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Wed 30 Apr, 2008 04:30 pm
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - State police have removed three children from an apocalyptic church whose leader claims to be the Messiah and acknowledges having sex with some of his followers.
The two girls and one boy ?- all under the age of 18 ?- were taken from the northeastern New Mexico compound following an April 22 investigation, Romaine Serna, spokeswoman for the state Children, Youth and Families Department spokeswoman, said Wednesday.
She said a fourth child, a girl, agreed to be interviewed by the department. Serna said that girl had been at the compound but now lives elsewhere with her parents.
The three children were taken into state custody because of allegations of inappropriate contact between minors and the adult leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, Serna said.
"I understand that it was very calm and they (state police) did not meet with any resistance," she said. Serna said she wasn't aware of any other youths at the compound.
Serna declined to elaborate because of the ongoing investigation by state police and the district attorney's office. No charges had been filed, she said. The church has at least 70 members, Serna said.
Wayne Bent, 66, who is known in the church as Michael Travesser, established the church at a rural site called Strong City, north of Clayton in extreme northeastern New Mexico. He said God anointed him Messiah in July 2000.
"There was never any child molestation, or adult molestation by anyone, including myself," Bent wrote in a posting Wednesday on the church's Web site. "There has never been 'sex with minors' or anything remotely approaching that."
Bent, on an April 27 posting on the Web site, accused the state of kidnapping the children. "My children are kidnapped because some demon wrote a letter to people in authority accusing me of some crimes," he wrote.
The response from The Messiah Michael Travesser, issued this statement;
Quote:In the present controversy against our church, and particularly against myself, by the beast and his followers, there is one outstanding root of the battle at hand. I read a news story about the controversy in one of the newspapers this morning. The article stated that Child Services told them that lying with the virgins was the entire issue. I will say this, it is not the issue at all.
I, the virgins, and others, have clearly given our testimony to the earth. The things that have happened here have been public and documented over the last seven plus years. Nothing has been secret. We were always open and clear with anyone who asked, and we even published material that no one asked about. The congregation was always told of each issue and what it meant and there were always more than two witnesses to document the events.
There was never any child molestation, or adult molestation by anyone, including myself. There has never been "sex with minors" or anything remotely approaching that, and, I was never the initiator in any of the events. The Father in heaven came down upon each one who came to me to ask of me what they had been given to ask. And I never did what was asked, until the Father in heaven instructed me to do what had been asked of me, as well.
So why are the hundreds of State employees coming against us, and especially me? The answer is simple. It has been true from the beginning: The people do not believe that there is a God. They believe that Wayne Bent just made it all up, as they believed Jesus made it all up when he appeared to men.
Looks like he had all his bases covered, as a good messiah should...
Uh, yeah. He didn't do it, and only because God told him to.
(whining) Why doesn't God ever tell me some neat thing to do with virgins? I always get the voice of something in my head telling me not to eat that chocolate donut.
I need to sign up in a church where the God will tell me to have three wives (at least) and (wait. I only need two wives, a man can only do so much after 60) that they be unsullied and 15 years old. (Wait. How about nineteen years old and they need to be able to discuss the nuances of the post-modern artworld and not say "Whatever" after listening to anything I say?)
Anyway.
Joe(oh yeah. They need to have jobs that earn more than $80,000 a year.)Nation