Posted on 05/14/2011 4:54:31 AM PDT by Gamecock
WASHINGTON — A volunteer..has been charged with sexually abusing an autistic child.
Alvaro Daniel Guzman, 25, was charged with indecency with a child over a February 2010 incident at a Lakewood Church activities program for special needs children, according to local media reports in Houston. The arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday but Guzman is still free.
Lakewood is a Protestant "megachurch" run by pastor Joel Osteen, whose weekend services draw more than 40,000 people. Osteen's television ministry is broadcast in dozens of countries.
Guzman allegedly fondled an 8-year-old autistic boy while he helped him climb into a play structure. Another adult volunteer allegedly witnessed the event and reported it to church officials and authorities.
The arrest warrant was issued this week. As of Saturday, Guzman was not in custody, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Guzman had passed a criminal background check, according to the church. It said there were three adult volunteers in the Champions Club room at the time of the incident, which occurred during a church service.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Aquino’s Temple of Set?
You could just as easily have chosen News/Activism and then selected Crime/Corruption, Culture/Society, or News/Current Events. You made this a Religion Forum thread by choice. Why would you do that if not to provide a forum sectarian discord?
That simply defies the facts. We know from published reports that there are hundreds of settlements between the companies that insure Protestant churches and the victims annually. There is no way you or anyone else knows the details of "the way we handle it" in the of hundreds of cases that are settled under non-disclosure agreements.
“...what is significant about the Catholic issue is that there was a conspiracy at the highest level of Catholicism to cover up and deny the abuse and thus to foster the continuation of it by their actions..”
Which no longer happens in the Catholic Churches or other mainline Churches for over a decade since the advent of an excellent program since applied by many other Institutions. They all did the same thing along with ALL denominations - they did EXACTLY as they were told to do by pychiatrists as it pertained to knowledge at that time.
Unfortunately though it continues to happen in other denominations to this day...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2709296/posts
“fondled” him while helping lift him onto a play structure?
You mean, boosted him by pushing his bottom? actually touching his trunk while lifting him?
Opened his fly and fondled his genitals while lifting the 80 pound kid?
Sounds a bit bogus to me. It’s not easy to lift up an 8 year old...
Bogus?
Would you be saying that if this were about a priest?
I don’t see anyone saying it’s only Catholics.
Got a link to that?
Innocent until proved guilty is the Catholic battle cry, except when it’s a non-Catholic involved.
I agree with you. It’s a very vague charge and only a charge. If the guy put his hands down the kids pants, or grabbed him in the crotch, that would be suspicious alright, but someone who knows he is being watched is not likely to abuse in broad daylight in front of a crowd, and is not likely to have done more than boost the kid up on playground equipment. Some 8 year olds can be pretty hefty.
I just read 3 John today. The book is a letter to a church about stupid things one of the members was doing that caused hardships to believers. That's pretty much what this article is about.
Who in the world ever said that????
innocent until guilty seems to be forgotten in these cases. About half the cases (nearly all female) that I examined turned out to be false alarms or minor touching.
I remember the 1970s and 1980s when these cases were not prosecuted because the prosecution was worse for the child and often the cross examination was so hard that the child was traumatized. So if there was no good physical evidence, we often either dropped the case or went for a plea bargain.
But I also remember when psychiatrists emptied the sexual predator jails in California because out patient treatment was more appropriate. And I know women, who when warned their boyfriends had abused children in their previous marriage, who dated them anyway. Sigh...
Exactly. One of the perps had gone to seminary. He later died of AIDS. An undercover agent for Satan himself.
And you know this how? Based on THEIR word??
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
Are you telling us that, even though you say you have converted from Catholicism, you are still the same dispicable wretch as when you were a filthy Papist?
I wrote -> “Which no longer happens in the Catholic Churches or other mainline Churches...”
Megabarf! She cut off the last part of my sentence, then uses Holy Scripture to claim a righteous indignation against my faith, a pure evil Alinsky tactic.
You are not surprised are you? Nothing in Calvinism is based upon an honest portrayal of the truth.
I grew up being called a harlot, whore of babylon, jezabel, papist, etc., so no surprise there as it’s like water of a ducks back but I’m always shocked at the twisted abuse of the Holy Bible.
Related story: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2720223/posts
A non-Christian reading this may connect in his/her head as an indictment against Christianity as a whole. Just like when Pastor Terry Jones burnt a Koran, the Moslems didn't go just to attack Terry's 50-person group, but attacked Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist etc. churches -- these folks don't care, we're all the same
This doesn't tell me anything about Joel Osteen's dogma and I don't see it as a religious issue at all.
Well said.
It’s just sad.
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