Megachurch leader busted -- child sexual abuse
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — A placard bearing Naasón Joaquín García's name outside La Luz del Mundo church in Palm Springs greets congregants who stream in and out of the church for morning prayer and evening services each day.
García, the self-proclaimed apostle and leader of the Mexico-based church that counts 1 million followers, was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles and charged with 26 felony counts, including child rape, trafficking and child pornography. California authorities also arrested two others affiliated with the church, and a third is at large.
The allegations sent shock waves throughout congregations across the U.S. Church leaders issued a statement categorically denying the allegations outlined in a 19-page complaint filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office.
Congregants at the church, whose name translates to the Light of the World, on Wednesday prayed for García, and some became overwhelmed with emotion, said Anahi Medina, a longtime member of the church, who left Wednesday's prayer session about noon.
"We were crying," said Medina, 30. "Some sisters were talking in tongues. We were crying to God for him to see our hearts."
Medina, who has belonged to the church since she was a child, said prayers typically center on asking God to care for their families and others. But Wednesday, "we asked God, 'Let this all come to light and clear up and show the world this is not true.'"
from USA Today
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — A placard bearing Naasón Joaquín García's name outside La Luz del Mundo church in Palm Springs greets congregants who stream in and out of the church for morning prayer and evening services each day.
García, the self-proclaimed apostle and leader of the Mexico-based church that counts 1 million followers, was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles and charged with 26 felony counts, including child rape, trafficking and child pornography. California authorities also arrested two others affiliated with the church, and a third is at large.
The allegations sent shock waves throughout congregations across the U.S. Church leaders issued a statement categorically denying the allegations outlined in a 19-page complaint filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office.
Congregants at the church, whose name translates to the Light of the World, on Wednesday prayed for García, and some became overwhelmed with emotion, said Anahi Medina, a longtime member of the church, who left Wednesday's prayer session about noon.
"We were crying," said Medina, 30. "Some sisters were talking in tongues. We were crying to God for him to see our hearts."
Medina, who has belonged to the church since she was a child, said prayers typically center on asking God to care for their families and others. But Wednesday, "we asked God, 'Let this all come to light and clear up and show the world this is not true.'"
from USA Today
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.