Church Minister jailed for life - 35 counts of abuse including rape

dunkman
dunkman Posts: 19,646
edited July 2006 in A Moving Train
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/5223624.stm

A church minister who pleaded guilty to 35 counts of child abuse, including two charges of raping an 11-year-old boy, has been sentenced to life in prison.
The Reverend Simon Thomas, 44, of Hythe, Hampshire, admitted the charges at Southampton Crown Court.

The court heard he had used internet chatrooms to groom his victims.

A judge said Thomas, a former minister at United Reformed Church, must serve a minimum of seven and a half years before he is eligible for parole.

Thomas, who had worked in Hythe for 10 years and was married, was suspended by the United Reformed Church pending disciplinary proceedings.

Most of the offences took place during the last three years, the court heard.

The charges against him included inciting children to engage in sexual activity, meeting children following sexual grooming, indecency with a child, sexual activity with an 11-year-old and making indecent photographs of children




According to some on here.... he'll still get into heaven, yet some of the abused kids wont... hmmmmmm thats great :)
oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • even flow?
    even flow? Posts: 8,066
    Just makes the arguement for the "all gay club" that much more truthful. I mean the story of Mary Magdalene is just in the bible to get your mind off of the fact twelve guys just hung around with this one guy being gay and hanging on his every story. Why get persecuted when you can have your own club.
    You've changed your place in this world!
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    dunkman1974 wrote:
    According to some on here.... he'll still get into heaven, yet some of the abused kids wont... hmmmmmm thats great :)[/b]

    And your point is?

    Christians believe he can be forgiven and therefore can go to heaven.

    Christians do not believe that being abused will keep the victims out of heaven.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • robbie
    robbie Posts: 883
    how could it be heaven for the kids this christian raped if they have to live with their rapist for eternity?
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    robbie wrote:
    how could it be heaven for the kids this christian raped if they have to live with their rapist for eternity?

    You can't think of heaven in terms of earthly experience...
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • dkst0426
    dkst0426 Posts: 523
    robbie wrote:
    how could it be heaven for the kids this christian raped if they have to live with their rapist for eternity?
    It's not about your past. It's about your mindset when your time comes. If this guy remains unrepentant, then he will get his just desserts. People ARE capable of realizing where they have fallen well short, you know? And it's not just a matter of "Oh my gosh, I'm about to die, I'd better repent." That is an altogether far too simplistic view of things. God knows your heart.
  • VictoryGin
    VictoryGin Posts: 1,207
    even flow? wrote:
    Just makes the arguement for the "all gay club" that much more truthful. I mean the story of Mary Magdalene is just in the bible to get your mind off of the fact twelve guys just hung around with this one guy being gay and hanging on his every story. Why get persecuted when you can have your own club.

    Don't you mean 13 guys--what about Rufus? :)
    if you wanna be a friend of mine
    cross the river to the eastside
  • even flow?
    even flow? Posts: 8,066
    dkst0426 wrote:
    It's not about your past. It's about your mindset when your time comes. If this guy remains unrepentant, then he will get his just desserts. People ARE capable of realizing where they have fallen well short, you know? And it's not just a matter of "Oh my gosh, I'm about to die, I'd better repent." That is an altogether far too simplistic view of things. God knows your heart.


    So then god knows that this jerkoff just ruined some young innocent boys lives. Good to know that religion has been warped enough that you actually break a commandment and you are welcomed into the arms of god when you repent. Makes great sense. A good way to keep on doing wrong and then just dismissing it because you will get in on saying sorry. And no I don't buy the BS about it all coming from the heart when you repent. You have a brain to know right and wrong while commiting the act. Does it just get smart because your time is near and you really, really, want to get into heaven now? :rolleyes:
    You've changed your place in this world!
  • even flow?
    even flow? Posts: 8,066
    VictoryGin wrote:
    Don't you mean 13 guys--what about Rufus? :)

    Wasn't Rufus the guy that you would only see his sandals from under the table in all the paintings? ;)
    You've changed your place in this world!
  • VictoryGin
    VictoryGin Posts: 1,207
    even flow? wrote:
    Wasn't Rufus the guy that you would only see his sandals from under the table in all the paintings? ;)


    Of course! He was the black one and so was naturally subjugated.
    if you wanna be a friend of mine
    cross the river to the eastside
  • robbie
    robbie Posts: 883
    know1 wrote:
    You can't think of heaven in terms of earthly experience...


    or with any kind of logic...or reality.....or sanity.
  • even flow?
    even flow? Posts: 8,066
    VictoryGin wrote:
    Of course! He was the black one and so was naturally subjugated.


    Is that why the book of Rufus was the last one in the bible?
    You've changed your place in this world!
  • dkst0426
    dkst0426 Posts: 523
    even flow? wrote:
    So then god knows that this jerkoff just ruined some young innocent boys lives. Good to know that religion has been warped enough that you actually break a commandment and you are welcomed into the arms of god when you repent. Makes great sense. A good way to keep on doing wrong and then just dismissing it because you will get in on saying sorry. And no I don't buy the BS about it all coming from the heart when you repent. You have a brain to know right and wrong while commiting the act. Does it just get smart because your time is near and you really, really, want to get into heaven now? :rolleyes:
    The question was asked, and an answer was offered. I'm sorry if that appears to be insufficient for you.
  • dkst0426
    dkst0426 Posts: 523
    robbie wrote:
    or with any kind of logic...or reality.....or sanity.
    That's right. Heaven and all things Christian are just set up as concepts for others to ridicule. Silly me.

    Where is this "tolerance" people (religious and non-religious) speak so highly of?
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    even flow? wrote:
    So then god knows that this jerkoff just ruined some young innocent boys lives. Good to know that religion has been warped enough that you actually break a commandment and you are welcomed into the arms of god when you repent. Makes great sense. A good way to keep on doing wrong and then just dismissing it because you will get in on saying sorry. And no I don't buy the BS about it all coming from the heart when you repent. You have a brain to know right and wrong while commiting the act. Does it just get smart because your time is near and you really, really, want to get into heaven now? :rolleyes:

    You're clueless about Christianity, huh?

    I'm thankful that there is a God who can forgive all my imperfections. I'm also thankful there are people who try to pass along that forgiveness as well.

    I'm sorry that you don't believe in forgiveness.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    robbie wrote:
    or with any kind of logic...or reality.....or sanity.

    So you think if there was a God, this God wouldn't be just a bit more intelligent or see things and understand things different than humans?
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • binauralsounds
    binauralsounds Posts: 1,357
    dkst0426 wrote:
    That's right. Heaven and all things Christian are just set up as concepts for others to ridicule. Silly me.

    Where is this "tolerance" people (religious and non-religious) speak so highly of?

    I wonder the SAME THING!! I've never seen more blasphemy than I do here on the train by the same ppl that claim they are tolerant and respectful of everyones religious beliefs!

    But then again, it does say in the end times, all Christians will be persecuted, so it looks like the time is drawing near!

    Thank God!
  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    dkst0426 wrote:
    It's not about your past. It's about your mindset when your time comes. If this guy remains unrepentant, then he will get his just desserts. People ARE capable of realizing where they have fallen well short, you know? And it's not just a matter of "Oh my gosh, I'm about to die, I'd better repent." That is an altogether far too simplistic view of things. God knows your heart.
    ...
    Which is why I am worried about going to this Christian Heaven... I mean, just about every convicted murderer in prison seems to find Jesus... I picture Heaven as the Rikers Island or San Quintin exercise yard, except there are clouds and shit all around. It just don't seem fair to me... if the person they raped and murdered had not repented yet... they end up in the lake of fire.
    ...
    And by this logic... Adolph Hitler is up in Heaven because he was Christian (Catholic) and who knows if he repented?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • even flow?
    even flow? Posts: 8,066
    know1 wrote:
    You're clueless about Christianity, huh?

    I'm thankful that there is a God who can forgive all my imperfections. I'm also thankful there are people who try to pass along that forgiveness as well.

    I'm sorry that you don't believe in forgiveness.


    Must have been a glitch in the perfection of god that it allows such mistakes to just go unpunished.
    You've changed your place in this world!
  • dkst0426
    dkst0426 Posts: 523
    Cosmo wrote:
    Which is why I am worried about going to this Christian Heaven... I mean, just about every convicted murderer in prison seems to find Jesus... I picture Heaven as the Rikers Island or San Quintin exercise yard, except there are clouds and shit all around. It just don't seem fair to me... if the person they raped and murdered had not repented yet... they end up in the lake of fire.
    If a convicted murderer or rapist, in his or her time while in prison, devotes their life to accepting Christ and turning over a new leaf and studying the Bible and putting into practice what he's learned, he's doing a lot more than a lot of people who sit in church pews on any given Sunday.
    And by this logic... Adolph Hitler is up in Heaven because he was Christian (Catholic) and who knows if he repented?
    Yes, he was a member of the Catholic church, but his actions certainly spoke far louder than his words and actions. On the flip side, it IS scary to me as well that for all I know, there's a chance he's in heaven. Extremely scary.

    But if he did truly and earnestly repent out of contrition and love rather than guilt and fear of his fate, well..........that's why I'm not God.
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    even flow? wrote:
    Must have been a glitch in the perfection of god that it allows such mistakes to just go unpunished.

    Or maybe a glitch to allow people the free will to not believe in God at all...
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.

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