Religion

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Satanic Temple members are planning on taking advantage of a bill Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Thursday that allows volunteer chaplains to provide support services for public K-12 students. But DeSantis says that’s not going to happen. “Some have said that if you do a school chaplain program, that somehow you’re going to have Satanists running around …

The Christian Post reports: Jerry Savelle, a popular televangelist and proponent of the prosperity gospel, which claims that believers will see improvements in wealth and well-being in this life, has died at 76. Jerry Savelle Ministries International announced on Facebook that the preacher died on Monday, identifying him as “a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, pastor, mentor, and resolute friend.” …

The Christian Post reports: Panganai Java, the flamboyant Zimbabwe-born but Maryland-based preacher better known as Prophet Passion Java, finances his lavish lifestyle by preaching the prosperity gospel and charging his followers $555 for phone calls. Passion Java is well known for wearing expensive designer clothing and driving high-performance sports cars while attracting scrutiny from Prophets and Watches. His Instagram account …

Via press release from the Florida Highway Patrol: Today, Florida Highway Patrol Troopers responded to a report of an active shooter in Holmes County. The suspect was reportedly a female who had recently checked out of a local hotel and told the staff she was going on a shooting spree, directed by “God” in relation to the solar eclipse. The …

“Throughout the Bible we see solar and lunar eclipses connected to events that surround major turning points on the timeline of mankind with most having to do with the end of time. So why do I believe it’s a warning? “Not only does the Bible connect eclipses to judgment and End Times events but just take a look at what …

CBS News reports: The Diocese of Sacramento announced that they had officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It comes months after the diocese announced its intentions to file for bankruptcy in the wake of more than 250 lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by clergy and other staff. In a statement, Bishop of Sacramento Jaime Soto said the filing was the …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: A South Florida pastor accused of sexually battering a 15-year-old girl in his church became a wanted man Monday after skipping out on scheduled court hearings. He’s believed to be on the run. Monte Chitty, the 62-year-old pastor of First Baptist Marathon, had been released on a $75,000 bond soon after his March arrest. Prosecutors say …

NBC News reports: Pope Francis found an ally in his predecessor Benedict XVI when he spoke in favor of civil partnerships for same-sex couples, the pontiff said in a new book due out in Spain. Francis has confirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to LGBTQ marriages, but has repeatedly said same-sex couples have a right to be protected by civil union …

Reuters reports: Uganda’s constitutional court on Wednesday refused to annul or suspend an anti-LGBTQ law that includes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts, but found some of its provisions inconsistent with certain fundamental human rights. In particular the court said the section of the legislation requiring the mandatory reporting to authorities of people suspected of having committed homosexual offences …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages in an Easter Sunday address that marked the most important day on the Christian calendar by deploring the suffering caused by wars. The pontiff presided over Mass in a packed and flower-bedecked St Peter’s Square, and then delivered his “Urbi et Orbi” …

“With the current state of the world being one that embraces darkness and rejects the righteousness and design of God, could the mass casualty event in Baltimore have been a sign of the times and a warning to America? It is a attack on our Star Spangled Banner. It’s an attack on everything, and it is dropping so to speak …

The Christian Post reports: “You know when I get concerned? It’s when the enemy leaves me alone.” That was the reaction from an Evangelical pastor in Hawaii after what he described as an “evil spirit” manifested itself during a study on Bible prophecy. The bizarre incident happened at Calvary Chapel Kaneohe on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, as Pastor …

Gallup Polling reports: As Americans observe Ramadan and prepare to celebrate Easter and Passover, the percentage of adults who report regularly attending religious services remains low. Three in 10 Americans say they attend religious services every week (21%) or almost every week (9%), while 11% report attending about once a month and 56% seldom (25%) or never (31%) attend. Two …

Los Angeles’s Fox affiliate reports: A Victorville pastor is behind bars for his alleged role in a murder-for-hire plot against his daughter’s boyfriend, according to the Riverside Police Department. The victim, who was not identified, told police he was driving in Riverside’s Orangecrest neighborhood the evening of Oct. 21, 2023 when another car pulled up next to his and shots …

The New York Times reports: Gambian lawmakers have voted to revoke a ban on female genital cutting by removing legal protections for millions of girls, raising fears that other countries could follow suit. Of the 47 members of the Gambia National Assembly present on Monday, 42 voted in favor of a bill to overturn the ban, sending the decision to …

Pew Research reports: A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking – a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been in our surveys. Most Americans who say religion’s influence is shrinking are not happy about it. Overall, 49% of U.S. adults say both that religion is losing …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis says he has no plans to resign and isn’t suffering from any health problems that would require doing so, saying in a new memoir he still has “many projects to bring to fruition.” Francis, 87, made the comments in an autobiography, “Life: My Story Through History,” which is being published Tuesday, the 11th anniversary …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: A Brooklyn preacher known for his flashy lifestyle and who boasted of his friendship with New York City’s mayor was found guilty in federal court Monday of wire fraud, attempted extortion and lying to the FBI. Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 47, was found guilty of five counts after a trial in federal court in Manhattan that …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop for negligence in handling cases of sexual abuse committed by some clergy against minors, his representatives in the country said on Saturday. Andrzej Dziuba [photo], a bishop in Lowicz, had not informed law enforcement authorities about the case of a priest from his diocese who abused a 14-year-old …

The Christian Post reports: With the approval of her co-pastor husband, Reginald Steele of Kingdom Church in Phoenix, Arizona, Kelley Steele warned Christian women in her congregation to avoid withholding sex from their husbands because it’s unbiblical and they could push their husbands in the arms of “some trick, some ho, some homewrecker that will give him exactly what he …