At 14 months, Spanish infant Osel Hita Torres was brought by his parents to Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama decreed him to be the reincarnation of the recently deceased Lama Yeshe. Torres became Lama Tenzin Osel Rinpoche, and spent most of his life growing up in a gilded cage in the Tibetan exile capital, venerated as a living deity and isolated from the corrupting influences of the world. But then he escaped. [more inside]
posted by acb on Jun 1, 2009 - 66 comments

Carmelite nuns in Indy respond to the child sex abuse cases currently plaguing the Church. (from NPR) Great to see the perspective of the other half of the Holy Orders - these nuns are ballsy and discard the notion of the (Roman Catholic) Church as a superpower. The dedication of nuns always blows my mind - and breaks the mean-ol'-bitch stereotypes that linger in my head... ...meanwhile the Archdiocese of New York gives a D. A. abuse accusation records from the past 30 years (from NYTimes - requires login, etc.)
posted by ao4047 on Apr 4, 2002 - 9 comments

Spare the rod? Heck no! God says beat and pimp your child! "House of Prayer" cult encourages group beatings of children in church. "Reverend" encourages marriages of 14-year-olds to "prevent potential whores." He also discusses genitalia and hikes up skirts during services. He's not the unaspanker, he's much worse.
posted by darren on Mar 29, 2001 - 13 comments

"The Bible says to let a secret between friends die with you. You make it your business to keep your mouth shut." Perhaps they missed the part about the Bible not recommending you kill your three year old. (Sorry if someone already posted this, but I went back to the 14th, and saw no mention of it, so here it is now.) This really isn't the kind of thing I know how to comment on, but I thought it needed mentioning. It supposedly has something to do with email snooping, but I haven't been able to find out how.
posted by Ezrael on Jul 20, 2000 - 14 comments