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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Religion Youth Pastor Watch

Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 12:23 PM

A Knox County youth pastor is charged with two counts of rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor. Officers with the Knox County Sheriff's Office arrested 45-year-old Randall Thomas Hollifield at his Powell home Tuesday night, after conducting a search warrant at the house....

A press release from the Sheriff's office says Hollifield is the youth pastor at New Beverly Baptist Church, and works for Match Maker Inc.

California:

A [youth] minister and music teacher who molested three boys he met through church mentoring programs was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months in state prison. Jimmie Xray Robinson, 48, pleaded guilty in April to three counts of lewd acts on children. He also admitted having substantial sexual contact with the victims and committing prior felonies.

Robinson was associated with five churches in San Diego and Riverside counties.

Comments (23) RSS

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So why are you adding the story about the tattooed guy to the stories about child molesters? Is there some kind of correlation between tattooketeers and pedophiles?

Posted by Roscoe on July 1, 2009 at 12:36 PM

Maybe the tattoo guy should get "thou shalt not molest the children" tattooed on his leg. I'm sure god would have made that a commandment if he knew it was gonna be such a problem with his followers.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on July 1, 2009 at 12:42 PM

@1 - I don’t know Dan’s rationale, but when I read that part, I went into cold panic, “no, no, please someone stop him, that is not right, oh god, someone stop him.” I see no problem with the tattoos, but using them as part of his ministry?!? WTF? So, he’s raising (preferable to dropping, yes) his trousers during youth group to show off the Bible passages? What’s wrong with paper or a chalk board? Why play around the edges of inappropriate?

Posted by Allyn on July 1, 2009 at 12:43 PM

Both of the molesters are homosexuals preying on teenage boys.
Maybe homosexual youth pastors need their own "watch"?
They show up in the watch much more often than the percentage of gays in the general population would predict.

Posted by There is No Morality without Homosexual Clergy... on July 1, 2009 at 12:46 PM

And yet, still no mugshot of the child molester Duke University official, why is that?

Posted by Loveschild

on July 1, 2009 at 12:57 PM

Doesn't the Bible say NOT to get tattoos and piercings? Something about not purposefully scarring your body?

Posted by Jordyn on July 1, 2009 at 12:59 PM

Dudes middle name is Xray? WTF?

Posted by x on July 1, 2009 at 1:01 PM

Leviticus 19:28 " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

Posted by Rob in Baltimore

on July 1, 2009 at 1:03 PM

@6 Earrings, tattoos, shellfish... Apparently we Christians are an inconsistent bunch.

Posted by Allyn on July 1, 2009 at 1:07 PM

Dear LC: I use mug shots routinely in YPW, but don't use them in "Every Child Deserves..."

Please try to keep up.

Posted by Dan Savage on July 1, 2009 at 1:13 PM

How has the Indiana guy offended you? I don't get it.

Posted by Carollani

on July 1, 2009 at 1:29 PM

The series is called "Youth Pastor Watch" so it stands to reason that it could include other odd goings-on by youth pastors rather than just covering those who are abusing their authority.

Besides, people have been clamoring for Dan to include more than just the sexually abusive youth pastors - and now he has.

Posted by Hyzenthlayk9

on July 1, 2009 at 1:59 PM

Yeah Dan, what's the deal with the tattoo dissing?

Posted by Judah

on July 1, 2009 at 2:00 PM

Dan has listed innocuous, non-criminal youth pastors in his YPW many times. Why? If you seen the YPW (which never ceases to amaze and horrify) you should ask yourself this question.

Here are some ideas...

Maybe labeling ones-self as a religious person or a spiritual leader, doesn't necessarily indicate underlying humanity or morality.
Maybe the way the people present themselves to the world may, or may not be, reality.
Maybe religion is the perfect cover for many sick, manipulative, dishonest people and our trust of them should be earned, rather than given.
Maybe, for our protection and survival, we need a little less faith in religion and a lot more skepticism.

Discuss...

Posted by jeff in pdx on July 1, 2009 at 2:01 PM

More often than not, dogma is used as a justification for violation of morality.

Amongst an instinctively social species like ours, ethical treatment of each other requires no justification or explanation.

Posted by Uriel-238 on July 1, 2009 at 3:28 PM

@15, that was delightfully pithy and succinct.

Posted by rob!

on July 1, 2009 at 3:40 PM

@15: Wonderfully said. I love it.

Posted by Lee on July 1, 2009 at 3:43 PM

15
that's all fine until your karma runs over the dogma and the kids bawla their heads off...

Posted by you are full of shit, aren't you... on July 1, 2009 at 4:02 PM

For chrissake, can someone explain to people again that "attracted to young boys" is not correlated with "attracted to men" any more than "attracted to young girls" is correlated with "attracted to women?" Seriously, there's shrinks on this one agreeing, pedophilia is a separate sexual orientation. (And to preempt Loveschild, no, it's not an ok thing to do, I'm just saying, it is the way they're sexually wired)

We're getting stupid trolls again.

Posted by JudT on July 1, 2009 at 4:18 PM

19
Did you read the linked articles?
Sexual contact with 15 year olds is not pedophilia.

Posted by We're getting stupid registered posters again on July 1, 2009 at 4:31 PM

Nothing wrong with tattooed guy. There are many ministries out there that serve various subcultures, like this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Bakker
It's easy to stereotype Christians, but the most bigoted ones are the ones who get all the attention.

Posted by Melissa C. on July 1, 2009 at 5:18 PM

Well at least Jimmie Robinson can find consolation in the fact that his middle name is totally awesome.

Posted by EJ on July 1, 2009 at 9:02 PM

@11 where is Dan dissin'??? Or did you mean the pastor guy was dissin' tattoos by being part of the hip and cool inkies??

Tattoos are by and large stupid and ugly. This guy proves it.

Oh c'mon, yes he does.....

Posted by hartiepie on July 2, 2009 at 4:02 AM