Six of thirteen children freed up for adoption by Judge Joe Griffin.
Photo used with permission of Tony Alamo Ministries. Following three days of hearings, Judge Joe Griffin of Arkansas's Miller County Circuit Court terminated the parental rights of six members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries Church yesterday, freeing up thirteen children from four families for adoption.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services had previously stated that the parents must move from church property and find secular employment in order to be reunified with their children. The parents, believing that DHS was interfering with their constitutional rights refused to comply. Judge Griffin's ruling came down exclusively on the side of DHS.
Judge Griffin issued a gag order to everyone involved in the hearings and also ejected Cheryl Barnes and another member of the CPS Watch team, a group advocating for the parents, from the courtroom, leaving one attorney for the parents facing more than a dozen government attorneys. Griffin also closed the hearings to the public.
The ruling appears to be unprecedented in American history. In nearly identical cases where there have been mass removals of children from religious groups (e.g. the removal of 400+ children from the FLDS church in Texas), the children have been reunited with the parents without conditions that would affect their religious beliefs. It was never alleged that any of the children involved in this week's hearings were abused and the parents were never charged criminally. The alleged neglect on the part of the parents was based on their relationship with Tony Alamo, a convicted sex offender, who is serving a 175 year prison term.
While the children have been freed up for adoption, it is not likely that any will be adopted out until any appeals have been made and adjudicated
Photo used with permission of Tony Alamo Ministries. Following three days of hearings, Judge Joe Griffin of Arkansas's Miller County Circuit Court terminated the parental rights of six members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries Church yesterday, freeing up thirteen children from four families for adoption.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services had previously stated that the parents must move from church property and find secular employment in order to be reunified with their children. The parents, believing that DHS was interfering with their constitutional rights refused to comply. Judge Griffin's ruling came down exclusively on the side of DHS.
Judge Griffin issued a gag order to everyone involved in the hearings and also ejected Cheryl Barnes and another member of the CPS Watch team, a group advocating for the parents, from the courtroom, leaving one attorney for the parents facing more than a dozen government attorneys. Griffin also closed the hearings to the public.
The ruling appears to be unprecedented in American history. In nearly identical cases where there have been mass removals of children from religious groups (e.g. the removal of 400+ children from the FLDS church in Texas), the children have been reunited with the parents without conditions that would affect their religious beliefs. It was never alleged that any of the children involved in this week's hearings were abused and the parents were never charged criminally. The alleged neglect on the part of the parents was based on their relationship with Tony Alamo, a convicted sex offender, who is serving a 175 year prison term.
While the children have been freed up for adoption, it is not likely that any will be adopted out until any appeals have been made and adjudicated
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What a horror! Words can't begin to express my grief and sympathy for my friends at Alamo Ministries.
As unbelievable as this nightmare has been, this court and CPS/DHS has never, since the beginning, offered one ounce of hope that the outcome of this Inquisition wouldn't be a complete annihilation of Tony Alamo, the parents, the children, and the ministry. I'm not even surprised that this demonic judge, in standard Inquisitorial Roman form, kicked Cheryl Barnes of CPS Watch Legal Team and the rest of the family advocates out of the courtroom to deny the parents adequate representation. And to make sure the world NEVER discovers the injustices committed by CPS/DHS and this court in these proceedings, the information blackout continues and the gag order remains stuffed down the throats of these persecuted Protestant parents. The Inquisitors; this court, Arkansas CPS/DHS, with the cooperation of the complicit mainstream media, are the only ones allowed to speak. Together they have all turned the clock back 1000 years.
This whole thing has been a trumped up load of garbage from the get go. Tony is right, Slander Works! And the hell that has been brought down upon Tony, the parents, the children, and the ministry, is a threat that now looms over the head of every truth-telling ministry in this country, including MINE! God grant that when my time of persecution comes, I am able to weather the Roman Thunder with the same grace and steadfastness to the faith of Christ that Tony and everyone in the ministry has shown.
I prayed for a miracle of deliverance on behalf of Tony and the parents and children, so that they could all return to the service of Christ in the ministry together as before. Obviously, our Father in Heaven has determined that the Beast's sins have not yet come to it's full predetermined measure and Father has allowed yet another Inquisition to prevail against His people for a time. But we have every assurance that complete restoration and incalculable reward is ours when the Woman and her Roman Beast's sins have finally reached up to Heaven and the Father remembers her iniquities and brings this evil time to a full end and His righteous judgment is rendered. God hasten the day!
Until that day, I remain in prayer and in full support of all the Saints at Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Inquisition Update will remain, small as it may be, a voice of support to everyone in the ministry. Until the ministry members choose to use Inquisition Update to tell their story, I will continue to denounce and expose the unconstitutional, un-Biblical, and diabolical means and methods by which the Beast has perpetrated this Inquisition against them, in order to help other like ministries to prepare themselves for, or, to avoid similar persecutions.
Finally, understanding that no human expression could comfort the grieving parents and children, I commit them into the loving arms of the Only One who can truly comfort them, our Savior, Lord, and KING!
Steadfastly with you all in Christ,
Tom Friess
Inquisition Update