Jurors in Amite, Louisiana are hearing a disturbing confession by former Hosanna Church Pastor Louis Lamonica. Lamonica confessed to “dedications to Satan” inside the Ponchatoula church, though most of the parishioners did not know that church elders had turned from worshipping Christ to Satan. This week, his lawyer has argued that Lamonica only confessed to molesting children (including family members) because he believed it would help him get his children back and further argued that he was being controlled by a false prophet — Lois Mowbray (shown here).
Lamonica described the killing animals and drinking the blood during ceremonies and having sex with children: “It was orgies. You put one (meaning a child) in the middle and it was your turn to be with this one. Everybody got a turn. It was like, nobody missed out, including the women.” He said at least eight adults participated. 
He describes Mowbray of controlling his wife and the other elders in every detail of their lives. It is a defense unlikely to sway a jury. Indeed, I have never seen the successful used of such a compulsion defense when tied to the harming of children.
Wait… how did he think confessing to child molesting would help him get his kids BACK?
Excellent question, Charity, though this is a guy who also claims that a person convinced him that she was the prophet of God and demanded him to engage in Satanic sacrifices.
The Devil Made Me Do It is an excuse used in many varied forms as justification for the denial of personal responsibility. After reading all of the stories of this case and all of their links I’m frankly confused about what was actually happening at this church. Whatever the truth though, this whole story is bizarre and bad things were happening at this place. The Pastor’s defense about being coerced into doing whatever it was he really did, does not seems defensible and is a classic “Devil made me……etc.” He admits bad things were happening, but tries to exculpate himself by blaming his wife and this Mowbray person. On the face of it, though the stories are poorly reported, there is no credibility.
This story highlights though, how religion can be perverted into something ugly and contrary to its tenets, by the egotism of some religious leaders. It is mostly prevalent in the fundamentalist sects of the various religions, since from the beginning a congregant is taught not to question beliefs. From that start, those beliefs can then be perverted by charismatic leaders. However,
we also see that some relatively new faiths, or cons depending on ones viewpoint, can control the minds of tortured seekers of solace searching for it in all the wrong places.
I don’t think the law can make exceptions for the ignorance, gullibility, or shallowness of some people. With the exception of course of the developmentally challenged. I would think though that those factors should be taken into account in mitigating the punishment sometimes.
A big problem with people’s desire to believe in some higher power is the extent to which they will go to prove their faith. Whether Islamic Extremists or Christian Fundamentalists or Satanic Worshipers, there isn’t much difference once people begin to break the law, infringe upon the rights of others or kill because their God tells them to.
There’s a healthy, sane and reasonable form of faith and worship, and then there is the other kind.
The self-righteous scare the hell out of me!
No pun intended.
Amen.
I need more time to contemplate this story. In the meantime I wanted to share something I found out about today. It looks really cheezy, but if we all worshipped wax museum figures bad stuff like cults wouldn’t really work out that well.
This url takes you right to: Biblewalk, Walk of Faith, Wax Museum!
http://www.livingbiblemuseum.org/
Here’s a “taste” of the wonders that await you. Be sure to check out the visitor’s comments section.
“SOLOMON’S SNACK BAR” MENU
(available Saturday only)
Goliath Dog
Samson Burger
Samson Burger with Cheese
Jonah’s Tuna Sandwich
Chaldean Shredded Chicken Sandwich
Judean Joe
Eve’s Fruit Salad (in season — apples not included)
Martha’s Salad
Manna Chips
Manna Fries
Noah’s Arkway Cookies
Scripture Cookies
Bible Bars Scripture Mints
“I want the Manna Chips, I want the Manna Fries, I want a Samson Burger, I want the Goliath Dog …”
“Spaulding, you’ll get nothing and like it!”
Noah’s Archway cookies sound good to me. I have to agree with Charity that this guy has to be nuts to think that he could get his kids if he admitting to abusing kids. There some intelligence for you. He should spend some time in jail just for being so stupid.
This story reminds me that Bush belongs to “Skull and Bones”.
Definitely all these children need to be removed and protected against all of the people involved. That is one of the few clear things to me about this story.
There was an interesting interview with a man who had collected adults’ experiences as child campers. Most of the adults reported hazing that really did rise to the level of torture. Many secret societies, as mnoble pointed out, also use bizarre, horrific means of “working over” their membership. Disturbingly, people readily go along with such mal-treatment, both as givers and receivers. What happened here isn’t some isolated event in our society.
It seems whether it be politics, religion, entertainment, law, etc. people only too readily follow what, if honestly examined, are ways of doing things that 1. make no sense and 2. are destructive to self and others. Another thing confusing this case is that the cult member is male. We seem to think cult members should be female and male and the leaders, male. That is like believeing domestic cruelty does not occurr except as male on female violence. Not true. This thinking keeps victims from seeking help because it’s not supposed to happen to them.
In a case like this I honestly don’t know where to draw a line. The bright line for me is protection of the children at all costs and by whatever means necessary. But torture and mind control techniques really do work to break down people’s judgement and ability to act with kindness. This can’t excuse everything a person does, but it needs to be considered, maybe as Mike said, in sentencing.
I believe anyone can join a cult and many have, of one kind or another. It’s important to keep open to one’s own vunerabilities so that one doesn’t drink that delicious cool-aid or give it to others.
In some churches, there is a door to Christ. And another door to untold power and pleasure – for the chosen group. Strangely enough this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of something happening like this. I have met two adult women in my lifetime whose parents and their friends used them in orgies in which their religious/social community participated. It seems that there is more to be gained (psychologically, metaphysically) by raping children instead of adults. I always believed these women were insane until I realized that there were others who claimed to have suffered the same terror.
Sometimes I despair at the state of humanity and what we succumb to in the name of power over.
CONTROLLING BEHAVIOR is Public Enemy Number One
http://postedat.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/get-real-now/
Professing themselves … wise, they became fools. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
–Romans 1:22-23
In this country and with rare exception, no adult is “controlled” except through their own consent and in furtherance of some perceived self-interest.