BLACK COLLAR CRIME
In my attempt to show that being religious
is not a guarantee of moral behavior,
this post is a part of my series of reports featuring the
bad behavior of religious people, past or present....
Look for other posts showing the bad behavior
perpetrated by members of other religious groups.
is not a guarantee of moral behavior,
this post is a part of my series of reports featuring the
bad behavior of religious people, past or present....
Look for other posts showing the bad behavior
perpetrated by members of other religious groups.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation puts out a newspaper-sized publication Freethought Today ten times a year. In each issue, a 2-page spread is devoted to their “Black Collar Crime Blotter” ---crimes committed mostly by ministers, priests, rabbis, choir directors, deacons, Sunday School teachers, but also some by church employees and other religious individuals.
In the June/July 2008 edition (for example), 31 crimes were listed under arrested/charged, an additional 13 perpetrators convicted, 13 sentenced, 11 civil suits filed, 2 civil suits settled, 2 additional updates on other legal issues and one “Creep of the Month.”The “Creep of the Month” was a CA minister accused of murder, attempted murder, theft and embezzlement in a scheme to inherit an elderly gentleman’s fortune.
Predictably, the majority of crimes are sex-related (rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, lewd conduct, molestation, child pornography). In that same issue, other crimes included embezzling church funds, armed robbery, failure to file income taxes, and theft.
A female minister in GA was charged with conspiracy, money laundering, making false statements and fraud. She had grossed over $500,000 by targeting illegal aliens and charging them for legal papers ---but what they got were fake documents.
In a case of misapplication of federal funds, $450,000 intended for a “faith-based-initiative” social service was diverted to the church’s building fund and to pay for the minister’s private debts and his son’s wedding reception.
In the January/February 2009 issue, 15 crimes were listed under arrested/charged, an additional 11 sentenced, 5 civil suits filed, 2 suits settled, 1 update on another legal issue and a report of the Ohio head of the governor's faith-based initiative charged with involvement in a prostitution ring.
The “Creep of the Month” was a Mormon Bishop from UT charged with abuse of three sisters aged 6 to 12.
The crimes listed in Freethought Today are submitted by FFRF members from newspapers nationwide. The reported incidents probably aren’t even close to the number of crimes committed by "good Christians," just the ones reported to the FFRF by members and limited to those that fit on the two pages devoted to such crimes.
In the January/February 2009 issue, 15 crimes were listed under arrested/charged, an additional 11 sentenced, 5 civil suits filed, 2 suits settled, 1 update on another legal issue and a report of the Ohio head of the governor's faith-based initiative charged with involvement in a prostitution ring.
The “Creep of the Month” was a Mormon Bishop from UT charged with abuse of three sisters aged 6 to 12.
The crimes listed in Freethought Today are submitted by FFRF members from newspapers nationwide. The reported incidents probably aren’t even close to the number of crimes committed by "good Christians," just the ones reported to the FFRF by members and limited to those that fit on the two pages devoted to such crimes.
The FFRF subtitles this section of their publication "By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them."
AMEN!
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