Kent Hovind is still blogging…from jail!
His sentencing is on 19 January, he’s busy “saving” men (five so far!), and he has been without a pillow for 8 days. They play the TV too loud.
His fellow inmates are “starved for real affection.” This could get disturbing fast.
He has a list of reasons why God allowed him to be tossed in jail. One is to make him more like Jesus.
The insanity will go on.
Gotta keep those donations flowing in; we wouldn’t want him having to pay those back taxes out of his own money, would we?
Well, it sounds like he’s going to be getting *nailed* pretty soon… ;/
Couldn’t resist.
In all seriousness…he still doesn’t understand that he’s exactly the sort of person Jesus supposedly threw out of the temple, does he? *sighs*
Nuke the planet from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
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I remember reading, way back when, that disgraced religious con man Jim Bakker had to clean prison toilets for ten cents an hour during his own incarceration. That image has stayed in my memory all these years, lit by the warm golden glow of honest Justice.
May Kent Hovind star in some equally happy cautionary tales in the decades to come.
Heh. I’m wondering: If you’re ALREADY “born again,” what does your parole board think of the argument “I’ve given my life over to Christ and I’m a reformed man”?
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Isn’t it strange that “Because I am guilty” doesn’t appear on his list of reasons God has let him go to jail?
What do you mean, “No.”
It already is pretty disturbing. Is blogging (and computer access in general) from jails the norm these days? That and similar access from psychiatric wards could explain some of the BBC site usage. Mostly though I’ve suspected that the criminal and mental health systems here (UK) are feeble enough that many people wouldn’t be put inside in the first place, or would soon get let out again. Eg
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2461971,00.html
for a really good time, read the comments. my favorite is the eighth grader who used to believe we came from rocks 4.5 billion years ago but after seeing ‘all’ of hovinds seminars dvds and other material saw the light through jesus. should check out his blog he has a link on his name. it’s an eighth graders.
seems like this is a case study of the early development of creationists. that is fascinating. wonder how it will turn out.
Check this out for the first comment if nothing else:
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/246/
At least whoever who is in control of the blog is posting all comments unlike Hovind who didn’t.
The comment from Lynn Shea Blackmon goes over the top, but one would agree that Hovind should confess to his sins or what he has done wrong, if he is truly repentant.
Reading the comments is extremely depressing. It appears that being a creationist leads you to becoming entirely credulous about any number of conspiracy theories about 9/11, the New World Order, the IRS, FEMA, and on and on.
The display of sheer ignorance on show is simply breathtaking.
“If the case is not reversed, I face anywhere from parole to 7 to 12 years.”
…Wait, what? That’s all?!
Personally, I want to know more about these “water heaters made out of toothbrushes” that he’s talking about. Are these like the friendly dinosaurs on the ark, or is this an actual fact? You’re missing the real ISSUES here, PZ, ; )
My question is that, given the statistics of religious (read Christian) people in gaol being something like 99.9%, has Kent somehow been interred in a hot bed of atheists and heretics?
Or is he just making this shit up, like Man living with dinosaurs…?
So know that he is in prison he hates prison and thinks they do little good and much harm. Nice to see he’d accept a beating or execution though as being more humane.
Interesting.
Nuke the planet from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
Heh. It never occurred to me before, but that’s a good quote to keep handy.
So this is how Christianity contributes to the moral strength of society? It allows a guy who has cheated on his taxes and broken the law to view himself as a martyr and build a fantasy around himself that insulates him from any introspection and personal responsibility. I’ve noted it provides a similar service to people like Ken Lay and Jack Abramoff. Good job, Christianity!
This is a little off-topic, but I listened to Nature’s Podcast today, and it seems the editors noticed (and responded to) the uproar that publishing a certain letter last week caused in the blogosphere (specifically, they mention Pharyngula). I’m not sure if PZ has heard this or already commented on it…..but I don’t think I’ve missed any posts this week.
As far as Hovind, it’s amazing to see the very rubes he was fleecing (for 6 figures a year) pray for his release….don’t churches have collection plates..wouldn’t dumping your money there be an easier way to part with it?
-PBC.
Tactitus you are correct, most creationists also believe in a variety of other woo, and conspiracy theories.
The reasons for this would seem to me to be the following:
1) They are credulous people, who tend to believe and authoritative enough voice easily, if they can identify with that voice. Hence why preachers who espouse creationism is so annoying.
2) Creationism is kind of a “gateway drug” in that once they start moving in creationist circles, they get exposed to the other “theories”
3) Once they are in, if they reject the one piece of crazy, the rest is endangered. So their mental happiness relies on them remaining credulous.
I’m not sure why allowing psychiatric patients internet access is a bad thing. They’re not in a psych ward to be punished, they’re there to recieve medical treatment, the same as someone in, say, an oncology ward is.
Kayla:
I think you could go both ways on that. Depends a lot on the psychiatric status of the patient — the end result could be anything from complete coherence to a flood of meaningless drivel to a coordinated attempt at escape for a dangerous patient. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it per se, but I think it a wise idea to include it as a patient privilege rather than a utility.
Hovind: “Every cop, judge, and politician needs to spend a week locked up before they take office. It changes your outlook on many things.”
Wow, he actually said something reasonably sensible!
He’s not smart enough to be a queen, and I can’t see him as being coordinated enough to be a warriorer. He does latch onto things an not let go, and he’s really hard to pin down –
Yea, facehugger.
Prisoners are allowed to write to family. Family can certainly post the letters. I haven’t seen anything that suggested that Hovind himself is at a keyboard and surfing E-bay for cake-encased files.
And did you see he has compared himself to Corrie Ten Boom? I call Godwin’s Law on his blog. It’s over.
I think the other reason Creationists might accept other nonsense is that many of the believe Hovind type lies about there being a world conspiracy of scientists, intent on suppressing the Truth. Once you believe this, it is probably easier to be taken in when someone else says “Oh yes, this works, but scientists/doctors etc want to keep it secret so tell people it doesn’t”
Which argues strongly against Hovind having (significant) computer access to his blog then (still assuming it’s a genuine one at all, not having seen it before). None of which, as mentioned in a previous Pharyngula blog-entry comment, stops him corrupting other people on the inside anyway.
From his description, I do feel sincere compassion for the other prisoners he’s staying with. From the description, it’s obvious that these people have been subjected to social deprivation their entire lives. No doubt, there are plenty of them that have done reprehensible things, but it sounds like most of them just haven’t moved on from gradeschool — a smiley sunday school teacher would probably be a refreshing change for them. These rubes will be the easiest pickings of all for a sociopath like Kent…
Just when you think he’s making a breakthrough in his own personal growth by learning to empathize with others, he shows just what a brittle bundle of neurosis he really is: his eight days have given him insight into the works of Alexander Solzenitzer[sic]. Do you see where he’s going with this? Yes, he’s understanding the plight of a people yolked with a tyrranical secular government. Oh well; at least he didn’t compare himself to Gallileo… or blame Bill Clinton.
Interestingly for a Christian, the concepts of guilt, punishment, repentance, praying are foreign to Hovind. He strikes me as a very optimistic person. Please do a follow up a year from now.
Religious insanity is endless …
Knowing Kent’s propensity for making up his own reality I’ll believe his stories of prison conversions when some evidence is presented.
Anyway, he’s hardly likely to write “Morning: Got up, crapped in a bucket, was beaten for a while by guys who didn’t like my face. Afternoon: got anally raped by a man named Butch who was built like the Empire state building. I am now his bitch, apparently.”
>> Nuke the planet from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
>He’s not smart enough to be a queen, and I can’t see him as being coordinated enough to be a warriorer. He does latch onto things an not let go, and he’s really hard to pin down –
>Yea, facehugger.
urgh. what a *lovely* mental image you conjure up.
*tries to recall what happened to tax evaders in the Old Testament* whatever it was I’ld be happy to oblige him – wouldn’t what him to think he was punished *unfairly* after all
Not only is he now counting himself among Paul and Joseph in Egypt and Corrie Ten Boom, but hey, hey is in the august company of “Alexander Solzhenizer.”
Perhaps when Jesus comes to free all of the religious political prisoners, we can look forward to “One day in the life of Kent Hovindivich.”
We need to petition the warden on that prison to make sure he doesn’t allow Kent to keep lizards as pets – just in case he’s correct that they grow up to be dinosaurs or ‘dra-gones’, we might have a Jurassic park style prison break on our hands!
There’s little doubt in my mind that he could manage to “save” several people already. Most of them already had some muddled religious inclinations before going to prison, and let’s not forget that “being saved” by Hovind’s definition probably includes a person going from tepid religiosity to fervent religiosity. Finding religion in prison is only slightly less cliche than finding it in rehab.
What’s more, we’re talking about a captive audience (literally) of elementary school/junior highschool dropouts — the majority of which are suffering from untreated mental health issues. Life has got these folks by the short-and-curlies, and he knows it: this is the most fertile ground a shyster like him can hope for. As Kent himself has demonstrated, you don’t go to prison for having well-developed critical thinking skills. It would truly be a miracle if an opportunistic, professional snake oil salesman like Hovind didn’t succeed.
The interesting thing will be to see what direction he goes with his introspection. I don’t think it’s in his character to become an advocate for social justice — he’s far too self-centered for that (Christ, he can’t even admit to himself that the reason he’s in jail is that he broke the law!) Will he stick to being a snarky God-bothering anti-reason cocker spaniel, or will he move to the far, far right? We shall see…
This man lives in deep self delusion. It has yet to land on his mind that those nice people around him are going to be his companions for the next decade. He feels no guilt and no hate. It will take a few more days to wake him up to the reality where he is and why. Poor man, a severe personal crisis is ahead of him, but he will be a better man for it.
Nobody has yet mentioned Robert Duvall’s excellent movie “The Apostle.” He plays a religion-obsessed street preacher who can’t stop proselytizing and testifying. At one point he commits a crime in the heat of passion and is sent to jail. The next scene you see is him working on the road with a pickaxe, and every single convict around him is babbling and singing the same nonstop praise to Jesus. Easy pickings indeed…
From his “Reasons why god wants me in Jail”:
“14. To let me see my God’s law, which is perfect, converting the soul, authorizes: beatings, four times restitution, and execution for crimes, but never imprisonment. Certainly there are Roman and Egyptian prisons, but none authorized by God. This system costs everyone in many ways, and does little good and much harm.”
Says it all, really…
Re j.t.delaney
Actually, it is quite likely that Hovind will be assigned to a minimum security prison (sometimes known as a country club slammer) where the other inmates are white collar crooks like himself. The education level at such slammers is considerably higher then at medium and maximum security jails as most of the inmates are in there for economic crimes like tax evasion (in fact, they are probably considerably smarter then he is) and he is far less likely to be the subject of sexual advances then at the latter places.
Damned activist judges! If it weren’t for them criminals like these wouldn’t be allowed pillows and socks which is just what they deserve!
Hovind is in the Escambia County Jail. According to the Sheriff’s Office web site, the vast majority of the inmates are awaiting trial on charges ranging from probation violation to murder.
Well, speak of the devil. From the random quotes box:
“Give to Ceasar what is of Ceasar”, that is, Christians pay their taxes. Hovind is in jail because he is a bad Christian.
I would encourage people to visit prisoners. Show them that someone out there cares.
I spent a night in jail because of a housing code violation and missing my court date. I was so scared. The women in jail with me were very kind to me, the mom who could not juggle work and kids and a falling-down house and a terrible memory. They helped me make up my bunk as I coughed; I had pleurisy.
But they had nothing. No books. No paper, nada. One of them wanted colored pencils or crayons; she liked to draw. One said she’d like a Bible or any book, for that matter. They were in jail for selling crack.
“a snarky God-bothering anti-reason cocker spaniel”
hey! my cocker spaniels resent that slur on their characters!
Hovind writes:
Of course, this is a man who believes the 4.5-billion-year history of the Earth fits into 6000 years. If my calculations are correct, that means he’s actually looking at between 5.25 and 9 million years in prison.
5. “… I am asking God for this to be reversed ”
Does this mean if it isn’t reversed that there is no god?!
If so he will require a new god. Perhaps the Flying Spaghetti Monster will touch him with his Noodly Appendage. I expect he will be touched by many Noodly Appendages while serving time.
Frank Zindler is owning the comments section on Hovind’s November 20 blog.
Too funny. People commenting how lucky he must be to get to save the sinners in prison during his “free time”.
It makes me giggle.