I know there are those of you out there that are still checking this site for new information about sherman.

1. He's not dead yet.
2. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case involving Jessica.

Church leader can be tried for contributing to girl's death
State court rules prosecution can go forward in girl's death
By Matt Lakin
Saturday, August 16, 2008

Related link

[www.knoxnews.com]

Tennessee Supreme Court ruling reinstating indictment against Ariel Ben Sherman.



Earthly father or not, a Loudon County religious leader can be prosecuted on charges of contributing to a 15-year-old girl's death from cancer, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The court's ruling reinstated the 2003 indictment against Ariel Ben Sherman, the 79-year-old leader of the Universal Life Church, and gave prosecutors the green light to move ahead with the case against him.

The ruling doesn't deal with Sherman's guilt or innocence in the girl's death.

His lawyer, Don Bosch, said he's ready for whatever comes next.

"We're still in the same position that we always have been," Bosch said. "We have always been prepared to show, and still believe, that in no way should the minister of a congregation be held liable for the medical care of his parishioners."

Jessica Crank, 15, died in September 2002 of a rare form of bone cancer - a condition her mother, Jacqueline Crank, tried to treat with prayer rather than modern medicine. The state Department of Children's Services intervened too late to save the girl.

Mother and daughter belonged to Sherman's church, which authorities called a cult, and Jessica referred to Sherman as her "spiritual father." Her biological father had died years earlier.

The court's decision turned on whether prosecutors can argue Sherman played a criminal role in the girl's death by not seeking treatment for her. Jessica, her mother, her brother Israel and five of Sherman's followers lived in a communal setting in his six-bedroom home in Lenoir City when she developed the basketball-sized tumor on her shoulder that ultimately led to her death.

Loudon County prosecutors charged Sherman and Crank with neglect. Criminal Court Judge Eugene Eblen threw out the charges against Sherman on the grounds that he didn't father Jessica, didn't marry her mother and couldn't be held responsible for her death. The state Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Eblen's decision, and the state Supreme Court took on the job of deciding who can be held accountable for a child's well-being.

Bosch, the defense lawyer, argued Sherman acted only as Jessica's pastor and had no duty or authority to make sure she received treatment. Prosecutors said Sherman held himself out as the girl's father and should have taken responsibility for her care.

The court ruled that not being Jessica's biological parent or legal guardian wasn't enough to absolve Sherman of that responsibility.

"The state may present other circumstances that might establish a duty on the part of the defendant," Justice Gary Wade wrote in an opinion. "The defendant's relationship with the mother may be circumstantial evidence of duty, but the ultimate question is the nature and degree of the defendant's relationship with Jessica. In theory, the state might be able to establish that the defendant failed to perform a statutory duty to provide adequate medical care for the child."

No hearing for Sherman had been set Friday.

The ruling doesn't affect the case against Jessica's mother. Her lawyer, Gregory P. Isaacs, has cited her constitutional right to freedom of religion as a defense.

[Moderator note: Don't post contact information]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2008 05:10AM by rrmoderator.

An entire commune watched this girl die a slow, painful death as the tumor grew on her shoulder. Ariel ben Sherman, Warren, Duke or whatever name he used at the time, held himself out to be her spiritual father. He had bought her first bra and approved the home school study books she used. He selects and purchases everything.

The child's father died mysteriously in Oregon, a young healthy man. Shortly thereafter, the cult group held an "entwinement" ceremony, Ariel ben Sherman's word for marriage. Ariel and Jacqueline Crank became "entwined" The "entwinement" ceremony being the pseudo marriage of Jackie Crank and Ariel ben Sherman while they were still in Oregon, years before Jessica's death. Jackie Crank was and is Mrs. Ariel ben Sherman according to cult guidelines.

One member timidly went up to this alledged "end time prophet spoken of in Revelation" to suggest the girl be taken for some kind of medical help. If it had not been for that ONE visit to a chiropractor, there is no doubt in my mind, I believe that Ariel would have had his followers dig a deep hole and have the child buried on that rental farm in Loudon County, Tennessee, and they would have moved on, and no one would have ever known Jessica Crank ever walked on this earth.

Furthermore, someone wrote there are many hits on these web pages concerning this case. The thought posed is that many people across the nation are watching to see how this "precedent setting" case will come out. Good people (and bad) this is NOT a precedent setting case. This man is NOT your mainstream, man of integrity, man of trust, or anything good. He set up this lifestyle teaching his own form of bible interpretation, taking half a verse and ending it with his own words and his own made up meanings,; or begins it with his own made up stuff and ends with half a real scripture. He is his own god and his followers are his means of income.

They are proud they don't collect money for their "church". Well, there is no need to. Ariel takes their income and gives them back a pittance of an allowance. He makes their decisions and tells them what to think and do concerning everything and everyone. His followers are afraid to go against him. He has chipped away at their own identities, and made himself out to be their only hope in this life and the life to come. He has convinced them that they will not be a part of God's heavenly kingdom without him.

This is NOT a precedent setting case. This is a man who takes other people's lives and money ~ and I believe his followers cannot go to the doctor because he doesn't want to spend the money for any of their medical care. But they can go to the dentist for eyeglasses and to the dentist. "what? Ariel's god doesn't do teeth and eyes?" (sarcasm, I apologize).

The attorneys on both sides need to realize this is not a nationally precedent setting case. This man is not a pastor, he is a dictator of a small commune. He got a mail order license to be called Reverend and used it to start what I believe is his own human slavery business.

Please Mr. Bosch, Ms. Hatfield, didn't you go into your profession to see uphold Truth, Justice and the American Way.

Spend some time with this man, he teaches to forsake earthly goods and pleasures, love and all emotions. He says people die because they want to die, and it wasn't his fault. He said his prayers to heal Jessica would have worked if she had wanted to live.

Jessica got no truth, no justice or anything but a dead father and her own painful death, while her fearful mother dared not make a move, under the "watch" of Ariel ben Sherman. Jessica's pain was so great that she lay naked her last days. Even the light sheets covering her naked body those last days were too painful to bear upon her tender, sensitive skin.

Heavenly Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, in Jesus name, please let the Truth come forth, please open the eyes and ears of all involved. Cast away fear and deception and let those who can ~ come forward to testify to the reality of life with ariel ~ please ~ do not let anyone be deceived by ariel any longer. Give the members of the jury Godly wisdom to judge rightly. Set them all free from this man and his lies. Let them all find Your Real Truth from Your Word, let them all repent of their pride that they have found something beyond scripture, beyond Jesus, that ensures their heavenly reward, Let them find Jesus. In Jesus precious holy name we ask for these things.

Thank you for the private message.

No new news yet.

ChuckT

To HisServantone,

It is interesting to me that you still pray as ariel taught us to- so do I.

I would like to ask how you are doing dealing with post cult life - I mean do you have any methods that have worked for you to separate the truth from the ariels lies.

The scriptures are so entwined in what we were taught.

The experiences were so real.

How can someone trust themselves still?

I am ashamed of having believed him.

I am ashamed of the way I treated those I loved after I left.

If forgiveness exists and God is involved in our lives he is not the loving father we were taught he is.

I would never allow my children to be abused.

Why has God - Jesus - allowed us to be abused and deceived?

I don't know if I am still deceived or not.

Pilot's question to Jesus "what is truth" strangely still goes unanswered 2000+ years later.

Chuck T

Hi Chuck,

Thank you for writing to me. I want to answer your questions, with God's help.

First of all, Jesus taught us to pray in a certain format, that everyone who has read the Bible knows to use.

1. Glorify God to begin
2. Pray in the name of Jesus

A good false teacher HAS to keep some of it straight and pure

I mean do you have any methods that have worked for you to separate the truth from the ariels lies.

There is only one way for anyone to separate the truth from any lies, that is to study the Word for yourself. God's Word tells us that He sent us The Holy Spirit to be our teacher our comforter, so before reading, ask God in Jesus name to open your eyes, ears and heart to His Truth in Jesus name. That is my secret

The scriptures are so entwined in what we were taught.

The experiences were so real.

A "good" false teacjer os going to study the bible better than anyone. An evil thought entered this man's mind, he saw he could control others by using the "sheep's skin" coer of letting people think he has a "special" connection with God, that he and God have got a "thing going on". A "good" false teacher will decipher what scritprues he can use and add to that will leave his listeners in awe.

Think of magicians, they thrive on tricking us to make us think they really did some kind of magic, but they took what was actually there and disguised it. Yet, to us, it looks so real. That is the idea, to make us believe it is real

I have read the bible through from beginning to end several times, but I read it for what God has to tell me, not to learn it well enough to trick someone, I would have a great fear to attempt to say I knew something beyond the bible.

I have read a lot of other material and I have found that ariel has also read a lot of other material because he pulls in doctrines and teachings from many other false teachers. They all have one goal, to convince you that you don't just need God, but that you need them too.

How can someone trust themselves still?

Trust God, read His Word, read it again. Stop watching any televangelists, don't read church doctrines and such, just read the Word.

I am ashamed of having believed him.

I am ashamed of the way I treated those I loved after I left.

If forgiveness exists and God is involved in our lives he is not the loving father we were taught he is.

Of course, you would not allow your children to be abused, but what about when they begin to think on their own. They think, why can't they do this or that, or go here or there, and then one day they think they may have found something a little better than what you have provided and there you go. They have gotten themselves in a pickle and are suffering consequences from not having truly sought your direction first. It sounded good and they went with it. And sometimes we have to let our children find out the hard way.

Also, you haven't learned one of the mysteries of joy - God Wants You to Forgive Yourself! If God has forgiven you, what right do you have to not forgive yourself? What right do you have to carry this burden? God has forgotten your sins and mistakes, now you need to do the same thing. Forgive yourself. It's over, you've been set free and ohters have been too.

I would never allow my children to be abused.

Why has God - Jesus - allowed us to be abused and deceived?

God doesn't keep us in a bubble, that's what ariel does. He created us and gave us the gift of choice. Sometimes what we choose is not good and we suffer. It isn't that God allowed it, He has given us a clear letter of how to live, He has listed many examples of individuals who made wrong choices and we read about their consequences.

I find when I am suffering it is because I chose t ignore the little red flags, I thought the little red flags were something I could deal with. . .. famous last thoughts

I don't know if I am still deceived or not.

If you were still deceived you wouldn't be here, now asking any of these questions. God has exposed ariel to you. God has opened a door of escape, you took it, now keep going

Pilot's question to Jesus "what is truth" strangely still goes unanswered 2000+ years later.


Jesus is the Truth, Jesus is the Way (no help from ariel needed) Jesus is the Life

Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose the third day ~ that is the gospel Jesus commanded us to go out into all the world and preach to every creature. If they ain't focusing on that ! leave them alone. It aint about prosperity, healing, visions, prophecy, it is about men and women gone astray and in need of a savior.

If you believe in your heart (the Lord Jesus Christ) how he was raised from the dead, and confess this with your mouth you will be saved

no tricks, no lies
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved ~ you don't have to move in with warren and give him anything ~ It's all about you and Jesus ~ period

Jackie went to court Monday, January 12.

Video and news print story

[www.wbir.com]

Jackie's attorney tried to have the charges dismissed, but the judge said NO. Her attorney has made an appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

The TN Supreme Court denied ariel's appeal, the indictment stands, and he is sent back for trial in Loudon County.

Will people please come forward who can and will testify about ariel's control over everyone?

Get in touch with the Loudon County District Attorney to find out how to give your testimony, please.

Frank Harvey _ Loudon County District Attorneys

(Russell Johnson was involved at one time)

865-376-5247 this office is in Kingston Tennessee



I also have the phone numbers 865-376-2145 and 865-376-0081 for Russell Johnson



Attorney General for Loudon County

P. O. Box 703

Kingston TN 37763

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is the Tennesse Supreme Court where Jackie is headed for her appeal.


Elizabeth Marney Ryan, Assistant Attorney General is assigned to this case.

Attention: Elizabeth Marney Ryan, Assistant Attorney General

Office of the Attorney General

P. O. Box 20207

Nashville TN 37202-0207

What are all the different names Warren has called his church?

In Tennessee they are known as Universal Life Church / Universal Light Church (?)

In Bolivar MO - circa 2006/2007 - it was Good Shepherd Tabernacle, went by the name Ariel

In South Carolina - Good Shepherd Tabernacle, but their 800 number is still answered Universal Life Church and he goes by his birth name of Warren.

I just wonder what name he uses to file his Internal Revenue Services taxes?

Good Shepherd Tabernacle, New Life Tabernacle, Woodmen Circle Tabernacle,


You can find more answers here under New Life Tabernacle.

[factnet.org]

What does this mean?

SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE
SUPREME COURT DISCRETIONARY APPEALS
Grants & Denials List
Monday, January 28, 2008

State of Tennessee v. Ariel Ben
Sherman, et al.
E2006-01226-SC-R11-CD
Loudon County Circuit
Judge E. Eugene Eblen
No. 10,611 A&B
Witt, J.
Reversed and
Remanded
Rule 11 Granted - Application of Ariel Ben
Sherman

State high court to hear 'spiritual father' case
By Jamie Satterfield (Contact)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008



The case of an alleged cult leader whose teenage follower died after her mother heeded his advice to turn to prayer over medicine is poised to make legal history in Tennessee.

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday announced it would take up the case of Ariel Sherman and, more importantly, the legal issue it raises: What is the relational benchmark for holding someone accountable for a child's welfare?

Sherman was 15-year-old Jessica Crank's "spiritual father" but not her legal father. Jessica and her mother, Jacqueline Crank, lived with Sherman, as did several other of his Universal Life Church followers. Prior testimony has indicated Crank and Sherman were intimate at some point.

Crank followed Sherman's advice when deciding to shun treatment and rely on prayer to heal her daughter, who died from a rare form of bone cancer.

But did Sherman's relationship - pastor, adviser, lover, alleged cult leader - make him legally responsible for Jessica's care and, therefore, her death? Or, is that duty of care limited to a parent or legal guardian? What about a boyfriend? A counselor? A preacher?

It is that legal line in the sand that the state Supreme Court is readying to draw by its decision to pluck up Sherman's case now rather than wait for it to wind its way up the judicial ladder.

"We are very happy the state Supreme Court is going to once and for all address this matter," Sherman's attorney, Donald A. Bosch, said Tuesday. "We have always believed Ariel Sherman has no criminal responsibility in this matter, and we hope the Supreme Court will agree."

Sherman, who has been identified in national publications as a cult leader, and his followers were living in Loudon County in 2002 when Jessica developed a basketball-sized tumor on her shoulder.

Crank took her daughter to a local clinic, where she was instructed to take the girl to University of Tennessee Medical Center for emergency treatment. She didn't.

Attorney Gregory P. Isaacs contends Crank exercised her constitutional right of religious expression by turning to prayer over medical treatment. Jessica died a few months later. Crank and Sherman were charged with child abuse and neglect.

Isaacs, relying on the principle of religious freedom, and Bosch, arguing Sherman had no legal say-so in Jessica's care, convinced Loudon County Judge Eugene Eblen to toss out the case. However, a state Court of Criminal Appeals decision in July resurrected the charges, ordering the case against both Crank and Sherman argued anew.

Isaacs said Tuesday that Crank is eager to have her case decided in Loudon County, where he expects to once again prevail under the notion of religious freedom.

"We anticipate asking the court to sever Ms. Crank's case (from Sherman's)," Isaacs said, adding he hopes to "expeditiously" seek a hearing to show Crank "was exercising her constitutional right of religious freedom."

Bosch asked the state's highest court to step into the case on behalf of Sherman. Such requests are rarely granted and typically signal either a split among courts on the applicable law or a gray area in need of judicial clarity.

The court is expected to hear arguments in the case in May.

Jamie Satterfield may be reached at 865-342-6308.