Minnesota minister told girls that ‘God’s word’ made raping them normal

[cleanhippie]

Authorities in Minnesota have launched a manhunt for a minister who is facing 59 counts of first-degree sexual assault in cases against girls — called “Maidens” — as young as 13.

The Star Tribune reported that authorities announced on Tuesday that the two women who had come forward with allegations against 59-year-old Victor Barnard, the former minister of a cult-like faith community in central Minnesota, were not the only girls raped by the religious leader.

In a phone interview with the paper, one of the women, Lindsay Tornambe, confirmed the details of charges that were filed in court documents by prosecutors.

Tornambe, now 27, said that she met Barnard at the age of 9 as a part of her parents’ home schooling. At age 11, her family joined the “Shepherd’s Camp.” And then, Barnard chose her to be “sacrificed to God” by raping her at age 13 in 2000.

The rapes continued over the course of nine years.

“If I wasn’t being spiritual or following his orders, he wouldn’t have sex with us,” she recalled. “If we were doing well, it was almost like he rewarded us.”

In the charging documents, the second victim explained how Barnard compared their relationship to Jesus and Mary Magdalene. And he spoke of the concubines of King Solomon. He allegedly told the girls that sex with him was normal because of “God’s word.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/16/minnesota-minister-told-girls-that-gods-word-made-raping-them-normal/#.U07eV5n3RKs.facebook

Priests raping kids. Again.

[bitchkitty]

1. Not a priest.

Another pedophile hiding behind religious authority, but he's a minister, not a priest. He's not Catholic; it's some kind of cult group. Or should I say, a less-mainstream cult group (aren't they all?)

[bluestateguy]

2. Protestant pastor sexual abuse is just as common as from Catholic priests

but often goes unreported, or is confined to just local news.

[struggle4progress]

4. He doesn't seem particularly affiliated with any definite denomination: his religion seems to center

mainly around himself

... According to the complaint, “B” told authorities that Barnard explained that Jesus had Mary Magdalene and other women as followers and that King Solomon had many concubines, adding that “God’s word” made having sex with him normal. She told authorities that Barnard warned her not to tell anyone about the sex, that he would hit her when angered and that other girls were called “to see Barnard in the same manner,” according to court documents ...

That month, C was part of a ceremony that Barnard called the “Salt Covenant,” a pledge by the girls to remain unmarried and loyal to Barnard until death ...

The criminal complaints say that Pine County sheriff’s investigator Matt Ludwig told “B’s” parents about the abuse in June 2012 and that her mother “did not want to hear it” ...

He described the “atmosphere in the congregation and said it is a very powerful force to face the idea of losing everything — family, home, friends, business and being cast out of the church — if you do not go along with what Barnard wants you to do,” according to the charges ...

Charges: Minister raped 'Maidens' in Minn. camp for years
Article by: PAM LOUWAGIE, JENNA ROSS and PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune
Updated: April 15, 2014 - 11:54 PM
Minister is charged with sexually abusing girls at Minnesota camp.

[skepticscott]

5. So if he'd told them

that Darth Vader's word made having sex with him normal, that would have worked just as well, right?

[cleanhippie]

8. Something like that. As long as a way to absolve "true" believers can be found...

[struggle4progress]

13. I know little about the psychology here: I'd never heard of the "River Road Fellowship" before now,

and press reports suggest the group is rather tight-lipped when dealing with outsiders.

[trotsky]

16. Is a test for the validity of a religion or sect whether you personally have heard of it?

Fascinating.

[struggle4progress]

18. What can you tell us about the "River Road Fellowship"?

[trotsky]

25. It's just as valid a church as yours. n/t

[struggle4progress]

34. I'm sure I don't know how to discuss that particular thesis with you

[trotsky]

38. Aw, you could try.

We know that for you to consider a church valid, we must have heard of it before. That's criteria #1.

I've probably never heard of your church, so it's not valid either.

So far, the score is tied: 0-0.

Next move.

[cleanhippie]

9. Priest, minister. It's a title. Same position of authority and trust.

Kinda splitting hairs, no?

[rug]

21. It would have to be a mighty big hair.

"the former minister of a cult-like faith community"

[bitchkitty]

51. No. n/t

[rug]

19. He doesn't care, he's on a roll.

[Sherman A1]

3. Sad

Simply sad. I hope he is caught and brought to justice.

[Feral Child]

6. K&R n/t

[Blue Owl]

7. Today's Daily Devotion: Hell's Special Places

Featuring the Victor Barnard Annex...

[struggle4progress]

10. Religious leader charged with having sex with girls

KARE 11 Staff, KARE
12:23 p.m. EDT April 15, 2014
... A criminal complaint issued against 52-year-old Victor Arden Barnard says the defendant was the charasmatic leader of a religious group that set up a compound called "The River Road Fellowship" on some rural land near Finlayson. Prosecutors say Barnard set up a subgroup of the fellowship called The Maiden's Group, made up only of young females. One of Barnard's alleged victims says she was asked to join the group in July of 2000 at age 13, and was largely kept away from her parents and all other adults besides Barnard. She tells authorities he claimed that he was Christ in the flesh ...
http://www.kare11.com/story/news/crime/2014/04/15/religious-leader-charged-with-having-sex-with-girls/7734941/

[struggle4progress]

11. Alleged cult leader Victor Barnard charged with molesting 'Maidens'

Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 10:05 AM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, April 16, 2014 3:27 PM EDT
by Tom Lyden

... The women, now adults, were members of the River Road Fellowship along with their parents and about 140 followers. The women told FOX 9 that when they were just 12 and 13 years old, and with their parents permission, they went to live with Barnard at a place called Shepherd's Camp near the town of Finlayson, Minn., where they were part of a group of 10 young women known as the Maidens ...

The girls were tasked with tending to Barnard, who dressed like Jesus and told them his word was the word of God -- but beginning when the girls were 12 and 13, they were told to visit Barnard's cabin. That's where they say they were sexually abused by Barnard, who even asked their parents permission ...

Schweiss tracked the sexual encounters with Barnard in her calendar, and on Tuesday, every one of those X marks became a felony charge. Even so, it's a bittersweet moment because if he is caught and brought to trial, Schweiss knows she may have to testify against her own parents, who are still with the group.

"I don't look at them as my parents anymore," she admitted. "They weren't the parents I wanted or needed. My parents, the people I grew up with as a child, don't exist anymore" ...

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/25250672/alleged-cult-leader-victor-barnard-charged-sexual-assault

[cleanhippie]

12. Is that the newly approved term for priests and ministers: cult leaders?

Glad to see you come around.

[struggle4progress]

14. I've never heard "maiden" used as a substitute for "priest" or "minister"

[cleanhippie]

15. The "maidens" were the young girls, not the priest/minister.

Not sure what you mean or what your point was.

[struggle4progress]

17. Don't worry about it then. What can you tell us about the "River Road Fellowship"?

[cleanhippie]

20. That apparently, like some catholic priests, they rape children.

I say "apparently" because they haven't been convicted andwe don't know for sure just yet, unlike what we know the Catholic Church and many of its priests did.

What can you tell us about them?

[struggle4progress]

27. I don't know much. The group at one time apparently numbered around 140, though there

seems to have been an internal split and an unexpectedly sudden decampment from Minnesota to Washington around 2009, with abandonment of the Minnesota property in 2011 or 2012 -- perhaps as a result of Barnard extending his sexual hobbyism or as a result of a sheriff's sudden interest. Folk who have been involved are tight-lipped.

... The women, now adults, were members of the River Road Fellowship along with their parents and about 140 followers ...

... The insular nature of the River Road Fellowship made the investigation a slow, difficult process. The first complaints against Barnard actually came in 2008, when some of the men in the congregation contacted the county attorney’s office to say that Barnard was committing adultery with some of the married, adult women in the congregation ...

... Dick Bowser, who recently retired from East Central Energy, said the church wouldn’t let power company or fire department employees on the property — “and when they did let you in, they watched you very closely” ...

... In 2009, the girl traveled to Brazil with another girl from the group. When she returned, most of the Maidens had moved to Washington state, B told authorities. She learned that there had been a division in the congregation because Barnard had admitted to having sexual relations with several married women in the congregation. B was upset by his confession and moved to Pennsylvania, where her parents had since relocated ...

... Barnard had moved to Washington state after an admission to affairs with married women caused the religious group to split ... The ministry operated in a secluded area of Pine County from about 2000 until 2011 or 2012, said Chief Deputy Steven Blackwell of the county sheriff's office. The fellowship vacated the property shortly after a new sheriff was elected and began investigating the ministry ...

[trotsky]

33. Matthew 18:20

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

[struggle4progress]

36. You are free to read, according to whatever insight you think you have

[trotsky]

37. And so are you!

Ain't that neat? My interpretation is at least as valid as yours!

[Warren Stupidity]

39. You had an opportunity to split this into at least 5 separate posts.

I'm surprised.

You could at least try to address the issue of how one determines, before the raping of children starts, which of the thousands of Christian sects are "real religions" and which are "cults".

[struggle4progress]

45. When you take issue with newspaper headlines, you can discuss such matters with the editors

[rug]

22. Only to ignorant bigots.

[cleanhippie]

23. Are you calling s4p an ignorant bigot?

Tsk tsk tsk. Be the change, rug, be the change.

[rug]

24. Of course not. He knows the difference between priests, ministers and cult leaders. Do you?

[AtheistCrusader]

35. Membership rates?

[rug]

40. Ignorance or bigotry?

[AtheistCrusader]

41. OR just unable to differentiate.

A cult is a religious group or other organization with deviant and novel beliefs and practices.[1] However, whether any particular group's beliefs and practices are sufficiently deviant or novel enough is often unclear, and thus establishing a precise definition of cults based on these criteria is problematic.[2][3] The English word often carries derogatory connotations[4][5] and is used selectively by proponents of "mind control" theory.

Symbolically eating the flesh and blood of a person, seems deviant to me, but that is a subjective interpretation from my viewpoint only. High membership rates seem to have made this practice fairly accepted in larger social circles.

Do you think it is by definition unreasonable for an outsider to perhaps consider XYZ variation or sect of a faith a 'cult'?
Seems like one would have to, to use the labels you just offered.

[rug]

43. That would be ignorance then. OTOH, willful, deliberate ignorance is bigotry.

[AtheistCrusader]

47. If you feel it is ignorance, please enlighten me.

Note that I can tell the difference between a cult leader and a rapist cult leader. That's a much more black and white distinction.

[rug]

48. Here:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spycatcher/201208/dangerous-cult-leaders

[AtheistCrusader]

49. Are you attempting some sleight of hand here?

How did we get from 'cult' to 'dangerous cult'?

[rug]

50. The OP is about a cult leader who rapes. We were already there.

[AtheistCrusader]

53. No, I addressed this question here.

"Of course not. He knows the difference between priests, ministers and cult leaders. Do you?"

I sort of get the diff between a priest and a minister in name/title between a couple faiths, but the latter comparison is trickier. Hence my response.

Then there are cult leaders, and dangerous cult leaders. (Such as the rapist variety)

[Inkfreak]

26. This post was alerted on.

Yet another disruption from this poster. I'm unsure which poster rug is calling an ignorant bigot, but his lack of articulate argument or viewpoint on the topic seems disruptive, over the top, and inappropriate.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Thu Apr 17, 2014, 04:07 PM, and the Jury voted 0-7 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: This alert is weak sauce.
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I don't think there is malice in this post.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I do find this whole discussion of who said what confusing enough that I don't see the alerted post as significant (or comprehensible!) enough to be hurtful. As is my wont, I vote for not hiding a post such as this one.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Your lack of articulate argument or comments seems odd.
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[rug]

29. Thanks for the info.

Better luck next time, cleanhippie. Your alert was as much a fail as this flamebait of an OP.

[el_bryanto]

28. That's a little over the top. nt

[rug]

30. This is over the top:

cleanhippie (15,971 posts)

12. Is that the newly approved term for priests and ministers: cult leaders?

Glad to see you come around.

[el_bryanto]

31. While I obviously don't agree with the argument being put forth

I don't think it warrants calling them an ignorant bigot.

Bryant

[rug]

32. Which, ignorant or bigot?

Do you think he honestly doesn't know the difference between a priest, minister and rapist cult leader?

[EvilAL]

42. He's obviously insane.

I mean, I'm still waiting for the mental health exams to make sure, but it certainly couldn't have been due to his religious beliefs.

[struggle4progress]

44. I wonder if it has anything to do with somebody's obsession with teenaged girls as sexual objects

[EvilAL]

52. I'm sure

that has something to do with it as well. Too bad those teenaged girls were also brainwashed into thinking it is ok and it was a reward to have sex with him. Using their faith in God to enable his actions.

[Warren Stupidity]

54. "it certainly couldn't have been due to his religious beliefs"

why is that? There are plenty of other examples of religious sects that honestly believe that coerced sex with young girls is commanded by their god(s).

[EvilAL]

55. I forgot the sarcasm tag I guess. heh nt

[struggle4progress]

46. Search for fugitive Minnesota camp leader again turns to Spokane

April 17, 2014
Kip Hill
The Spokesman-Review

... A Pine County Sheriff’s Office sergeant flew to Spokane in November 2012 and questioned a businessman identified in court documents as Craig Elmblad, referred to as Barnard’s “right-hand man” by investigators. Elmblad told police Barnard had occasionally stayed at the home in Spokane but was not there at the time.

Elmblad could not be reached for comment Wednesday ...

Local law enforcement helped Minnesota investigators tail other suspected members of the group after they refused to answer questions about Barnard. Elmblad reportedly told investigators that it was “rude to follow people around,” according to court documents.

The parents of a purported victim living in Spokane refused to allow the sergeant entry into their home ...

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/apr/17/search-for-fugitive-minnesota-c-leader-again/