Satanic angle to church fires

Moderators: Elvis, DrVolin, Jeff

Satanic angle to church fires

Postby nomo » Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:42 pm

Arson suspects were stars at school<br>By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-10-arson-suspects_x.htm">www.usatoday.com/news/nat...ects_x.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The arrests of three college students in a series of deliberately set fires at nine churches in rural Alabama derailed promising futures, according to some of their friends.<br><br>Matthew Cloyd, 20, and Benjamin Moseley and Russell DeBusk, both 19, face a hearing in federal court here today on arson and conspiracy charges.<br><br>The three were arrested Wednesday after investigators traced tire tracks left at several of the burned churches to a sport-utility vehicle owned by Cloyd's mother and regularly driven by her son. <br><br>At Birmingham-Southern College here, where Moseley and DeBusk were students known for their acting talent, the talk Thursday was about what might have been for the two well-liked young men.<br><br>Ian Cunningham, 19, a fellow student, said Moseley "charmed everybody. He was the homecoming king of his high school. He was one of the best actors I've ever seen on the stage. Every play I've seen him in, he blew me away."<br><br>"Russ is just a goofy, fun-loving guy, almost like a cartoon character," said Jeremy Burgess, 19, DeBusk's roommate. "He's always nice, respectful and hardworking. He studied more than I did."<br><br>A feature article about DeBusk and Moseley in this week's edition of The Hilltop News, the campus newspaper, profiles the students and highlights their acting careers. Moseley, "a huge fan of Johnny Cash," and DeBusk, whose "real dream is to become a screenwriter and director," had appeared together in at least three plays and a documentary, the story said.<br><br>The article ends: "This could be said of both DeBusk and Moseley. After they are finished here at BSC, they may truly be on the road to stardom."<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Burgess said DeBusk told him last summer that he had found a new religious interest.<br><br>"He wasn't raised as a Christian, and he had never found any kind of religion to settle down with," Burgess said. "He thought he'd found something that worked for him. It's not worshipping the devil. It's nothing ritualistic. It's about the pursuit of knowledge. He explained to me that <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>there can be Satanic Christians.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> It gave him the peacefulness and serenity of Buddhism. It was a real peaceful thing."<br><br>Burgess said DeBusk invited him on a "demon-hunting" trip last summer.<br><br>"Nothing happened," Burgess said. "Some friends of ours and the two of us were in the middle of the woods, playing guitar. They had some beer. There were no rituals, no weird séance.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>"There was nothing that would lead me to believe he would burn down a church," Burgess said. "Russ was always very respectful of my religion. We discussed it openly, the way many people discuss politics."<br><br>Martin Landry, 20, a junior, said he has known Moseley and DeBusk for nearly two years and both were "quite popular. Everybody loved being around them. They were a little wild, a little crazy, but absolutely nothing to suggest the caliber to support what's being reported. They were typical college students. They did like a drink. They enjoyed a good time. But there was no out-of-control aspect to it."<br><br>Arson investigators tracing the tire tracks investigated owners of 500 vehicles before contacting Cloyd's parents, who own a 2000 Toyota 4Runner suspected of being used in the arsons, said Jim Cavanagh regional head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.<br><br>Jim McCorstin, owner of Cahaba Radial Tire in Pelham, a Birmingham suburb, said his tire shop was one of about 120 that federal agents visited looking for customers who purchased the model of tires in question. He said a handful of customers in the past several months had bought BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO tires at his shop, including Matthew Cloyd's mother on July 22.<br><br>Federal agents interviewed Cloyd's parents, Kimberly and Michael Cloyd, on Tuesday. Cloyd admitted to his father that he was at the scenes of the church burnings, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court here.<br><br>"Tedious work, and that's exactly what it was in this case ... that's usually what solves crimes," said Jim Whitaker, director of the International Association of Arson Investigators<br><br>Birmingham-Southern College President David Pollick said the college's students, faculty and staff "will aid in the rebuilding of these lost churches. Together we'll stand as a reminder of the strength of communities that transcend the differences of religion and place, as well as the effects of mindless cruelty." <p></p><i></i>
User avatar
nomo
 
Posts: 3388
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:48 pm
Location: New York City
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Satanic angle to church fires

Postby anotherdrew » Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:55 pm

sounds like he was into the so-called "Luciferian" BS being pushed by some kid who's web-site I once checked out. Claims to make predictions, etc. has some internet radio show, probably trying to get on other shows. Claimes he had 'divined' a cure for aids but burnt the paper he had written it on because people didn't come pay enough attention to his site. Wanna be cult leader type. Don't really feel like looking him up again... or I'd find a link. <p></p><i></i>
anotherdrew
 
Posts: 528
Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 6:06 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Satanic angle to church fires

Postby Hugh Manatee Wins » Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:08 pm

True or not, the satanic angle is probably being highlighted over the Afro-American slave angle to diffuse post-Katrina tensions.<br><br>More likely the church was burned to erase black history, not black magic. <p></p><i></i>
User avatar
Hugh Manatee Wins
 
Posts: 9869
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:51 pm
Location: in context
Blog: View Blog (0)

satanic angle to church fires

Postby mother » Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:45 pm

But burning down someone's place of worship is satanic by it's very nature! Like arsoning one church just for a couple of laughs, but six, gimme a break. <p></p><i></i>
mother
 
Posts: 406
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:02 am
Blog: View Blog (0)


Return to Religion and the Occult

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests