MoTab member pleads guilty to kiddie porn ....

[_Rollo Tomasi]

As reported in today's Salt Lake Tribune:

A 52-year-old Utah man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of possessing child pornography on his computer. Robert Matthews, who was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the time, could get a prison term of up to 10 years when sentenced Oct. 9 by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell. Matthews originally was accused of taking pictures of four nude boys during a camping trip and charged in 4th District Court with felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child. Those charges were dropped after the federal prosecution was brought.

[_harmony]

As reported in today's Salt Lake Tribune:

A 52-year-old Utah man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of possessing child pornography on his computer. Robert Matthews, who was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the time, could get a prison term of up to 10 years when sentenced Oct. 9 by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell. Matthews originally was accused of taking pictures of four nude boys during a camping trip and charged in 4th District Court with felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child. Those charges were dropped after the federal prosecution was brought.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Choir members have to have a current temple recommend, right?

[_Runtu]

As reported in today's Salt Lake Tribune:

A 52-year-old Utah man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of possessing child pornography on his computer. Robert Matthews, who was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the time, could get a prison term of up to 10 years when sentenced Oct. 9 by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell. Matthews originally was accused of taking pictures of four nude boys during a camping trip and charged in 4th District Court with felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child. Those charges were dropped after the federal prosecution was brought.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Choir members have to have a current temple recommend, right?

Yup. I've known several Tab choir members over the years, and the only thing they have in common is an interest and talent in singing. Some have been true believers, others closet doubters, and a couple jack-mormons. I wouldn't take this guy's arrest for anything other than what it is: one sick bastard getting caught and hopefully locked up for a while.

[_Sethbag]

I feel bad for the guy. I mean, he's got some kind of sick compulsion to naked boys, and that's a weakness that is now a big thorn in his side, but as a human issue, it's really going to wreck his life. The shame he and his family are no doubt experiencing is great, and I feel bad for his family that they are made partakers of his shame because of this weakness in his character. I also feel bad for any boys who may have been violated in some way by his actions, and hope it doesn't have too great a negative impact on their lives (in other words, I hope they get over it and don't let it bother them as they grow older).

It's never a good thing when one of us stumbles and falls. Whether he's a church member, or just a regular Joe like the rest of us, it's still a fellow human trying to figure things out and live life in some kind of net positive way, stumbling and taking a fall.

[_Runtu]

I feel bad for the guy. I mean, he's got some kind of sick compulsion to naked boys, and that's a weakness that is now a big thorn in his side, but as a human issue, it's really going to wreck his life. The shame he and his family are no doubt experiencing is great, and I feel bad for his family that they are made partakers of his shame because of this weakness in his character. I also feel bad for any boys who may have been violated in some way by his actions, and hope it doesn't have too great a negative impact on their lives (in other words, I hope they get over it and don't let it bother them as they grow older).

It's never a good thing when one of us stumbles and falls. Whether he's a church member, or just a regular Joe like the rest of us, it's still a fellow human trying to figure things out and live life in some kind of net positive way, stumbling and taking a fall.

I agree with you to a point. All of us struggle with our inner demons, whether it's my battle with depression or someone else's compulsion to feign concern for our well-being while not-so-subtly sneering at us. But then people lose my compassion when they act out on those impulses. Troy McClure might have a marine-mammal fetish, but he doesn't have to act out on it. This MoTab dude has indeed caused serious damage to his life and his family. And for that I feel bad. But the blame rests with the idiot for acting out on what he knew was an evil impulse.

[_Jason Bourne]

As reported in today's Salt Lake Tribune:

A 52-year-old Utah man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of possessing child pornography on his computer. Robert Matthews, who was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the time, could get a prison term of up to 10 years when sentenced Oct. 9 by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell. Matthews originally was accused of taking pictures of four nude boys during a camping trip and charged in 4th District Court with felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child. Those charges were dropped after the federal prosecution was brought.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Choir members have to have a current temple recommend, right?

All evil lurks in the hearts of all men and women, including you. I read a book once called the Light Side of the Shadow Chasers or something like that. The premise is that we all have in us the capacity to be the best of the best most Jesus or Gandhi type person as well as the most evil Hitler type or child porn or molester type. Once we embrace that fact that we can be really awful the power to resist it and be better becomes greater. Interesting book

[_quaker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN-9lwqOHS4

I've seen that video posted on youtube for a long time now.

Do you consider acting on homosexual impulses evil? What makes acting on child porn desires more evil than acting on homosexual desires? Just curious how you choose to set your standards.

AND

Does anybody think that a child porn/sex movement will ever increase people's rights to child porn? I realize that in many ways it is different than homosexual marriages and relationships becoming a generally accepted practice, but at the same time there are some similarities. Totally off topic, but I thought it might be better than pitying this poor guy.

[_guy sajer]

As reported in today's Salt Lake Tribune:

A 52-year-old Utah man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of possessing child pornography on his computer. Robert Matthews, who was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the time, could get a prison term of up to 10 years when sentenced Oct. 9 by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell. Matthews originally was accused of taking pictures of four nude boys during a camping trip and charged in 4th District Court with felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child. Those charges were dropped after the federal prosecution was brought.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

Choir members have to have a current temple recommend, right?

All evil lurks in the hearts of all men and women, including you. I read a book once called the Light Side of the Shadow Chasers or something like that. The premise is that we all have in us the capacity to be the best of the best most Jesus or Gandhi type person as well as the most evil Hitler type or child porn or molester type. Once we embrace that fact that we can be really awful the power to resist it and be better becomes greater. Interesting book

Agreed. You cannot really ever tell much or anything about anybody based on their public personna.

What people do in private is quite often very different from what they do in public. And who knows what's ever going through someone's head?

Also, seemingly normal, good people can, with the right impetus, turn inito the vile kind of abusers and murders. Rwanda and former Yugoslavia are examples of this.

[_Runtu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN-9lwqOHS4

I've seen that video posted on youtube for a long time now.

Do you consider acting on homosexual impulses evil? What makes acting on child porn desires more evil than acting on homosexual desires? Just curious how you choose to set your standards.

Children are not able to knowingly and consciously consent to sexual practices, so child porn and sex with children are by nature manipulative and exploiting. Sexual acts between adults that are consensual are not at all the same thing.

AND

Does anybody think that a child porn/sex movement will ever increase people's rights to child porn? I realize that in many ways it is different than homosexual marriages and relationships becoming a generally accepted practice, but at the same time there are some similarities. Totally off topic, but I thought it might be better than pitying this poor guy.

I hope humanity never gets to the point at which they accept such coercive exploitation.

[_Who Knows]

I realize that in many ways it is different than homosexual marriages and relationships becoming a generally accepted practice

It's different in every way.