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Police say San Antonio man molested girl at church
Police said the 73-year-old man confessed to molesting a 12-year-old girl at church and lured her with money. The arrest document explains the alleged incident happened on Jan.
10. The victim alleges Sanchez started giving her money at Kingdom Hall
in the 300 block of Price to befriend her. Police said the elderly suspect
told the girl she could get money from him when he went to the restroom
during church services. More
Registered sex offender to become ordained minister
At City of Refuge Worship Center, everyone is welcome. "Everyone sins, but He has forgiven us," said Kimberlin Bowling. But what about sex offenders? "You may go to church somewhere and there may be one sitting right next to you and you don't even know it," said Bowling. People at City of Refuge know about Mark Hourigan, who was charged
in 1998 with sodomizing, sexually abusing and intimidating an 11-year-old
boy. Convicted of two counts of sex abuse, Hourigan did his time in
prison. More
Iranian cleric makes earthquakes and promiscuity link
The cleric, Kazem Sedighi, sparked widespread derision with his pronouncements in a prayer sermon last month that women who don’t dress modesty spread adultery in society, in turn increasing earthquakes. In Tehran’s main weekly prayer sermon on Friday, he defended the claim
but added some further explanation on why some places are hit more than
others. “Some ask why earthquakes and storms don’t occur in the Western
world, which suffers from the slime of homosexuality, the slime of promiscuity
and has plunged up to the neck” in immorality, he said. More
Jehovah Couple Disown Son For Receiving Blood
Kwabena Afum was arrested last week Tuesday and granted a police enquiry bail the next day for causing panic and chaos by allegedly mobilizing some members of his church to foment trouble at the hospital. He has since disowned five-year-old Jepheth Asamoah, who is currently
in the custody of the Social Welfare Department in the district, even
after his release. More
Pope: Church's own sins to blame in sex scandal
The pontiff said the Catholic church has always been tormented by problems of its own making - a tendency that is being witnessed today "in a truly terrifying way." "The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification,
learn forgiveness but also justice," he said. More
Niqab woman booted from class again
The Egyptian immigrant made headlines last week when it was revealed provincial Immigration Department officials expelled her from a government-sponsored French class several months ago after she refused to take off her niqab. Known only as Naema in Quebec media, she had since enrolled in another
government-sponsored French class, this time at a community centre for
immigrants in Montreal. More A woman recalls her childhood of abuse by JW stepfather
I told her about rapes and beatings. I told her everything I remembered. There was no room for me to cry, so I didn’t. I had done my difficult thing and now the statement was to be sent to the CID in Wales, where I grew up, and I had only to sit back and wait to hear from them. The house becomes very cold when my stepfather Karl comes home. The air changes. I don’t like it when he is around living things. I like it best when he is driving a car, because then his hands are busy. And I don’t like being a Jehovah’s Witness. Every Sunday
morning and Tuesday and Thursday evenings we go to meetings at the Kingdom
Hall. We have to sit very still or Karl hits us. It’s normal to
hit children in the Kingdom Hall so he can do it and not worry. More
Passions over 'prosperity gospel': Was Jesus wealthy?
But the Rev. C. Thomas Anderson, senior pastor of the Living Word Bible Church in Mesa, Arizona, preaches a version of the Christmas story that says baby Jesus wasn't so poor after all. Anderson says Jesus couldn't have been poor because he received lucrative gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh -- at birth. Jesus had to be wealthy because the Roman soldiers who crucified him gambled for his expensive undergarments. Even Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, lived and traveled in style, he says. "Mary and Joseph took a Cadillac to get to Bethlehem because the finest transportation of their day was a donkey," says Anderson. "Poor people ate their donkey. Only the wealthy used it as transportation." Many Christians see Jesus as the poor, itinerant
preacher who had "no place to lay his head." But as Christians gather
around the globe this year to celebrate the birth of Jesus, another
group of Christians are insisting that Jesus' beginnings weren't so
humble. More Muslim Scholars Say Body Scanners Violate Laws of Islam
Many are claiming that the new full body scanners at some airports that show images of the human body in detail are an invasion of privacy. The full body scanners were first detailed in 2009 and
show anatomically correct images of the person being scanned that are
only seen by the operator. After a failed Christmas day bomb scare on a
Detroit-bound flight, speculation arose after that Obama could decree
the wider use of full body scanners in airports. More One of 'Jehovah's People' guilty of groping Minnie Mouse at Disney World
John W. Moyer of Cressona was convicted of battery by a jury in Orange County Court in central Florida. Judge Wayne Shoemaker sentenced Moyer to 180 days of probation, 50 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine. Moyer also must undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment, if necessary. The judge also ordered Moyer to write a letter of apology to the victim, Brittney D. McGoldrick, who is an employee of the amusement resort. Moyer did not testify during the trial. "I am not guilty, and I pray to Jehovah, God, that he
has mercy on Miss McGoldrick and the jury," Moyer said to WFTV 9. "I'm
sorry they came up with the wrong verdict. More Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier, Text Suggests
The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. (The Bible's Old Testament is thought to have been first written down in an ancient form of Hebrew.) Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month. "It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already
existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical
texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in
current research," said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies
at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text. More Followers find fulfillment without possessions at Twelve Tribes
Then there are prayers at 7 a.m., followed by more planting, plowing or packing under the Valley Center sun. At day's end, there is no TV to watch, no games to play and not even a dog to pet. And at the end of the week, as every week, there is no pay for all the work. For the residents who call the ranch their home, though, it's paradise on Earth. "It's what I dreamed life could be like," said David
Alexander about life in the Twelve Tribes, the Commonwealth of Israel,
a Christian community where he has lived six years and is known by his
Hebrew name David Derush. More Saudi religious police bar sale of red items to enforce Valentine's Day ban
The AP, in a dispatch from Riyadh that quotes a Saudi official, says inspectors are even ordering stores to toss out such items as red roses. The kingdom bans celebration of Western holidays such
as Valentine's Day, named after a Christian saint said to have been
martyred by the Romans in the third century. More Does Jesus save aliens?
The meeting focussed on current science, rather than the theological quandaries thrown up by the possibilty of other life forms beyond this planet. But that hasn't stopped debate spilling over outside the conference. Yesterday I spoke to Paul Davies, a cosmologist from
Arizona State University, just after he addressed the conference. In
his view, the possibility of other civilisations - potentially more
intelligent than our own - puts Christians “in a real bind”.
Specifically, he says that nobody's satisfactorily addressed the
question of whether aliens get saved. “The Catholic church offers a
very species specific brand of salvation. Noone says that Jesus came to
save the dolphins and certainly not little green men,” he said. More Respected Jehovah's Witness groomed and molested young girls over years
James Michael O'Brien followed one schoolgirl into a kitchen when she was alone away from adults making tea at meetings he was hosting. He pulled her towards him, sexually assaulted her and began to kiss her. On another occasion he conducted a further sexual assault, Richard Wright prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court yesterday. She felt very angry about what was happening because adult worshippers in the Kingdom Hall "had a significant amount of trust placed in them", he said. A second girl said when she was aged between 10 and 11,
O'Brien touched her many times over her clothing when they were
together for religious activities. More Pastor Rapes Two Sisters
Toyin was alleged to have raped the victims, names withheld, who are aged three and eight, when their parents had left for work. P.M.News gathered that the pastor, who is married and has children, committed the crime when his wife and the victims’ parents were not at home on the day of the incident. The incident happened at 28, Giwa Street, Onipanu,
Ilupeju, Lagos, where the accused and the victims’ parents reside. More Hi-tech holy water calms flu fear
The new machine works like an automatic soap dispenser, squirting water when a hand is passed under the tap. Inventor Luciano Marabese says he is being inundated with enquiries. Father Pierre Angelo Mota, from Capriano Briosco, north
of Milan, said squirtable holy water had surprised some of his
parishoners at first. "It has been a bit of a novelty," he said. More A Witness account
Police in New Brunswick were already out looking for the child when, according to Ms. Ryder, she hid him and his mother in her Dodge Omni and drove them to Fredericton, away from children's aid officials who might have forced the son of Jehovah's Witnesses to accept a blood transfusion. Fellow officials of the Church then took over, whisking
the child to their Canadian headquarters, she says. The patient and his
family ended up eventually in Mexico for alternative treatments that
abided by the sect's controversial -- and vigorously enforced -- ban on
receiving blood. He died soon after. More World's biggest animal sacrifice
Priests are preparing for the slaughter of more than 15,000 buffaloes and 300,000 birds, goats and sheep during the event, which starts Tuesday and is thought to be the biggest ritual sacrifice anywhere in the world. Every five years, the village of Bariyapur, near
Nepal's southern border with India, hosts this religious festival
dedicated to Gadhimai, the Hindu goddess of power. More God is not the Creator, claims academic
She claims she has carried out fresh textual analysis that suggests the writers of the great book never intended to suggest that God created the world -- and in fact the Earth was already there when he created humans and animals. Prof Van Wolde, 54, who will present a thesis on the subject at Radboud University in The Netherlands where she studies, said she had re-analysed the original Hebrew text and placed it in the context of the Bible as a whole, and in the context of other creation stories from ancient Mesopotamia. She said she eventually concluded the Hebrew verb
"bara", which is used in the first sentence of the book of Genesis,
does not mean "to create" but to "spatially separate". More Egypt anger over virginity faking
Abdul Mouti Bayoumi said supplying the item was akin to spreading vice in society, a crime punishable by death in Islamic Sharia law. The device is said to release liquid imitating blood, allowing a female to feign virginity on her wedding night. There is a stigma about pre-marital sex in conservative Arab societies. The contraption is seen as a cheap and simple
alternative to hymen repair surgery, which is carried out in secret by
some clinics in the Middle East. More Christian cult stole our kids, say parents
Calling Grace Gospel Church in Pinetown a "mind-controlling" Christian cult, the parents claim girls have been married to men they hardly know, chosen for them by the church. The church is a branch of Church Team Ministries International (CTMI), an international Christian group with head offices in Mauritius. The group's leader, Basil O'Connell-Jones, was sent to
Durban from another CTMI branch, Selborne Park Christian Church in
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in 2003. More Christians in Jerusalem want Jews to stop spitting on them
The clergyman prefered not to lodge a complaint with the police and told an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind. For the most part, they ignore it but sometimes they cannot. On Sunday, a fracas developed when a yeshiva student
spat at the cross being carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a
procession near the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The archbishop’s
17th-century cross was broken during the brawl and he slapped the
yeshiva student. More 'Twilight' series spawns religion
Pillow Biters, one my favorite Twilight blogs, is
reporting that the so-called Cullenist religion might be going
"overboard to a realm that would make Mormon mom Stephenie Meyer
cringe." More Baby P ‘dad’ turns Jehovah in prison
Last night officers tasked with guarding the beast from attacks by fellow cons remained dubious about the motive for his sudden conversion. But a senior source at Wakefield prison in West Yorkshire insisted: "Barker is deadly serious about his new faith." Evil Barker was caged with twisted lover Tracey
Connelly, 28, after she helped him torture to death her defenceless
17-month-old toddler Peter. Barker is also serving life for raping a
girl of two. The source said: "A lot of officers feel his conversion is
a cynical move to try to win them over because it makes him look like
he's got a moral compass after all. More 2 arrested in church thefts
Alfred Gonzales, 32, and Saira Utley, 22, were arrested around 9:15 a.m. Sunday at Hope Lutheran Church at 29141 Vallejo Ave., said Sgt. Steve Kusy, of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The pair were driving in a black Toyota Camry in the
parking lot of the church, when a deputy checked the license plate and
discovered that it was reported stolen, Kusy said. More Many Women Targeted by Faith Leaders, Survey Says
The study, by Baylor University researchers, found that the problem is so pervasive that it almost certainly involves a wide range of denominations, religious traditions and leaders. "It certainly is prevalent, and clearly the problem is more than simply a few charismatic leaders preying on vulnerable followers," said Diana Garland, dean of Baylor's School of Social Work, who co-authored the study. It found that more than two-thirds of the offenders were
married to someone else at the time of the advance. More Murrieta minister to be sentenced for murder of wife
Kelle Lee Jarka, 41 at the time of his trial, was convicted by a jury that deliberated about two hours in September before deciding he murdered his wife, Isabelle, at the family’s home and that the killing was for financial gain. Prosecutors successfully argued Jarka, who was having financial problems, wanted to collect $1.3 million in life insurance on a policy he had taken out on his wife of nearly 20 years. During the trial, prosecutor Burke Strunsky described
Jarka as a man so enamored with his upper-middle-class lifestyle and
position within his congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, that he was
willing to sacrifice the life of his loving wife to maintain it. More Pastor charged with 'video voyeurism'
John Albert Kleinpeter, 51, was arrested Friday at his Murrieta home and charged with one count of video voyeurism for sexual pleasure, which is a misdemeanor, said Riverside County district attorney's office spokesman John Hall. Kleinpeter's arrest followed an investigation into a series of incidents at Temecula and Murrieta Target stores where witnesses say they saw him use a cell phone camera or small mirror to secretly photograph or view up the skirts of unsuspecting female adult shoppers, according to investigators. Kleinpeter is also known as "John Andrews," whom
authorities said is a pastor at Generations Community Church in Lake
Elsinore. More Scientology calls for internet, media censorship in Australia
In a long, rambling submission made to the Australian Human Rights Commission made earlier this year, the Church dedicates two and half pages of its six page submission to attacking Anonymous, calling Anonymous among other things “a hate group” of “cyberterrorists” that is engaged in a “malicious campaign of hate” that is “an anathema to democracy.” The submission plays the we do nothing wrong card, stating: In Australia Anonymous have mounted a sustained
campaign of misinformation against the Church. As we are a minority
religion with the vast majority of the population unaware of our true
beliefs and humanitarian programs, their campaign has no justifiable
purpose and violates the Church of Scientology’s and parishioners
rights to human dignity and religious freedom under the Constitution. More Religious fanatic hijacked Mexican plane after 'revelation'
Masked police stormed the aircraft with guns drawn and escorted several handcuffed men away without firing a shot. Police later said there was only one hijacker, and the other men aboard were detained because the suspect had told a flight attendant he had three accomplices. The others were quickly released. Jose Flores, 44, later told police his three companions
were "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." Flores hijacked
Aeromexico Flight 576 after a divine revelation, according to Public
Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna. Flores said Wednesday's
date—9-9-09—is the satanic number 666 turned upside down. More A Society Based On Literature Distribution
I often distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books in Sydney’s Town Hall station and in recent years we share the spot with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It appears to me the general public are far more interested in purchasing and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books about Krishna than their “Watchtower.” However, although the public seem quite disinterested in their literature they distribute an enormous quantity of it world-wide. So when Shaun invited me to visit their Australian headquarters I was interested to see how they managed to print and distribute so much literature first-hand. I discovered to be an “active” Jehovah’s Witness one
has to distribute literature. They seem to value more the hours spent
in distributing the literature and preaching then the actual quantity
of magazines sold. Every member is called a “publisher” and the mission
of the “publishers” is very clear. To distribute the magazines and
preach to the general public. Most of this is done door-to-door. More Man vs. God
Richard Dawkins has been right all along, of course—at least in one important respect. Evolution has indeed dealt a blow to the idea of a benign creator, literally conceived. It tells us that there is no Intelligence controlling the cosmos, and that life itself is the result of a blind process of natural selection, in which innumerable species failed to survive. The fossil record reveals a natural history of pain,
death and racial extinction, so if there was a divine plan, it was
cruel, callously prodigal and wasteful. Human beings were not the
pinnacle of a purposeful creation; like everything else, they evolved
by trial and error and God had no direct hand in their making. No
wonder so many fundamentalist Christians find their faith shaken to the
core. More Sex offender Philip Garrido used Jehovahs Witness to get early parole
1991 was 18 years ago and the couple held the child and sexually abused her. Philip Garrido fathered two children by the abducted Dugard. The Garrido’s kept Dugard and her children locked up in
a backyard compound in Antioch California, east of San Francisco. They
used the girl, along with being their sex slave, to handle
telemarketing for printing business related to religious brochures the
Garrido’s were promoting. More
Faith healing 'risks recovery'
He will be presenting his research at a British Psychological Society conference in Birmingham. The Coleraine-based academic's research team questioned 766 people on their belief in and intention to use faith healing. They were also surveyed about their intention to adhere to medical advice. "We found that belief and intention to use faith healing
was a significant predictor of self-reported non-adherence to a
medication," Dr Cassidy said. More Scientology defectors come forward - accounts of abuse
Jackie Wolff wept as she recalled the chaotic night she was ordered to stand at a microphone in the mess hall and confess her "crimes" in front of 300 fellow workers, many jeering and heckling her. Gary Morehead dredged up his recollection of Scientology leader David Miscavige punishing venerable church leaders by forcing them to live out of tents for days, wash with a garden hose and use an open latrine. Steve Hall replayed his memory of a meeting when
Miscavige grabbed the heads of two church executives and knocked them
together. One came away with a bloody ear. More Death risk high in childbirth among Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions for
religious reasons, and knowing the risks more precisely can help health
workers better prepare for dealing with people who decline lifesaving
measures, said Jos Van Roosmalen of the Netherlands Society of
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, who led the study. More Irish Catholics Say Stump Looks Like Mary
The phenomenon at St. Mary's parish church in Rathkeale, population 3,000 or so, harkens back to decades when Catholic devotion and pilgrimages were the dominant feature of rural life in Ireland. Some are tying the fervor for Rathkeale's "Holy Stump" to Ireland's stunning economic decline over the past year. "People have been crying out for something good to
happen. And this is all good for the soul," said Noel White, who has
been overseeing a church project to cut down trees dangerously
overhanging the neighboring school playground. More US pastor opens church to guns
Pastor Ken Pagano told parishioners to bring their unloaded guns to New Bethel Church in Louisville for a service celebrating the right to bear arms. He said he acted after church members voiced fears the Obama administration could tighten gun control laws. When the service began, some 200 people were present, AP
news agency said. "We are wanting to send a message that there are
legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns,"
Mr Pagano told the congregation. More Pope Urges Forming New World Economic Order to Work for the ‘Common Good’
He criticized the current economic system, “where the pernicious effects of sin are evident,” and urged financiers in particular to “rediscover the genuinely ethical foundation of their activity.” He also called for “greater social responsibility” on the part of business. “Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty,” Benedict wrote in his new encyclical, which the Vatican released on Tuesday. More than two years in the making, “Caritas in
Veritate,” or “Charity in Truth,” is Benedict’s third encyclical since
he became pope in 2005. Filled with terms like “globalization,” “market
economy,” “outsourcing,” “labor unions” and “alternative energy,” it is
not surprising that the Italian media reported that the Vatican was
having difficulty translating the 144-page document into Latin. More Mormons and Gay Marriage: Are Mormons Misunderstood?
Pimentel, a lawyer and a lay leader in the small Mormon
congregation in Alameda, is markedly even-keeled. Yet the poison-pen
note still steams him, even though in May the California Supreme Court
validated Prop 8 as constitutional. More Man sees subtle victory in fight against Jehovah's Witnesses
That, at least, is Mr. Hughes' impression, as he continues doggedly, nearly seven years after the death of his daughter, Bethany, to hold the sect's governing Watchtower Society and its lawyers responsible for her death. "I see it as a win," he said yesterday. For a man who has lost his daughter, been shunned by
his surviving children, divorced by his wife and gone bankrupt from
legal costs, reduced to defending himself in court, the instinct to
imagine the smallest of triumphs must be powerful. More The
Father Cutie Scandal: Sex and the Single Priest
Or does he emerge from a period of prayer and contemplation, humbled and chastened, renewing a vow of priestly celibacy he apparently violated -- and only recently publicly questioned? It's Cutié's call. In a brief telephone interview Wednesday, a day after
he was relieved of his duties at his Miami Beach parish and the
church's media arm, the internationally known priest and media
personality said he was taking an indefinite leave for ``personal
reflection.'' More Survey: Faithful support terror suspect torture
More than half of people who attend services at least once a week -- 54 percent -- said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is "often" or "sometimes" justified. Only 42 percent of people who "seldom or never" go to services agreed, according to the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. White evangelical Protestants were the religious group
most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified -- more than
six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious
organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did.
More San Diego County Trying To Stop Home Bible Studies
Attorney Dean Broyles of The Western Center For Law & Policy was shocked with what happened to the pastor and his wife. Broyles said, "The county asked, 'Do you have a regular
meeting in your home?' She said, 'Yes.' 'Do you say amen?' 'Yes.' 'Do
you pray?' 'Yes.' 'Do you say praise the Lord?' 'Yes.'" More Jehovah's Witnesses: 'End is near'
"It's imminent. It's at hand," says local Jehovah's Witnesses spokesman Travis Telfair. Local Witnesses will be holding 14 consecutive
'conventions', as they call them, at their convention center on Palm
Beach Lakes Boulevard - formerly the West Palm Beach Auditorium. They
hold such gatherings each year, but this year's theme is, admittedly,
far more alarming. Spritually surviving an imminent apocalypse! When? More Afghan Taliban Kill Young Woman, Man for Eloping
The woman, 19-year-old Gul Pecha, and the man, 21-year-old Abdul Aziz, were accused by the militants of immoral acts, and a council of conservative clerics decided that the two should be killed, officials said. The two had hoped to travel to Iran, which borders
their home province of Nimroz, but their parents sent villagers to
bring them home, said Sadiq Chakhansori, the chief of the provincial
council. Once back home, the pair was either turned over to the Taliban
by their parents or the militants took them by force, the officials
said, providing slightly varying accounts. More Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom
Tyler Frost, 17, disobeyed his principal at Heritage Christian to accompany his girlfriend to her prom at Findlay High School Saturday night. Frost danced, held hands with his girlfriend and
listened to rock music in violation of Heritage Christian's
fundamentalist Baptist rules. More Sheep sex arrest cited as proof of Britain's moral decline
He also claimed the advent of civil partnerships for homosexual couples showed that politicians are "upturning the natural order" and doing away with God and family life. Dr Akinola referred to the alleged farmyard sex crimes
in an important speech to the General Synod of the Church of Nigeria,
the 18 million-strong church's governing body, last month. More Judge rules minister ineligible for confidentiality protections
The ruling means that Jose Cespedes must testify during Kelle Lee Jarka's trial on charges of murder for financial gain in connection with the April death of his wife, Isabelle Jarka. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer ruled Cespedes waived his rights to confidentially, in part, because he freely gave statements to investigators on four separate occasions between April and June. The ruling comes in response to Cespedes, an ordained
minister with the Spanish Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in
Temecula, claim that he should not be compelled to testify because
Kelle Jarka's statements were confidential communications between a
clergyman and his parishioner. More Mom Believes Son Will Come Back From Dead
"I have never seen anything like this in a plea agreement," said Steve Silverman, the attorney representing Ria Ramkissoon, 22, who was a member of the faith-based religious group One Mind Ministries at the time of her son's death in December 2006. "It's clear [my client] is brainwashed," Silverman said today. "She is delusional, and the mere fact that she is currently insisting upon a caveat that her plea be dismissed if her son is resurrected speaks for itself." Silverman said that Ramkissoon, who admits to
withholding food and water and food from her son because he refused to
say "amen" after meals, remains confident that her son, who had just
celebrated his first birthday at the time of his death, will rise from
the dead. More Vatican insider calls Benedict's papacy a disaster
The Holy See is struggling to contain international anger about the Pope's claim on his first official visit to Africa that AIDS "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems". His remarks - and a furore over his lifting of a
20-year excommunication of a British bishop who questioned the
Holocaust - has left him looking isolated and out of touch. More Founder of Islamic TV station accused of beheading wife
Muzzammil Hassan was charged with second-degree murder after police found the decapitated body of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, at the Bridges TV station in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, said Andrew Benz, Orchard Park's police chief. Hassan was arrested Thursday. His wife filed for divorce February 6, and police had
responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's home, Benz
said. More `Sex-y' sermons cause stir in rural Alabama
It's another thing when a small-town congregation puts up billboards with the phrase "Great sex: God's way" on rural highways to promote a sermon series. You can't even legally buy beer in Cullman County, and a preacher is talking about S-E-X on Sunday morning? Daystar Church, whose congregation has grown dramatically under pastor Jerry Lawson, has run up against the sensibilities of a conservative north Alabama community with a monthlong focus on sex. Sex just isn't an appropriate topic for church, some say, and others are upset over the church's signs, which advertise the sermon series and accompanying Web site. "It's really stirred up the people here," said Good
Hope town clerk Joann Jones. More Georgia judge jails Muslim woman for wearing headscarf
Judge Keith Rollins of Douglasville, Georgia, yesterday ordered Lisa Valentine, 41, to jail after she refused to remove her scarf before entering the courtroom, citing rules governing appropriate dress. Last week, Sabreen Abdulrahmaan was forced to leave Rollins's court before her son's probation hearing because she would not remove her scarf. "It's a religious right," Valentine said. "It's our
constitutional right that we can have our religious practices, no
matter if it's a courtroom or not. He's supposed to be handing out
justice, not taking away civil rights." Valentine said she sought to
accompany her nephew to a traffic hearing yesterday but was told by a
court security officer that she could not enter the courtroom with her
headscarf on. She said she refused to remove it and turned to leave,
saying, "This is bullshit". More Church strips saucy sign
The sign in front of Heart Lake United Church on Sandalwood Parkway East usually has inspirational messages on it, according to resident Nicole Cedrone. So as she drove home from the doctor's office this
week, she did a double take when she saw the most recent message:
"Lying in bed shouting Oh God doesn't constitute going to church." More Jehovah’s Witness jailed for trying to abduct girls
He has been found guilty at separate trials of the attempted abduction of the girl in Holywell two years ago, of indecently assaulting a seven-year-old 10 years ago, and of possessing 730 pornographic images of children. Prosecuting at Caernarfon Crown Court, Simon Medland described how the girl had been returning home from a playground when Bill, “for malign purposes”, drew up in his car and asked: “Have you seen a cat?” By chance the girl’s uncle arrived at the scene at that
moment and her mother, who had been watching from a window, ran to her.
More Disney accused by cleric of corrupting children's minds
He argues that it pretends to provide stories with a moral message, but has actually helped to create a more materialistic culture. In a guide to helping people find happiness, the abbot, who starred in the hit-BBC series The Monastery, warns that society is in danger of losing its soul because of growing consumerism and the decline of religion. He suggests that many people have become obsessed with
work, sex and eating in an attempt to ignore their underlying
unhappiness, and criticises corporations and industries that have
benefited from promoting false notions of fulfilment. More Jewish group sued over 'Adventist' name
Leaders of the international Christian church with 15 million followers have a trademark on the word in the United States. They say no one else can use it, not even a small Jewish society in North County. The church filed a lawsuit Nov. 24 against The Federation of Jewish Adventist Society to force the Valley Center group to stop using the word in its name. The Maryland-based leadership of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church alleges trademark infringement and unfair competition
in the suit, filed in San Diego federal court. More Man accused of abusing girls he met through religious organization
In all, police believe Judd A. Gauthier, 22, had sexual contact with at least five underage girls, whom he knew through his involvement with a local religious organization, authorities said. Gauthier, of Lower Feeder Street, met the teens through his involvement with a local Jehovah's Witnesses congregation, officials said. He is a member of a congregation but did not hold any position of leadership, officials said. He has been charged in connection with three of the
underage sex cases so far and was jailed Tuesday for lack of bail after
arraignment. More Indonesian Muslims banned from practicing yoga
Cleric Ma'ruf Amin said the Ulema Council issued the ruling following weekend talks attended by hundreds of theological experts in Padang Panjang, a village in West Sumatra province. Though not legally binding, most devout Muslims will likely adhere to it because they consider ignoring a fatwa, or religious decree, sinful. The ban, which follows a similar edict in neighboring
Malaysia, was passed after investigators visited gyms and private yoga
classes across the country to see what effect Hindu rituals like
chanting mantras might have on Muslims. More Disgraced pastor Haggard facing new sex allegations
A megachurch paid a 20-year-old man to keep silent about a sexual relationship he had with disgraced evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, a senior church pastor said. Haggard denies the new accusation. Haggard, who was fired amid allegations that he used
drugs and patronized a male prostitute in 2006, had a sexual
relationship with a second man -- a 20-year-old volunteer at his
megachurch, said the Rev. Brady Boyd, a senior pastor at the church. More Vatican 2.0: Pope gets his own YouTube channel
In his inaugural YouTube foray Friday, Pope Benedict XVI welcomed viewers to this "great family that knows no borders" and said he hoped they would "feel involved in this great dialogue of truth." "Today is a day that writes a new page in history for
the Holy See," Vatican Radio said in describing the launch of the site,
http://www.youtube.com/vatican More Farmer links seed patents to the Antichrist
The jar reminds him of what he considers God's first
earthly gift to humanity: seeds. It's a gift that is in danger of being
eradicated, White says, through increased genetic manipulation of plant
genes, hybridization and the patenting of living genes by large
corporations. God's gift of seeds, given the day after he separated dry
land from water and the day before he hung the sun, moon and stars is
not something that should be taken away from a farmer. More Pope slams human organ trade
The pontiff told scientists and bioethicists meeting at the Pontifical Academy for Life that the worldwide illegal organ trade often made victims of innocent people, including children. Buying and selling of human organs is a lucrative
business for suppliers and countries that allow foreign "transplant
tourists" to have operations they cannot get at home. Organs are often
bought from poor peasants and sometimes harvested from condemned
prisoners. More Sex invariably spells trouble, says Dalai Lama
"Sexual pressure, sexual desire, actually I think is short period satisfaction and often, that leads to more complication," the Dalai Lama told reporters in a Lagos hotel, speaking in English without a translator. He said conjugal life caused "too much ups and downs. "Naturally as a human being ... some kind of desire for
sex comes, but then you use human intelligence to make comprehension
that those couples always full of trouble. And in some cases there is
suicide, murder cases," the Dalai Lama said. More Scientists discover brain area linked to pain resistance during intense religious experiences
The research, to be published in the next edition of
the journal Pain1, reveals, for the first time, that
religion-associated pain resistance is linked to the activation of the
brain right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), an area associated
with both cognitive down-regulation of pain and reassessment of the
emotional meaning of an experience – for example by giving a neutral or
even positive meaning to a noxious experience, and so making it much
easier to cope with. More 'God said she needed to be taken off road'
The bizarre incident that shut down southbound U.S. 281 above the Medina River happened about 7:25 a.m. “He just said God said she wasn't driving right, and she needed to be taken off the road,” said Lt. Kyle Coleman of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the pickup was identified in a Sheriff's Office news release as Michael E. Schwab, 52, of Blooming Grove. Schwab told first responders at the scene that “the
other vehicle was not driving like a Christian and it was Jesus' will
for him to punish the car,” according to the release. More Nepal 'Buddha Boy' returns to jungle
Known as the "Buddha Boy," Ram Bahadur Bomjam, 18, became famous in 2005 after supporters said he could meditate motionless for months without water, food or sleep. "Bomjam went back into the jungle late Friday and all the devotees have left," police officer Gobinda Kushwaha told AFP from Neejgad, a town in Bara District, 60 kilometres (37.5 miles) south of Kathmandu. The "Buddha Boy" reappeared earlier this month after supporters said in March 2007 that he was going to meditate for three years in an underground bunker, although he was spotted on two occasions. For the last 10 days, he has been blessing thousands of
devotees who came daily to the site in dense jungle close to Neejgad. More Church Pastors Dismiss Mental Illness
The problem was solely spiritual in nature, they were told. Here's the thing: Other studies have found that clergy,
and not psychologists or other mental health experts, are the most
common source of help sought in times of psychological distress. More Man killed at Hollywood Scientology center made prior threats
On Sunday, Majorski stormed the church's Celebrity Centre in Hollywood with a sword in each hand. He was shot dead by a security guard who police say had every reason to fear for his life and the lives of hundreds of others gathered on the property. The reasons for Majorski's transformation from fervent believer to attacker remained a mystery Monday. A church spokesman said the 48-year-old had not
participated in Scientology activities for more than a decade, but in
recent years he had made a series of threatening phone calls to church
offices in Los Angeles and Oregon, where he had been living. More Murder accused: 'I did it for God'
Dixon, 40, faces eight charges relating to the January 22, 2003 incident during which Rennee Gunbie and Simonne Butler were attacked with a samurai sword at Pipiroa, near Thames, and James Te Aute was shot dead in Auckland. Defence lawyer Barry Hart told the jury in his opening address that calling Dixon to give evidence was a big step but it was taken so Dixon could tell the jury about himself. Dixon told the court he hated himself and his life and had sought permission from God to kill himself. He said he was told that first he must behead Renee Gunbie and Simone Butler then plunge the sword into his own heart. Speaking in a barely audible voice, Dixon earlier described his childhood growing up in an Auckland boarding house run by his mother, with three of his seven siblings. "I was the chosen one," Dixon said. He could communicate telephathically with his mother and got "messages" from radio music and programmes. Being the "chosen one" also meant he was regularly "raped and sodomised" by multiple church elders from an early age till he was about 15, he said. As he got bigger and stronger "they would just bring in
extra men," Dixon said. His mother was a schizophrenic who also
sexually abused him, and would chain him to a clothesline. His father
"had demons" that, on one occasion, "escaped from his body and raped
one of the other Jehovah’s Witnesses", he said. More
Priest: No communion for Obama supporters
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote. "Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most
radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States
Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by
his full name, including his middle name of Hussein. More
Warring monks threaten destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
While renovations are needed across the church, the small Deir al-Sultan monastery on its roof has reached an “emergency state”, according to engineers who completed an evaluation this month. The Times has learnt that in 2004 the two chapels and
twenty-six tiny rooms that comprise the monastery were pronounced in
dire need of reinforcement. They have since deteriorated to the point
where engineers now fear that they will crash through the roof and into
the church, venerated by millions of Christians as the site of the
Crucifixion and burial of Jesus. More Saskatoon church failed to report sexual abuse
"We were left to endure years of guilt and shame," one of the women wrote in a victim-impact statement read aloud by Crown prosecutor Krista Zerr during the man's sentencing hearing in Saskatoon Court of Queen's Bench on Monday. "I felt like damaged goods." Due to a publication ban on information that could
identify the victims, the convicted man's name cannot be published. He
pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault earlier this year, on
what was supposed to be the first day of his trial. In exchange, the
Crown dropped charges of sexual interference and sexual touching, as
well as a charge related to a male complainant. More Pakistan 'child wedding' halted
The arrested men - the father of the groom and a cleric who performed the ceremony - say the wedding was meant to end a feud between the two families. Child marriages are more common in remote tribal areas
of Pakistan. In the latest case, family members of the children
involved argued that they wanted them to get married in advance of
their real wedding which will be held when the pair reach the
marriageable age of 18. More Controversial church plans to picket after deadly crash
With one teenager buried, and another lying in the funeral home, people here say they're disgusted to hear that a group would take advantage of this tragedy to make a political statement. Flags fly at half-staff, and you can't drive far in Scott Co. without seeing ribbons, in memory of those who died. As everyone here stands united in their time of suffering, news that a group may use this event to protest is very upsetting. Resident Ronnie Brock says, "Well, I'd say they don't need any extra grief at all with the tragedy that's happened. I'm sure the families have been through a lot and they'd just like a little bit of peace." The group that plans to protest is from Westboro
Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. Their news release says "God Hates
Tennessee" and says the cheerleaders "died for Tennessee's sins." The
group that's known for strong anti-homosexual views told us by phone
they now plan to protest at the high school, rather than at the
funerals. More
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Ramon Sanchez has asked God to forgive him following an admission he
made to San Antonio police, according to the arrest warrant.
LOUISVILLE, KY - A Louisville man who already leads the praise and worship
at a church wants to take a higher role. He is a registered sex offender
and will be ordained as a minister. It is something that is not sitting
well with some.
TEHRAN, Iran — A prominent hard-line Iranian cleric elaborated on his
claim that promiscuity and immodest dress cause earthquakes, saying
Friday that God may be holding off on natural disasters in the West
in order to let people sin more and doom themselves to hell.
A Jehovah Witness man, Kwabena Afum and his wife, Margret Afum aka Abena
Oduma, have had a brush with the law after creating an unnecessary chaotic
scene at New Edubiase Government Hospital in a bid to prevent medical
officers from giving blood to their son.
LISBON, Portugal -- In his most thorough admission of the church's guilt
in the clerical sex abuse scandal, Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday the
greatest persecution of the institution "is born from the sins within
the church," and not from a campaign by outsiders.
MONTREAL - A Muslim woman in Quebec has been kicked out of a language
course for the second time because of her refusal to remove a religious
face covering.
In December 2005 I finally made my statement to the police. I wore a
pinstripe shirtdress over jeans, so the police would know that I was
someone capable of ironing and therefore reliable and truthful. I was
left alone while the detective collected pens and paper, for it was
to be a written statement, rather than a recorded or videoed one. It
took six hours.
Each Christmas, Christians tell stories about
the poor baby Jesus born in a lowly manger because there was no room in
the inn.
Airport
security is and will continue to be an important topic in the post 9/11
world. There is a fine line between security and the invasion of a
traveler's privacy.
A 60-year-old Schuylkill County man was found
guilty Tuesday of groping a woman dressed as Minnie Mouse while he and
his family were visiting Walt Disney World in Florida.
Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing — an
inscription dating from the 10th century B.C., during the period of
King David's reign.
The days begin early at Morning Star Ranch,
where residents rise before dawn to pick their crops before a single
leaf can wilt in the rising sun.
The Saudi
religious police have begun cracking down on stores selling any items
that are red, heart-shaped or otherwise allude to the banned
celebration of Valentine's Day, the Associated Press reports.
Four hundred years after Renaissance
philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake for his belief in the
"plurality of worlds" (aliens), scientists and religious leaders
gathered this week at a seemingly more open-minded Vatican for a
conference on astrobiology (aliens).
A RESPECTED Jehovah's Witness who served as an
elder betrayed the trust placed in him by abusing young girls.
A 42-year old Shepherd of Celestial Church of
Christ, Pastor Toyin Kadiri, has been arrested by the police in Lagos
for allegedly raping two sisters at the same time.
Catholic churches in Italy are installing
automatic holy water dispensers to help reduce the risk of spreading
swine flu. The outbreak of the H1N1 virus has led many churches to
suspend the tradition of having holy water in open fonts into which
people dip their hands.
The boy was just five years old and desperately
ill, but as he crouched in the back seat of Donna Ryder's car, he
became more fugitive than cancer patient.
Kathmandu - Thousands of Hindu devotees have
flocked to a village in Nepal ahead of the planned sacrifice of more
than 300,000 animals in a ceremony condemned by animal rights
activists, including French actress Brigitte Bardot.
Professor Ellen van Wolde, a respected Old
Testament scholar and author, claims the first sentence of Genesis "in
the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth" is not a true
translation of the Hebrew.
A leading Egyptian scholar has demanded that
people caught importing a female virginity-faking device into the
country should face the death penalty.
A number
of parents are stuck in a desperate battle with a church in Durban's
upmarket suburbs that they accuse of "stealing" and brainwashing their
teens.
A few
weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel attended a
meeting at a government office in Jerusalem’s Givat Shaul quarter. When
he returned to his car, an elderly man wearing a skullcap came and
knocked on the window. When the clergyman let the window down, the
passerby spat in his face.
How far is too far in our Twilight series
fandom? With newspapers gaggling over film stars Kristen Stewart and
Robert Pattinson's choice of wardrobe and hairstyle on a near-daily
basis (though I'll give some of them credit, lately - see here), a
readership of Stephenie Meyer's hit series that has reached over 30
million, the film reaching the number one spot for the year (see here),
and children running around biting other children in the name of
Twilight (supposedly - see here), we have to step back and wonder, when
is our fandom getting to be too much?
The monstrous stepdad of Baby P has become a
Jehovah’s Witness in jail. Sadistic brute Steven Barker, 33, keeps a
bible in his cell and has told prison staff that he has "found God at
last".
TEMECULA - Two people were arrested on
suspicion of burglarizing vehicles in church parking lots during
services, a sheriff's sergeant said today.
One in every 33 women who attend worship
services regularly has been the target of sexual advances by a
religious leader, a survey released Wednesday says.
A
Murrieta man convicted of murdering his longtime wife and making the
killing look like it was done by an intruder is scheduled to be
sentenced Friday and faces a lifetime in prison with no chance of
parole.
A pastor at a Lake Elsinore church has been arrested for allegedly
taking pictures up women's skirts with his cell phone camera without
their knowledge, law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.
The “Church” of Scientology has called upon the Australian Government
to censor the internet and media locally in direct response to protests
from Anonymous.
MEXICO CITY—A Bolivian religious fanatic
briefly hijacked a jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun as it
landed in Mexico City on Wednesday, police said. All passengers and the
crew were released unharmed. The Bible-carrying hijacker used a juice
can he said was a bomb to hold the 103 passengers and crew on the
tarmac for more than an hour.
I was recently invited to visit the Australian
headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s a large complex in Sydney
with about 270 people living on the site. The center of the complex is
a huge printing press printing their magazines: Watchtower and Awake!,
twice a month in more than 25 languages. The magazines are available in
Australia in 82 languages and world-wide they print in over 160
languages!
Karen Armstrong says we need God to grasp the
wonder of our existence
Philip Garrido and his wife Nancy are under
arrest for the abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard, then 11 years old, on
June 11, 1991. Garrido was a convicted sex offender for past three
decades who had been in an out of jail. Nancy was a devout Jehovah’s
Witness who converted Garrido to the religious sect prior to 1978.
Dr Tony
Cassidy said he believes that some people who put their trust in faith
healing may be less likely to adhere to medical advice.
They are stepping forward — from Dallas and Denver, Portland, Las
Vegas, Montana — talking about what happened, to them and their
friends, during their years in the Church of Scientology.
LONDON: Pregnant Jehovah’s Witnesses are six
times more likely to die during childbirth than other women, mainly due
to an increased risk for severe bleeding, Dutch researchers said
yesterday.
DUBLIN -- Thousands of Irish Catholics have flocked this week to a
County Limerick church to pray at the stump of a recently cut willow
that many observers say has the silhouette of the Virgin Mary.
A pastor
in the US state of Kentucky told his flock to bring handguns to church
in what he said was an effort to promote safe gun ownership.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI called for a
radical rethinking of the global economy, criticizing a growing divide
between rich and poor and urging the establishment of a “true world
political authority” to oversee the economy and work for the “common
good.”
Last November, Jay Pimentel began hearing that people in his
neighborhood were receiving letters about him. Pimentel lives in
Alameda, Calif., a small, liberal-leaning community hanging off Oakland
into the San Francisco Bay. Pimentel, who is a Mormon, had supported
Proposition 8, the ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage. And
that made him a target. "Dear Neighbor," the letter began, "Our
neighbors, Colleen and Jay Pimentel" — and it gave their address —
"contributed $1,500.00 to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. NEIGHBORS
SHOULD BE AWARE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS' CHOICES." The note accused the
Pimentels of "obsessing about same-sex marriage." It listed a variety
of local causes that recipients should support — "unlike the Pimentels."
Legal judgments can sometimes wear disguises.
What appears to be a loss - as did, at first blush, the ruling on
Monday dismissing Lawrence Hughes' appeal of a lawsuit against the
Canadian branch of Jehovah's Witnesses - may, in fact, offer subtle
victory.
Caught by paparazzi in the
tender embrace of a woman on a Florida beach -- is this how celebrity
Catholic priest Alberto Cutié's meteoric religious and multimedia
career crashes down to earth?
The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to
support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.
SAN DIEGO -- A local pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated
by a San Diego County official, who then threatened them with
escalating fines if they continued to hold Bible studies in their home.
WEST PALM
BEACH, FL -- If you feel like the world has been crumbling down around
you lately, the Jehovah's Witnesses say - you're right. It is. In fact,
beginning this weekend, they'll be holding a series of public lectures
entitled "How to survive the end of the world". 
A Taliban firing squad killed
a young couple in southwestern Afghanistan for trying to elope,
shooting them with AK-47s in front of a crowd in a lawless,
militant-controlled region, officials said Tuesday.
FINDLAY, Ohio, - A senior at a Christian school
in Findlay, Ohio, has been barred from graduation for attending a prom
at a secular high school, his family said.
Dr Akinola, the Primate of Nigeria and a leader
of traditionalists worldwide, said the alleged offences of bestiality
in south London showed how "spiritual degradation" was destroying the
country's soul.
An ordained minister with the Jehovah's Witnesses voluntarily talked to
detectives investigating the bludgeoning death of a Murrieta woman
making him ineligible for the confidentially protections afforded by
law to clergymen and their parishioners, a judge ruled Friday.
A Baltimore mother charged with starving her
son to death with the help of alleged fellow members of a religious
group to which she said she belonged had been so brainwashed by the
group that she agreed to withdraw her guilty plea if the child is
resurrected in human form, according to her attorney.
POPE BENEDICT'S repeated gaffes and the
Vatican's inability to manage his message in the internet era are
threatening to undermine his papacy, Vatican insiders have said.
NEW YORK - The founder of an upstate New York
TV station aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has been arrested on
suspicion of killing his wife, who was beheaded, authorities said.
GOOD HOPE, Ala. — It's one
thing for a church in a big city like Dallas or Atlanta to tackle the
ticklish topic of sex. It blends in with the urban scene.
A city judge in Georgia has in the past eight
days barred two Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves from entering
his courtroom, jailing one, and prompting an inquiry from the civil
rights office at the US department of justice.
A Brampton church has removed a sexually
suggestive message from a sign in front of its building after a
complaint from the public.
A FORMER teacher, businessman and senior Jehovah’s Witness who tried to
abduct a five-year-old was yesterday jailed for six years. Robert
Edward Bill, 54, was told by a judge that he was still in denial about
his predatory interest in young children despite a series of
convictions.
Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex, has accused the
corporation of "exploiting spirituality" to sell its products and of
turning Disneyland into a modern day pilgrimage site.
What's the first thing that pops to mind upon hearing the word
"Adventist"? The Seventh-day Adventist Church, probably.
FORT EDWARD - A Hudson Falls man was arrested Tuesday on charges he had
sex with two underage girls in Argyle, an arrest that came a month
after he was charged with having sexual contact with an underage girl
in Rensselaer County as well.
JAKARTA,
Indonesia – Indonesia's top Islamic body banned Muslims from practicing
yoga that contains Hindu rituals like chanting, the chairman of the
group said Monday, citing concerns it would corrupt their faith.
Ted
Haggard, one of our favorite members of the Rainbow Pastor Club, is
back again.
VATICAN CITY — Puffs of smoke, speeches in Latin and multipage
encyclicals have all been used by the Vatican to communicate with the
faithful. Now the pope is trying to broaden his audience by joining the
wannabe musicians, college pranksters and water-skiing squirrels on
YouTube.
Michael White, who farms near Scottsboro, keeps
a Mason jar full of wheat grains next to his well-worn Bible. Capped
with an antique zinc lid, the jar was filled by his grandfather decades
before anyone dreamed of genetically altering plants or animals.
LAGOS, Nigeria -- The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual and
temporal leader, on Friday said sex spelt fleeting satisfaction and
trouble later, while chastity offered a better life and "more freedom."
Religious emotions and believes have often been linked to a capacity to
deal with pain, as those images of Philippine men being willingly
crucified during religious festivals so well demonstrate. But although
changes in pain sensitivity during a religious experience are well
documented, the exact psychological or/and neurological reasons of the
phenomenon are unclear and, as such, have now become the aim of an
investigation by a group of scientists, philosophers and psychologists
from the University of Oxford.
A
speeding pickup rear-ended a woman's sedan on the South Side on Friday
morning and sheriff's officials say the driver said it was Jesus' will
because the other motorist was not “driving like a Christian.”
KATHMANDU,
Nepal -- A young man believed by followers to be a reincarnation of
Buddha has returned to Nepal's jungles to meditate alone, police said
Saturday, as scholars cast doubt on his supporters' claims.
In a study of Christian church members who approached their church for
help with a personal or family member's diagnosed mental illness,
researchers found that more than 32 percent were told by their pastor
that they or their loved one did not really have a mental illness.
When he was a UCLA student 15 years ago, Mario
Majorski was a committed enough Scientologist that he helped file a
federal lawsuit against a professor who called the church a cult.
Samurai
swordsman Antonie Dixon says God told him to chop off the heads of the
two women he lived with, then plunge the sword through his own heart.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his
parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if
they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect
supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation
with intrinsic evil."
A long-running row over the rights to a rooftop
section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre could bring the entire
structure tumbling down, destroying Christendom’s holiest site.
SASKATOON, Canada - Two women who were sexually abused in their
adolescence by a trusted older relative say elders of the small-town
Jehovah's Witness church in which they were raised did not report the
situation to police after he admitted touching them inappropriately
during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Police in southern Pakistan have arrested two
people for attempting to wed a seven-year-old boy to a four-year-old
girl, officials say. It is believed to be the first time they have
broken up such a marriage as the wedding was taking place.
SCOTT COUNTY, Tenn. - As a community mourns the
loss of the four young cheerleaders, and a grandmother and unborn baby
in the second car, Westboro Baptist Church, known for protesting
soldiers' funerals, claims it will show up in Scott County to picket.