82 Year Old Pastor Arrested For THIS Disburbing Crime
An 82-year-old pastor has been arrested for failing to report multiple instances of child abuse, according to police.
Three months ago, Jose Mora, a 57-year-old member of Golden Dawn Tabernacle, was charged with three counts of sexual conduct with a minor after admitting to the Arizona Daily Star that he molested an 11-year-old boy.
Since then, Tucson police have identified additional victims of abuse, with several former congregants coming foward alleging that they told church authorities about their abuse from multiple men, but were explicitly discouraged from going to law enforcment.
Following this, authorities arrested senior pastor Isaac Noriega for being aware of the abuse and failing to notify police. As a mandatory reporter, Noriega was required under state law to report suspicions of child abuse. He now faces two counts of failing to report the neglect of a minor. Last year an investigation into the church revealed:
…Noriega said he knew that Mora and the 11-year-old boy “touched each other.” But he said the boy started it and the “father was OK with it,” so the issue was over. The father said in an interview that he was in no way OK with his son being abused.
Noriega said he did not report the allegations to police.
Notably, the church is part of the Message movement and follows the teachings of William Branham. As such, they have strict rules in place that many consider abusive and cult-like. One website that has been investigating this church lists some examples, with a sampling below:
Women are not allowed to wear scarves, jewelry, flip flops, open-toed shoes or high heels, only flat soled shoes.
No partaking in drinking alcohol, smoking, gambling, dancing, concerts, sport events or any “worldly” activities.
Men can not grow their hair too long or cut it too short and must have an approved hairstyle.
Men are required to shave on a regular basis (no mustaches, beards, sideburns or goatees allowed) -note Apostolic influences.
Men are not allowed to wear wedding bands ( allegedly William Branham once told Isaac Noriega in a letter that wedding bands are for women only). Note: this is traditionally an Apostolic rule
Fellowship with local message churches is not allowed as they are all believed to not be part of the true “Bride”.
Members are not allowed to visit ANY other message church without approval from the pastor.
Attendance at every single service (3 times per week: twice on Sunday, once on Wednesday) is mandatory. If you miss a single service, it will be immediately noticed due to the assigned seating, and it will likely be blasted from the pulpit. A deacon will also call or visit you the next day to check up on you and find out why you missed the church service.
You are required to be at church a half hour prior to service (A William Branham standard that Isaac Noriega strictly enforces)
Men are required to wear a suit and tie on Sundays, and at minimum a tie with formal attire on Wednesdays. If you show up in jeans, you may not be allowed into the service, and if you were, you are likely to be publicly and angrily criticized from the pulpit.
Listening to ANY type of music other than music from the Golden Dawn Tabernacle is highly discouraged (Isaac Noriega is even against classical music).
The church band is not permitted to have drums or a bass guitar, as those instruments are considered worldly (ungodly). Recently, they have been limited to only playing music written by members of the church.
You are not allowed to have any contact with members of your family who do not believe the message or attend the church. If you do, you will be condemned from the pulpit and, more recently, you will not be allowed to partake in communion.
Children/youth are not allowed to attend public school (if they do, they are considered rebels). Homeschooling is highly encouraged. The irony is that the pastor’s children, as well as the deacon’s children, were generally permitted to graduate from high school and even attend college, but this was about 20-30 years ago.
It is not encouraged to go to the hospital without first informing the pastor or one of the deacons/elders. If you do go, it is normally frowned upon and you are considered to be weak in your faith, and not a good Christian for not trusting God for divine healing.
If you receive treatment for a disease, you are considered weak in your faith, and it is assumed that you have sin and demons in your life. (The ironic part is that when the pastor’s wife got sick, she was taken to the Mayo clinic for some of the most expensive treatment available.)
There is absolutely no bodily contact allowed between unmarried men and women (such as holding hands). Even conversation is very limited. If you want to court someone, you must first get the pastor’s approval and then proceed in a highly chaperoned environment. Because of this, most marriages in the church are arranged by Isaac Noriega. In many cases, Isaac will arrange marriages as an incentive to keep young people from leaving the church..
Aside from women not being allowed to cut their hair and not wear makeup, the pastor also forbids the women from plucking their eyebrows and no “attention seeking” hair styles.
Women are not allowed to wear pants or shorts. They must wear skirts or dresses with a length that falls below the ankles, and their clothing must not show their “figure”. Church officials typically enforce this rule, and there have been instances when they have sent girls home to change into approved attire.
Married women are not allowed to work. Single women are allowed two work options: working at the church school or cleaning houses with the older widowed women who must report to Isaac Noriega.
Television, radio and movies are forbidden as they are considered tools of the devil.
The internet is strictly forbidden. Although you are allowed to have a computer, it must not be connected to the internet. It is not even acceptable to use the internet for your business, although some church businesses secretly use it because it is an essential tool for success in today’s economy.
Board games are forbidden as they are considered worldly. Issac recently has extended this to sports.
The church prohibits the use of smartphones and encourages the use of flip phones. Some church congregants who secretly have smartphones will ask each other “Is that family smartphone friendly?” before visiting, so they know if they can openly use their smartphone. Some will switch their SIM card between their smartphone and flip phone to avoid being caught.
Each month, communion (only for those without sin in their lives) involves eating bread and sharing wine from the same glass with hundreds of congregants (even during COVID), followed by mandatory foot washing of congregants.
Elderly congregants are strongly encouraged to sell their homes and give the proceeds to the church, and then live on the elder residential compound.
The Elder residential compound has a daily curfew where the gates are shut and residents are expected to be home.
It is not allowed to speak freely or provide feedback on the pastor’s decisions, or else you will be considered a rebel and against the “ministry”
Telling on congregants who break the rules is highly encouraged and incentivized. Many times anonymous sources (letters, texts) are cited by the ministry as evidence.
It is encouraged to be “subject” to and consult the pastor on all major life decisions, such as purchasing a home, car, making financial decisions, choosing a job, making education decisions, choosing a spouse, deciding how many children to have, and deciding what to name your children, etc.
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