Below is a list of criminals who also happen to be religious. I compiled the list merely as a response to those who claim you cannot be good without God. It is in no way intended to suggest that if you are religious, you cannot be a good person. I understand that probably more than 99% of religious people do not belong in this category.
Some of the people in this list have only been charged, and not convicted, of a crime. I think it would be safe to say that over half of those people are actually guilty of the crimes for which they were arrested. If you don’t want to agree with that, fine! Remove all of those who were merely charged with a crime. It still leaves an extremely large
list.
Nearly all of the people listed are Christian. I also understand that there are just as many people from all religions (including no religion) who would belong in this list. If I were to list all the Muslims or atheists, for example, who have committed crimes, I’m sure the list would be proportionately just as long. So, if you feel you must list all the atheists who have done wrong, feel free, but I believe I just admitted that there are atheist criminals as well.
If you say that these people aren’t “true” Christians, I would have to ask, how do you determine who is a “true” Christian? If it’s up to each individual to determine for themselves, then anyone who says they are a Christian, is a Christian. If it’s up to anyone who agrees with you as to what a “true” Christian believes, then I might suggest that you are the only “true” Christian since no one else is going to agree with you on every single aspect as to what a “true” Christian is. I mean, where do you draw the line as to who is not a “true” Christian? Is it someone who murders? Rapes? Commits adultery? Steals? Lies? Swears? Does work on Sunday? Gets divorced? Puts up a Christmas tree? Refuses to kiss another man upon greeting? You may draw the line in one place, where another Christian draws it somewhere else. If that is the case, then I would have to say that you are the only "true" Christian. If it’s God who determines who is a “true” Christian, then who are you to say they are not Christian?
If my list contains any mistakes, I will do my best to correct them.
The first dozen or so do not have sources. They are pretty famous cases and you may look them up yourself.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Behring Breivik
A Christian fundamentalist with a deep hatred of multiculturalism.
Breivik confessed to, murdering 77 people during a killing spree in Norway on July 22, 2011.
Freddy Goode
Serial killer - “I talk to my only friend Jesus our "LORD"! I know "JESUS" understands my terrible desires and ect” (in a letter to one of his lawyers- misspellings, his).
Evangelist Tony Alamo
Convicted on 10 federal counts of taking minors across state lines for sex.
Phillip Garrido
Abducted, raped and imprisoned 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard for 18 years. Was caught by police the day after Garrido was seen on the campus of University of California at Berkeley passing out Christian leaflets.
Susan Smith
Drowned 2 sons in lake. “My children, Michael and Alex, are with our Heavenly Father now, and I know that they will never be hurt again.” (confession letter)
Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ilene Barzee
Kidnapped and molested Elizabeth Smart.
President Dennis Rader
Christian Lutheran Church
BTK Killer
Andrea Yates
Drowned 5 children. Believed killing her five children would be a final defeating blow to Satan.
Lashuan Harris
Threw her 3 children into San Francisco Bay because God told her to sacrifice them.
Brandon Hedrick
"I pray for everybody that believes in Jesus Christ in heaven and I pray for the people that are unsaved," the 27-year-old said in his final words. "I'm ready to go and be free." Condemned to die for the 1997 murder of Lisa Crider, who was abducted, robbed, raped and killed with a shotgun blast to the face.
Beverly (Bev) Russell
Christian Coalition
Member of the advisory board of the Christian Coalition.
Sexually abused Susan Smith.
Derik Bonestroo
Tried to kill those who were not Christian.
Isaac Zamora
“Killed for God” 6 people in Mount Vernon Washington.
Sunday School Teacher Melissa Huckaby
Convicted of rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantru.
John List
Killed his family in order to send their souls to heaven.
Anti-Christ burned alive
Christian pastors killing witch
children
Witches burned alive in Kenya
Reverend George Bredemann
Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Molested boy 8 years ago. Settled secretly out of court with the boy’s parents.
Arizona Republic, 8/5/94
Mormon Bishop Arlo Kay Atkin
Excommunicated from the church for sexual misconduct, is being sued by a Mesa woman who says their sexual relationship beginning when she was 15 resulted in a pregnancy and a child.
Arizona Republic, 7/8/94
Baptist Minister Jon L. Walker
Pleaded guilty to molesting a female relative, age 9, while free on bail awaiting a new trial for sexual molestation.
San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune, 6/22/94; 2/15/94
Pastor David Brimmer
Jubilee Christian Center
Convicted of 15 counts of child molestation, faces a maximum of 20 years and 8 months in prison for the molestations of boys, ages 11-16, during sleepovers at his home. Pablo Geraldo Boas, 29, Brimmer's former roommate and fellow pastor, pleaded guilty to 8 felony counts of child molestation and will spend 3 years in prison.
San Francisco Chronicle, 2/9/95, 1/20/95; Mercury News, 12/7/93, 2/9/95
Reverend Robert Van Handel
St. Anthony's Seminary
Apologized to the court for sexually molesting a choir boy, 14, while he was the leader of the Santa Barbara Boys Choir, he received the maximum sentence of 8 years in
prison.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA), 8/13/94; Santa Barbara News-Press, 8/13/94
Priest Philip Wolfe
Pleaded no contest to engaging in oral sex with a minor in 1989, hanged himself in his apartment shortly after completing his probation.
Santa Barbara AP, 11/11/94
Reverend John Gilmore
San Francisco Roman Catholic Bishop, John Cummins reinstated Reverend John Gilmore, 41--who arranged to pay child support for the 2 children he secretly fathered with one of his parishioners--due to a lack of "young, popular priests."
San Francisco Chronicle, 11/23/94
Episcopal Priest Robert. L. Ducker
Received the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for repeatedly molesting 2 parishioner boys.
Palmdale Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 6/26/94
Reverend Delbert Blong
A Boulder man, Thomas Perea, who filed suit against Reverend Delbert Blong for infecting him with the HIV virus has settled out-of-court with the Pueblo Catholic Diocese for an undisclosed sum of money. Blong, 68, who admitted having sex with Perea, filed a counter-claim that says Perea transmitted the virus to him.
The Chieftain, 12/16/94
Catholic Deacon Terry Manspeaker
Manspeaker, who was sentenced under a plea bargain in January 1994 to 5 years probation for molesting a boy, 14, will be allowed to seek employment opportunities in Maryland, a judge said.
Valley Times, 1/27/95
Reverend Eamon O'Dowd
Lawsuits filed against 2 Central Florida priests claim the church concealed child abuse, failed to report it to legal authorities and shuffled problem priests from parish to parish. In a case dating to 1986, the Catholic Diocese of Orlando recently paid $250,000 in an out-of-court settlement to the family of a girl, 12, who was fondled by Reverend Eamon O'Dowd, according to arbitrators.
AP/Orlando Sentinel, 2/26/95
A teacher, athletic director, counselor and coach Daniel Perdue
Bethel Christian Academy
Was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison, followed by 10 years probation for the kidnapping and sexual battery of a student, 13.
Cocoa Florida Today, 8/9/94
Priest Myles Patrick White
Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet
Agreed to an out-of-court settlement involving a teenager who was molested by White, from 1989 to 1991.
Chicago Sun-Times, 12/2/94
Minister Harvey Lee "Hal" Sechler
Universal Life Church
Pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl, 10. Sechler had previously admitted having repeated sexual relations with his daughter when she was 4-12 years old.
Chicago Tribune, 8/3/94
Chicago Roman Catholic Church
Reported it spent $4.3 million on sexual misconduct costs during the fiscal year 1994. The archdiocesan newspaper New World reported that those costs do "not involve current claims" but incidents that "happened years ago."
Chicago Sun-Times, 1/22/95
Reverend Daniel Friedman
Belleville Catholic Diocese
Became the 10th priest relieved of duties in the Belleville Catholic Diocese due to reports of sexual abuse.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/3/94; 7/2/94
Founder and Pastor L.R. Davis
Christian Fellowship Church
The Illinois Supreme Court denied the second appeal of Davis, who already appealed his 31-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 2 boys to the Illinois Appellate Court.
Chicago Sun-Times, 7/9-10/94; News-Sun, 10/18/94
Baptist Minister John R. Strange
The Kentucky Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Strange, who decapitated his wife, buried the head and set fire to the torso in May 1990.
Lexington Kentucky Herald Leader, 6/26/94
Mormon Bishop’s Clerk Bruce A. McAskill
With a past rape conviction, faces a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of kissing and fondling a boy, 8, whom he was babysitting.
Jackson Citizen Patriot, 10/25/94
Minister Wayne Vetter
A new lawsuit settled by the family of a minister's sexual abuse victim, 16, exposed more about the sordid past of Wayne Vetter, now serving a 7.5-year prison sentence. Attorneys for neither side would disclose the settlement sum, but the victim's attorney said Church Mutual, the church's insurer, would pay under $500,000. Cloquet police said they suspect Vetter left a trail of about 100 victims during his 22 years in the ministry.
Duluth News-Tribune, 9/25/94, 2/28/95
Former Catholic Priest James R. Porter
Twenty-one abuse victims who charged that Porter, 59, molested them 25 years ago when he was a priest in Stillwater, won $17 million in damages. He is also serving a 12-year sentence for sexually assaulting dozens of children in Massachusetts.
Stillwater Washington Post, 11/1/94; AP
Reverend Mark Makowski
St. John Catholic Parish and Holy Rosary Parish
After initially pleading innocent to 3rd-degree sexual assault misconduct, pleaded guilty to a plea bargain of 4th-degree misconduct in March.
Grand Marais and Grand Portage News-Tribune, 3/30/95
Religious Leader Nelson DeCloud
Convicted of kidnapping, raping, sodomizing and restraining the daughter of one of his followers.
Clay County Centre Daily Times, 8/5/94; AP, 8/4/94
Priest Gordon MacRae
St. Bernard's Church
Sentenced to 33.5-67 years in prison for raping an altar boy a decade ago. He also pleaded guilty in September to assaulting 3 other boys in 1983.
Keene Wisconsin State Journal, 11/15/94
Reverend Joseph Fredette
Criminally charged with sexually assaulting 3 teenage boys in the 1970s while he was the live-in director of a group home for youths.
Springfield Union-News, 10/20/94; Springfield Union-News, 10/7/94
Richard L. Kim
Mainland Assembly of God Church
pleaded guilty to molesting a girl parishioner.
Linwood Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/9/94
Roman Catholic Priest William O'Connell
Pleaded guilty to new charges of sexual assault, and was sentenced to 10 years at a treatment facility for sex offenders. While a priest in Rhode Island, he had pleaded no contest to 26 felony molestation charges in 1986 and served a year in prison.
Norwich Bulletin, 12/21/94; The Press of Atlantic City, 2/4/95
A 37-year old retreat in Albuquerque's South Valley, one of 6 church properties put on the market, was sold for $1 million to help pay the costs of sexual abuse lawsuits that could ultimately total more than $50 million.
Las Cruces Sun News, 9/8/94; The Daily Camera, 12/31/94
Priest James Porter
Santa Fe archdiocese
Facing 135 lawsuits and as much as $50 million in claims, the Santa Fe archdiocese has been called "ground zero" in the explosion of sex-abuse charges. For 30 years, pedophile priests, including convicted abuser James Porter, were sent to the Servants of the Paraclete to be cured so they could continue their priestly duties at other parishes, where some continued to abuse children.
Washington Post, 1/15/95; The Daily Camera, 12/31/94
Roman Catholic Priest David Holley
The Servants of the Paraclete treatment center
17 men, who reported they were sexually abused as minors by, reached a settlement of a "very substantial amount" of money.
San Antonio Express-News, 10/5/94
Former Vice Principal Brian C. Buff
Catholic Central High School
Admitted having oral sex with a boy, 15.
Troy Gazette Reporter (Albany, NY), 7/2/94
Reverend Ellis Harsham
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Accused of molesting numerous students in the 1970s.
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), 6/27/94; Express News (San Antonio, TX), 6/29/94
Harrisburg Roman Catholic Diocese
The Harrisburg Roman Catholic Diocese said it has already made payments of about $950,000 to victims of sexual misconduct by priests.
Tribune-Democrat, 11/12/94
Reverend Joel Williams
Pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping the teenage daughter he called his "pride and joy" from March 1990 until she ran away 4 years later at age 17.
Tribune-Democrat, 11/18/94
Reverend Augustine Giella
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Died while awaiting charges of molesting a girl, 14, and possessing child pornography. He had confessed after police had found his pornographic photo collection and some of the girl's personal items.
Patriot-News, 12/5/94
Minister David Cable
Pleaded guilty to federal child-pornography charges.
York Daily Record, 1/13/95; Tribune-Democrat, 1/12/95
Roman Catholic priest Reverend James Silva
Pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a man.
Hartford Courant, 3/17/95
Reverend Joseph A. Abruzzese
St. Anthony Church in North Providence
The lawyer of Abruzzese pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a boy, 16.
Journal-Bulletin, 9/24/94
Baptist minister Gaylon Holt
Texas Christian University
Holt, who signed a statement saying that he was guilty of indecent exposure may be responsible for more than 12 incidents on the campus.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/28/94
Principal Father David Jerome Paul
Nolan Catholic High School
Pleaded no contest to a reduced disorderly conduct charge after his arrest for fondling an undercover police officer in a park.
Dallas Morning News, 2/11/95
Priest Xavier Ortiz-Dietz
Pleaded "no contest" to charges that he sometimes abused altar boys minutes before entering the sanctuary to say Mass.
Spokesman Review, 8/17/94
Mormon general authority George P. Lee
Pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse of a girl, now 17.
Arizona Republic, 10/12/94; Salt Lake Tribune, 10/11/94
The Archdiocese of Washington
Removed 4 priests from their parishes and ordered them to undergo 6-9 months of inpatient treatment after they admitted to sexually abusing an altar boy.
Seattle Times, 2/7/95; Washington Post, 2/5/95
Methodist Reverend Albert Sweet
A jury said Sweet twisted pastoral counseling sessions with Reverend Kay Wright, 53, then a congregation member, into a sexual relationship, exploiting the counselor/careseeker relationship. The jury awarded $135,000 in damages to her.
Seattle Times, 2/12/95
After 27 years of repressing the painful memory, Patricia Marchant recalled how the priest in her Catholic grade school chose her, then 7, to deliver a carton of milk daily after Mass. Upon delivery, the priest would strip himself of his collar, sexually abusing her as the church bells rang.
Milwaukee Sentinel, 3/18/95
Bible instructor Fritz A. Callies
Pembine Bible camp and Grace Evangelical Lutheran church
Sentenced to 8 years in prison for sexually assaulting 2 girls, ages 9 and 10.
Kenosha News, 7/17/94
Associate pastor Samuel Earl Brown
Tabernacle of Praise Church
Accused of pinching, biting& beating a girl.
Birmingham Post-Herald 5/14/97
Senior pastor Ellis Charles Butler
Universal Church of God
Given 60 years for raping girls.
Northwest Arkansas Times 5/31/97
Roman Catholic priest Martin Greenlaw
Pleaded no contest to felony grand theft and embezzlement of $76,000--in addition to his earlier conviction.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 7/6/97
Roman Catholic priest Don Kimball
Is the 5th Sonoma Co. priest to be accused of molesting children over a period of 2 decades.
San Francisco Chronicle 7/9/97
Former minister Michael Anthony Jones
Greater Faith Baptist Church
Reportedly fondled teenage boys during private "baptism" rites.
The Record 5/21/97
Former oncologist and local Mormon church leader John Parkinson
Convicted of sexually assaulting 2 female patients and of practicing without a license.
Lodi News-Sentinel 6/4/97
Mormon Missionary Jason Chad Larsen
Suspected of molesting an 8-year-old girl.
Bakersfield Californian 5/24/97
Pastor David Anthony Law
Arrested for sexually assaulting a girl, 15. He told investigators the "devil" made him do it.
The Miami Herald 7/6/97
Pastor Richard Castillo
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Relieved from priestly duties in April after a report surfaced that he had molested a male high school student 7 years ago.
St. Augustine Record 4/28/97
Evangelist George Crossley
Accused of hiring hit man.
Orlando Sentinel 5/14/97
Preacher's wife Deborah Lyons
Charged with arson.
Reuters 7/8/97
Pastor Rudolph C. Berndt
Blue Grass' St. Andrew's Church
Pleaded guilty to 1 count of filing a false tax return.
Clinton Herald 5/17/97; Quad City Times 5/17/97
Minister Paul Grandon
Crandon Methodist Church
Pleaded guilty in July to felony charges of kidnapping and sexually abusing a woman in '96.
Des Moines Register 7/8/97
Two Orthodox Jewish rabbis Mahir Reiss and Bernard Grunfeld
Charged in mid-June with funneling $1.75 million in Colombian drug profits.
Associated Press 6/17/97
Reverend Ed Privette
White Plains United Methodist Church
A Wake Co. jury found Privette liable for sexual harassment of 2 women.
Washington Post 5/24/97; The Chronicle 5/31/97
Founder Sharon M. Dantzler, and associates Irene McIver and Marvinetta Clay
Rehoboth Ministries, Inc.
Federal authorities issued arrest warrants in May for Dantzler, McIver and Clay for a long-running con game which has bilked area landlords, utilities and businesses for more than $100,000.
Philadelphia Inquirer 5/21/97
Msgr. Louis WardDunn
Convicted of raping a parishioner, in her Providence apartment.
Providence Journal-Bulletin 6/25/97
Leader Aaron LeBaron
The Lamb of God religious sect
Sentenced in mid-June to 45 years in prison for ordering the killings of 3 former group members in 1988.
New York Times 6/13/97
Baptist social studies teacher Chad Bryan Seidler
Bethlehem Baptist Christian Academy
Pleaded guilty in May to sexually abusing 3 of his students was also charged with embezzling at least $200 from his students' class trip fund.
Fairfax Journal 5/30/97
Catholic priest Terry A. Lenning
St. Edward's in Chesterfield
Arrested in late June for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Progress-Index 6/20/97
Former minister Royston Fraser
United Church of Canada
Sentenced to a 6-month curfew of house arrest in April for sexually assaulting a 10 year old girl.
News Of The World (British) 4/27/97
Muslim cleric Imam Mohamed Kerzazi
Sentenced by a French court in early June to 7 years in prison for the '94 death of a woman, 19, killed in an exorcism ceremony.
St. Augustine Record 6/7/97
Former Zimbabwe president and Methodist minister Canaan Banana
Charged in July with 11 counts of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault.
The Advocate 7/9/97
Franciscan Friar Rashid Peter Francis
Charged with 4th degree stalking.
Northport Patch, 10-19-10
Reverend Greg Scott Glover
Arrested on 2 counts of possession of a controlled substance.
KREM-TV, 10-15-10
Former Protestant Pastor Vaughn Reeves Sr.
Arrested on 10 counts of securities fraud.
AP, 10-12-10
Reverend Billy Eckstine McCurdy
Revival Temple Church of God
Charged with 6 counts of sexual assault and 5 counts of open and gross lewdness.
Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10-8-10
Reverend Ben Johnson
First United Methodist Church
Charged with 2 counts of 3rd-degree sexual assault.
Paragould Daily Press, 10-7-10
Reverend Gerry James
Friendship Baptist Church (Hattiesburg, MS)
Charged with 10 counts, including traffic violations, DUI, threatening a police officer and marijuana possession.
WDAM, 10-21-10
Reverend Thomas Marr
St. Bernard Catholic Church (Watertown, WI)
Arrested for theft in a business setting and theft and fraud.
Wisconsin State Journal, 9-28-10
Volunteer Charles “Ward” Bales
Fairhaven United Methodist Church (Johnson City, TN)
Pleaded guilty to theft of over $10,000.
Johnson City Press, 10-21-10
Self-described social conservative with strong Christian values Troy Bird
Pleaded no contest to 2 counts of forcible sodomy. Bird ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the state House of Delegates in 2009.
Roanoke Times, 10-6-10
Reverend Steven G. Welty
Glory House Fellowship Church (Dungeness, WA)
Guilty on 6 counts each of child rape, child molestation and incest.
Peninsula Daily News, 10-6-10
Reverend Carlton Hammonds
Willows Baptist Church (Willows, CA)
Guilty of 3 counts of lewd acts on a child and 1 count of molesting a child.
Chico Enterprise-Records, 10-1-10
Reverend John Lohr
Edwardsburg Church of God (Howard Township, MI)
Pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct with 14-year-old girl.
Kalamazoo Gazette, 10-1-10
Reverend David A. Thompson
World of Pentecost Church (Canel Winchester, OH)
Guilty of 9 counts of money laundering, 7 counts of filing false or incomplete state income tax returns, 3 counts of tampering with records and 1 count each of theft, forgery and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Columbus Dispatch, 10-1-10
Gym teacher Joshua DiMeo
Light and Life Christian School (Liberty, NY)
Pleaded guilty to disseminating indecent material to minors and 2nd-degree sexual abuse.
Sullivan County Democrat, 8-20-10
Founder and operator Mike Crain
Christian-based Fort Bluff Camp (Dayton, TN)
Pleaded no contest to a sexual battery charge.
Chattanooga.com, 11-6-10
Catholic Priest Samuel Ciccolini
Pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return and structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting.
AP, 10-21-10
Pastor Derwin Pasley
Risen Faith Fellowship
Pleaded guilty to 2 counts of 2nd-degree child molestation and 1 count of 3rd-degree child molestation.
Bellingham Herald, 10-5-10
Church worker Alberto Rodriguez
Valley West Christian Church (Madera, CA)
Accused of molesting children under age 14.
KMPH Fresno, 10-18-10
Pastor David Morris
Carmathen Evangelical Church (Swansea, Wales)
Accused of placing 12-year-old girl’s hand on his crotch and fondling her during a tutoring lesson 14 years ago.
The Sun, 10-5-10
Archbishop Serephim Storheim
Orthodox Church
Resigned after a complaint of sexual misconduct.
Toronto Star, 10-5-10
Pastor Perez Blackmon
Missionary Baptist Church (Blakely, GA)
Installed as pastor at despite being a registered sex offender.
Albany Herald, 9-1-10
Pastor Michael Charles Campbell
House of Worship Church of God in Christ (Deland, FL)
Arrested for lewd and lascivious molestation, and lewd and lascivious conduct.
The Palm Beach Post 10-13-10
Youth Pastor Carl Lloyd
Son Rise Baptist Church (Harteselle, AL)
Charged with 2nd-degree sodomy.
WAFF News, 11-24-10
Athletic director, health teacher and coach Mark S. Hubbard
Hillcrest Christian School (Granada Hills, CA)
Charged with multiple sex crimes.
Los Angeles Daily News, 10-23-10
Youth Pastor Daniel Robida
Harvest Community Church (Summerfield, FL)
Arrested for sexual battery.
WESH News, 11-22-10
Reverend Walter D. Bradshaw
Charged with rape, rape of a child and other multiple sexual crimes.
WJAC, 11-12-10
An unidentified Catholic pastor
Parish of Lady of the Assumption (Vilifames, Spain)
Charged with distribution of child pornography.
BBC News, 11-12-10
Reverend Aaron Witcher
Crosswalk Christian Training Center (Roy, UT)
Charged with 9 counts of rape.
Salt Lake Tribune, 11-11-10
Reverend David K. Love
New Hope Baptist Church (Boiling Springs, SC)
Accused of fatally shooting a fellow church member.
Kansas City Star, 11-10-10
Youth Minister Brian Richard Gray
Monroe Church of Christ (Winder, GA) charged with child molestation, statutory rape and burglary.
FOX 5 Atlanta, 11-10-10
Many, many more to come!
Some of the people in this list have only been charged, and not convicted, of a crime. I think it would be safe to say that over half of those people are actually guilty of the crimes for which they were arrested. If you don’t want to agree with that, fine! Remove all of those who were merely charged with a crime. It still leaves an extremely large
list.
Nearly all of the people listed are Christian. I also understand that there are just as many people from all religions (including no religion) who would belong in this list. If I were to list all the Muslims or atheists, for example, who have committed crimes, I’m sure the list would be proportionately just as long. So, if you feel you must list all the atheists who have done wrong, feel free, but I believe I just admitted that there are atheist criminals as well.
If you say that these people aren’t “true” Christians, I would have to ask, how do you determine who is a “true” Christian? If it’s up to each individual to determine for themselves, then anyone who says they are a Christian, is a Christian. If it’s up to anyone who agrees with you as to what a “true” Christian believes, then I might suggest that you are the only “true” Christian since no one else is going to agree with you on every single aspect as to what a “true” Christian is. I mean, where do you draw the line as to who is not a “true” Christian? Is it someone who murders? Rapes? Commits adultery? Steals? Lies? Swears? Does work on Sunday? Gets divorced? Puts up a Christmas tree? Refuses to kiss another man upon greeting? You may draw the line in one place, where another Christian draws it somewhere else. If that is the case, then I would have to say that you are the only "true" Christian. If it’s God who determines who is a “true” Christian, then who are you to say they are not Christian?
If my list contains any mistakes, I will do my best to correct them.
The first dozen or so do not have sources. They are pretty famous cases and you may look them up yourself.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Behring Breivik
A Christian fundamentalist with a deep hatred of multiculturalism.
Breivik confessed to, murdering 77 people during a killing spree in Norway on July 22, 2011.
Freddy Goode
Serial killer - “I talk to my only friend Jesus our "LORD"! I know "JESUS" understands my terrible desires and ect” (in a letter to one of his lawyers- misspellings, his).
Evangelist Tony Alamo
Convicted on 10 federal counts of taking minors across state lines for sex.
Phillip Garrido
Abducted, raped and imprisoned 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard for 18 years. Was caught by police the day after Garrido was seen on the campus of University of California at Berkeley passing out Christian leaflets.
Susan Smith
Drowned 2 sons in lake. “My children, Michael and Alex, are with our Heavenly Father now, and I know that they will never be hurt again.” (confession letter)
Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ilene Barzee
Kidnapped and molested Elizabeth Smart.
President Dennis Rader
Christian Lutheran Church
BTK Killer
Andrea Yates
Drowned 5 children. Believed killing her five children would be a final defeating blow to Satan.
Lashuan Harris
Threw her 3 children into San Francisco Bay because God told her to sacrifice them.
Brandon Hedrick
"I pray for everybody that believes in Jesus Christ in heaven and I pray for the people that are unsaved," the 27-year-old said in his final words. "I'm ready to go and be free." Condemned to die for the 1997 murder of Lisa Crider, who was abducted, robbed, raped and killed with a shotgun blast to the face.
Beverly (Bev) Russell
Christian Coalition
Member of the advisory board of the Christian Coalition.
Sexually abused Susan Smith.
Derik Bonestroo
Tried to kill those who were not Christian.
Isaac Zamora
“Killed for God” 6 people in Mount Vernon Washington.
Sunday School Teacher Melissa Huckaby
Convicted of rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantru.
John List
Killed his family in order to send their souls to heaven.
Anti-Christ burned alive
Christian pastors killing witch
children
Witches burned alive in Kenya
Reverend George Bredemann
Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Molested boy 8 years ago. Settled secretly out of court with the boy’s parents.
Arizona Republic, 8/5/94
Mormon Bishop Arlo Kay Atkin
Excommunicated from the church for sexual misconduct, is being sued by a Mesa woman who says their sexual relationship beginning when she was 15 resulted in a pregnancy and a child.
Arizona Republic, 7/8/94
Baptist Minister Jon L. Walker
Pleaded guilty to molesting a female relative, age 9, while free on bail awaiting a new trial for sexual molestation.
San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune, 6/22/94; 2/15/94
Pastor David Brimmer
Jubilee Christian Center
Convicted of 15 counts of child molestation, faces a maximum of 20 years and 8 months in prison for the molestations of boys, ages 11-16, during sleepovers at his home. Pablo Geraldo Boas, 29, Brimmer's former roommate and fellow pastor, pleaded guilty to 8 felony counts of child molestation and will spend 3 years in prison.
San Francisco Chronicle, 2/9/95, 1/20/95; Mercury News, 12/7/93, 2/9/95
Reverend Robert Van Handel
St. Anthony's Seminary
Apologized to the court for sexually molesting a choir boy, 14, while he was the leader of the Santa Barbara Boys Choir, he received the maximum sentence of 8 years in
prison.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA), 8/13/94; Santa Barbara News-Press, 8/13/94
Priest Philip Wolfe
Pleaded no contest to engaging in oral sex with a minor in 1989, hanged himself in his apartment shortly after completing his probation.
Santa Barbara AP, 11/11/94
Reverend John Gilmore
San Francisco Roman Catholic Bishop, John Cummins reinstated Reverend John Gilmore, 41--who arranged to pay child support for the 2 children he secretly fathered with one of his parishioners--due to a lack of "young, popular priests."
San Francisco Chronicle, 11/23/94
Episcopal Priest Robert. L. Ducker
Received the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for repeatedly molesting 2 parishioner boys.
Palmdale Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 6/26/94
Reverend Delbert Blong
A Boulder man, Thomas Perea, who filed suit against Reverend Delbert Blong for infecting him with the HIV virus has settled out-of-court with the Pueblo Catholic Diocese for an undisclosed sum of money. Blong, 68, who admitted having sex with Perea, filed a counter-claim that says Perea transmitted the virus to him.
The Chieftain, 12/16/94
Catholic Deacon Terry Manspeaker
Manspeaker, who was sentenced under a plea bargain in January 1994 to 5 years probation for molesting a boy, 14, will be allowed to seek employment opportunities in Maryland, a judge said.
Valley Times, 1/27/95
Reverend Eamon O'Dowd
Lawsuits filed against 2 Central Florida priests claim the church concealed child abuse, failed to report it to legal authorities and shuffled problem priests from parish to parish. In a case dating to 1986, the Catholic Diocese of Orlando recently paid $250,000 in an out-of-court settlement to the family of a girl, 12, who was fondled by Reverend Eamon O'Dowd, according to arbitrators.
AP/Orlando Sentinel, 2/26/95
A teacher, athletic director, counselor and coach Daniel Perdue
Bethel Christian Academy
Was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison, followed by 10 years probation for the kidnapping and sexual battery of a student, 13.
Cocoa Florida Today, 8/9/94
Priest Myles Patrick White
Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet
Agreed to an out-of-court settlement involving a teenager who was molested by White, from 1989 to 1991.
Chicago Sun-Times, 12/2/94
Minister Harvey Lee "Hal" Sechler
Universal Life Church
Pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl, 10. Sechler had previously admitted having repeated sexual relations with his daughter when she was 4-12 years old.
Chicago Tribune, 8/3/94
Chicago Roman Catholic Church
Reported it spent $4.3 million on sexual misconduct costs during the fiscal year 1994. The archdiocesan newspaper New World reported that those costs do "not involve current claims" but incidents that "happened years ago."
Chicago Sun-Times, 1/22/95
Reverend Daniel Friedman
Belleville Catholic Diocese
Became the 10th priest relieved of duties in the Belleville Catholic Diocese due to reports of sexual abuse.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/3/94; 7/2/94
Founder and Pastor L.R. Davis
Christian Fellowship Church
The Illinois Supreme Court denied the second appeal of Davis, who already appealed his 31-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 2 boys to the Illinois Appellate Court.
Chicago Sun-Times, 7/9-10/94; News-Sun, 10/18/94
Baptist Minister John R. Strange
The Kentucky Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Strange, who decapitated his wife, buried the head and set fire to the torso in May 1990.
Lexington Kentucky Herald Leader, 6/26/94
Mormon Bishop’s Clerk Bruce A. McAskill
With a past rape conviction, faces a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of kissing and fondling a boy, 8, whom he was babysitting.
Jackson Citizen Patriot, 10/25/94
Minister Wayne Vetter
A new lawsuit settled by the family of a minister's sexual abuse victim, 16, exposed more about the sordid past of Wayne Vetter, now serving a 7.5-year prison sentence. Attorneys for neither side would disclose the settlement sum, but the victim's attorney said Church Mutual, the church's insurer, would pay under $500,000. Cloquet police said they suspect Vetter left a trail of about 100 victims during his 22 years in the ministry.
Duluth News-Tribune, 9/25/94, 2/28/95
Former Catholic Priest James R. Porter
Twenty-one abuse victims who charged that Porter, 59, molested them 25 years ago when he was a priest in Stillwater, won $17 million in damages. He is also serving a 12-year sentence for sexually assaulting dozens of children in Massachusetts.
Stillwater Washington Post, 11/1/94; AP
Reverend Mark Makowski
St. John Catholic Parish and Holy Rosary Parish
After initially pleading innocent to 3rd-degree sexual assault misconduct, pleaded guilty to a plea bargain of 4th-degree misconduct in March.
Grand Marais and Grand Portage News-Tribune, 3/30/95
Religious Leader Nelson DeCloud
Convicted of kidnapping, raping, sodomizing and restraining the daughter of one of his followers.
Clay County Centre Daily Times, 8/5/94; AP, 8/4/94
Priest Gordon MacRae
St. Bernard's Church
Sentenced to 33.5-67 years in prison for raping an altar boy a decade ago. He also pleaded guilty in September to assaulting 3 other boys in 1983.
Keene Wisconsin State Journal, 11/15/94
Reverend Joseph Fredette
Criminally charged with sexually assaulting 3 teenage boys in the 1970s while he was the live-in director of a group home for youths.
Springfield Union-News, 10/20/94; Springfield Union-News, 10/7/94
Richard L. Kim
Mainland Assembly of God Church
pleaded guilty to molesting a girl parishioner.
Linwood Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/9/94
Roman Catholic Priest William O'Connell
Pleaded guilty to new charges of sexual assault, and was sentenced to 10 years at a treatment facility for sex offenders. While a priest in Rhode Island, he had pleaded no contest to 26 felony molestation charges in 1986 and served a year in prison.
Norwich Bulletin, 12/21/94; The Press of Atlantic City, 2/4/95
A 37-year old retreat in Albuquerque's South Valley, one of 6 church properties put on the market, was sold for $1 million to help pay the costs of sexual abuse lawsuits that could ultimately total more than $50 million.
Las Cruces Sun News, 9/8/94; The Daily Camera, 12/31/94
Priest James Porter
Santa Fe archdiocese
Facing 135 lawsuits and as much as $50 million in claims, the Santa Fe archdiocese has been called "ground zero" in the explosion of sex-abuse charges. For 30 years, pedophile priests, including convicted abuser James Porter, were sent to the Servants of the Paraclete to be cured so they could continue their priestly duties at other parishes, where some continued to abuse children.
Washington Post, 1/15/95; The Daily Camera, 12/31/94
Roman Catholic Priest David Holley
The Servants of the Paraclete treatment center
17 men, who reported they were sexually abused as minors by, reached a settlement of a "very substantial amount" of money.
San Antonio Express-News, 10/5/94
Former Vice Principal Brian C. Buff
Catholic Central High School
Admitted having oral sex with a boy, 15.
Troy Gazette Reporter (Albany, NY), 7/2/94
Reverend Ellis Harsham
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Accused of molesting numerous students in the 1970s.
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), 6/27/94; Express News (San Antonio, TX), 6/29/94
Harrisburg Roman Catholic Diocese
The Harrisburg Roman Catholic Diocese said it has already made payments of about $950,000 to victims of sexual misconduct by priests.
Tribune-Democrat, 11/12/94
Reverend Joel Williams
Pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping the teenage daughter he called his "pride and joy" from March 1990 until she ran away 4 years later at age 17.
Tribune-Democrat, 11/18/94
Reverend Augustine Giella
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Died while awaiting charges of molesting a girl, 14, and possessing child pornography. He had confessed after police had found his pornographic photo collection and some of the girl's personal items.
Patriot-News, 12/5/94
Minister David Cable
Pleaded guilty to federal child-pornography charges.
York Daily Record, 1/13/95; Tribune-Democrat, 1/12/95
Roman Catholic priest Reverend James Silva
Pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a man.
Hartford Courant, 3/17/95
Reverend Joseph A. Abruzzese
St. Anthony Church in North Providence
The lawyer of Abruzzese pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a boy, 16.
Journal-Bulletin, 9/24/94
Baptist minister Gaylon Holt
Texas Christian University
Holt, who signed a statement saying that he was guilty of indecent exposure may be responsible for more than 12 incidents on the campus.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/28/94
Principal Father David Jerome Paul
Nolan Catholic High School
Pleaded no contest to a reduced disorderly conduct charge after his arrest for fondling an undercover police officer in a park.
Dallas Morning News, 2/11/95
Priest Xavier Ortiz-Dietz
Pleaded "no contest" to charges that he sometimes abused altar boys minutes before entering the sanctuary to say Mass.
Spokesman Review, 8/17/94
Mormon general authority George P. Lee
Pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse of a girl, now 17.
Arizona Republic, 10/12/94; Salt Lake Tribune, 10/11/94
The Archdiocese of Washington
Removed 4 priests from their parishes and ordered them to undergo 6-9 months of inpatient treatment after they admitted to sexually abusing an altar boy.
Seattle Times, 2/7/95; Washington Post, 2/5/95
Methodist Reverend Albert Sweet
A jury said Sweet twisted pastoral counseling sessions with Reverend Kay Wright, 53, then a congregation member, into a sexual relationship, exploiting the counselor/careseeker relationship. The jury awarded $135,000 in damages to her.
Seattle Times, 2/12/95
After 27 years of repressing the painful memory, Patricia Marchant recalled how the priest in her Catholic grade school chose her, then 7, to deliver a carton of milk daily after Mass. Upon delivery, the priest would strip himself of his collar, sexually abusing her as the church bells rang.
Milwaukee Sentinel, 3/18/95
Bible instructor Fritz A. Callies
Pembine Bible camp and Grace Evangelical Lutheran church
Sentenced to 8 years in prison for sexually assaulting 2 girls, ages 9 and 10.
Kenosha News, 7/17/94
Associate pastor Samuel Earl Brown
Tabernacle of Praise Church
Accused of pinching, biting& beating a girl.
Birmingham Post-Herald 5/14/97
Senior pastor Ellis Charles Butler
Universal Church of God
Given 60 years for raping girls.
Northwest Arkansas Times 5/31/97
Roman Catholic priest Martin Greenlaw
Pleaded no contest to felony grand theft and embezzlement of $76,000--in addition to his earlier conviction.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 7/6/97
Roman Catholic priest Don Kimball
Is the 5th Sonoma Co. priest to be accused of molesting children over a period of 2 decades.
San Francisco Chronicle 7/9/97
Former minister Michael Anthony Jones
Greater Faith Baptist Church
Reportedly fondled teenage boys during private "baptism" rites.
The Record 5/21/97
Former oncologist and local Mormon church leader John Parkinson
Convicted of sexually assaulting 2 female patients and of practicing without a license.
Lodi News-Sentinel 6/4/97
Mormon Missionary Jason Chad Larsen
Suspected of molesting an 8-year-old girl.
Bakersfield Californian 5/24/97
Pastor David Anthony Law
Arrested for sexually assaulting a girl, 15. He told investigators the "devil" made him do it.
The Miami Herald 7/6/97
Pastor Richard Castillo
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Relieved from priestly duties in April after a report surfaced that he had molested a male high school student 7 years ago.
St. Augustine Record 4/28/97
Evangelist George Crossley
Accused of hiring hit man.
Orlando Sentinel 5/14/97
Preacher's wife Deborah Lyons
Charged with arson.
Reuters 7/8/97
Pastor Rudolph C. Berndt
Blue Grass' St. Andrew's Church
Pleaded guilty to 1 count of filing a false tax return.
Clinton Herald 5/17/97; Quad City Times 5/17/97
Minister Paul Grandon
Crandon Methodist Church
Pleaded guilty in July to felony charges of kidnapping and sexually abusing a woman in '96.
Des Moines Register 7/8/97
Two Orthodox Jewish rabbis Mahir Reiss and Bernard Grunfeld
Charged in mid-June with funneling $1.75 million in Colombian drug profits.
Associated Press 6/17/97
Reverend Ed Privette
White Plains United Methodist Church
A Wake Co. jury found Privette liable for sexual harassment of 2 women.
Washington Post 5/24/97; The Chronicle 5/31/97
Founder Sharon M. Dantzler, and associates Irene McIver and Marvinetta Clay
Rehoboth Ministries, Inc.
Federal authorities issued arrest warrants in May for Dantzler, McIver and Clay for a long-running con game which has bilked area landlords, utilities and businesses for more than $100,000.
Philadelphia Inquirer 5/21/97
Msgr. Louis WardDunn
Convicted of raping a parishioner, in her Providence apartment.
Providence Journal-Bulletin 6/25/97
Leader Aaron LeBaron
The Lamb of God religious sect
Sentenced in mid-June to 45 years in prison for ordering the killings of 3 former group members in 1988.
New York Times 6/13/97
Baptist social studies teacher Chad Bryan Seidler
Bethlehem Baptist Christian Academy
Pleaded guilty in May to sexually abusing 3 of his students was also charged with embezzling at least $200 from his students' class trip fund.
Fairfax Journal 5/30/97
Catholic priest Terry A. Lenning
St. Edward's in Chesterfield
Arrested in late June for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Progress-Index 6/20/97
Former minister Royston Fraser
United Church of Canada
Sentenced to a 6-month curfew of house arrest in April for sexually assaulting a 10 year old girl.
News Of The World (British) 4/27/97
Muslim cleric Imam Mohamed Kerzazi
Sentenced by a French court in early June to 7 years in prison for the '94 death of a woman, 19, killed in an exorcism ceremony.
St. Augustine Record 6/7/97
Former Zimbabwe president and Methodist minister Canaan Banana
Charged in July with 11 counts of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault.
The Advocate 7/9/97
Franciscan Friar Rashid Peter Francis
Charged with 4th degree stalking.
Northport Patch, 10-19-10
Reverend Greg Scott Glover
Arrested on 2 counts of possession of a controlled substance.
KREM-TV, 10-15-10
Former Protestant Pastor Vaughn Reeves Sr.
Arrested on 10 counts of securities fraud.
AP, 10-12-10
Reverend Billy Eckstine McCurdy
Revival Temple Church of God
Charged with 6 counts of sexual assault and 5 counts of open and gross lewdness.
Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10-8-10
Reverend Ben Johnson
First United Methodist Church
Charged with 2 counts of 3rd-degree sexual assault.
Paragould Daily Press, 10-7-10
Reverend Gerry James
Friendship Baptist Church (Hattiesburg, MS)
Charged with 10 counts, including traffic violations, DUI, threatening a police officer and marijuana possession.
WDAM, 10-21-10
Reverend Thomas Marr
St. Bernard Catholic Church (Watertown, WI)
Arrested for theft in a business setting and theft and fraud.
Wisconsin State Journal, 9-28-10
Volunteer Charles “Ward” Bales
Fairhaven United Methodist Church (Johnson City, TN)
Pleaded guilty to theft of over $10,000.
Johnson City Press, 10-21-10
Self-described social conservative with strong Christian values Troy Bird
Pleaded no contest to 2 counts of forcible sodomy. Bird ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the state House of Delegates in 2009.
Roanoke Times, 10-6-10
Reverend Steven G. Welty
Glory House Fellowship Church (Dungeness, WA)
Guilty on 6 counts each of child rape, child molestation and incest.
Peninsula Daily News, 10-6-10
Reverend Carlton Hammonds
Willows Baptist Church (Willows, CA)
Guilty of 3 counts of lewd acts on a child and 1 count of molesting a child.
Chico Enterprise-Records, 10-1-10
Reverend John Lohr
Edwardsburg Church of God (Howard Township, MI)
Pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct with 14-year-old girl.
Kalamazoo Gazette, 10-1-10
Reverend David A. Thompson
World of Pentecost Church (Canel Winchester, OH)
Guilty of 9 counts of money laundering, 7 counts of filing false or incomplete state income tax returns, 3 counts of tampering with records and 1 count each of theft, forgery and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Columbus Dispatch, 10-1-10
Gym teacher Joshua DiMeo
Light and Life Christian School (Liberty, NY)
Pleaded guilty to disseminating indecent material to minors and 2nd-degree sexual abuse.
Sullivan County Democrat, 8-20-10
Founder and operator Mike Crain
Christian-based Fort Bluff Camp (Dayton, TN)
Pleaded no contest to a sexual battery charge.
Chattanooga.com, 11-6-10
Catholic Priest Samuel Ciccolini
Pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return and structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting.
AP, 10-21-10
Pastor Derwin Pasley
Risen Faith Fellowship
Pleaded guilty to 2 counts of 2nd-degree child molestation and 1 count of 3rd-degree child molestation.
Bellingham Herald, 10-5-10
Church worker Alberto Rodriguez
Valley West Christian Church (Madera, CA)
Accused of molesting children under age 14.
KMPH Fresno, 10-18-10
Pastor David Morris
Carmathen Evangelical Church (Swansea, Wales)
Accused of placing 12-year-old girl’s hand on his crotch and fondling her during a tutoring lesson 14 years ago.
The Sun, 10-5-10
Archbishop Serephim Storheim
Orthodox Church
Resigned after a complaint of sexual misconduct.
Toronto Star, 10-5-10
Pastor Perez Blackmon
Missionary Baptist Church (Blakely, GA)
Installed as pastor at despite being a registered sex offender.
Albany Herald, 9-1-10
Pastor Michael Charles Campbell
House of Worship Church of God in Christ (Deland, FL)
Arrested for lewd and lascivious molestation, and lewd and lascivious conduct.
The Palm Beach Post 10-13-10
Youth Pastor Carl Lloyd
Son Rise Baptist Church (Harteselle, AL)
Charged with 2nd-degree sodomy.
WAFF News, 11-24-10
Athletic director, health teacher and coach Mark S. Hubbard
Hillcrest Christian School (Granada Hills, CA)
Charged with multiple sex crimes.
Los Angeles Daily News, 10-23-10
Youth Pastor Daniel Robida
Harvest Community Church (Summerfield, FL)
Arrested for sexual battery.
WESH News, 11-22-10
Reverend Walter D. Bradshaw
Charged with rape, rape of a child and other multiple sexual crimes.
WJAC, 11-12-10
An unidentified Catholic pastor
Parish of Lady of the Assumption (Vilifames, Spain)
Charged with distribution of child pornography.
BBC News, 11-12-10
Reverend Aaron Witcher
Crosswalk Christian Training Center (Roy, UT)
Charged with 9 counts of rape.
Salt Lake Tribune, 11-11-10
Reverend David K. Love
New Hope Baptist Church (Boiling Springs, SC)
Accused of fatally shooting a fellow church member.
Kansas City Star, 11-10-10
Youth Minister Brian Richard Gray
Monroe Church of Christ (Winder, GA) charged with child molestation, statutory rape and burglary.
FOX 5 Atlanta, 11-10-10
Many, many more to come!