Religion is often, probably very often, and the more closely you look at the behaviour of those who profess loudly to be religious, almost always, used as an excuse for behaviour that would be otherwise socially unacceptable.
The daily news stories of criminal, predatory behaviour by priests, pastors, nuns and practically anyone with power over children and other vulnerable people, of just about all churches and religious orders, cults and communities, are now routine; barely raising an eyebrow. This can surely leave little doubt that churches of all denominations are stuffed with people who are merely using them as a cover.
Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the La Luz Del Mundo mega-church, Los Angeles, California, USA seems to be yet another example of loud piety being used as a cover and the church providing the excuses he needed.
The fact that these abuses are usually accompanied by cover-up and complicity by those who could have prevented it or brought the criminals to the attention of law enforcement or child protections agencies, but chose not to, is evidence that they to are tacitely aware that this is what their organization is being used for, even taking it for granted that this will be the case.
If the charges against García and his co-defendants, all close to him in the church leadership, are true, it is hard to believe they really believe a god who will one day call them to account is watching and taking note. No-one could seriously believe such a god would turn a blind eye to these abuses or be stupid enough to think a 'confession' resets a sin counter when the behaviour is repeated over and over.
According to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's press office:
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced on Tuesday that mega-church leader Joaquin Garcia and others associated with him face charges of human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, among other felonies. Joaquín García and his co-defendants allegedly committed these crimes between 2015 and 2018 while leading La Luz Del Mundo, an international religious organization headquartered in Mexico with reportedly over one million followers worldwide.
“Crimes like those alleged in this complaint have no place in our society. Period,” said Attorney General Becerra. “We must not turn a blind eye to sexual violence and trafficking in our state. At the California Department of Justice, we will do everything we can to prevent and combat these heinous crimes so that our communities are safe. If you see something, report it and we will vigorously pursue justice.
Small sample of the charge sheet(pdf) |
Those wishing to add to this long list of charges against García and his associates in the La Luz Del Mundo Church can contact the California Attorney General's office on (323) 765-2100 or they can file a complaint online at https://oag.ca.gov/LLDM.
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