Monday, March 23, 2009

Meet Tony Alamo


Tony Alamo (formerly Bernie L. Hoffman) is facing a legal challenge, again. If you've seen the HBO series Big Love and all those polygamist groups that have splintered off from the Mormons, you get the picture (think Roman and his Compound).


If not, here's Mr. Alamo, courtesy of the Coconino County (Arizona) Sheriff's Office, September 2008.

Tony Alamo and his ministries have thrived -- especially before and after his period of jail time in the mid-1990s -- since the 1960s. He and his assistants have produced radio broadcasts, pamphlets, tracts, books (at least one regarding polygamy), and fanciful clothes designs* ranging from Hollywood via Arkansas and Nashville through New Jersey to New York. A little something-something for everybody, especially those who hate Catholics and a miscellany of other groups.

I should note here that I am Catholic, so to me this guy is like a KKK kind of demagogue. And to the Southern Poverty Law Center, as well:

Alamo blames the Catholic Church for every evil imaginable, including communism, Nazism, the two world wars and even the Jonestown Massacre. "Narcotics, prostitution, pornography, booze and black market - every filthy thing – can be traced right back to the Vatican," the cult leader has written. . . They're condemning polygamy where it's never condemned. God never says, 'No polygamist shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven,'" Alamo declared angrily in one recent broadcast. "But these bastards, these homosexual Vaticanites, they condone homosexuals and they condemn marriage and a man that would take care of his… . [T]hey … say, 'You're a polygamist,' that I married too many wives. Well, find out! Prove it! And even if I was, there's no law in the Bible [against] it." (excerpt from Susy Buchanan, "The Ravening Wolf: Catholic-Hating Organization Reemerges" SPLC Intelligence Report, Fall 2007).

The most recent charges against Tony Alamo revolve around allegations of his polygamous marriages with minors; the 74 year old Alamo apparently took a nine year old girl as his latest wife.

Stay tuned. Will Alamo yet now meet his Waterloo?

For more background, there's Maria Luisa Tucker's "The Barely Legal Empire of Tony Alamo," The Village Voice (5/13/2008).

*Actual designs can be seen (and bought) via eBay, all items under "Tony Alamo." No joke.

Today's Rune: Separation (Reversed).

12 comments:

Adorably Dead said...

Wow, look at that mugshot. Mr.Alamo, what have the years done to you? lol. Sometimes I feel bad for the Polygamist Mormons if they want to live that way who cares, it's not really hurting anyone, but everytime I try to take up for thier right to polygamize they seem to wind up taking 9 year old wives. Which is extremely creepy.

That being said, I love Big Love. The young wife is hot...so is the priss, I just don't like the original wife for some reason.

lulu said...

He hasn't aged well, has he?

the walking man said...

Here's to you Alamo, may you suffer the same fate that your unfortunate namesake did.

Anonymous said...

Erik,
Thanks for writing about alamo.

The stuff he has done in the "name of religion" is more than creepy. You can read more about him at:
http://www.tonyalamonews.com

Erik Donald France said...

Thanks all for the comments!

AD, I'm with you on Big Love. Very intersting and yes, this season, on the wives.

Lulu and WM, indeed.

Anon, thanks much for the link.

Johnny Yen said...

You've got to give the church credit, if Mr. Alamo is right-- the church is responsible for both Nazism and communism. Who thought anyone could bring those two groups together?

yerblues said...

.... geez, you really ought to take something for your anger - remember, God's on your side so why so anxious? .... funny you should think he's the greatest prophet - I lived at the foundation for over 4 years, and I never got to see ANY of his prophecies come true. Tony Alamo is a liar and a con ..... and worse.

Anonymous said...

All I can say is here are these Catholics posting HATE against a Holy man of God. I hope Catholics will repent and stop following their Pope who is a homo, who has lied to cover up thousands of molesting priests for 40 years and then claimed immunity because he is head of state. No other Cult in the world has murdered, tortured and molested and killed more children than the Roman Catholic Cult.
Satan's seat is the city that sits on 7 mountains/hills and that is the Vatican. God is going to destroy it. He is going to burn the Great whore Roman Catholic church with fire. His word says this. I pray all Catholics start trusting in Jesus alone for their salvation and come out of that cult before God's soon coming plagues start pouring down on you.
Catholicism is of the devil. Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Your prayers to dead Mary, saints, and trusting in the Pope, church or religious rituals will not get you into heaven. You are being deceived. The world is full of liars and lies. In these last days good would be evil and evil according to the world good.
Pastor Alamo is a good holy man who loves and serves the Lord.

yerblues said...

Some of your scriptural references may be accurate, but your delivery will hardly convince any sane person that Tony Alamo's brand of Christianity is a healthy alternative. Non of it lines up with the truth. Look up hate in the dictionary, then re-read tony's pamphlets or listen again to his radio rants. His sales pitch is all fear, paranoia and hate. I'm glad you aren't heading my sales team - I'd be broke.
Your hero worship of Tony is clouding your judgement - accept the fact that he is human and is quite capable of using poor judgement (like the rest of us) In all the time I've known Tony, I've yet to witness him EVER apologize for anything to anyone OR admit to ever making a mistake - that's scary.

Mark Krone said...

Holy cow. So, anti-Catholicism is still out there?! Bigotry cloaked in religion. Wackos.

Here's an easy rule: if your religion preaches hate, you can bet you are on the wrong track.

I left the Catholic Church a long time ago but I can say that the best, most loving people I have known are Catholics. Indeed, the nuns and priests working on the grassroots level deserve a MUCH better hierarchy than they have in Rome.

Anonymous said...

TONY ALAMO ONLY SPEAK THE TRUTH NOT HATE WHAT YOU DID WAS SET HIM UP TO DEFAME HIM SO HE COULD NOT WIN SOUL FOR THE LORD BUT HE WON MY SOUL FOR THE LORD IN THOSE ON MANY WATER, SATAN CHILDREN, YOU ARE IN YOUR COMPOUND WORSHIPING THIS HOMO POPE THAT WEAR A DRESS WITH HIS EVIL BEND CROSS WHO WANT TO BR ADORN AND WORSHIP THIS ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT BEAST BUT GOD IN HIS SAINT WILL WIN THIS WAR SLANDER A GOOD MAN OF GOD BECAUSE HE EXPOSE YOUR STINK EVIL SATAN CHILDREN HELL HAVE ENLARGE HERSELF IF YOU WANT TO WIN GO TO WWW,ALAMOMINSTRIES.COM

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