to pay attention to what he had to say, and even then, it was only when the religion was officially adopted by the very empire that had previously rejected it.

So, at best, the most positive thing I can say of “the prince of peace” is that more people have died in his name than any other human in history. Is that really something to be proud of?

Christian Nationalists Want Gay Kids Attacked

Posted on by

Christian Nationalists are a cancer on American society. Not only do they want to transform the country into a theocratic hellhole by using the legal and political system, they also want children to join them on their violent crusade to rid the world of people who don’t share their zealotry.

You see, when it all boils down to it, when you can’t win an argument with someone, you terrorize them. Christian nationalists pine for the days when people were ritualistically beaten for being different. For instance, in this podcast called “Crosstalk”, the host and guests were tripping over themselves reminiscing about the good old days:

“There used to be a day and age, we beat up the kid at school who had two dads. And we weren’t jerks for that,” Szall says laughing. “That’s just what we did.”

Ah yes, those halcyon days when people were getting their asses kicked because they were loved by two same sex parents. These were also the good old days when people were dying of easily treatable diseases, and when black people had to ride in the back of the bus. I’m sure they would love for those nostalgic days to come again, wouldn’t they?

Since Christian Nationalists are so busy trying to infiltrate the government to impose their worldview, they naturally assume that other groups are doing the same. The fact that more and more Christians support same sex unions has convinced them that it’s a giant conspiracy, and they think that by allowing children to violently attack vulnerable minorities, more people will come around to their way of thinking.

If this all sounds familiar, it should. This is the kind of Brownshirt politics that extremists love. In the 1920’s, when Hitler needed an army of thugs to terrorize the populous, he claimed that this force was the only solution to the mounting problem of communism. These mindless zombies would routinely beat and kill anyone in opposition to their twisted beliefs. Ironically, the leaders of the Brownshirts were eventually murdered for their efforts, as Hitler was convinced that they would eventually try and usurp him.

This is what happens when you try an use violence to enforce your beliefs. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Will America wake up from it’s coma and put a stop to these dangerous cretins before it’s too late? If history is any indication, that’s a resounding “NO”.

The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 347

This week, we discuss orphanages in the US that were regularly abusing kids, an atheist high schooler that lays the smackdown on his schools religious banners, and France shuts down school over threats by Muslim students.

The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 347
Loading
/

Michigan State Rep Declares War on Church of Satan

Posted on by

As many of my listeners will remember, I have always been a big fan of the “Church of Satan”. As an institution, its primary purpose is essentially to expose the hypocrisy of Christians, and it does so with gusto, primarily by making afterschool programs to compete against the Unconstitutional religious groups that take up valuable time that should be devoted to actually learning something.

The existence of this church has rattled a few feathers, such as Republican Rep. Josh Schriver of Michigan who is making it his mission to bringing it down:

Schriver announced his intention to target churches that he doesn’t believe deserve equal treatment with Christianity under the law…“I actually am working on a policy right now… to really focus on making a distinction between the the church of Jesus Christ and this, quote unquote, Church of Satan,” Schriver announced. “You really have an issue where they’re seen as equal in the eyes of the state, and that doesn’t seem right to me for many, many legitimate reasons. And so removing tax exempt status from non-theistic churches such as the Church of Satan, I think is very, very well in order.”

This moron believes that he doesn’t work for the people who elected him. No, instead he thinks that he works for God, specifically the Judeo-Christian one that murderously hates masturbation, and it’s his goal to rid the country of those pesky religions that he doesn’t like.

Unfortunately for him, it’s almost impossible to remove the tax exempt status of any faith. That’s because the IRS isn’t in the business of determining what religions are “authentic” and which ones aren’t. In fact, so long as an organization complies with the IRS rules concerning tax exempt status, the actual content of the religion is meaningless. You could be worshiping a dead goat for all they care.

Consider how many religious organizations are already violating some of the terms that allows them tax exempt status to begin with. Here’s one of the rules that I know for a fact that the Church of Satan has never broken, while hundreds of smaller churches have:

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.

So, who is it that deserves to get their tax exempt status removed then? Did I mention he also wants to ban pornography? Good luck with that, you prude jackass.

Religious Terror Attack in Australia had US connection

Posted on by

In May of 2021, a man named Gareth Train began a correspondence with an American called Donald Day. Day is a premillennialist, a Christian sect that believes that Jesus will physically return to earth, ushering the end time. Day’s correspondence fed Train and his wife Stacey conspiratorial beliefs, including claims that the government is run by Satan and his minions.

When police were called last December the Train property for a routine welfare check on Gareth’s brother Nathan, two of the officers were gunned down in an ambush, with two other officers forced to flee for help. Nathan and Gareth then lit a grass fire in an effort to smoke the officers out, which prompted a neighbor, Alan Dare, to investigate. He was also shot and killed. The two men then posted an online video of themselves, claiming that “devils and demons” had attempted to kill them, but that they had struck first.

What followed was a tense six hour siege which ended with the death of all three suspects. In all, half a dozen people lost their lives, and all because of unhinged conspiracy theories. Now, police in the US have arrested Day for his connection in the shooting.

Premillennialism is mainly an American invention, and ever since the Covid-19, religious groups have been getting more extreme. The toxic combination of Q Anon, MAGA supporters, and the slow decline of religion has created dangerously primed groups of believers that think the end times are just around the corner. When the stakes are risen so high, you can count on things turning violent.

Australia is has enacted strict gun control laws after a massacre that occurred in 1996. When 35 people were slaughtered, the government decided that it was time to enact stricter gun control laws. The results were a dramatic decrease in not only mass shootings, but also in accidental gun deaths as well. The conclusion from this three decades of reform is clear:

Removing large numbers of rapid-firing firearms from civilians may be an effective way of reducing mass shootings, firearm homicides and firearm suicides.

Following this tragedy, there may be more gun reforms on the way. Over 80% of Aussies think that gun laws are still too lenient. It’s almost as though the country wants to do something to stop these kinds of shootings. Isn’t that weird, America?

Day was arrested by the FBI as a result of his involvement in the shootings. How the rest of this plays out remains to be seen.

Panty Sniffing Priest Splinters Family

Posted on by

There is something unique about the nature of priestly abuse. For starters, in some families, “holy men” are often seen in a different light than others. The church paints itself as bridging the gap between mortals and the divine, and for some folks, this represents the most important job anyone can have. Some people are so enamored with the priestly class that they will defend them, even at the cost of their own family.

When a young girl in Miami Oklahoma accused her pastor, Fred McCoy Gammon Jr,  her sister and mother turned against her, accusing her of lying. They even testified in court that the abuse was impossible, since “his character is amazing”, as one put it. These poor brainwashed fools threw their family member under the bus rather than admit the man is a panty sniffing pervert.

There is plenty of evidence to convict Gammon, including text messages he sent the teen telling her how “hot” she was. His wife tried to downplay the whole affair, admitting that while her husband showed troubling behavior, he was repentant the whole time, which meant that everything was fine. When he confessed to her that he couldn’t get the girl out of his mind, they fasted. This, according to her, was enough to get a pedophile to stop fantasizing about a young child. It obviously had no effect.

The trial is still ongoing, but I think it’s safe to assume a few things. Firstly, this family is finished. You cannot survive something like this. Having your mother and sister take the side of the abuser is not something a person can really forgive. The father, to his credit, didn’t doubt his daughter, and when the scumbag tried to confess to him, Gammon was repeatedly beaten in retaliation. He faces no charges. How he feels about his wife is unknown.

Secondly, we can reasonably assume that once Gammon is found guilty, there will still be plenty of people who will come to his defense, even when he’s a disgraced priest. This is the power of religion. It can make you turn your back on your child and side with her rapist. There’s not a lot of ideologies that can claim such a powerful degree of control over a human being.

Lastly, I think another tragedy in this story is the fact that the girl, now a young woman, is still interested in missionary work. Somehow, getting assaulted by one of God’s representative wasn’t enough to convince her that religion is an obvious con job. One wonders what it takes to get people to jump ship from such an organization. So long as religions continue to claim that they hold the keys to the afterlife, you can bet that desperate individuals will continue to let these organizations get away with murder.

Christian School Diplomas Are a Joke

Posted on by

How much should a good education cost? How much is it worth? Well, in Louisiana, the answer is quite simple: it’ll be 465 dollars, please. That’s how much it costs a person who hasn’t done a day of learning in their life to buy a high school diploma from one of it’s religious unaccredited institutions. They should simply be called diploma mills, where the right price gets you the air of legitimacy.

There’s been a growing home schooling movement in the US ever since the outbreak of Covid-19. Religious organizations have been busy lobbying the state to drop any form of certification process, which means that if you open up a “private school”, which also has no real requirements for size, you can hand out diplomas without a “student” ever having to step into a classroom. All you need is a wallet and a heartbeat.

If that isn’t enough, these fake schools will also lie for you. For instance, you can have the diplomas backdated, so that it looks like you graduated in any year you wish. They will also put false information, like “approved by the Louisiana Board of Education”, even when this is a blatant lie. These schools advertise themselves on being “state-approved”, even when they aren’t.

Now you might be wondering what the state of Louisiana is doing to stop these obvious fraudsters. I’m glad you asked. Since Christians have been lobbying so heavily for the right to lie, the state has no power whatsoever to stop them. Lawmakers occasionally try to repeal laws that allow for this ludicrous insult to education, but as soon as they do, well funded lobby groups will ensure that these efforts are in vain.

At least two unapproved institutions have had abuse scandals, but the state Department of Education says it has no authority to do anything in response.

One of the most infamous is T.M. Landry in Breaux Bridge. A 2018 New York Times investigation found the school abused kids and made up transcripts to get students into Ivy League schools. It was still open as of last school year with 15 children, according to state records. Another unapproved school in Baton Rouge, Second Chance Academy, has come under scrutiny since its head teacher was arrested on charges of sexually abusing students.

Is that all you need to do to get away with abuse these days? Simply make sure that you’re unaccredited, and then you needn’t worry about pesky things like governmental oversight. Talk about perfect for religious organizations! No longer do you need to worry about police involvement when you abuse the children in your care. Who wouldn’t want to keep their flock stupid, uneducated, and primed for abuse?

Sexually Abusive Liberty University Dean Kept his Job

Posted on by

If you thought that it was only churches that protect their abusers, then allow me to correct this view. The desire of religious organizations to protect sexual misconduct extends not only to priests, but to school administrators as well.

Liberty University is under fire for ignoring all of the allegations against former dean Keith Anderson. For the last decade, Anderson has been accused of a variety of offenses, ranging from inappropriate sexual behavior to full on assault.

Anderson, who was her supervisor, arrived at her home with medication described as “a single, unmarked and unwrapped tablet,” the suit said. She initially refused to take it but relented, she said, to try to get Anderson to leave. She became woozy and fell asleep. She woke up to Anderson’s hands around her neck, the suit says. She then threatened to  scream and he finally left.

“While doing so Anderson forcefully kissed her, on the lips, against her will,” the civil suit reads.

Liberty University receives millions of dollars in federal aid, which has prompted the government to get involved once the school failed to properly address the allegations. It’s believed that it will issue a multi-million dollar fine, although the exact amount is not yet known. A dozen women are also separately filed a suit against the school, with two victims settling for an undisclosed amount. It’s believed that more suits will be coming once the federal government is done conducting its investigation.

Is this not all vaguely familiar for those of us that report on churchly abuse? Protecting men in power is their default state of being, so it never surprises me when yet another Christian organization is caught doing something wrong. For them, forgiving sin is more important than protecting innocent people. Why we as a society continue to give these groups money is beyond me. How many more rapists and abusers do they need to keep protecting before we finally learn our lesson?

The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 345

This week, we discuss the whistleblower who exposed the Mormon Church’s insane financial schemes, a woman who tried to attack Jews but targeted a hate group instead, and a pastor gets away with running over a child.

The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist
The Good Atheist Podcast: EP 345
Loading
/

Christianity is a sinister death cult

Posted on by

The term death cult is not often used to describe Christianity, but it should be. I believe it is only because we have become numb to the sinister nature of this religion. It seems that every so often, we need to be reminded that their obsession with the afterlife is a driving force of their ideology.

How about something so terrifying, you would think it the plot of some horror movie: a mentally deranged woman, fed the lie of the afterlife, killed her young son in the hope that doing so would send him to be with “Jesus and God”.

The report said when James Short and the officers went into the bathroom, they discovered the 11-month-old who had been stabbed. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after.

When interviewing April Short following her arrest, the court document said she admitted to hurting the child. Her two children told authorities that she told them she was doing it because then the child could “be with Jesus and God.”

This horror show is courtesy of a lifetime of delusion, and the absolving of personal responsibility by claiming it to be the work of a higher power. God is merely the unleashed ego of people who wish to behave in troubling ways that their own conscience cannot bare.

For how long did people ignore her troubling behavior because it masqueraded as religious devotion? This is how pervasive this death cult has become: even as their adherents tell us openly that they pray for the day we are all destroyed so that they no longer have to live in a world that challenges their beliefs. What else is heaven but a safe-space for Christians, who want to bask in the certainty of their choices. And where else but a make-believe fantasy land could offer them such satisfaction, when even they cannot agree on matters as trivial as the to which part of the triune nature of their god is more important?

Pennsylvania Satanic Temple Gets it Done

Posted on by

I’ve often said that the only way to fight the encroachment of Christianity in public schools is to use their own tactics against them. If you recall a story I covered a few weeks ago about a group called “Lifewise Academy” operating in Ohio, you might remember that these guys regularly bus kids out during school hours to indoctrinate them. I said they were a walking lawsuit, and if the recent ruling from Pennsylvania is any indication, it’s only a matter of time before it happens.

When the Satanic Temple was wrongfully prevented from engaging in after school activities with students in Pennsylvania, they sued the school district, arguing that if Christian organizations were allowed to hold events, they should be as well. A judge agreed, and it cost the Saucon Valley Middle School $200,000.

“Thanks to the court’s order, we were able to hold ASSC meetings at the Saucon Valley Middle School, and the kids who attended were overjoyed. It’s for them that we took on this legal fight in the first place, and we won’t hesitate to do so again if other school districts continue to enact discriminatory policies.”

This is only the beginning. Other school districts who employ these sneaky religious tactics are about to get their asses kicked. Once you open the floodgates for religious indoctrination, then they shouldn’t be surprised when ideologies they are uncomfortable with begin to try and influence their children. We all know the Satanic Temple is a harmless organization that uses the name as shock value, and it works. Christian parents were outraged; a small taste of what it’s like for nonbelievers when their children are targeted with their nonsense.

If other schools want to avoid this kind of expensive lesson, than they have a choice: stop all of these types of curriculum, and if parents wish to brainwash their kids with the idea of god, let them do it on their own dime and in their spare time. The rest of us want kids to learn real stuff in school, not make-believe bullshit. Score one for the good guys.