Photo supplied by family attorney Bobby R. Taylor
An 11-year-old boy suffered kidney failure after being beaten on the back and buttocks with a tree branch, a police affidavit says.
Posted on 07/09/2002 7:10:44 AM PDT by Illbay
By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN -- An 11-year-old boy who read the wrong Bible verse at church was severely beaten with a tree branch by a Baptist pastor and the pastor's brother, the boy's family said.
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Photo supplied by family attorney Bobby R. Taylor
An 11-year-old boy suffered kidney failure after being beaten on the back and buttocks with a tree branch, a police affidavit says.
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The boy suffered kidney failure as a result of the beating and spent the Fourth of July weekend in the intensive care unit of Brackenridge Hospital sedated with morphine, according to a police affidavit.
Austin police issued arrest warrants Monday for Joshua W. Thompson, 22, of Austin, and his twin brother, Caleb D. Thompson. They are wanted on charges of first-degree felony injury to a child.
Joshua Thompson is pastor of the Spanish-language congregation at the Capital City Baptist Church. Caleb Thompson is an assistant to the pastors. They are accused of using an inch-thick tree branch to discipline the boy.
"(The boy) was accused of not taking this very seriously," said Bobby Taylor, an attorney for the family.
According to Taylor and family members, the beating occurred Wednesday while the boy and other children practiced for a Bible competition.
"He was trying to find the verse and he was on the wrong verse, and they thought he was goofing around," the boy's mother said.
She said church assistants summoned Joshua Thompson, who took the boy to Caleb Thompson's house.
Taylor said the boy was placed facedown on a bed and beaten with the tree branch on his back and buttocks. When the boy tried to break free, Caleb Thompson held him down so the beating could continue, Taylor said.
Taylor said the beating lasted 90 minutes, during which the boy was allowed to use the bathroom one time. The boy told his family the Thompsons turned up a radio to drown out his screams.
The family said the Thompsons brought the boy home and suggested he wear long sleeves for a while. The family said one of the brothers told the boy's stepfather, "It's your turn now" and that they suggested he "finish the job."
According to the police affidavit filed in support of the arrest warrants, the stepfather told investigators the Thompsons said they tried to break the child and make him repent from wrongdoing.
"Their idea of discipline was to take him out of school and beat him until he was black and blue," said the boy's uncle, Felipe Garcia.
A photograph provided by Taylor showed deep purple bruises and scabs on the boy's back and buttocks. The police affidavit noted the boy also was bruised on his arms, legs and head.
Attempts to reach the Thompsons on Monday were unsuccessful. Jerald Finney, a lawyer for Joshua Thompson, told the Austin American-Statesman that "facts have been distorted."
"These are two very responsible young men," Finney said. "Anybody can make allegations. That's what the criminal justice system is for -- to sort out truth from fiction."
The boy's mother said she and her family had attended the independent Baptist church for four years and that the sermons never endorsed severe discipline.
"It was a surprise to me; it was shocking," she said. "I never heard nothing like this. I never heard the pastor preach like this. I have no idea why they beat him so badly."
The family intends to file a civil lawsuit against the church.
Does the Socratic method include the ability to recognize the use of the common question mark? Must have been a different Socrates than the one I read about.
(For the clue impaired, yes, that was indeed a question I posted).
No it was just a "church" in Alabama.
A claim which I never made. I never ever said that anti-Weatern feelings in Muslims were caused by poverty alone. There are many reasons under the sun why one person hates another; many are on proud display on FreeRepublic.
Now let's kick back and watch the war of the creeds which is about to unfold.
"Blessed are the peacemakers".... 8~)
Almost to a man. It's the Buddhists who have been running the ongoing war of annihilation against them.
Don't get me wrong -- Hindu Tamil Tigers dish out at least what they take. But, Buddhist does not necessarily equal pacifist, and Sri Lanka has some pretty ugly ones.
No, that's the wrong term. Actually, "charismatic" is a description of the worship style, denoting those groups who practice the spiritual "gifts" (greek: charismata) and principally the ecstatic ones, of prophecy and tongues.
There are charismatic congregations with authority structures like you describe, and there are charismatics in more mainline denominational authority structures.
(For the clue impaired, yes, that was indeed a question I posted).
Actually, the Socratic method doesn't imply anything in particular about the reading ability of the questioner.
That said, apparently I owe you an apology. You didn't, after all, see any evidence at all that the injuries were anything other than those described in the family's statements. Did you?
And since we're clearing things up: you didn't see any evidence at all in the article that indicated the congregation was refusing to cooperate with the police. Did you?
Okay, maybe not. But they're very annoying and think they're better than everyone else, so that's good enough!! Round 'em up!! (/sarcasm)
Just curious -- did they do snakes?
No. I'm on salary.
Your posts simply caught my eye as an example of melodrama masquerading as thought. I thought I'd dissect it a bit. It's a hobby.
FWIW, I agree the beating was an outrage and should be prosecuted. But much of your reaction is irrational.
What you said !
When millions of Christians around the world celebrate this atrocity, and Christian clerics give sermons praising this righteous beating of the blasphemer, and when repetitions of this action become widespread in churches and church schools throughout America, then you may have a point.
Until then, your analogy is pretty lame.
P.S. I am not a Christian.
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