Thomas Richards Is Not Spiritually Smart!

FMH Children’s Club International
–– A Company Of Prophets ––
P.O. Box 640109
El Paso, TX 79904

The following letter-form was brought about as a means of teaching my children the Word of God through the mail. And of course, quite naturally so, that’s the reason I begin these letters with "Dear Children" and end them with "Love Dad". So for the rest of you who participate in these weekly messages, please keep their original intended purpose in mind.

29 August, 2010

Dear Children,

There was once a Roman Catholic by the name of Thomas Richards who had a life-saving, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. In other words, Brother Richards saw the Light and very quickly separated himself from the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) – The Great Whore Of Revelation – that had cursed him since early childhood. In fact, this is how Brother Richards tells his story:

“In 1997, I had a born again experience that was completely in tune with Scripture. I felt guilt for my sins and read the Bible when I was feeling terrible guilt and read what Jesus did for me in the New Testament. When I read it, I believed Jesus had died for me. Within days I was led through what is often known as a ‘sinner's prayer’. When I repeated the words in the prayer, I had a very powerful born again, life-changing experience. I then went to many different churches because the Bible suggests to the believer that he should find a church. As I went around to these churches, I felt, for one reason or another, that it wasn't right for me. One day, there was a storm, and I looked out of the apartment window and saw leaflets blowing all around. They were leaflets from Tony Alamo's ministry. When I read the leaflets I thought they were very good. He only quoted scripture from the King James Version of the Bible. When I called the phone number on the literature, I spoke with someone who talked just like the message had read. His doctrine seemed exactly right. He wasn't talking about a ‘God is all love’ kind of God like I heard in every other church I had been at. This person talked about the other side of God. The wrath. Which I believe to be a very important teaching to us through Scripture. I decided that I wanted to go there to be part of the church.”

So, that’s “in the beginning” with Brother Richards. And even though today’s message is entitled “Thomas Richards Is Not Spiritually Smart”, it certainly doesn’t mean that he was that way “in the beginning”. Because you see God has entrusted Brother Richards with some very special spiritual gifts that allow him to operate in the prophetic. In other words, he’s a prophet! And of course that’s the reason God directed Brother Richards to the Tony Alamo Ministry in the first place.

You see Tony Alamo is a prophet too. And the one thing he’s done right for such a very long time is to speak out against the Roman Catholic Religious System. In fact “The Pope’s Secrets” is just one of Brother Alamo’s many hard-hitting publications, and this is how that tract begins:

ARE THE IRS, FBI, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THE MAFIA AND LABOR UNIONS PART OF THE VATICAN?
IS THE POPE THE SUPER-BOSS OF ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AS WELL AS THE VATICAN?
The Vatican is posing as Snow White, but the Bible says that she is a prostitute, “the great whore,” a cult (Rev. 19:2). She uses government agency branches in every country, including the United States, as her vicious little dwarfs. The more power and control she gets in government, the more she will fade away into the background in her “Snow White” disguise so that government will be used and blamed for all her evil deeds.

Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Now that’s God’s Truth concerning the Roman Catholic Religious System in an easy to understand format. In fact the Tony Alamo Ministry first publicized “The Pope’s Secrets” in 1983, and since that time many “lost souls” have been converted from Roman Catholicism to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ because of it.

And while we’re on the subject of converting Roman Catholics, it was in June of 1984 that Alberto Rivera – an ex-Jesuit Priest – gave his testimony at the Tony Alamo Ministry in California. For seven (7) nights straight Brother Rivera testified of the unadulterated evil that he personally experienced as a Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest before coming into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact it was through the efforts of the Tony Alamo Ministry that this same testimony was made available to the public by way of radio broadcast and free cassette tapes so that many “lost souls” were converted from Roman Catholicism to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. (Listen to Alberto Rivera’s testimony online at http://www.fmh-child.org/AlbertoRivera.html.)

Tony Alamo has done much for the cause of Christ by exposing the darkness within the Roman Catholic Church – The Church Of Antichrist. And because of it, the attacks against him have been fierce. But of course the Word of God tells us to expect it:

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” (Luke 6:20-23 KJV)

So, without a doubt, Brother Alamo has taken the heat (prison time even) for speaking God’s Word as a true prophet! He’s hated by many professing Christians, not welcomed in their fellowship, and considered to be the worst of the worst in regards to the Government’s most recent attack on his name. And if that’s not bad enough already, one of them just so happens to be Thomas Richards!

Now that’s not any too “spiritually smart” Thomas Richards!!! I mean, after all, the Lord God Almighty was the One who directed you to be a part of the Tony Alamo Ministry. And regardless of what you might think, He hasn’t changed His mind!!!

But before we go there, let’s back up a moment and see how this “spiritually smart” thing actually got started. And what better source for this information than Brother Richards himself:

“To me being ‘spiritually smart’ simply meant ‘fearing God’. Because God likens the fear of Him to ‘wisdom’ a few times in Scripture. That's why I named my web site ‘spiritually smart’.”

Now if you will remember, it was “in the beginning” of Brother Richards’ Christian walk that the Lord directed him to the Tony Alamo Ministry for that exact same reason – the fear of God:

“His doctrine seemed exactly right. He wasn't talking about a ‘God is all love’ kind of God like I heard in every other church I had been at. This person talked about the other side of God. The wrath. Which I believe to be a very important teaching to us through Scripture.”

Tony Alamo Ministry teaches/preaches what most folks don’t want to hear, and that’s why the Lord God Almighty directed Brother Richards, in a supernatural sort of way I might add, to become one with them. Now that’s “spiritually smart”!

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28 KJV)

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6 KJV)

“The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.” (Nahum 1:5-6 KJV)

Well, as time went on, Thomas Richards grew in wisdom through the teachings of Alberto Rivera and Tony Alamo. And then came the day when Brother Thomas’ “Spiritually Smart” Web site was born:

“I was able to really believe a lot of the things Alberto Rivera said about the Catholic Church because when I had that born again experience I just instantly knew that the Catholic Church didn't have this truth. This simple biblical truth of salvation through Christ alone. And then I saw some video clips of the Pope praying to a statue of Mary and I knew that was idolatry… After listening to Alex Jones for about 3 years straight prior to that. Then when I saw no mention of the Vatican I looked into it and found overwhelming amounts of material that I thought was a cause for alarm. So I put the info together as I found it and made my first web page. It was really a myspace.com bulletin post… I started my work because as I looked into it I was convinced myself that the Vatican is the cause behind a lot of ‘stuff’. And then I relayed it on my site.”

So, what kind of ‘stuff’ do you think Brother Richards found on the Vatican? Would you believe a very real history of mass murder… and a whole lot more! That’s what he found, and then he published it for the whole wide world to see!

Praise God! Thomas Richards, the prophet, boldly stepped out in faith, in the fear of the Lord, and built a Web site that gave God the glory. It spoke God’s uncompromising truth about the Roman Catholic Whore and all the fornicating religious folks who’re in bed with her. The name of his Web site was “SpirituallySmart.com”, and, without a doubt, it was too hot for the Devil to handle. So what did the Devil do? He got Brother Richards to pull the plug, and “Spiritually Smart” is no more. (See “Thomas Richards, What Happened To ‘SPIRITUALLYSMART.COM’?” for more on this subject.)

So just how did the Devil get Brother Richards to voluntarily pull the plug on his very own God-designed Web site?

Well, it was really very simple. Because you see it was somewhere around 2005 that I personally discovered “SpirituallySmart.com” while searching out information on the Roman Catholic Church. I was truly amazed at all the information available. At that time Brother Richards was really focused on getting out God’s Truth. However, as the years passed by I started noticing some subtle changes that definitely weren’t of God. Because what I saw was way to much of Thomas Richards’ “face”:

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 KJV)

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17 KJV)

Now ain’t it amazing how the Devil works! Brother Richards was on a powerful mission for God, and doing a great work for the Lord, until he got his eyes off “Jesus” and on “himself”. I mean, give me a break… he even admits it!

“When I worked on spirituallysmart.com for the past however many years I felt like I talked somewhat robotic. That wasn't me. My work. Was a small part of me that became way too big for me to handle. I didn't want that to ever be my life. And I don't today… I started my work because as I looked into it I was convinced myself that the Vatican is the cause behind a lot of "stuff". And then I relayed it on my site. I sort of got addicted to what I did for a time. But it's like, that part is over. What did doing my work do for me? Nothing but make my life very complicated and strange.”

So what was Brother Richards complaining about? I mean, hasn’t he read what Jesus had to say in “The Beatitudes” about getting “blessed through suffering”?

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” (Luke 6:22-23 KJV)

Thomas Richards You see in the end Brother Richards’ “work” on his “Spiritually Smart” Web site turned out to be for “his glory” instead of “God’s glory”. He wanted to be accepted by man, but certainly not persecuted by man for the gospel’s sake… and that’s not a very “spiritually smart” way to be!

“What did doing my work do for me? Nothing but make my life very complicated and strange.”

I mean, let’s get real! When the “prophet” starts focusing on “himself”, (and whatever compromise it takes for “himself” to become rich and famous and accepted by all), the “false” word just all of the sudden becomes attached to his title:

“But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:24-26 KJV)

Without a doubt, Brother Richards is well on his way to becoming a “false prophet”… and the cumulative results have been devastating:

“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15 KJV)

And with that in mind, would you care to see a very small sample of Thomas Richards “justifying himself before men” in his most recent betrayal of the Tony Alamo Ministry blog? Would you believe it had everything to do with “Thomas Richards” not getting the recognition he so desperately wanted?

“That’s what always struck me as profound. Until I arrived at Alamo Ministries I was always a team player. I played sports my whole life. And then went through the military. Before that I did other things too. Bicycle tour through Massachusettes when I was 14. And Outward Bound when I was 16. And I was always "part of the team". For some reason I never fit in as "part of the team" at Alamo Ministries. It was the most peculiar thing I ever experienced. Because I really tried. I guess part of my zeal in continuing to support Alamo when he started sliding down that slippry slope he put himself on, was my last attempt to make it on the ‘Alamo Ministries Team’ but then as I became a star I fell in their eyes. And they fell in mine when I saw they were terribly wrong in so many ways.”

Brother Richards wants to be accepted by man, and he’s even willing to forsake his God-given friends to make it happen:

“I supported Alamo to a point. Let's not forget that. Alamo did that on purpose. He wanted to take down as many people as he could with him. So he remained cryptic until he was exposed during trial. The pathetic worm he is.”

Poor Brother Richards. Calling Brother Alamo a “pathetic worm” is certainly not what the Lord would have him to do. In fact that’s not even “spiritually smart” Brother Richards!

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:12-14 KJV)

You see “in the beginning” God Almighty instructed Thomas Richards to join hands with the Tony Alamo Ministry and fight the good fight of faith against “The Great Whore Of Revelation” … and that hasn’t changed. In fact it was shortly after the 20th of September 2008 raid on the Tony Alamo Ministry headquarters in Arkansas that the Lord told me to post a “TonyAlamo.com” link on our FMHCCI Web site in support of Tony Alamo… and that’s exactly what I did!

Now with that in mind, let’s review an account of what took place as “Snow White and her her vicious little dwarfs” did their dead-level best to destroy their “fiercest foe” – the Tony Alamo Ministry:

On September 20, 2008, federal and state investigative agents raided the Arkansas headquarters of the Tony Alamo Mministry, (a 15-acre compound near Texarkana, Arkansas), as part of a child pornography investigation. This investigation involved allegations of physical and sexual abuse and allegations of polygamy and underage marriage. Alamo denied the child abuse allegations. On September 25, 2008, Alamo was arrested by Arizona police and FBI agents in Flagstaff, Arizona, on a federal warrant out of Texarkana, Arkansas, federal court (case number 08-40020) on charges that he transported minors (as early as 1994) over state lines for sexual activity in violation of the Mann Act. On October 17, 2008, he pleaded not guilty, and his case was set for trial. On October 22, 2008, Alamo's former followers testified in court during a preliminary hearing that Alamo had practiced polygamy and had taken a eight-year-old girl as a wife. On December 2, 2008, a judge in Arkansas unsealed a federal indictment that included eight new charges against Alamo. The 74-year-old Alamo, who remained jailed while awaiting trial, originally faced two charges of taking minor girls across state lines for sex. The eight new counts were similar and involved four new alleged victims. His trial began on July 13, 2009, and on July 24, 2009, Alamo was found guilty on all ten federal counts. He was sentenced to 175 years in prison on November 13, 2009. On January 13, 2010, each of five women who testified to sexual abuse by Alamo were awarded US$500,000 in restitution, for a total judgment of US$2.5 million. He is currently incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Tucson in Federal Correctional Complex, Tucson, with the Federal Bureau of Prisons ID number 00305-112.

So, there you have an account of what happened… but the question remains, “What really did happen?”

Well, what we do know is that the Lord God Almighty wants us to support Tony Alamo and his ministry. And, as it concerns the charges brought against him, the Lord wants me to present the following three facts on behalf of Brother Alamo:

#1 – On the 23rd of September 2008 – three days after the raid on the Tony Alamo Ministry, and two days before his arrest – Greg Szymanski interviewed Tony Alamo on his radio show. Details were given of the 100+ federal and local police (some with black ski mask and machine guns) taking siege of the Tony Alamo Ministry headquarters. And, of course, the news coverage was convincingly in favor of the Vatican’s raid. Then at approximately 47 minutes into the interview Brother Alamo brings up the facts that both “polygamy” and “child marriages” are Biblical practices.

- Tony Alamo Interview (9/23/08) -
(Download MP3)

#2 – In August of 2009, Tony Alamo published a message entitled “Legally Married At Puberty”.

#3 – In April of 2010, Tony Alamo published a message entitled “The Many Wives Of The Holy Men Of God (The Polygamists) – Every Jew And Every Arab That Has Ever Lived, Including The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Comes From Polygamists Parents: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, And The Twelve Tribes Of Israel”.

Now, I totally agree with the majority of what Brother Alamo said in the interview and article as being Biblically correct. In fact it was not too many months ago that the Lord had me to research the facts on what I consider to be God’s perfect marriage of Isaac and Rebekah (Rebecca). God the Father in Heaven chose Isaac’s bride to be, and she was a child bride too.

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How Old Was Rebekah When She Became Bethrothed To Isaac?

It is clear from the Torah that Rebecca was born right after the Binding of Isaac – see Genesis, end of chapter 22. Isaac was 40 years old at the time of his marriage to Rebecca (Genesis 25:20) and 60 when Jacob and Esau were born (Genesis 25:26). The key to finding out Rebecca’s age at the time of her marriage and her age when her children were born is calculating how old Isaac was at the time of the Binding.

According to one view, Sarah passed away immediately after the Binding, as the events are recorded near each other in the Torah. She passed away at 127; since she was 90 when Isaac was born, he was 37 at the time of the Binding and when Rebecca was born. Isaac and Rebecca got married three years later, when Isaac was forty and Rebecca was three years old. During the first ten years of their marriage, until she was thirteen, Rebecca was too young to bear children. After that, they waited for ten years before concluding that she was barren and praying for children. This is the opinion of Rashi; see his commentary on Genesis 25:26.

The second view is that Sarah did not pass away immediately after the Binding but rather eleven years later. Isaac was therefore 26 when Rebecca was born. Rebecca married Isaac at age 14 and was 34 years old when the children were born. This view is supported by the fact that Rebecca is called a na’arah – maiden - before her marriage (Genesis 24:16), and this term is generally used for girls over the age of 12. Additionally, there is a Midrash which states that Rebecca lived to age 133. Jacob was 99 years old at the time of her passing, which would mean that Rebecca was 34 when he was born and 14 when she got married.

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Tony Alamo teaches/preaches the truth concerning God’s design of the marital relationship. However, it is our Government, backed by the powers of darkness in the Vatican of Rome, that continues to pervert God’s design of sex through the legalization of pornography, abortions, and homosexual marriages… and that’s why they had to silence Brother Alamo!

Tony Alamo is innocent of the false charges that have imprisoned him for an unbelievable 175 years. Read the facts for yourself, and then ask the Lord if they are true. I know they are! Here’s a sample of what you’ll find at http://www.alamoministries.com/Newsletters/08300.pdf:

“As is well-known from all the media coverage, the government initially raided your office and home looking for child pornography. When they found none, and were left with absolutely no proof to these horrendous lies, they had to convince young girls that lived on the property to testify falsely against you to make their charges stick. They thoroughly questioned the 6 girls they took in the raid, hoping they could find something they could use against you, but of course, there was nothing they could say. Another girl they went after was my niece, Desireé Kolbek. She initially wouldn’t comply with them, so the FBI had to come up with a plan to pressure her to bring her false testimony.”

And with that in mind, let’s get back to Thomas Richards and his “pathetic worm” accusation against Brother Alamo. Why would he say such a thing about his God-given friend?

“But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” (Hebrews 10:32-35 KJV)

(Listen to Greg Szymanski’s January the 16th 2009 radio interview with investigative reporter Tom Friess and former government agent John Peeler [who refused to target/assassinate Tony Alamo] for more truth about their lies.)

- Greg/Tom/John Interview (1/16/09) -
(Download MP3)

Well, Brother Paul penned the preceding words to those who had been willing to support him during his imprisonment for preaching God’s Truth. It was truly a letter of encouragement to those whose support for him had cost them dearly!

Now would anybody care to guess the reason God Almighty gave me that particular Scripture for Thomas Richards? Well, the answer to that one is pretty simple: it’s everything that Thomas Richards ain’t willing to be for Jesus!

Thomas Richards You see “in the beginning” of Brother Richards miraculous conversion from Roman Catholicism to Christianity, he became “illuminated” with God’s Truth through his association with the Tony Alamo Ministry. However, unlike those who supported Brother Paul, when Brother Richards’ time of testing came about he disassociated himself from Brother Alamo by publicly calling him a “pathetic worm”. And, of course, the reason for him doing such a dastardly deed was not only to save his “face” but all his earthly possessions as well (which even included his family). In other words, Brother Richards wasn’t willing to give it all up for Jesus by suffering with Brother Alamo for the cause of Christ:

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22 KJV)

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38-39 KJV)

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6 KJV)

The “wrath of God” comes upon the “children of disobedience”… and Thomas Richards has made the choice to be one of them!

But the question remains, “Has Thomas Richards passed the point of no return by refusing to suffer along with Tony Alamo for the cause of Christ?”

Well, there’s one thing for sure! If Thomas Richards has any hope of resurrecting from his “spiritually dead condition” he must change his attitude real quick:

“My belief of what the Vatican is doesn't have much to do with Tony Alamo. People will want to try to connect these things in an attempt to attack truth. They have their agenda. That's easy to see. I have a reason for writing what I write. What's their reason for attacking me? That sounds personal.”

You see contrary to what Thomas Richards might say, his belief of “what the Vatican is” has everything to do with Tony Alamo. Because if Thomas Richards plans to reconcile with God he must put his original “SpiritualSmart.com” back in place on the Internet… complete with all the original support he gave Tony Alamo and the ministry God gave him.

“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (2 Corinthians 5:7-11 KJV)

So, the question for Thomas Richards is, “How Do You Want Your Fire… Now Or Later?”

In closing, please let the example of Thomas Richards be a good example of what not to do! Don’t be a fool! Keep on keeping the faith in Jesus!!!

(See "Tony Alamo: My Brother The Messianic Jew!" for more on this subject.)

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)
Email: bruce@fmh-child.org
Web: www.fmh-child.org

PS: The Thomas Richards diatribe on Tony Alamo, from which the quotes in today’s message were taken, can be found below.

Update: It is truly amazing what some "Christians" will do to avoid God's correction... and their needed repentance. I spoke God's Word in love to save a soul, but yet Thomas Richards is trying his best to discredit God's Word as spoken through me. I believe they call it blackmail. Read it for yourself.

TR Blackmail

“ALL FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS”

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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Thomas Richards on Tony Alamo (A Rebuttal)

In 1997, I had a born again experience that was completely in tune with Scripture. I felt guilt for my sins and read the Bible when I was feeling terrible guilt and read what Jesus did for me in the New Testament. When I read it, I believed Jesus had died for me. Within days I was led through what is often known as a "sinner's prayer". When I repeated the words in the prayer, I had a very powerful born again, life-changing experience. I then went to many different churches because the Bible suggests to the believer that he should find a church.

As I went around to these churches, I felt, for one reason or another, that it wasn't right for me. One day, there was a storm, and I looked out of the apartment window and saw leaflets blowing all around. They were leaflets from Tony Alamo's ministry. When I read the leaflets I thought they were very good. He only quoted scripture from the King James Version of the Bible. When I called the phone number on the literature, I spoke with someone who talked just like the message had read. His doctrine seemed exactly right. He wasn't talking about a "God is all love" kind of God like I heard in every other church I had been at. This person talked about the other side of God. The wrath. Which I believe to be a very important teaching to us through Scripture.

I decided that I wanted to go there to be part of the church. I didn't know what I was asking really, but they said I could go out there and help out with their work. When I got there, I was just in time for Sunday afternoon services. When I sat down, I remember the songs were very biblical and uplifting. I found their singing very nice and the Lord ministered to me. I remember also the testimonies were very powerful and similar to my testimony.

Every thing was very Bible oriented. There was a lot of prayer, Bible reading groups, Bible support groups, and handing out of the gospel literature which to me, were good and had a sound bible message to them.

This is the part that I usually spoke about in public. Although there was another side and there were some strange occurrences while I was there. Like some of the people I found to be extremely odd. I had grown up in New York and went through the military and saw my fair share of characters. But I never met any religious characters like the ones I met there.

Beside a lot of these characters, there were some very sincere Christians living there. At that time, Tony Alamo was in jail "for the gospel" as they repeated this over and over again. "... False witnesses...they did it to Jesus too... the Bible says 'blessed are you when you're persecuted for His sake' .. and as the Apostle Paul stated.. 'and all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution' ... "

I just kind of sat back and waited for something to happen that would show me clearly that this church wasn't of the Lord and wasn't where I was supposed to be... but when things did occur... there were people there ready to tell me from the Bible what I was going through. There are many verses in the Bible about suffering tribulation. So for a while that worked (let's remember that I stayed there for a about three years total and that wasn't consecutive).

But when I left, it seemed it was set up for me to have to leave. It seemed to be some misunderstanding and there were reports that weren't 100% accurate etc and so my attachment to the group didn't immediately die.

There was a lot to like about them I thought. Their main function was to get out "gospel messages", after all. It wasn't until about a year ago that I realized that Tony Alamo did that to make himself look like someone special. Besides getting out gospel messages we were told to buy meals for anyone who asked us. And we would sit with them and "witness" to them and tell them there's a place where they could serve God. And going around the country I didn't see any other churches like Alamo's.

I was able to really believe a lot of the things Alberto Rivera said about the Catholic Church because when I had that born again experience I just instantly knew that the Catholic Church didn't have this truth. This simple biblical truth of salvation through Christ alone. And then I saw some video clips of the Pope praying to a statue of Mary and I knew that was idolatry. So people have attacked me now for supporting Alberto Rivera, and I think they're missing the point. The point is this Vatican power is definitely provable. And the Vatican has a very real history of mass murder. And much more.

My belief of what the Vatican is doesn't have much to do with Tony Alamo. People will want to try to connect these things in an attempt to attack truth. They have their agenda. That's easy to see. I have a reason for writing what I write. What's their reason for attacking me? That sounds personal.

So after I left Alamo ministries I stayed in touch with Alamo through emails and phone calls every so often. One time my son had just been born and he had what's called malrotation of his intestines. The doctor had told me beforehand that he doubts he'll be able to help my boy. But he'll try. All I can say is that I felt like my life was over. I had never felt so much pain inside. I called Tony Alamo and asked for prayer and he prayed and I can't remember what he said but I was weeping to the Lord to not take my boy. As we waited, the doctor came out and told me, "I think your boy is going to be okay. Every once in a while God looks down and does something like what He just did right there" And I felt so relieved. My boy is all the more precious to me because of that experience. I'll never forget that God gave him to me.

And so I didn't think it was exactly a curse that when I prayed with Alamo, God healed my boy. And I think Alamo is a disgusting reprobate. Let's get that out of the way right now. But circumstances had me to, for a time, believe Alamo was legit.

Oh this is so awful isn't it? how seedy. What a bad man I am. I just wasn't convinced the same time others were convinced right? And because they believed what they believed before I did. I'm a bad guy right? I'm complicit? The people who act that way have no respect for anybody. They just run over people and assault them with lies and accusations just because they believe Alamo was guilty sooner than I did. As soon as I saw Alamo was guilty I publicly denounced him. Should I have done that BEFORE I thought Alamo was guilty? Is that what you want??

I went to Alamo Ministries as a Christian looking for a Church. I thought I had found that in Alamo Ministries. For a time. A short time.

Posted by Thomas Richards at 8:06 PM

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

For the past full year I have lived in regret. Unable to even hardly speak on the matter. For the whole time I knew Tony Alamo it was a roller coaster ride of slow ascensions, fast decensions, fast turns and a sudden end. The whole time I held on with all I had. It wasn't until the trial and after the trial that Tony Alamo's true nature truly was exposed. That is when I realized and saw the truth. The prosecution against Alamo had witnesses that were not even made public until the trial. Yet videos came out of young girls being interviewed by CPS beforehand. Yes I was persuaded by these interviews to think Alamo Ministries were being unjustly targeted. I don't understand why a normal person could not look at these facts and see this. What it is, is they don't WANT to see this. They would just rather remember me before I had any real proof of any alleged crimes. The kicking myself is over. Now it's time to defend myself. Because I truly am a victim myself in all this.

Posted by Thomas Richards at 12:28 PM

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I can't blame my attackers

Most of the people who verbally assaulted me had perfect right to. I was very insulting to victims of Alamo. I see it that way. Even though the victims were anonymous (for good reason). I wouldn't even blame people for hating me forever for supporting Alamo the way I did on the internet. I hated being in that position. It was very uncomfortable for me. Because I didn't yet know all the facts. I just went on the facts I DID know. That isn't completly absurd to do. My writings were constantly being thrown out there by anonymous entities here and there. To many I'm sure it looked like I was directly involved in that and so they thought I deserved the words I received in response. On my web site I was writing how I saw things, what I saw and therefore concluded. Some of it was right but some of it was wrong and misguided (especially info that tied into Tony Alamo). I have to deal with this disgrace in the eyes of my extended family and close friends and even coworkers.

So here I am hated by the Alamos and hated by many anti Alamos. So I guess I'm just the odd guy out.

That's all for now...

Posted by Thomas Richards at 2:32 PM

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

oh but... it's not all bad

God has really blessed me too. People who know me have to know this. There was a reason why I was at Alamo Ministries. I have to believe that because of the wonderful family He (Jesus, NOT Tony Alamo) has given me. That's why I can still go forward. And must! What do I want to do now? I want to be used by God somehow. Somewhere. That's my true hope.

Posted by Thomas Richards at 3:02 PM

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

So the question has become "Who is Thomas Richards?"

I think that's a good thing to really think about. Who are we? Where have I been, where am I now and where am I going? It's funny that I'm writing this because I'm writing this for me right now (I'm saying this because I know it will be public). But it's true. These are my thoughts. Which version should I tell? I can tell of a "great" Thomas Richards who has been saved for the past 13 years now, or I can tell of the public failure who totally demolished his credibility in one shot (or many more.. depending on who YOU are..) But let's be brutally honest. "It is what it is" That's a good saying. So simple yet so true. It is what it is. I am that I am? No. God said that. He doesn't change. No, but us, we small failure types, failures in God. We have a different path. We haven't "arrived yet" (like God) No. We grow and hopefully learn from our mistakes. And the paths we have traveled. So according to God. How should I look at myself? How would God see it? After all, isn't that the most important thing? And what should I hope for in the future. The good news is I have very high hopes for the future. I thank God for that. Like I remember seeing clearly at one point in my life. And I don't know if I can relay it correctly now. But I remember thinking that God is able. To do with me things that I never thought possible. I remember seeing that so clear. That God was going to do with me what He wanted in spite of myself. He's that great. No, the truth is. I've been very hard on myself for the past 13 years. And Tony Alamo really helped that along. But what strengths have I received from it? Can we look at that? What benefit will come out of what I've been through?

Posted by Thomas Richards at 3:18 PM

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I've been wanting to do this for a long time...

... just talk like this. So people can get to know ME. When I worked on spirituallysmart.com for the past however many years I felt like I talked somewhat robotic. That wasn't me. My work. Was a small part of me that became way too big for me to handle. I didn't want that to ever be my life. And I don't today. I did that work for a reason. To show myself what was going on. After listening to Alex Jones for about 3 years straight prior to that. Then when I saw no mention of the Vatican I looked into it and found overwhelming amounts of material that I thought was a cause for alarm. So I put the info together as I found it and made my first web page. It was really a myspace.com bulletin post. Because that's where I started being exposed to all different kinds of activists. I had all kinds on my "friend list". It amazed me what people were claiming to believe. Yet they feel that way about me very often so I can't really judge them. Although I base my believe on something more powerful than human sense or logic. When I got saved I knew it was the truth. Period. I would challenge them on why they believe what they believe. But I want to stay on topic. I started my work because as I looked into it I was convinced myself that the Vatican is the cause behind a lot of "stuff". And then I relayed it on my site. I sort of got addicted to what I did for a time. But it's like, that part is over. What did doing my work do for me? Nothing but make my life very complicated and strange.

A lot of people may not be interested in "who" I am. But I'm doing this for a reason. I believe that. Because it feels right.

Posted by Thomas Richards at 3:46 PM

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I was always a team player...

That's what always struck me as profound. Until I arrived at Alamo Ministries I was always a team player. I played sports my whole life. And then went through the military. Before that I did other things too. Bicycle tour through Massachusettes when I was 14. And Outward Bound when I was 16. And I was always "part of the team". For some reason I never fit in as "part of the team" at Alamo Ministries. It was the most peculiar thing I ever experienced. Because I really tried. I guess part of my zeal in continuing to support Alamo when he started sliding down that slippry slope he put himself on, was my last attempt to make it on the "Alamo Ministries Team" but then as I became a star I fell in their eyes. And they fell in mine when I saw they were terribly wrong in so many ways. I supported Alamo to a point. Let's not forget that. Alamo did that on purpose. He wanted to take down as many people as he could with him. So he remained cryptic until he was exposed during trial. The pathetic worm he is.

Posted by Thomas Richards at 6:53 PM

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I was always a team player... 2

...until I went to Alamo Ministries. I felt like my life there consisted of picking people apart, and their words apart, putting them on report to "Pastor Tony" or I was defending myself against a report put in on me. Sometimes words can be so vague and open to interpretation and Tony used to interpret. My jaw would drop open at some of the responses I received from Alamo.

But I can't sit here and not take some blame. It was the environment I was made a product of. That was not healthy. And here we were picking everyone else apart except the "Pastor". In the time I was at Alamo Ministries I met Tony Alamo one time and I saw his his house one time. The time I met him was after a funeral. A brother there had died of cancer (yes, i did consider him a brother and I still do. The man was nothing but kind and uplifting to be around). And the time I saw Tony Alamo's house it was to either deliver an item to his garage or to pick it up (it was ten years ago already). And all we did was get the item (or drop it off) and we left. I didn't see anyone except maybe a few watchmen.

Before I left for Alamo Ministries, and I was still in Long Island I was told that Alamo Ministries was a cult. But I was convinced by talking to two separate members of Alamo Ministries that it was most certainly NOT a cult and they had a rap down on it that made it totally sound like it was just "persecution". Isn't that something. That was the last thing Alamo claimed before being hauled off to the Federal Penitentiary for 175 years. "I'm just another prophet being persecuted for the gospel" That's something I'll never forget. Amazing how so many people saw that before me. It's quite embarrassing. "spiritually smart" I bet people laugh. Although I'm sure most people misunderstand that title anyway. To me being "spiritually smart" simply meant "fearing God". Because God likens the fear of Him to "wisdom" a few times in Scripture. That's why I named my web site "spiritually smart".

Posted by Thomas Richards at 4:53 PM

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Email I sent to Alamo Ministries on 12/15/08

(Let me first say it was incredibly hard writing this message to Alamo Ministries. Up until this point I had thought Tony Alamo was a sincere Christian and thought Alamo Ministries was a well meaning church. Furthermore, it was before the trial for Tony Alamo began and therefore there were no witnesses bringing forth their testimonies yet in a court of law where a man would be able to defend himself. I had to really wait until that happened before I could publicly renounce Alamo. I felt like I owed them the benefit of the doubt. After hitting the streets with them day in day out with gospel literature, going to bible meetings, support groups, prayer meetings, etc etc. I wanted to see Tony Alamo defend himself. He did not. He admitted to the crimes. Also, I believed the testimonies against him. All I will say about that is, he's in prison for life. And I don't think that will be too long. Then he has to face God. ..... Also keep in mind I have grown a lot since I wrote this. Grown in many ways. Especially in God and in understanding of God. It wasn't long after this email that it I saw who Tony Alamo for who he really is. And I have a much closer look. I had a lot of dealings with Tony Alamo while in his "church" through taped messages from him with hand written faxes from me. When I realized Tony Alamo was wrong I was able to see a lot of other things he was wrong about. An example of this would be I felt he was especially extra antogonistic toward the government. I believe I incorperated some of that into my work and I realized that I don't want to come across that way because it's not me and I don't believe it's of God. The prophets and apostles were always very respectful to all kings and government officials.)

"Sent: 12/15/08 6:41:27 P.M. Eastern Standard Time" (sent to Tony Alamo's "office".)

"...the church (alamo ministries) is in effect destroyed. no one can move in their with their families if they wanted to. if they did their children would be taken away. The parents, like the Krantzes should do whatever it takes to get their children. in the message you just sent me you stated that they should stay to listen to messages. but they dont need to stay to listen to messages. they can get messages wherever they are. the Krantzes will lose their children for good if they don't play their game. There's no other way around it right now. especially if you have no defense. They should at least appeal every decision to the higher court. and if that fails they should get their kids.

and when the Lord talks about loving father, mother sister child more then the Lord it states before that because they were set at variance against one another. but this isnt the case with the Krantzes for instance.

also, i had to really retract a lot of my support for the church because of what looked like tony justifying marrying very young girls (10 or 11) with the reference to jasher and the "well documented" age of Mary. Anyone will look at that at think he is using those things to justify pedophilia.

what a way to introduce the book of Jasher to people. "Rebecca was married at 10" ??

I believe it's illegal what they are doing to you. But those references are not going to help anyone in the church.

here's what i'm beginning to think. That Tony really blew it with the Lord and destroyed the church.

i know i probably sound like a very bad person for saying this but i wasn't quick to say this. but that last message really crossed the line where he refers to jasher and Mary. i cant support that statement. that's not the gospel of Christ. He says Jasher is authentic and it's the Bible. how come he didn't tell me that when i sent him that book? he acted like he didn't even get it from me.

regardless of that. there might be corruptions in that book of jasher. IF it is bible at all. I feel badly about what I'm saying. I wish it wasn't true. but it seems true and for tony to say that people would be leaving the Lord to get their kids is awful.

the church is gone. And it may be because of tony. if he did those things he is being accused of. even some of the things then he destroyed the church. it sounds like he did those things because he refers to jasher and mary. if he is guilty he very evil for that. i cant say he's innocent because I wasn't there. there's no way I could guarantee he didn't do those things.

and i believe the government wanted to nail him for a long time as they do all political dissidents. But if tony gave them a reason to get him then it's on his own head.

Tommy Richards"

(And once again this was before I realized tony alamo was really guilty. and i thought his church was being attacked only for "allegations" and no hard proof or good cause.)

Posted by Thomas Richards at 10:04 PM

Thursday, June 24, 2010

"Tony Alamo"

There were things I always thought were strange about Tony Alamo. By "strange" I mean things that didn't add up. Like the name, "Tony Alamo". I remember around 2001 and I had been in and out of Alamo Ministries twice already and I was working at my job that I've had for 17 years to make my living. And the Internet was still very young at that time. And I was searching around the internet to read about Tony Alamo. One day I found there was a 45 (record) on eBay by a singer named "Tony Alamo" (W/ Danny Kaye) so I bought it. I had Tony Alamo's phone number at this point. And the number I didn't get from him. I got it from my wife. My wife had come to Alamo Ministries around 2000 and Tony gave his precious number out to her. But not to me. Even though I requested to talk to him several times. That was something an "O.C." (Older Christian) couldn't just do. He could never put Tony Alamo "on the spot". Like if I wanted to talk to Tony Alamo directly about something I was always told to "write it up". If I would ask one of the O.C.'s to call Tony Alamo they would tell me to "write it up" and ask myself. So the first time I talked to Tony Alamo on the phone it was him calling me. He called me because there was a new "B.C." (baby christian), a single mom in the church who supposedly had a "supernatural dream" that she married me. So she put that on the "ask Tony list". So then Tony calls me and he says, "Is there anyone in the church you like?" So the first thing I thought of was Lisa. I said "yes, I like Lisa." (i didn't like her, I loved her). Tony blew that off and he said, "Because there's a certain sister who thinks she wants to marry you, is there anyone else?" LOL just think about that. As if that's how I was supposed to be in the church. I didn't even consciously look to have feelings for anyone! "Is there anyone else..." (NO! lol!) and here I was killing myself ("going through the fire" they call it) for having feelings for just Lisa and he says, "is there anyone else?" I just realized how crazy that is. But I actually began to think about every other single woman there to see again if anyone was standing out and I began going through the list and I was praying and asking God who this sister is that Tony Alamo was talking about. And then I realized who exactly it was and it was the last person on earth I would ever want to marry and I said, "I know who it is.." and I told Tony it was the woman who I remember was staring me down unashamedly in the foyer of the church building one day. So Tony said, "you don't want to marry her?" I was like, "no way lol" Tony was like alright, and I maybe said one more thing because I was dumbstruck. Tony Alamo was made out to be such a big shot in that church. They would go down all the awards and achievements of Alamo. How he was asked to manage the Beatles and all this stuff. And Alamo would back some of this stuff up. He did personally know famous people. It's true. And to hear he and Susy were personal friends of Elvis, I mean, how could anyone not be impressed with that? I was. Elvis is a freaking icon. Are you kidding me? So I thought Tony Alamo was a huge star. And a star for God. I thought he was a highly chosen vessel of God. I thought Tony Alamo's salvation testimony was exactly as he stated as well. I believed it because I had a supernatural salvation experience and know it could happen just the way Tony explained how it happened to him. I still don't know what the truth is regarding that. I'll let God judge that one. Because it's possible Tony had an experience "like" the one he tells about. And it's possible that he just fell away from God and gave in to his former ways Tony brags about in his literature. About how he hated women and thought they were all pigs etc.

But getting back to the record by "Tony Alamo" I had found on eBay. So some time after that when I had Tony on the phone I asked him about the record. And he told me, "oh that was another Tony Alamo" And I thought, "another Tony Alamo?.... huh?.. another SINGER named Tony Alamo who even kind of sounded like Tony Alamo?" Well to me there was something similar about their voices. But I kept wondering why he was staying with this fake "Tony Alamo" name. His real name was "Bernie Hoffman". Wouldn't that have made a better impression on the world? But I wondered why he named himself after someone who was already an established singer? And part of Alamo's testimony is he changed his name to "Tony Alamo" because the Italians were making it as singers. And so Tony Alamo "took the random name Tony Alamo" because of that reason. But that doesn't make sense. There ALREADY WAS A FAMOUS SINGER NAMED TONY ALAMO!!. Was Tony Alamo hoping to continue Tony Alamo's career? I just don't understand this and would love to hear Tony's explanation of all this...

And in spite of the contradictions as I mulled it all over I still couldn't find good and clear cause to condemn the whole church. I still was thinking the good they did outweighed the bad. It wasn't until all was made manifest at the trial and afterward that I realized being in that church (cult) was bad. And mainly only led people astray and into an illegal based operation.

Posted by Thomas Richards at 10:43 AM

Thursday, June 24, 2010

More on Alamo and the Authorities

In another blog post I talked about Alamo and how he seemed to especially try to antagonise government agencies with his "literature". And then I've been thinking about how every single prophet and apostle was very respectful to all authorities "whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well." 1 Peter 2:13, 14

But how much worse is it for Alamo to have done these atrocious evil deeds and then actually try to blame the government for his "persecutions"?

I liked the comment someone left so much that I'd like to include it in this blog:

"I think these are really good points you make Tommy. I spent some time at Alamo ministries myself (not very long, about 2 years total) and I followed what was going on with him and the families whose children were taken.

I have a lot of thoughts about what you wrote:

1) Like you say, the people of God were very respectful to the government officials even when they were very ungodly. We see examples of people such as Daniel who said to the King "Oh King live forever!" when the Lord protected him and the King had in fact thrown him into the pit. The three Hebrew children were even very respectful in refusing to bow down to idols. Not nasty like Alamo always was, but just humbly telling the leaders that they worshipped God and would not bow down to an idol. To King Ahasuerus (who at that point was an unsaved person), Esther and Mordechai were very kind and respectful. And many more examples.

Also the whole thing with the families having their children taken... it now seems to me so clear what went on and what a tragedy it all is. Alamo was posting "prophesies" on his website that "things would be getting much worse".. Then the children were taken. But then, instead of following the demands of the government officials who were now in control of their children, they refused to obey their orders which were not sinful! I do not believe for a second that the parents would have had to sin to obey the government agencies to try to get their children back. They were told to seek employment outside the alamo organization and that they could still attend services there but they just needed to demonstrate they were not abdicating their parental authority to alamo since he was a known child abuser/molestor. How does this violate the scriptures to do?! That seems to me like the kind of thing God would put people through when they had been sinning (he would lead Israel into capitivity, then they would repent and the Lord would destroy their enemies). So here, I think maybe this is like the curses in the book of Deuteronomy 28 because the TA followers had been following TA more than God, beleiving his interpretation of the scriptures, whatever he said, slanting truth based upon his opinion of things. Just basically worshipping him. Their children were taken away while they stared with longing...

Another really crazy thing, is on his website around the time when the children were taken TA had been quoting the scripture that he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he was using that to mean that the parents would be sinning against hte Lord (and not worthy of Him) if they tried to comply with the government officials to get their children back. But that is just so twisted to say! Like Tommy you say above, that scripture is obviously talking about family members who have rejected the Lord and saying that a Christian can't sin in order to please their family members. This has absolutely no bearing on complying with some neutral orders in order to see ones children to whom the Lord has entrusted them! In fact, the Bible commands them to raise their children in the Lord! Obviously to care for their children! So the sin would be in abandoning their children! I think TA is actually equating himself with God here and is therefore totally antichrist... When TA says "he who loves his father and mother more than ME" the "me" he is referring to is himself.. Because he was just telling them "you cannot abandon me (TA) or you'll go to Hell" Anyway, I could go on, but I think these are some of the major points this all makes me think about..."

Posted by Thomas Richards at 12:43 PM