NewsWest 9 - KWES-TV Midland, Texas October 29, 2009
Sect leader says prosecution, trial were flawed
by Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The leader of a religious sect convicted of sexual misconduct with two teenagers says his prosecution and trial were flawed.
Wayne Bent's lawyer has told the state Court of Appeals that the grand jury that indicted him was meeting improperly and wasn't allowed to hear important evidence.
John McCall says the trial judge wrongly limited the trial's duration and the number of defense witnesses and allowed prejudicial questioning of Bent. And he contends the instructions given to the jury that convicted Bent were flawed.
McCall's written brief says Bent's trial lawyer should have used a religious freedom defense because the touching was part of a healing ritual.
Bent is in prison for criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
This article was found at:
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11410878
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The News Tribune - Tacoma, Washington October 31, 2009
SANTA FE, N.M.: State high court rejects sect leader’s bond petition
The state’s highest court has denied a request from sect leader Wayne Bent for prison release on bond while he appeals his convictions for sexual misconduct with teenage female followers.
The Supreme Court denied the petition without explanation, as had the Court of Appeals.
Bent is serving 10 years for criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church said the touching was part of a religious healing ritual and there was no sexual activity.
This article was found at:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/religion/story/936611.html
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I pray this "WayBent-messiah" stays right where he is...PRISON and serves every single day of the 10 yrs he was sentenced and then upon release must register as a sex offender he promises will NOT do..but ha! Like he promised the judge that he wouldn't live more than few days...has been 2.5 yrs now and his claiming to fast well over a year all while eating junk from vending machines AND endless cans Ensure drinks, juices and crackers....whatever he could scrounge...he was NOT fasting as he claims. Liar!
ReplyDeleteHe's sooo friggen butt ugly, cant understand why a 17 yr olds convinced she must have sex with him at all cost! She cried out when on witless stand how in love she was with him and MUST have "The Consummation" (the cults flowery word for sexual intercourse). She's bound and determined to do it with him, but he feared trouble as she was under age then, but ya never know! She was one horny gal whose raging hormones and misguided love lead her to believe this man was a god who gives them eternal life. Sad to learn so many believe in him, even now.
They've wasted their lives and will continue wasting it as they await his release that may happen later than sooner... least I'm praying for this. Hopefully more cult members will wake up to the fact they've been deceived far too long and time to make things right with the real Messiah!
The anonymous commenter above states: "...cant understand why a 17 yr olds convinced she must have sex with him..." and "She was one horny gal whose raging hormones and misguided love lead her to believe this man was a god..."
ReplyDeleteI almost did not approve that comment because of the 'blame the victim' mentality, but decided to publish and respond to that instead.
The abuse of those teens did not start with sexual abuse. The abuse started with religious indoctrination. If you want to understand how teens could think like that, you need to understand how evil indoctrinating children with religious ideology of any kind is.
Those teens were probably indoctrinated since birth, if not by bent Wayne and his spiritual fraud, then by parents or other adults, such as pastors, bible teachers, etc.
If those teens were convinced they needed to have sex with their spiritual leader, then it was through no fault of their own, such as being horny like the anonymous commenter claims, but because they were indoctrinated to obey religious authority.
This particular cult is just an extreme example of what occurs in moderate, mainstream churches. Little children are lied to and manipulated to believe in things that are not true, and taught to never doubt or question religious authorities such as the bible or pastors and priests.
The anonymous commenter is a Christian who can't help but evangelize, even here on an atheist website. But his hope that "... more cult members will wake up to the fact they've been deceived far too long..." is really applicable to his own false religion.