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Subscribe to RSSMexican officials broke up a bizarre cult that allegedly ran a sex-slavery ring among its followers on the U.S. border, authorities said Tuesday.
The "Defensores de Cristo" or "Defenders of Christ" cult allegedly recruited women to have sex with a Spanish man who claimed he was the reincarnation of Christ. Followers were subjected to forced labor or sexual services, including prostitution, according to a victims' advocacy group that said it filed a complaint more than a year ago about the cult.
Federal police, agents of Mexico's National Immigration Institute and prosecutors raided a house earlier this week near Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas, and found cult members, including children, living in filthy conditions
The institute said 14 foreigners were detained in the raid and have been turned over to prosecutors, pending possible charges.
Those detained include six Spaniards, and two people each from Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela. One person from Argentina and one from Ecuador were also detained. Spain's Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed its citizens were among those arrested.
The institute said 10 Mexicans were also found at the house, mainly women, and are presumably among the victims of the cult.
The Attorney General's Office said the investigation was still under way as to what charges, if any, might apply in the case. Given the binds of sect loyalty that had been built over an estimated three years, prosecutors were still trying to work out which of the detainees may be considered victims, and which were abusers.
The institute said the sect's leaders made members pay "tithes," with money or forced labor.
An official of the institute who was not authorized to be quoted by name said that women were recruited to the sect and then were forced to have sex with sect elders; the official described it as a form of human trafficking that included prostitution.
Spaniard Ignacio Gonzalez de Arriba set up shop in Mexico about three years ago, after a stint in Brazil and other parts of South America.
He quickly became involved in offering courses on "bio-programming," an esoteric practice that claims to allow practicants to 'reprogram' their brains to eliminate pain, suffering and anxiety.
But according to the Defenders of Christ website, he quickly moved on to claim that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated.
Photos of Gonzalez de Arriba are juxtaposed with a painting of Christ, purportedly showing how the Spaniards eyebrows, nose and mouth are "exactly like" those of Christ.
Myrna Garcia, and activist with the Support Network for Cult Victims who has worked with victims of the Defenders of Christ cult, said Gonzalez de Arriba "mixed bio-programming, Christian and New Age doctrines and fears about the end of the world ... to control followers, to keep them terrorized."
"He made them believe he was Christ," said Garcia, whose group filed a complaint with Mexican authorities about the cult's abuses about one year ago. "Like Christ, they have to adore him, if not they will lose their souls ... they have to give their lives for him."
"There were women who were forced into prostitution," Garcia noted. "It was a form of human trafficking that was extraordinarily effect from the criminal point of view," she said, because the women were terrified of being separated from the sect.
How the cult managed to thrive in an area of Mexico that is tightly controlled by the violent Zetas drug cartel remains a mystery. However, there could be some link; Gonzalez de Arriba first set up shop in the northern city of Torreon, which also has a strong Zeta's influence.
The immigration institute said in a press release that the Defenders of Christ was headed by Venezuelan citizen Jose Arenas Losanger Segovia, but according to Garcia and the cult's website, he was clearly a lieutenant of Gonzalez de Arriba.
The Interior Department said the Defenders of Christ had not registered as a religious group, as required under Mexican law. Garcia said cells of the cult might still be active in Peru and Argentina.
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Prostitution, cults, possibly drug cartels, and Jesus.
Let the trolls loose!
Yes, lets make them all instant citizens. Bring em over. (sarcasm)
Very scary. (not sarcasm)
Hey, why not. Aren't the libbies screaming for open immigration anyway? Oh wait - only minorities can act un -Christ like, in their view. My bad. (sarcasm)
Just another wakked religion, in America it would be tax exempt.
Talking about wakked beliefs your's fits right in. There is a lot of current action on Capitol Hill now regarding immigration and the GOP realizes it needs to participate in order to get the Latino votes, talking about whoring. Also you do realize "The president met privately in the Oval Office with Sen. John McCain to discuss jump-starting a stalled White House initiative that would grant legal status to millions of immigrants who broke the law to enter the United States."
The date being November 2004, so if you didn't figure it out the President was Bush II.
Sounds like this guy would be a sure bet if he ran for US Congress. Would fit right in with the current bunch. They prostitute themselves to the lobbyist, screw over the weakest Americans, and hold themselves in a God-like status.
Spaniard Ignacio Gonzalez de Arriba in 2016? Maybe if the immigration reform gets going right away.
So sad, hopefully these women will recover from the trauma.
Good call, mpa-4893349, it only took one post for the first troll to appear. then the third, fourth and fifth. Way to go, trolls, make any story all about you and your twisted sense of reality. Maybe I should bring up the old 60s/70s right wing anthem ... love it or leave it...?
what is this, Taken 3?
No problem. Just let obama and holder send some more guns to Mexico and hope that these kooks shoot each other. LOL!
Liberals. God love em! LMFAO!
And this is different how than that Minister of the United Church of the Ministers of God/Serial Killer/Serial Rapist, Gary Heidnik?
Maybe we should deport all the Ministers and White Men....
This tragedy has nothing to do with Liberals or Conservative politics. Weak, miseducated minds use something like this to criticize others..........
Is Senator Menendez the leader of this cult? A cult has nothing to do with the teaching of Christ.
Just goes to show people will use religion for anything. Especially power and money. Does the Vatican or the Mormon temples look anything like Jesus had in mind? All religion is a sham designed to benefit somebody else more than the patron.
Oh and btw, before you guys get on the liberals want illegals kick, president Reagan was for amnesty for the illegals within our country. We're not going to round up illegals (like Jews in Nazi Germany) and deport them.
After studying Christ for half a century I can guarantee you that when He comes back it wont be in Mexico.
Is he Jesus reincarnate or Jim Jones??
I am starting to wonder if he would want to comeback in the United States also.
LiberalsRCommies
After studying Christ for half a century I can guarantee you that when He comes back it wont be in Mexico.
Maybe not Mexico, how about New Mexico...........seems he's been there a lot. oh wait wrong christ, thought you were Tom Cruise.
Yet again another vile act in the name of a God.
Religion is nothing more than power, money & war.
I know this will rub some the wrong way, but more people have died or become victims of religion than by any other means in the history of the world. And for what? A claim that someones God is more right than another. I wonder if their version of God where to come back if he/she would approve of the actions.
I know that some will say that this is the act of a few, but I will respond that currently there are wars raging all over the middle east due to fundamentalist within their respective religious sects....And people are dieing. Those acts in and of themselves does not make their God any more right or wrong than yours, because who are we or you to say which God is the correct one. Imposing ones God onto another and saying it's more right than another is why these things happen and will continue to.
We can only extend a hand to those that have been victims of religion, & hope for some peace, understand, & tolerance within all belief systems to end the death for the name of a God.
Agreed Unbelievable. These crazy rantings and opportunistic postings make Newsvine less enjoyable to frequent.
wait until glen beck starts his cult.these guys are amateurs
Sex slaves for Jesus in Mexico. Sound like Romney's polygamy cult is at it again. So many chickas so little time.
.... wow.... it is tragic how desperate people are for the smallest hint of hope or leadership.
But seriously? "Photos of Gonzalez de Arriba are juxtaposed with a painting of Christ, purportedly showing how the Spaniards eyebrows, nose and mouth are "exactly like" those of Christ."
Do people not realize that Jesus didn't pose for any paintings? That we have no record of what he actually looked like? The majority of European paintings of Christ reflect a very white-washed, definitely incorrect image of what he looked like. Jesus likely looked similar to modern-day Palestinians.
Sad - I actually had someone tell me that they only would read the King James version of the Bible, because "if it was good enough for the first pope (The Apostle Peter), then it was good enough for her".
There is simply not enough palms nor faces for the stupidity of humankind.
Disgusting behavior how dare they call themselves Christians. There is sin and then there is evil. Can they be forgiven? According to New Testament they can be forgiven if they turn away from this gross interpretation of Christs message ask for forgiveness and make acts of contrition. Seems a reasonable approach to moving up instead of continuing toward a downward path of destruction.
Given how widespread drugs sex and crime is in South and Central America this does not surprise me that the dominant religion (Christianity) would be dragged down into the bowels of this new hell on earth.
How do you know whether god wanted these broads to bang this beaner or not? Did he talk to you about it?
Where do you think it came from in the first place? It was born of greed and hatred, like almost every other religion. Go ahead, put another $1 on your clergys plate. He thanks you for his new cadillac. Oh, and god thanks you too. god needs money, just ask any church leader who has no job and no skills.
They're christian because they believe in christ. You don't get to judge who is and who isn't christian. Don't forget that Jesus approved of slavery.
Too bad the new testament was written by men, not a god. No god ever played a part in it cause none ever existed. The fact that people actually still believe in that crap proves that we are still in a moronic, sheep-filled society. I wonder if some people are still running around saying the Earth is flat?
Daniel, you sound like a man who knows where he is going. Sorry, I do not want to go with you. However, if you keep reading the comments, you will have several companions.
Have fun, now.
Why do you think you know where Daniel is going? Thats pretty arrogant of you to assume that considering you dont know him personally.
Here's an idea from this ludicrous statement, ""Defenders of Christ" cult". WT.....don't call it a cult, call it what it is......"chirstians gone wild"...........
Alverant I am curious as to where Christ said that he approved of slavery? Also calling yourself a Christian and being a Christian are two different things. You are correct that I can not judge their worthiness in Gods eyes but I do have the right to express revulgion for their manipulation of Christs message. In truth I do not consider myself a true Christian as I do not gravitate toward death worshipping rituals of any type.
I want my money back!! This mail-order catalog i'm holding in my hand states a full refund if unhappy.
-fin
Okay, Obama, let's be sure to keep the border nice and loose. Oh and make sure we have an open door policy for people like this to stay here when they "immigrate" without being "documented."
Too funny Phillykevin2 - It really isn't much different than what's happening in our own country with businesses and government.
Hey, GraphicsLa, are you reading a different story, or just twisting the story to fit your alternate reality? It happened in Northern Mexico, not the US.
Yeah, because Obama has kept it so loose, right? When people like you learn to read your opinion will matter SO much more!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/29/the-2007-immigration-bill-set-border-security-targets-weve-hit-most-of-them/
And before you pull the bullsh*t "liberal media" crap you guys always pull, here's a chart from CBO showing the budget request for these things. But keep talking...the more we know how ignorant you are the less stock others can start putting in your opionion. Nice research, though...it's obvious you do so much of it.
http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43520
phillykevin2...just another braindead idiot who can't think intelligently for himself. So sad our education system produces such inferior souls.
Hey, ya'll maybe GraphicsLa is from Mexico............and is complaining about all the border jumpers from the US................
This cult would have done even better in the Bible belt no doubt.
Christians in the Bible belt know more about what the Bible says than these idiots did. Kind of like you, they listened to others rather than read it themselves.
Sounds more like the dept. of education. More pedophiles located there than anywhere else. Read 5 stories this week about teachers and coaches banging the students.
Exactly. Great post.
I don't know, I think they were in the right place. After all, where are you going to find a guy named Jesus (Hay-sus) anywhere else?
@tired...
In my experience, most people in the bible belt can barely read or write, and just like the rest of the religious morons, they put $$ on the plates of those who can best fool them, Mostly pedophiles and crackheads.
GL with your road to eternity, hater.
Yup, christianity is all a zobie blood cult, doesn't matter which sect it is, and the bible belt nutz are the worst of all christians. As for pedophiles, seems the x-tians and wing nutz have a monopoly on that as well, and a handful of stories about female teachers sleeping with 15 or 16 year old students will never overcome the weekly discovery of christian clergy, and memebrs of other conservative organizations like the cub scouts, having repeatedly raped young boys.
christianity, like conservativism, is a cancer that cannot be cured, it must be removed.
They actually sound like they live in Chicago, just less violent than the Obamanites there.
...or Utah; you know how they just love their cults, improvised takes on Christianity, and sexual perversions over in the western heartland.
Would have done better in the bible belt? AMEN! Since all religions are just cults, anyway. one can clearly see the same going on in it, as in other religions. It's ALL brain-washing; it's just what cultism is......brain-washing! "Like Christ, they have to adore him, if not, they will lose their souls ... they have to give their lives for him & constantly fear him."
Hey, Obama will give them all a path to citizenship and everything will be fine.
Absolutely. I'm sure people like this would love to pick our dwindling crop supply. That is the job that the morons think we need immigrants for isn't it? well along with yard work and fast food restaurants.
Ya gotta love organized religion.
Tax churches, mosques, and synagogues now!
Just as soon as we tax hate groups like Jesse Jackson's rainbow coalition and the NAACP.
Religion doesn't corrupt people, people corrupt religion. Too bad you haven't figured something so simple out.
The Bible is one of the most immoral documents ever created by men.
Aw skibum, you're just mad no one is out there working on behalf of stupid people like yourself. Well, besides the GOP and the NRA, of course
EXCELLENT point, are122.
Are we supposed to believe that a cult so close to the American border didn't cross it? Foreigners in Mexico and not crossing the border with prostitutes? Is this the end of the story?
CATCH'EM! These are the kinds of people we need to Lob at the Iranians and N. Koreans!
Organized crime/religion, slavery, illegal aliens, prostitution, drugs, are all the benefits we may partake of thanks to our open border. After our lawmakers give these people amnesty we will have another group of high quality citizens to fill our courtrooms and prisons. This will never stop commonly occurring south of the border, but we can control the numbers of these types of scum from infiltrating into our nation by building a barrier and militarizing the US/Mex border. If you can not see the danger that is being imported daily to our country you are probably purposely blind or perhaps involved personally in profiting from this insurgency. If you can see the danger contact your representatives and insist they take positive action to eject these invaders and secure our safety and defend the sovereignty of our nation.
Your republicans are the ones shouting for immigration now altho everyone knows they just want to milk the gov't for all they can get to build and guard said fence. More money the blue states will pay for.
Blue states appear to get back less from the Federal Government than Red states, but its only true if you account for military pay and expenses the same way we do welkfare payments. The Red staters, being real Americans provide about 80% of the military. If the Blue states were not filled with fat, selfish Progressives they too would earn military pay.
Everyone who pays a tithe is participating in the same basic set-up, just not quite so crude.
For centuries the Catholic Church has insisted women perform their conjugal duties without birth control so there would be more little tithers to add to the obscene riches of the Vatican.
How is that any different? You can say the Pope himself wasn't doing the propagating, but that's probably only because he prefers boys.
You and the Pope seem similar.
I feel for those women who were abused. :(
Once again, morons will believe anything and do anything if they are told that god or jesus wants them to do it. Why is this illegal? People in the U.S. do the same thing, Churches here take advantage of people too.They are so terrified about going to hell that they will do anything to prevent that from happening and the leaders of the churches know this. Most church leaders know that these are ridiculous fairy tales but it is a great source of income for them and the perks are nice too. If they are stupid enough to believe in this nonsense, then let them be taken advantage of. I just wish I had thought of it when I was younger and I could be rich now with tons of chicks wanting "salvation". Actually god did just talk to me and he said if you are hot then contact me to make sure you don't go to hell and don't be afraid to bring some cash with you too. It will greatly reduce the chance you will burn for eternity. Thank you!
Kent. Agreed.
Please join the Freedom From Religion Foundation and help fight the idiocy.
FFRF.ORG
As an avowed Atheist I admit I have far more faith in organized religion than I do the Federal Government.
Churches here take advantage of people too. ?? I see Churches in my area collecting and handing out food, taking meals to the elderly, helping people thrown out of their houses, people who can't find a job. I also think the Salvation Army does a great job. Just what do you do for anyone? Care to volunteer higher taxes to take over??
They hand out expired food they got for free and all the people have to do is listen to them spout their nonsense to get the food. It hardly seems worth it. Christians try to be seen as completely alturistic but they have motives for the "good" they do. As far as what I do for anyone , I take care of 3 kids that are not mine because they are great kids and deserve a good life and don't expect anything in return unlike the Christians who require the unfortunate to "accept jesus" to recieve thier help. I can't believe a religious wacko would even mention taxes. I pay a @!$%#load of taxes but I don't see any churches paying their fair share.
More sickos. WTF? Christians. LOL!
jesus is back!!! Sweet! Put some $$ on his plate.
More love to spread around to his sheep.
Go god!! You're the best!
"The uneducated and the misinformed are easily led astray." -- John Mellencamp
Though no philosopher he seems correct. After all, Obama was re-elected.
I wonder why the states with the highest population of religious people are also the least educated.
Because people who make up answers that result in an F on test can find someplace in the myths of the bible to support their made up answers...
Why do states and cities with the highest percentage of black and Hispanics have the highest birthrate, lowest work rate, highest welfare rate and lowest educational achievement? By the way those states you refer to? They have the highest percentage of blacks, who tend to be more religious church goers than whites.
@skibum609 Because a lot of them don't have common sense or the need to fit in with our society. They just want to live in their own little bubble and live off of whitey's dime.
What does race have to do with being a religious retard. All races are guilty of being morons regarding religion. It does seem to me that the white conservative christians such as Fallwell(pervert), Robertson(senile), Schuller(thief), the kkk, abortion bombers, and the like cause more problems and spread intolerance more so than spooks and beaners ever do. By the way, I am white cracker who believes all people are the same regardless of race. Just some more stupid than others.
I wonder why no atheist can tell me how the physics that control the universe were established.
So you get rid of the blacks and Latinos on welfare and then what do you have left over?
You're left with that overwhleming majority of poor, ignorant, sketchy, mass shooting, child molesting, paint huffing white people who have been living generation after generation on welfare since the 1930s when ONLY WHITES were permitted to use (and abuse) social welfare programs.
Funny as hell how the vocal minority of racist white people seems to know everything about crime and social statistics of other groups and remain entirely ignorant of the statistics of their own group. Must break your heart to find out through the FBI's Universal Crime Report that despite your hopes and dreams that whites still make up the overwhelming lion's share of violent criminal offenders. And even if follow that silly cannard about blacks offending in greater percentages than their representation in the general population that, because violent crimes are still overwhelmingly committed by people familar and known to the victim, whites commit the greater number of all crimes.
Thus the rabid racist minority within the white community are so intently focused on black men behaving badly - who are still incarcerated at twice the rates of whites who commit similar offenses; somehow white offenders are getting more reduced sentences and probation than their black and Hispanic counterparts - that they utterly forget their crap still stinks just in greater numbers and social leeway than any other group. Well go ahead and crap yourselves, guys, and tell yourself that its chocolate fudge; the rest of us knows it really smells like and you're fooling no one.
Hey are122. I assume you are a religous retard so you tell me your theory how the universe was created and the physics involved.
122, better yet. Show me God. Not a path to God. Show me God.
Why do states and cities with the highest percentage of black and Hispanics have the highest birthrate, lowest work rate, highest welfare rate and lowest educational achievement?
Funny that you don't know a thing about demographics. Look at the statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest rate of academic achievement comes from predominately-white red states such as Okahoma and Texas. Even Washington D.C. and Illinois has a higher achievement rate despite the high percentage of minorities. Go look it up for yourself. And by the way, as a black man I have two college degrees and work 50 hours a week as a regional sales representative and my wife's a phyisician. Everything I have I worked for and no white man ever gave me anything...except maybe grief.
Monkeys are captured by putting a shiny object in a narrow neck bottle...once the monkey grabs the shiny object the monkey will not let go while it is captured...thus the heritage of christians is established...
Thus those are decedent from monkeys are understood.
There are some strange parallels to the origins of Christianity here. For instance The Bible says Jesus was always with the prostitutes and tax collectors (drug dealers of today). Christianity is by definition a cult and certainly was very much like a cult when it began. Religion is one of the best ways to control a persons thinking.
And the prophets were poet minstrels...although current christianity portrays a prophet as a seer...
You don't need religion. Look what Obama did...health care for all...all but him, his cronies and union pals that is. And the sheeple insert nose ring and stick up for him LOL.
I suggest we find the artist who created this painting. We'll be able to get the secret of time travel from him. We should also search for any camera that he took with him and for any photographs he might have taken.
Why, we could then use this wondrous new knowledge to rewrite all the history books and piss off nearly everyone! Just think of all the fun we could have . . .
What never ceases to amaze me is how the gullibility quotient of people increases in direct proportion to the preposterousness of the evidence given for claims. Cults and outlandish religious practices are only one of the inevitable results.
I wonder how the "law" will prove Ignacio Gonzalez de Arriba isn't Christ or if they will ignore that claim and prosecute him...regardless it's interesting someone can claim to be Christ and the people have no way to prove or disprove the claim...
Ignacio Gonzalez DE ARRIBA? The name says it all...
Ever notice these religious cult guys always have an element of sexual perversion in their deal? Warren Jeffs, David Koresh, Jim Jones, all of em. If you find odd stuff dealing with religion like this it is practcally guaranteed that there is sexual abuse going on.
That is true. Very strange. Maybe there should be a study done about that.
Nevermind. Studies have found that most studies are completely useless.
I'm glad this cult was broken up. Now they need to aim higher and go after the biggest child abuse cult in the world, the Roman Catholic Church.
Keep dreaming. Too many Catholic voters to offend if you do that.
Religion and gods are just shelter for insane ideas. Somehow society has progressed in spite of these superstitions.
As long as there are gullible people there will be a religion to take advantage of them.
A religion or people? I have never seen a religion take advantage of anyone.
Joke of the day....me either!