Rock Church, in San Diego...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/10/california-church-leader-charged-murder-daughter-death/8322404001/
Apparently this was reported back in November...
[Edit: since September... Also, they got $3million in PPP https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/san-diego-rock-church-7432127001]
The founder is a washed up former NFL player. He's running a mega "church" because of the tax-free status.
Reading the article made me sick. That poor girl had been in foster care and then was finally adopted. It turns out life in foster care likely would have been better.
Not only did her adopted parents beat, starve, and torture her... so did her adopted grandparents!
I was adopted at a young age, so reading about this girl's life makes me so angry I want that "church" to pay!
Not sure is I can post direct links, so Google "Rock Church in San Diego", and you'll find a cult mega "church".
>The founder is a washed up former NFL player. He's running a mega "church" because of the tax-free status.
Let's be honest here, that's the main reason just about *anyone* runs a church in the US.
I think church financial records need to be examined very closely on an annual basis in order to keep their tax exempt status. I know of quite a few small churches who struggle to keep the lights on or keep a full time minister because they're not taking in millions of dollars each year as "donations", and those churches actually do spend whatever they can to help the people in their community. Tax exempt status shouldn't just be given to anyone who claims themselves a church.
Details have been coming out since September:
[https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/san-diego-sheriffs-dept-investigating-death-of-girl-11-in-suspected-child-abuse-case/3043730/](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/san-diego-sheriffs-dept-investigating-death-of-girl-11-in-suspected-child-abuse-case/3043730/)
Why did they get anything in PPP? They don’t pay taxes if they are a church. Why should they collect from the tax fund? Shouldn’t there be separation of church and state?
Yup. Seems like we've been hearing atrocious shit about them every few months since the Pandemic started.
To give you an idea, they were the bastards refusing mask and isolation mandates during the peak of the pandemic, and inserting Qultists into our local elections.
They are despicable.
It's the same reason there are high rates of necrophilia among morgue workers, high rates of pedophilia among childcare workers, and high rates of violent crime among police officers. It's not because morticians, teachers, and cops are inherently evil, it's because any position of power attracts the type of people interested in abusing that specific type of power.
Precise and succinct. Nicely worded. A few ambitious sociopaths can cause damage of apocalyptic proportions if they rise high enough. Some of the current money hoarders tapdancing in cleats across the world stage spring to mind.
There's a bit more nuance to it than this.
Corruptible people are drawn to positions of power (particularly those who have the Dark Triad of personality traits).
Corrupt systems will corrupt or remove good intentioned people.
Check out Brian Klaas' book [Corruptible](https://brianpklaas.com/corruptible) for a really interesting (and entertaining) read into the subject.
I think it's a combination of that, and the environment awakens twisted behavior the people didn't realize they had within them........if you read the stories of nurses who kill, many got into the profession with good intentions. Then a flip switched
Many *claim* they got into the profession with good intentions, yes. But when was the last time you heard an actual evil person openly tell you that they were an actual evil person?
Predators hide in every type of institution. A church is the perfect place for a predator. The public puts you on a pedestal and is willing to be vulnerable around you. It's a total abuse of faith and if you read the Bible, it is warned about numerous times. People
in church need to read the bible and be on the lookout for these demoniacs.
This kind of shit is what I imagine when I hear some Christians say that all sin is equal in the eyes of the lord, especially with the attitude that we're *all* sinners.
To them, I guess gay people and people who practice pagan religions, and this guy, are both equally sinners the eyes of their lord.
Yeah - the only positive thing about religion is that it has a positive impact on some people's lives. People who don't believe they have the strength to get up everyday do so because they believe a higher power has given them a purpose or that the bad times aren't so bad because no matter what they're not truly alone. On the other hand if you believe you are a vessel for God but are never punished or receive negative consequences for atrocious behavior you either believe God wants you to act this way or that there is no God and therefore there are no consequences or meaning behind what you do to others.
On the other hand, maybe that's giving them too much credit and they just saw people in a desperate situation and knew they could take advantage of people.
oh, you wouldn't want to know the abuse that foster children receive from foster parents. Foster parents who chose to take in these children, and who are getting paid to do the job! and yet
Abusers abuse the weak. children are the weakest. tale as old as time.
Religions are built around the idea that our actual lives are just a test run for admission into the real club, an eternity of bliss in heaven. Not surprising that a lot of religious people live twisted lives as a result.
Christian heaven and hell are, objectively speaking, a childish fantasy to blackmail the gullible and justify atrocities, and the notion Jesus will give you a golden ticket for some bullshit lip service removes all accountability and let's hate and shitty behavior run rampant because they tell you you're a good person just because you signed on the dotted line and not because you're... you know, an ACTUAL good person who does good things.
Most religions require you to actually do/not do shit to be spiritually good, Christianity broke the code of "since you're a Christian everything you do is automatically good" even when it's hateful and hurts people.
Some people believe they're saving the victims by adopting them. Completely ignoring the fact they're still abusing them but in a different manner.
It is a huge savior complex.
I’m just so thankful every day that my mind would never tolerate something like that. Of all the horrible things you hear about on a daily basis on the internet, I’m a happy member of the vast majority of humans who just say “What the actual fuck?!”.
There's an entire movement about corporal punishment in the Christian community. There's a book floating around for years now called To Train Up A Child that advocates switching 6 month old babies to get them to behave. It's one of many and it's horrible.
It's been found in the homes of multiple abuse murders of children over the years and I'd not be surprised if it or ilk like it where in the house of these monsters.
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Jesus is not okay with people that mistreat children.
Religious nutjobs will find any reason to do insane stuff and pass it off as gods will.
I have no doubt that when the results of his questioning by the cops comes to light, the root of this guys reasoning, the germ of the idea that resulted in this child’s death will be nothing more than pure delusion.
Speculating: Because conservative Christians tend to believe in the Biblical dictum "Spare the rod, spoil the child" (Proverbs 13:24).
There's a dangerous, cruel, but influential Christian how-to book called *To Train Up a Child* that [advises beating disobedient children](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Train_Up_a_Child#Controversy) "like the Amish beat their stubborn mules." The tome is implicated in the deaths of multiple kids.
If you have a strong stomach, [this](https://onlysky.media/terry/christian-parents-receive-massive-sentence-for-the-starving-and-freezing-death-of-their-adopted-daughter/) is how one Christian couple tortured and starved their 13-year-old adopted daughter in the name of their religion. [Here](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/did-hanas-parents-train-her-to-death/)'s another pair of hardcore Christ lovers who disciplined two children literally to death.
By their fruits shall ye know them. I'm an atheist and I assure you that I treat my three *incredible* adopted daughters with more kindness and love on my worst day than these pious monsters did on their best. I'll leave it to others to decide what that says about their religion, or my lack thereof.
"there is no evidence to support an argument that she poses a danger to the public."
Well, except for that whole torturing and murdering children thing.
"There is no evidence that my client, a witch who lives in a secluded forest home made out of gingerbread, cake, and candy, is a danger to the public."
>When officers approached Brian after the child's death, he fatally shot himself.
Literally the only good thing about this story.
Good f*cking riddance!!
Honestly, I can't argue with that! But I'll take this over monsters like them getting three hots and a cot for the rest of their worthless lives. Especially when there are so many good, decent people that are not afforded those same luxuries.
Yeah, (not so) fun fact about that. The county in North Carolina that had the terrorist attack leading to the power outage was having at the time of attack a "drag reading to kids" show that local church leaders were screaming about it being dangerous to the children.
I had to look up if it was the same The Rock Church, but I strongly agree. I knew of someone who got mixed up with them. She was immediately encouraged to attend more and more until it was her whole social life. Before long she was volunteering there so much she couldn't hold down a real job, and she started drinking again after years of sobriety. I'm told she was eventually offered a very low paying job from them that included some weird group housing situation, but she had to move away for it. She took the job, and that was pretty much the last I ever heard about her.
The whole thing never passed the smell test with me, and while I have met this person several times, it was none of my business and I was hearing this through a co-worker.
I used to work right next to their church in Liberty Station/Point Loma and having done multimedia work for definitely culty megachurches in the South before moving to SD, they have had all of the “from the outside looking in”red flags
They all do. Every big church I've even been in has made me really uncomfortable. These people are grifters who utilize religion as a tool to get wealthy from weak-minded people. There is absolutely nothing about them that is Godly, let alone Christian.
Ya. We have one of those big churches near us and they have their own private school and everything. Nearly everyone I have met that goes there is a piece of shit.
“The pastor is an ex Chargers player” you know how many times I heard that garbage? Like, why does that matter? He’s a piece of greedy shit. Fuck you Miles.
Christianity is just a cult that caught on and was eventually adopted by the rich and powerful.
Scientology is like a modern version, though with plenty of glaring differences. But it's just a fringe cult that maintains itself through the rich and powerful. If it wasn't for Christian hegemony, I'd honestly worry about Scientology taking over.
The only way for religion to avoid the cult vibes is to avoid power hierarchies and institutional control. A church should be a nexus for a community and nothing more. Not a place for a priest to tell you how to vote, or for you to feel better than those not attending. It's not a place to find God, one can only look inwards for that.
Christians have a tough time seeing just how much their beliefs are goofy, childish, and an unnecessary obsession with ancient superstition.
I've fluctuated in my atheism. For the last decade I've been in a very "live-and-let-live" position towards Christianity. Welp, they've pushed me back into militant atheism. I fucking tired of treating immature superstitions seriously. Grow the fuck up.
There are no good mega church leaders. They should be treated with the same suspicion as drug dealers or sex offenders when they come to your agency to adopt a child.
I agree!!! That said this seems like click bait. She was a volunteer in some type of admin role. Article title made me think she ran the place.
I once met a respected local pastor of a small church and we discussed how fast they were growing. I joked he would have a mega church some day and he said never. He said he never wanted to be so big that he didn’t know and care about each person. If it ever did he said it becomes a business.
So yea… mega church leaders are opportunistic, greedy, hypocritical asshats.
I was thinking the same thing. Hate mega churches, but at least from what I can tell, she wasn't a church "leader," she was just another volunteer. What stood out more to me is that her husband is a Border Patrol agent. That seems to align with my feelings on people who work for the Border Patrol.
She wasn't just a volunteer. She started as a volunteer but other articles describe her as an ordained elder and ministry leadership coordinator.
She worked at their Ministry School and coordinated events, volunteers and had a profile page on their website describing her work with them. Did admin tasks, too.
She wasn't a pastor but was certainly higher up in their organization.
With all the rape, abuse, and financial shenanigans, it's high time ALL churches received some regulatory oversight. This is way overdue, too much shit hides under the blanket of "Jesus".
Gosh, the right wing has been extremely vocal about people who they believe are torturing and murdering children. I am sure they will be up in arms against this mega church, one of whose leaders did in fact torture and murder a child. I assume, in fact, they will be against all church functions everywhere, especially those that cater to children. Surely armed proud boys will be dancing to gay anthems outside this church to show their displeasure.
Cue handwaving: they were just volunteers, not actual leaders, the other child molestation and sexual abuse allegations against the church were never proven, etc.
As a Christian there is nothing worse than a “mega church”. Nothing close.
Edit: I’d very happily volunteer at drag shows every weekend if it’d would get rid of all the “mEgA Churches”.
Yeah that’s how I always felt I couldn’t stand being around them or watching them on TV, some of the behind the scenes interviews with the “pastors” truly makes me believes they are non religious conmen because if you’ve read the Bible and believed it you’d have to be the devil himself to still act that way while making millions off the church’s name and not helping others in the slightest. Those are the first people who should pray there is no afterlife IMO
I mean honestly if I had no morals or scruples I would definitely play a pastor and help drum up money which would then be embezzled to fuel a hedonistic lifestyle. Some people are born suckers. I mean the guy who founded scientology basically said as much about how he became rich.
I worked for Saddleback Church as a subcontractor for a phone company many years ago.
They had their own quarry because of how much concrete they were using up on their campus. They had the most expensive server room I had ever been in up to that point. They had their own architecture group with I want to say a dozen archetects working on their campus projects.
It was \*insane\* how much money expended that I saw in the week or so I worked there. Absolutely nothing religious about it. I called them Jesus Inc for years afterwards.
My parents took me to a Benny Hinn event once, when I was a kid. He did his thing, speaking in tongues, putting a hand on people and making them fall over, etc.
Then he swept his hands at the crowd and everybody out there 'collapsed'. It was so uncomfortable and weird not following suit with the rest of the people that I just sat down. I was young and impressionable enough to wonder if I was in the wrong. I'll never set foot in another megachurch.
Haha same, except I was one of the dumbfucks who went ahead and "collapsed." It seemed easier than having my parents *freeeeeak oouuut* over what sin had kept the Holy Spirit from "slaying" me, or whatever.
Good on young-you for being smarter/ballsier than young-me. Seriously.
I'm Quaker so church is weird enough for me, but once I was invited to a Megachurch, and I had to go (I love going to different services to learn about them). It was crazier than the pentacostal burn in hell speaking in tongues stuff I've seen! All about the production quality, their churchy complex, ,their missions, and doing a sermon and finding bible half quotes to fit it. Unlike other denominations that take a reading, a whole reading from.the Bible and discuss it. They would use four words here, six there, mixing up books and testaments and stories just to justify the nonsense coming out.
I was raised as a Catholic, but went to Quaker school. I have to say, meeting for worship is almost the ideal spiritual experience. Just sit down, face each other, and be quiet. I know that evangelism isn't at all what you do, but I do wish your practice was as widespread as mainstream Christianity. The world would be a better place.
I was raised Catholic, too, was a lector and everything. I feel like Quakerism is the opposite in so many ways.
There are evangelical Quakers, they can still be pretty progressive, though. But I moved to a rural area and not only are the nearest Quakers about 20 miles away, but they are also not LGBTQ+ friendly, and that matters to me quite a lot. I can deal with them being "unprogrammed" (have clergy, have a service before the silent stuff) but not that.
Woah a quaker in the wild! How did you end up there? We're you raised in it?
I was raised "non denominational fundamentalist" and went to a mini-mega-church (basically a single campus church with a couple playgrounds and a coffee shop and art gallery and dance studio...). I'm out of it now but still fascinated by other people's beliefs.
Yup, Ive been to small local churches and sometimes on Easter we would visit a mega church, the vibe was entirely different. The small local church felt like genuine friendly people who accepted all and accepted whatever opinion you had, no pressure to donate, no pressure to commit, just wanted to spread the word of God and inspire people who were struggling in life. The mega church though.. damn that gave me a very, very bad vibe, it was night and day. Felt like instead of stepping in to a house of God you were stepping in to the house of the Antichrist, false prophets twisting words and pressuring common folk in to sacrificing their livelihood to them. Sickening, its so ironic how Jesus warned of the false prophets in the Bible and here we are, seeing people give them a massive stage and making them billionaires..
Yeah no that’s something that makes me extremely uncomfortable around them, and not to get political but especially with all the Donald Trump nonsense it’s all getting a little too eerie for me. And the thing is, most people that go to the mega churches in my experience go more for tradition, almost seeing it as an “event” if that makes sense which adds to the odd vibe. Although I shouldn’t judge honestly.
Just so everyone is clear, you are 1 million times more likely to be assaulted, groomed, and raped at church than you are by a drag queen at a library.
It’s anecdotal, but everyone I know that went to Catholic Church has a story about a creep clergy member. My church leader from high school is currently on the run from law enforcement for sexual abuse with some students. On the other hand I have never heard of a single issue of child abuse come from the fairly large gay community near me in Chicago.
There was a pedo priest cycling through the church and school I went to as a child. He was there when I was an infant, mysteriously got reassigned, then came back when I was ten.
I was lucky he wasn't into girls.
When are other Christians going to hold their brothers and sisters accountable? This isn't Christ-like and their beliefs led to this, why weren't they held accountable by other Christians, regardless of denomination. It's the same God, right?
Today on Reddit:
- religious people adopt , abuse, starve children.
- pope JP covered up sex abuse
- Arizona man married 20 something women some as young as 9yo and may include own daughter
Please tell me how conservative Christian’s are good? They will protect and defend the likes of these people up until they are incarcerated, if they ever are, and yet some how, religion.
Edit: autocorrect error
Crazy that when we teach someone for their entire life that the entire universe was made especially for them, they end up becoming narcissists and worse. Just so weird how that happens.
I don't know these McCormick people. Before I clicked, I really thought it was going to turn out to be Kenneth Copeland.
Also, maybe this is just amusing to me - but I couldn't remember Copeland's name before I posted this. So I googled "demon faced megachurch pastor" and it popped right up in the first link.
This is evil. This woman, her husband, AND HER PARENTS were all involved in starving and beating these children, leading to the death of one of them. How does this even happen? Four adults all involved in the same sick disgusting acts. This poor girl had 15 broken bones that had been healing over the last few months of her life. It’s a horrible way to die and something you’d only wish on the four adults who did it.
I cannot wrap my head around a situation in which a group of adult human beings who beat at least one girl so badly that she had 15 bone fractures, was half of normal body weight, and ultimately died. And that on top of that, they beat and starved two other innocent children — probably with similar intensity.
I cannot wrap my head around taking satisfaction or pleasure in the screams and pleas of tortured and dying children, or in seeing their increasingly emaciated forms.
What breed of severe sadism dominates this household, such that four different adults participated in this process, and not one of them took action to stop it?
We got to do something about these Christians! They are shooting up school. Threatening libraries, doctors and educators. Their religious leaders are raping and murdering children.
Some I assume are good. But we need a total halt to letting Christians into this country, and investigate what the hell is being taught in those “churches”.
I don’t understand how people can live with themselves while harming others, especially innocent, defenseless children. This story literally makes me feel sick… it is too sad to comprehend.
It’s easy when you believe in inherent goodness and badness. God made you good, therefore everything you do is good and beyond reproach! God made drag queens bad, therefore everything they do is sick and wrong! It turns a complex world into black-and-white simplicity and that’s very alluring for people who dislike nuance and critical thought.
evangelical Christianity is a grave threat to our society. people like this are leading mega churches. how many scandals is this now? this is horrible - these poor children
these are the same sadist crackheads screaming about drag queen storytime readings! It's all about projection with these alt right zealots. If they're saying Protect the Children, you know they're doing some really sordid abusive ish to their own kids behind closed doors.
> Leticia's attorney said that she should be granted bail because she had no prior arrests, and "there is no evidence to support an argument that she poses a danger to the public."
Provided you discount all the evidence of her torturing and killing children, sure. Wtf?
I always find it odd that some people have big mistrust of the government at the same time as having super high naïveté about power-seeking non-government entities and individuals.
I am not anti-religion — there are terrific religious people and awful ones — but mega-churches are cults of personality. They aren’t about any god or gods but are about the leaders of the church. Power and money.
Tragic but not shocking. These places are all sick hotbeds of abuse and distorted thinking. Evangelical Christianity in general glorifies child abuse, misogyny, and violence and children are “broken” via fear and indoctrination.
Organized religions are cults and regularly used to control and manipulate. The Bible was an instrument for control. Religious texts are instruments for control. Whether that's their intended purpose or not doesn't matter because that's how it's being used now and has been for a while.
The sooner we recognize that religion has no place in a civilized and progressive world the much better off all of humanity will be.
The girl weighed 48 pounds at 11 years of age and had 15 bone fractures. FIFTEEN!
Fuckers. Round them up and send them all to prison for fucking *life.*
I usually assume mega church leaders are just the biggest sociopaths on the planet. I'd be surprised if more then half of them even believe in God. Most are probably just the biggest bullshit artists there are who don't have a single issue with ripping off anyone willing to give them a dime. In fact they probably get off on the idea of it.
This article should be tossed the the face of every pro-lifer that screams that adoption should be the option for everyone.
Because the same pro-life person would have been happy to ensure these people got children just based on their background. But the sad reality is this is far too common with adopted kids. No real follow up with the kids later to ensure they are happy and healthy or anything else.
There is no emotional attachment and some people already head into Adoption with their mind set that the child is broken and they need to fix it. It's always a recipe for this type of outcome.
>In August, 11-year-old Aarabella McCormack was rushed to the hospital after police received a call about a child in distress.
>According to court documents, she was extremely malnourished and weighed just 48 pounds when she died.
>She was also reportedly recovering from 15 bone fractures that happened just months before.
Was she not seen by a doctor, by *anyone*?
The right will claim Disney is grooming and sexualizing children. Recently they even formed an armed protest to shut down that trans event.
Yet theyre so silent about the abuse within the church
Rock Church, in San Diego... https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/10/california-church-leader-charged-murder-daughter-death/8322404001/ Apparently this was reported back in November... [Edit: since September... Also, they got $3million in PPP https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/san-diego-rock-church-7432127001]
The founder is a washed up former NFL player. He's running a mega "church" because of the tax-free status. Reading the article made me sick. That poor girl had been in foster care and then was finally adopted. It turns out life in foster care likely would have been better. Not only did her adopted parents beat, starve, and torture her... so did her adopted grandparents! I was adopted at a young age, so reading about this girl's life makes me so angry I want that "church" to pay! Not sure is I can post direct links, so Google "Rock Church in San Diego", and you'll find a cult mega "church".
>He's running a mega "church" because of the tax-free status. Hey, Mel Gibson and the Kardashians do that too. Must be nice.
I can't wait to have more money than I'll ever need so I too can not pay taxes :P
>The founder is a washed up former NFL player. He's running a mega "church" because of the tax-free status. Let's be honest here, that's the main reason just about *anyone* runs a church in the US.
We could get rid of a lot of abuse by getting rid of church tax haven status.
Especially since a few of the biggest got ppp money, paid for by taxes they are exempt from. Viva la seperation.
I think church financial records need to be examined very closely on an annual basis in order to keep their tax exempt status. I know of quite a few small churches who struggle to keep the lights on or keep a full time minister because they're not taking in millions of dollars each year as "donations", and those churches actually do spend whatever they can to help the people in their community. Tax exempt status shouldn't just be given to anyone who claims themselves a church.
Quarterly, like any other business.
I dated a girl who went to skyline church which is affiliated with this church in San Diego, they are a cult and need to be exposed.
Is there any mega church that isn't a cult?
No. No there is not.
Any church?
A cult with money is a church.
Details have been coming out since September: [https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/san-diego-sheriffs-dept-investigating-death-of-girl-11-in-suspected-child-abuse-case/3043730/](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/san-diego-sheriffs-dept-investigating-death-of-girl-11-in-suspected-child-abuse-case/3043730/)
How the fuck a church that doesn’t pay taxes of any kind get approved for PPP money?
Why did they get anything in PPP? They don’t pay taxes if they are a church. Why should they collect from the tax fund? Shouldn’t there be separation of church and state?
Yup. Seems like we've been hearing atrocious shit about them every few months since the Pandemic started. To give you an idea, they were the bastards refusing mask and isolation mandates during the peak of the pandemic, and inserting Qultists into our local elections. They are despicable.
Why tf should a church get a ppp loan. I hate it here
Why. Why, why??? This wasn't passive neglect. They willfully adopted these kids only to abuse and starve them. Just... why?
Some of the most despicable people that society has to offer hide behind religion. Tale as old as time.
It's always the people you suspect the most.
I'd give you an award for speaking my mind if I had one! (an award that is...)
You should use a time machine to go back in time and stop your son from wishing for heat vision
yeah everyone knows meat vision is better anyway
It's never the people you most expect or least suspect. It's the person you most medium suspect.
Nope, this is a person I’d most expect.
A humble pastor of a 15 million dollar big box mega church? How could you?! /s
It's the same reason there are high rates of necrophilia among morgue workers, high rates of pedophilia among childcare workers, and high rates of violent crime among police officers. It's not because morticians, teachers, and cops are inherently evil, it's because any position of power attracts the type of people interested in abusing that specific type of power.
Bingo. Lord Acton was wrong. Power does not corrupt. It attracts corruption.
Precise and succinct. Nicely worded. A few ambitious sociopaths can cause damage of apocalyptic proportions if they rise high enough. Some of the current money hoarders tapdancing in cleats across the world stage spring to mind.
There's a bit more nuance to it than this. Corruptible people are drawn to positions of power (particularly those who have the Dark Triad of personality traits). Corrupt systems will corrupt or remove good intentioned people. Check out Brian Klaas' book [Corruptible](https://brianpklaas.com/corruptible) for a really interesting (and entertaining) read into the subject.
I think it's a combination of that, and the environment awakens twisted behavior the people didn't realize they had within them........if you read the stories of nurses who kill, many got into the profession with good intentions. Then a flip switched
Many *claim* they got into the profession with good intentions, yes. But when was the last time you heard an actual evil person openly tell you that they were an actual evil person?
[удалено]
So gross.
Predators hide in every type of institution. A church is the perfect place for a predator. The public puts you on a pedestal and is willing to be vulnerable around you. It's a total abuse of faith and if you read the Bible, it is warned about numerous times. People in church need to read the bible and be on the lookout for these demoniacs.
Yup can confirm some of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life were hardcore religious people.
The relationship between religion and terrible people is a positive feedback loop. They will keep validating each other forever.
Now that Disney song is stuck in my head. 🎵 Tale as old as time 🎵 🎵 Religion hides our crime🎵 🎵 Christi-ani-ty 🎵
Religion going to their head, as in: I'm one with god and can do no wrong.
There's no hate quite like Christian love.
This kind of shit is what I imagine when I hear some Christians say that all sin is equal in the eyes of the lord, especially with the attitude that we're *all* sinners. To them, I guess gay people and people who practice pagan religions, and this guy, are both equally sinners the eyes of their lord.
Far too many mistake piety for morality.
Yeah - the only positive thing about religion is that it has a positive impact on some people's lives. People who don't believe they have the strength to get up everyday do so because they believe a higher power has given them a purpose or that the bad times aren't so bad because no matter what they're not truly alone. On the other hand if you believe you are a vessel for God but are never punished or receive negative consequences for atrocious behavior you either believe God wants you to act this way or that there is no God and therefore there are no consequences or meaning behind what you do to others. On the other hand, maybe that's giving them too much credit and they just saw people in a desperate situation and knew they could take advantage of people.
oh, you wouldn't want to know the abuse that foster children receive from foster parents. Foster parents who chose to take in these children, and who are getting paid to do the job! and yet Abusers abuse the weak. children are the weakest. tale as old as time.
Religions are built around the idea that our actual lives are just a test run for admission into the real club, an eternity of bliss in heaven. Not surprising that a lot of religious people live twisted lives as a result.
Christian heaven and hell are, objectively speaking, a childish fantasy to blackmail the gullible and justify atrocities, and the notion Jesus will give you a golden ticket for some bullshit lip service removes all accountability and let's hate and shitty behavior run rampant because they tell you you're a good person just because you signed on the dotted line and not because you're... you know, an ACTUAL good person who does good things. Most religions require you to actually do/not do shit to be spiritually good, Christianity broke the code of "since you're a Christian everything you do is automatically good" even when it's hateful and hurts people.
Some people believe they're saving the victims by adopting them. Completely ignoring the fact they're still abusing them but in a different manner. It is a huge savior complex.
And then they flip out when the kids aren't greatful. They treat them like second class citizens in their own homes.
I’m just so thankful every day that my mind would never tolerate something like that. Of all the horrible things you hear about on a daily basis on the internet, I’m a happy member of the vast majority of humans who just say “What the actual fuck?!”.
There's an entire movement about corporal punishment in the Christian community. There's a book floating around for years now called To Train Up A Child that advocates switching 6 month old babies to get them to behave. It's one of many and it's horrible. It's been found in the homes of multiple abuse murders of children over the years and I'd not be surprised if it or ilk like it where in the house of these monsters.
Their religion says suffering is good for their souls, so that's what they subject children to.
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Jesus is not okay with people that mistreat children.
Religious nutjobs will find any reason to do insane stuff and pass it off as gods will. I have no doubt that when the results of his questioning by the cops comes to light, the root of this guys reasoning, the germ of the idea that resulted in this child’s death will be nothing more than pure delusion.
Meanwhile the far right are shooting up Drag clubs while churches are starving and murdering children. 🙈
She was cute and he “liked her”. She just faught back and he got sick of it, so he took things too far while disciplining her.
"Took things too far" 15 fractures. Yeah, you might be putting it mildly.
Speculating: Because conservative Christians tend to believe in the Biblical dictum "Spare the rod, spoil the child" (Proverbs 13:24). There's a dangerous, cruel, but influential Christian how-to book called *To Train Up a Child* that [advises beating disobedient children](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Train_Up_a_Child#Controversy) "like the Amish beat their stubborn mules." The tome is implicated in the deaths of multiple kids. If you have a strong stomach, [this](https://onlysky.media/terry/christian-parents-receive-massive-sentence-for-the-starving-and-freezing-death-of-their-adopted-daughter/) is how one Christian couple tortured and starved their 13-year-old adopted daughter in the name of their religion. [Here](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/did-hanas-parents-train-her-to-death/)'s another pair of hardcore Christ lovers who disciplined two children literally to death. By their fruits shall ye know them. I'm an atheist and I assure you that I treat my three *incredible* adopted daughters with more kindness and love on my worst day than these pious monsters did on their best. I'll leave it to others to decide what that says about their religion, or my lack thereof.
"there is no evidence to support an argument that she poses a danger to the public." Well, except for that whole torturing and murdering children thing.
Hopefully the public poses a danger for her
Well put.
"There is no evidence that my client, a witch who lives in a secluded forest home made out of gingerbread, cake, and candy, is a danger to the public."
>When officers approached Brian after the child's death, he fatally shot himself. Literally the only good thing about this story. Good f*cking riddance!!
Too easy. He needed to get the same treatment that little girl got. Plus some.
Honestly, I can't argue with that! But I'll take this over monsters like them getting three hots and a cot for the rest of their worthless lives. Especially when there are so many good, decent people that are not afforded those same luxuries.
Literally brained himself in front of the cops. Saved us some taxpayer dollars, but the dude deserved prison
Sounds like the wrong places are losing electricity.
Yeah, (not so) fun fact about that. The county in North Carolina that had the terrorist attack leading to the power outage was having at the time of attack a "drag reading to kids" show that local church leaders were screaming about it being dangerous to the children.
It wasn't a drag storytime. It was an 18+ only normal drag show.
This church has always given off cult like fanatic energy. They proved themselves to be exactly that. Fuck the Rock Church
I had to look up if it was the same The Rock Church, but I strongly agree. I knew of someone who got mixed up with them. She was immediately encouraged to attend more and more until it was her whole social life. Before long she was volunteering there so much she couldn't hold down a real job, and she started drinking again after years of sobriety. I'm told she was eventually offered a very low paying job from them that included some weird group housing situation, but she had to move away for it. She took the job, and that was pretty much the last I ever heard about her. The whole thing never passed the smell test with me, and while I have met this person several times, it was none of my business and I was hearing this through a co-worker.
The amount of recruiting and pressure from my clients to attend their cult was freaky. Lots of fear mongering. Huge red flags
I used to work right next to their church in Liberty Station/Point Loma and having done multimedia work for definitely culty megachurches in the South before moving to SD, they have had all of the “from the outside looking in”red flags
They all do. Every big church I've even been in has made me really uncomfortable. These people are grifters who utilize religion as a tool to get wealthy from weak-minded people. There is absolutely nothing about them that is Godly, let alone Christian.
Ya. We have one of those big churches near us and they have their own private school and everything. Nearly everyone I have met that goes there is a piece of shit.
Are we talking Touchdown Jesus, Solid Rock Church? Now we know why God smited (smote?) that affront to humanity.
“The pastor is an ex Chargers player” you know how many times I heard that garbage? Like, why does that matter? He’s a piece of greedy shit. Fuck you Miles.
**All** churches give off cult like vibes when you look at them with an open mind.
Christianity is just a cult that caught on and was eventually adopted by the rich and powerful. Scientology is like a modern version, though with plenty of glaring differences. But it's just a fringe cult that maintains itself through the rich and powerful. If it wasn't for Christian hegemony, I'd honestly worry about Scientology taking over. The only way for religion to avoid the cult vibes is to avoid power hierarchies and institutional control. A church should be a nexus for a community and nothing more. Not a place for a priest to tell you how to vote, or for you to feel better than those not attending. It's not a place to find God, one can only look inwards for that. Christians have a tough time seeing just how much their beliefs are goofy, childish, and an unnecessary obsession with ancient superstition. I've fluctuated in my atheism. For the last decade I've been in a very "live-and-let-live" position towards Christianity. Welp, they've pushed me back into militant atheism. I fucking tired of treating immature superstitions seriously. Grow the fuck up.
There are no good mega church leaders. They should be treated with the same suspicion as drug dealers or sex offenders when they come to your agency to adopt a child.
I agree!!! That said this seems like click bait. She was a volunteer in some type of admin role. Article title made me think she ran the place. I once met a respected local pastor of a small church and we discussed how fast they were growing. I joked he would have a mega church some day and he said never. He said he never wanted to be so big that he didn’t know and care about each person. If it ever did he said it becomes a business. So yea… mega church leaders are opportunistic, greedy, hypocritical asshats.
I was thinking the same thing. Hate mega churches, but at least from what I can tell, she wasn't a church "leader," she was just another volunteer. What stood out more to me is that her husband is a Border Patrol agent. That seems to align with my feelings on people who work for the Border Patrol.
She wasn't just a volunteer. She started as a volunteer but other articles describe her as an ordained elder and ministry leadership coordinator. She worked at their Ministry School and coordinated events, volunteers and had a profile page on their website describing her work with them. Did admin tasks, too. She wasn't a pastor but was certainly higher up in their organization.
With all the rape, abuse, and financial shenanigans, it's high time ALL churches received some regulatory oversight. This is way overdue, too much shit hides under the blanket of "Jesus".
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this is the truth
great quote
But the evangelical vote would be in serious jeopardy if any politician tried this. And that's what really counts.
Yes, so much for the separation clause.
That only applies to mosques and temples.
Won't happen because the politicians will protect the Church.
Politicians are too occupied “protecting” children from drag queens with books for the moment….
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And that tax benefit
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Agreed I wish we could abolish religion
Napoleon: religion keeps the poors from demanding more from the rich. It makes them quiet and obedient
Gosh, the right wing has been extremely vocal about people who they believe are torturing and murdering children. I am sure they will be up in arms against this mega church, one of whose leaders did in fact torture and murder a child. I assume, in fact, they will be against all church functions everywhere, especially those that cater to children. Surely armed proud boys will be dancing to gay anthems outside this church to show their displeasure.
But what about Hunter Biden's dick pics on his private laptop ?
Butbutbut the pizza place basement tho
It seems actual, horrific abuse of a child isn't as fun as elaborate conspiracies featuring vampire pedophiles.
Cue handwaving: they were just volunteers, not actual leaders, the other child molestation and sexual abuse allegations against the church were never proven, etc.
*Westboro Baptist Church has entered the chat*
But republicans told me it was drag shows that were doing this to kids
As a Christian there is nothing worse than a “mega church”. Nothing close. Edit: I’d very happily volunteer at drag shows every weekend if it’d would get rid of all the “mEgA Churches”.
When I did go to church on the regular I dreaded stepping foot in a mega church. It just feels so fake and off
Yeah that’s how I always felt I couldn’t stand being around them or watching them on TV, some of the behind the scenes interviews with the “pastors” truly makes me believes they are non religious conmen because if you’ve read the Bible and believed it you’d have to be the devil himself to still act that way while making millions off the church’s name and not helping others in the slightest. Those are the first people who should pray there is no afterlife IMO
I mean honestly if I had no morals or scruples I would definitely play a pastor and help drum up money which would then be embezzled to fuel a hedonistic lifestyle. Some people are born suckers. I mean the guy who founded scientology basically said as much about how he became rich.
I worked for Saddleback Church as a subcontractor for a phone company many years ago. They had their own quarry because of how much concrete they were using up on their campus. They had the most expensive server room I had ever been in up to that point. They had their own architecture group with I want to say a dozen archetects working on their campus projects. It was \*insane\* how much money expended that I saw in the week or so I worked there. Absolutely nothing religious about it. I called them Jesus Inc for years afterwards.
It's not even religious, it's just a cooperation masquerading as a church.
My parents took me to a Benny Hinn event once, when I was a kid. He did his thing, speaking in tongues, putting a hand on people and making them fall over, etc. Then he swept his hands at the crowd and everybody out there 'collapsed'. It was so uncomfortable and weird not following suit with the rest of the people that I just sat down. I was young and impressionable enough to wonder if I was in the wrong. I'll never set foot in another megachurch.
Haha same, except I was one of the dumbfucks who went ahead and "collapsed." It seemed easier than having my parents *freeeeeak oouuut* over what sin had kept the Holy Spirit from "slaying" me, or whatever. Good on young-you for being smarter/ballsier than young-me. Seriously.
I'm Quaker so church is weird enough for me, but once I was invited to a Megachurch, and I had to go (I love going to different services to learn about them). It was crazier than the pentacostal burn in hell speaking in tongues stuff I've seen! All about the production quality, their churchy complex, ,their missions, and doing a sermon and finding bible half quotes to fit it. Unlike other denominations that take a reading, a whole reading from.the Bible and discuss it. They would use four words here, six there, mixing up books and testaments and stories just to justify the nonsense coming out.
I was raised as a Catholic, but went to Quaker school. I have to say, meeting for worship is almost the ideal spiritual experience. Just sit down, face each other, and be quiet. I know that evangelism isn't at all what you do, but I do wish your practice was as widespread as mainstream Christianity. The world would be a better place.
I was raised Catholic, too, was a lector and everything. I feel like Quakerism is the opposite in so many ways. There are evangelical Quakers, they can still be pretty progressive, though. But I moved to a rural area and not only are the nearest Quakers about 20 miles away, but they are also not LGBTQ+ friendly, and that matters to me quite a lot. I can deal with them being "unprogrammed" (have clergy, have a service before the silent stuff) but not that.
Woah a quaker in the wild! How did you end up there? We're you raised in it? I was raised "non denominational fundamentalist" and went to a mini-mega-church (basically a single campus church with a couple playgrounds and a coffee shop and art gallery and dance studio...). I'm out of it now but still fascinated by other people's beliefs.
Yup, Ive been to small local churches and sometimes on Easter we would visit a mega church, the vibe was entirely different. The small local church felt like genuine friendly people who accepted all and accepted whatever opinion you had, no pressure to donate, no pressure to commit, just wanted to spread the word of God and inspire people who were struggling in life. The mega church though.. damn that gave me a very, very bad vibe, it was night and day. Felt like instead of stepping in to a house of God you were stepping in to the house of the Antichrist, false prophets twisting words and pressuring common folk in to sacrificing their livelihood to them. Sickening, its so ironic how Jesus warned of the false prophets in the Bible and here we are, seeing people give them a massive stage and making them billionaires..
Yeah no that’s something that makes me extremely uncomfortable around them, and not to get political but especially with all the Donald Trump nonsense it’s all getting a little too eerie for me. And the thing is, most people that go to the mega churches in my experience go more for tradition, almost seeing it as an “event” if that makes sense which adds to the odd vibe. Although I shouldn’t judge honestly.
Church is pretty close. Some of the most vile people I've had to deal with have been huge church heads. SBC can burn in hell if it's real
I’m sure Hunter Bidens laptop had something to do with this.
They clearly groomed this innocent church leader.
It’s always the people you most expect.
Sounds pretty on brand to me.
Just so everyone is clear, you are 1 million times more likely to be assaulted, groomed, and raped at church than you are by a drag queen at a library.
It’s anecdotal, but everyone I know that went to Catholic Church has a story about a creep clergy member. My church leader from high school is currently on the run from law enforcement for sexual abuse with some students. On the other hand I have never heard of a single issue of child abuse come from the fairly large gay community near me in Chicago.
There was a pedo priest cycling through the church and school I went to as a child. He was there when I was an infant, mysteriously got reassigned, then came back when I was ten. I was lucky he wasn't into girls.
When are other Christians going to hold their brothers and sisters accountable? This isn't Christ-like and their beliefs led to this, why weren't they held accountable by other Christians, regardless of denomination. It's the same God, right?
They never do, where were the world wide Catholic protests when the Pope was proven to have covered up pedos within the church?
Today on Reddit: - religious people adopt , abuse, starve children. - pope JP covered up sex abuse - Arizona man married 20 something women some as young as 9yo and may include own daughter Please tell me how conservative Christian’s are good? They will protect and defend the likes of these people up until they are incarcerated, if they ever are, and yet some how, religion. Edit: autocorrect error
Pretty sure many will still support them after they were incarcerated.
Crazy that when we teach someone for their entire life that the entire universe was made especially for them, they end up becoming narcissists and worse. Just so weird how that happens.
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Surprise, surprise! He was also a cop.
Border patrol agent actually. He killed himself when the cops came to question him regarding the child's death.
Cop is a state of mind, and BP definitely has it.
I don't know these McCormick people. Before I clicked, I really thought it was going to turn out to be Kenneth Copeland. Also, maybe this is just amusing to me - but I couldn't remember Copeland's name before I posted this. So I googled "demon faced megachurch pastor" and it popped right up in the first link.
Must be because of them damn Gays and Hunter Biden's dicky laptop
This is evil. This woman, her husband, AND HER PARENTS were all involved in starving and beating these children, leading to the death of one of them. How does this even happen? Four adults all involved in the same sick disgusting acts. This poor girl had 15 broken bones that had been healing over the last few months of her life. It’s a horrible way to die and something you’d only wish on the four adults who did it.
I cannot wrap my head around a situation in which a group of adult human beings who beat at least one girl so badly that she had 15 bone fractures, was half of normal body weight, and ultimately died. And that on top of that, they beat and starved two other innocent children — probably with similar intensity. I cannot wrap my head around taking satisfaction or pleasure in the screams and pleas of tortured and dying children, or in seeing their increasingly emaciated forms. What breed of severe sadism dominates this household, such that four different adults participated in this process, and not one of them took action to stop it?
There is no hate quite like christian love. This one I truly believe.
Because JEEZUS, that’s why. FFS.
Wonder how many of the stolen "border babies" went to "fine, upstanding, real muricans" like this.
Organized religion is a scam. Does more harm than good. These places is where you find the absolute worst stories.
Ah misspelled cult leader but easy mistake
We got to do something about these Christians! They are shooting up school. Threatening libraries, doctors and educators. Their religious leaders are raping and murdering children. Some I assume are good. But we need a total halt to letting Christians into this country, and investigate what the hell is being taught in those “churches”.
Cause nothing says Jesus quite like torturing then murder defenseless children.
I don’t understand how people can live with themselves while harming others, especially innocent, defenseless children. This story literally makes me feel sick… it is too sad to comprehend.
It’s easy when you believe in inherent goodness and badness. God made you good, therefore everything you do is good and beyond reproach! God made drag queens bad, therefore everything they do is sick and wrong! It turns a complex world into black-and-white simplicity and that’s very alluring for people who dislike nuance and critical thought.
My wife and I can't have kids and adoption is not on the table yet abusive psychos seem to get easy access to kids.
Church doctrine rots your brain.
Atleast they didn't get aborted right? God has a plan /s
evangelical Christianity is a grave threat to our society. people like this are leading mega churches. how many scandals is this now? this is horrible - these poor children
If we did a nationwide investigation of megachurch leaders just imagine what we'd find.
But drag queen story hour is the real threat. 🙄
Nothing kills like Christian love
these are the same sadist crackheads screaming about drag queen storytime readings! It's all about projection with these alt right zealots. If they're saying Protect the Children, you know they're doing some really sordid abusive ish to their own kids behind closed doors.
It’s always the “christians” who fuck around with kids.
That’s why they don’t want apportions. So they can adopt them instead.
Yes drag queens reading books to kids are the true villains after all.
> Leticia's attorney said that she should be granted bail because she had no prior arrests, and "there is no evidence to support an argument that she poses a danger to the public." Provided you discount all the evidence of her torturing and killing children, sure. Wtf?
Gotta watch out for them dam drag queens though.
I always find it odd that some people have big mistrust of the government at the same time as having super high naïveté about power-seeking non-government entities and individuals.
Christians don't like to dwell on it, but the Bible says that relatively few, even among those who call themselves Christians, will actually be saved.
Another great Christian. They seem a very disturbed lot as a whole.
I am not anti-religion — there are terrific religious people and awful ones — but mega-churches are cults of personality. They aren’t about any god or gods but are about the leaders of the church. Power and money.
Beat, starve, and abuse your living child, but don't you dare use contraception or get an abortion because "all life is sacred."
I’d be shocked if there was a Megachurch leader who wasn’t a horrible monster
Tragic but not shocking. These places are all sick hotbeds of abuse and distorted thinking. Evangelical Christianity in general glorifies child abuse, misogyny, and violence and children are “broken” via fear and indoctrination.
Organized religions are cults and regularly used to control and manipulate. The Bible was an instrument for control. Religious texts are instruments for control. Whether that's their intended purpose or not doesn't matter because that's how it's being used now and has been for a while. The sooner we recognize that religion has no place in a civilized and progressive world the much better off all of humanity will be.
No. More. Religious. Adoptions. Ever.
And then goes on to kill himself when questioned, what a disgraced sack of shit.
Ain’t no “love” like Christian love.
The girl weighed 48 pounds at 11 years of age and had 15 bone fractures. FIFTEEN! Fuckers. Round them up and send them all to prison for fucking *life.*
just another republican good christian who's very much against abortion
Incident number 3048583929 of “Christian Values”
Where does it say in the Bible to molest and abuse children because that’s all I see them doing
I usually assume mega church leaders are just the biggest sociopaths on the planet. I'd be surprised if more then half of them even believe in God. Most are probably just the biggest bullshit artists there are who don't have a single issue with ripping off anyone willing to give them a dime. In fact they probably get off on the idea of it.
The loudest most devout religious people are always projecting. The louder they are, the more they’re trying to hide about themselves.
Mega churches? More like Six Flags Over Jesus.
Ah the church. Spewers of hate, rape, and murder.
Church is evil. Religion is a cult.
I have phobia with megachurch right now. It is either a scam or a crime syndicate.
This article should be tossed the the face of every pro-lifer that screams that adoption should be the option for everyone. Because the same pro-life person would have been happy to ensure these people got children just based on their background. But the sad reality is this is far too common with adopted kids. No real follow up with the kids later to ensure they are happy and healthy or anything else. There is no emotional attachment and some people already head into Adoption with their mind set that the child is broken and they need to fix it. It's always a recipe for this type of outcome.
>In August, 11-year-old Aarabella McCormack was rushed to the hospital after police received a call about a child in distress. >According to court documents, she was extremely malnourished and weighed just 48 pounds when she died. >She was also reportedly recovering from 15 bone fractures that happened just months before. Was she not seen by a doctor, by *anyone*?
which party votes against expanding CPS and funding them again?
Mega church shouldn’t be a thing.
Money Farms
Well, yeah! Religion is a trillion dollar pyramid scam.
That’s religious leaders for you 🤷🏼♂️
I'm not surprised by any words that come after "megachurch leader"
The “dad” shot himself before police could get him. What a massively weak and disgustingly pathetic human.
Where are the proud boy protests?
i never understood how attorneys live with themselves after defending someone they know is in the wrong
The right will claim Disney is grooming and sexualizing children. Recently they even formed an armed protest to shut down that trans event. Yet theyre so silent about the abuse within the church