79 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
79 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
The following is an article reprinted from the LAST TIMES newspaper,
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Volume 1, Number 5, March 1979. The paper's address at the time was
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PO Box 1396, Costa Mesa, CA 98536.
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_____________________________________________________________________
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John Todd: Severely Disturbed Individual
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____ _____ ________ _________ __________
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"We will not allow them to torture our families; we have decided
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that we will kill our children before that happens."
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This is what some of the members of a small town church in
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Pennsylvania told their pastor after hearing the predictions of doom
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for Christians made by a man named John Todd, according to a report on
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Todd and his "ministry" published last month by CHRISTIANITY TODAY.
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Todd claims to have been an important figure in international
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witchcraft before his salvation, and has traveled to churches all
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over America preaching imminent attack upon believers by a loony
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conspiracy of European bankers, Spirit-filled Christian leaders,
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American politicians and the National Council of Churches, to name a
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few.
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What is now coming to light, however, is the picture of a
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severely disturbed individual whose Army records describe possible
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brain damage as a result of childhood beatings. They also tell of
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homicidal threats, false suicide reports and a severe personality
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disturbance leading up to a recommendation for discharge.
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Little of real substance is known about the turmoil he has caused
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in the past year because embarrassed Christian leaders are reluctant
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to talk about it. Prior to that, though, a pattern develops of an
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armed and dangerous "evangelist" who uses his sensational testimony as
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a cover while seducing young girls and involving them in witchcraft
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for sexual purposes.
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In an editorial, CHRISTIANITY TODAY wondered how so many
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Christians could have believed his statements, and urged pastors who
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had been deceived to apologize.
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His claim that he had been a Grand Druid and an officer of the
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"Illuminati" was the starting point for an ever-increasing collection
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of irrational and contradictory statements. According to Todd, for
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instance, not only was witchcraft money behind Maranatha! Music (the
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figure varied between $6-8 million), but it had backed Melodyland, the
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Full Gospel Businessmen's Association, the CBN and PTL television
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networks, and Jerry Falwell.
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Todd goes on to allege that President Jimmy Carter is the anti-
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Christ, and is pushing through legislation outlawing private ownership
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of guns, removing tax exemptions from all churches except those
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affiliated with the National Council of Churches, banning conversion
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to another religion, and prohibiting the storing of food and medicine.
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The Rothschilds, a 200-year-old banking group in Europe, will create a
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false fuel shortage, confiscate all guns, and call for the murder and
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torture of Christians (whose names have been stored in computers).
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Congress will be suspended and martial law established, with one
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policeman for every five people. There will be economic chaos. All
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this is due to take place later this year, says Todd, who claims he
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was in on its planning.
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Todd urges Christians to arm themselves, build up food supplies
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to last five years, hide in wilderness fortresses and kill all
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attackers.
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With semi-sponsorship by Jack Chick of Chick Publications, Todd
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spoke regularly throughout the country, mostly to church groups open
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to receive anti-charismatic information. The taped versions of these
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talks proliferated like wildfire. (Chick recently published a comic
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book relating Todd's allegations of demons in pop music and in
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contemporary Christian music. Several retailers have removed all
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Chick material from their stores.)
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Five years ago Todd was hosting dozens of young people at a
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weekly Santa Ana Bible study. The fellowship disbanded after Todd was
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charged with mixing witchcraft lessons with his teaching and seducing
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some of the girls. Only about 25 per cent of those attending who were
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believers are still in fellowship today, according to sources here.
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This is a tableau repeated in Phoenix, San Antonio and Dayton,
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according to CHRISTIANITY TODAY. Todd is wanted in two states -- New
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Mexico for bad checks and Ohio for probation violation and a judgment
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in a defamation case.
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Although he claims now to have quit his speaking engagements and
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to be living in hiding, the man's pattern is a compulsion to lie in
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front of large gatherings of people. It is not considered prudent to
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confront the man.
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