Who's Who: Fallen Religious Leaders

1. Ted Haggard (evangelical Christian)

Offense: Three years ago the people of New Life Church in Colorado Springs grappled with what their pastor, Ted Haggard, revealed to them: He is guilty of "sexual immorality," he is a "deceiver and a liar," and he purchased methamphetamine from a gay prostitute who claims he had a three-year relationship with the evangelical leader. In round two of the Ted Haggard scandal, New Life Church officials admitted payments were made to a young male church member who said he had a relationship with the former pastor before he was fired.

Consequence/Punishment: In November 2006, Haggard resigned or was removed from all of his leadership positions at New Life Church. He then entered counseling, overseen by four ministers aimed to reform his homosexual tendencies. Six months later, one of those ministers, Tim Ralph, said that Haggard "is completely heterosexual." As of early 2009, Haggard continues to receive counseling, and now he says that he is a “heterosexual with issues.”

Effect on Community: Haggard's actions left his church community in a wake of grief. Beliefnet's former Christianity editor, Patton Dodd, chronicled the effect on his community in an article published on Beliefnet. An HBO documentary also featured Haggards post-scandal life.

2. ZENTATSU RICHARD BAKER (Buddhist)

Richard Baker, abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC), had affairs with his students.

Offense: While teaching Buddhist precepts such as "do no harm," Baker, the abbot of SFZC from 1971 to 1983, was found to be having affairs with a prominent contributor's (and close friend's) wife and other students. He also caused controversy by funding his lavish lifestyle with the work of people who earned very little.

Consequence/Punishment: The community ousted him. In 2001, Michael Downing wrote the damning book, "Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center." Baker now runs two Zen centers in Colorado and Germany and has recently improved his relations with the SFZC.

Effect on Community: The center reorganized as a non-profit with two co-abbots and a board of trustees. Though its former glory is somewhat dimmed, its three locations continue to thrive and offer spiritual refuge to many.

3. JIM BAKKER (Christian)

Jim Bakker, a 1980s televangelist, funded his extravagant lifestyle with donation money and committed adultery with his former secretary.

Offense: Jim Bakker, an Assemblies of God minister, hosted a popular 1980s show, "The PTL Club," with his then-wife Tammy Faye. Bakker asked his followers to donate money for charitable projects. Eventually, it was revealed that Bakker was using much of the money to fund his extravagant lifestyle. His message of "remaining faithful to one's spouse and family" was also soiled when news came out that he'd had an affair with Jessica Hahn, his former secretary.

Consequence/Punishment: Bakker was charged with fraud and tax evasion, and sentenced to 45 years in jail. Not long after beginning his prison term, he and Faye were divorced. In prison, Bakker wrote an autobiography, "I Was Wrong," in which he apologized for his crimes and claimed that it wasn't until his incarceration that he read the Bible in its entirety.

Effect on Community: He was paroled after serving five years of his sentence. Many of Bakker's former fans turned to Pat Robertson, who took over "The PTL Club" when Bakker went to prison. Several tried to bring a class action suit to get back money they had donated, but the suit was thrown out.

4. YOGI AMRIT DESAI, a.k.a. GURUDEV (Hindu)

Yogi Amrit Desai, a.k.a. Gurudev, former guru of Kripalu Yoga Center in Lenox, Mass., had numerous affairs and lived an extravagant lifestyle.

Offense: After requiring celibacy, or bramacharya, of his live-in disciples for more than 20 years, three of this Hindu guru's female followers—including the CEO of his center—revealed adulterous affairs with him in 1994. Some residents were also surprised to learn that the guru they served—earning little money, in the name of seva, (selfless service) —was making more than $150,000 a year.

Consequence/Punishment: Though Desai eventually confessed and apologized, the 300-resident yoga ashram in western Massachusetts ousted him; some people sued.

Effect on Community: The community dissolved into chaos and conflict. All of the disciples eventually moved out of the ashram, though some stayed committed to their teacher. Twelve bumpy years later, the ashram is now a guru-free, thriving yoga center. Desai now runs a yoga center in Florida and teaches "amrit yoga" throughout the U.S., Jamaica, and Canada.

5. SHEIKH MUHAMMAD AL-GAMEI'A (Muslim)

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Gamei'a, former imam at the Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque in Manhattan (right), made anti-Semitic remarks after 9/11.

Offense: Considered to be a mainstream, westernized imam who actively participated in interfaith activities and preached a tolerant type of Islam, Al-Gamei'a was exposed as an anti-Semite immediately after 9/11. In 2001, in his home country of Egypt, Al-Gamei’a, gave an interview in which he said Jews were responsible for the 9/11 attacks and that Americans, if they knew the truth, would do the same to Jews that Hitler did to them in World War II.

Consequence/Punishment: After his remarks were revealed to the world, his mosque fired him, and Al-Gamei'a stayed in Egypt. Little is known of him now.

Effect on Community: Al-Gamei'a had previously commanded a huge following in Manhattan as the imam of the biggest, most modern, and most welcoming mosque in New York City. The Muslim community--already reeling from the terrorist attacks and their aftermath--was shocked and betrayed when they heard Al-Gamei’a’s anti-Semitic remarks.

6. JOHN GEOGHAN and PAUL R. SHANLEY (Catholic)

John Geoghan (right) and Paul Shanley, defrocked Catholic priests, were among the most public faces of the Catholic priest sex abuse scandal.

Offense: Shanley, a key figure in the Boston archdiocese clergy sex-abuse scandal, was accused of raping a boy repeatedly in the 1980s. He had previously been lauded as a "street priest" who championed the cause of troubled teens. Geoghan, also a former priest in the Boston archdiocese who befriended young boys to keep them off the streets, was accused by more than 150 people of child molestation.

Consequence/Punishment: Both were ousted from the priesthood. In February 2002, Geoghan was sentenced to nine to 10 years in state prison for molesting a 10-year-old boy. In February 2005, Shanley was convicted of child rape and sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison. The Boston Archdiocese eventually reached a $10 million settlement with 86 other alleged victims of Geoghan. Geoghan was killed in prison in August 2003 by a fellow inmate.

Effect on Community: The ongoing clergy sexual-abuse revelations in the Archdiocese of Boston are reflective of the sexual abuse scandal throughout the Catholic Church. To this day, the Catholic Church in America suffers from the loss of money and credibility brought about by the sex abuse scandal. Victims and their families, along with everyday Catholics, continue to deal with the tremendous pain caused by the betrayal of their leaders.

7. BARUCH LANNER (Jewish)

Baruch Lanner, Orthodox Jewish teacher, principal, and youth group leader, was accused of abusing students over a three-decade period.

Offense: Lanner was accused of abusing children under his care from the 1970s to the late 1990s. He denied all charges. His accusers claimed that Lanner's superiors knew of his behavior but failed to take action.

Consequence, Punishment: Lanner resigned his position with the Orthodox Union (OU) the day an article made the allegations public. Previously, a Jewish religious court had found Lanner not guilty; nothing was made public, and some prominent rabbis continued to defend Lanner. In the U.S. legal system, however, Lanner was convicted of abusing two teenage girls and is serving a seven-year prison sentence.

Effect on Community: Many of the youths whom Lanner is accused of abusing continue to struggle with their faith and with ongoing psychological problems. The OU revamped its policies on protecting members of its youth group, and the incident led to the resignation of some OU officials.

8. CARDINAL BERNARD LAW (Catholic)

Cardinal Bernard Law, former archbishop of Boston, allegedly covered up sex abuse allegations against priests working in his archdiocese.

Offense: The former archbishop of Boston helped shuffle pedophile priests John Geoghan and Paul R. Shanley from parish to parish and covered up allegations of their sexual misconduct.

Consequence/Punishment: The Boston Globe revealed Law's complicity in the abuse scandal in January 2002. A media firestorm and public outcry followed, culminating in an unprecedented meeting between American cardinals and Pope John Paul II. More than 50 Boston priests signed a letter urging Law to resign, which he did in December 2002. In a written statement, he begged forgiveness from all who had suffered from his actions. Today, Law presides over an influential church in Rome.

Effect on Community: The sex-abuse scandal reverberated through the country and many other dioceses investigated their own parishes. Dioceses paid millions of dollars in abuse settlements. Victims' rights groups like SNAP (Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests) and accountability groups like Voice of the Faithful came to the forefront. The Catholic Church in America is still grappling with the loss of money and credibility brought about by the sex abuse scandal, as well as the tremendous pain caused to victims, their families, and everyday Catholics who feel betrayed by their leaders.

9. RABBI FRED NEULANDER (Jewish)

Rabbi Fred Neulander of Reform Congregation M'kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, N.J., was convicted of hiring hit men to murder his wife. Offense: Neulander was charged with hiring two men, Len Jenoff and Paul Daniels, to murder his wife, Carol, in 1994, so that he could be with Elaine Soncini, a Philadelphia radio show host. Neulander, who continues to proclaim his innocence, admitted to having affairs with two of his congregants, including Soncini.

Consequence/Punishment: Found guilty in 2002, he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. At his sentencing, the judge said the murder "should send shivers down the spine of any civilized person."

Effect on Community: The congregation, which had looked to Neulander as its beloved spiritual leader, suffered for years, enduring a long process of grief and eventual acceptance of the rabbi's guilt. The synagogue's young assistant rabbi, Gary Mazo, who assumed the task of leading the congregation, wrote a book about the ordeal, "And the Flames Did Not Consume Us."

10. SHEIKH OMAR ABDEL-RAHMAN (Muslim)

Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, is believed to be the mastermind behind the 1993 plot to blow up the World Trade Center.

Offense: Known as the "Blind Sheikh," Abdel-Rahman is believed to be the mastermind behind the 1993 plot to blow up the World Trade Center. Before coming to the U.S. in 1990 (despite being on a State Department terrorist watch list), he had a history of ties to Islamic militant groups. In New York, he surrounded himself with loyal extremists while maintaining the façade of a wise, albeit ultra-conservative, sheikh to the New York-New Jersey Muslim community--until he shocked his community by issuing a fatwa encouraging Muslims to engage in violence against U.S. civilians.

Consequence/Punishment: He was convicted in 1995 with a group of nine men of "seditious conspiracy" and is now serving a life sentence in federal prison.

Effect on Community: Though moderate Muslims turned their back on the sheikh after he was exposed, Abdel-Rahman still commands a loyal following among Islamic extremists around the world, including Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda members. Islamic militants often cite his case as a rallying point. Abdel-Rahman remains committed to his beliefs.

11. JIMMY SWAGGART (Christian)

Jimmy Swaggart, a 1980s televangelist, was caught twice with a prostitute. Offense: In 1987, Swaggart--one of the most popular of the 1980s televangelists, with a reported 2.3 million viewers and a daily gross of $500,000--was photographed by a rival televangelist leaving a hotel with a prostitute. He was again caught with a prostitute in 1991.

Consequence/Punishment: In February 1988, Swaggart tearfully confessed on his television show, and his viewership plummeted. His denomination, the Assemblies of God, imposed a one-year suspension barring him from performing pastoral duties. When Swaggart rejected the punishment, he was expelled from the denomination.

Effects on Community: Swaggart continues running a ministry today, although his audience remains a fraction of the size it was in his heyday. The scandal, together with those of Jim Bakker, Oral Roberts, and others, made televangelism something of a punchline in the general culture, though it remains popular with many Christians.

12. ROBERT TILTON (Christian)

Robert Tilton, 1980s televangelist, threw away prayer requests and kept millions in donation money. Offense: Tilton became a popular televangelist in the 1980s with his show, "Success-N-Life." ABC-TV's "Primetime Live" program reported in 1991 that Tilton's ministry threw away nearly 10,000 pounds of prayer requests without reading them, while pocketing money or valuables sent as donations by viewers. A master of religious marketing, Tilton generated an estimated $80 million a year for his ministry, the Word of Faith World Outreach Center Church in Dallas.

Consequence/Punishment: Tilton repeatedly denied the allegations of his misconduct. In 1992, he sued ABC for libel, but the case was dismissed. Several donors sued Tilton on fraud charges, but none were successful. Tilton's viewership and donations declined dramatically, which required him to stop paying for airtime for "Success-N-Life" in 1993.

Effect on Community: Donors, many of whom were in desperate financial situations when they sent money to Tilton, lost their money and were deceived about the prayers they hoped for. In 1999 Tilton's church was sold for $6.1 million. He continues to make millions of tax-free dollars at his new church, Christ the Good Shepherd Worldwide Church, in Hallandale, Fla., and lives comfortably on oceanfront property.

13. HARE KRISHNA CHILD ABUSERS (Hindu)

Many children at gurukulas, Hare Krishna boarding schools (right), suffered from abuse by teachers and spiritual leaders. Offense: Scores of Hare Krishna teachers and leaders were accused of physically, emotionally, and sexually abusing hundreds of children in the movement's boarding schools in the 1970s and '80s. Movement leaders were accused of knowingly ignoring, or even condoning, the abuse.

Consequence, Punishment: The movement's U.S. boarding schools were closed. Some accused abusers were banned from leadership or teaching positions in the organization, and a small number ended up in jail.

Effect on Community: The movement lost many of its members in the 1980s and '90s. Many victims suffer from ongoing emotional scars, and some have committed suicide or otherwise struggled to live normal adult lives. When allegations surfaced in the 1990s, the movement published an investigative report detailing the abuse and worked to help victims financially and emotionally. Victims have complained that the movement did not go far enough. A lawsuit resulted in the movement's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and agreeing to a $9.5 million settlement.