Religion

Catholic Church Faces $4 Billion In Abuse Payouts

The Associated Press reports: At the end of another long day trying to sign up new clients accusing the Roman Catholic Church of sexual abuse, lawyer Adam Slater gazes out the window of his high-rise Manhattan office at one of the great symbols of the church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “I wonder how much that’s worth?” he muses. Across the country, …

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US Rebukes Zambia For Imprisoning Two Gay Men

Bloomberg News reports: The U.S. ambassador to Zambia said a high court ruling sentencing two men to 15 years in prison for homosexuality was horrifying. Ambassador Daniel Foote [photo] urged the government to reconsider laws that punish minority groups. “I was personally horrified to read yesterday about the sentencing of two men, who had a consensual relationship, which hurt absolutely …

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Alabama High Court Backs Confederate Monuments

ABC News reports: The Alabama Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the majority-black city of Birmingham violated a state law protecting Confederate monuments when it put plywood panels in front of a towering obelisk in a downtown park. The all-Republican court reversed a circuit judge’s ruling that struck down Alabama’s 2017 law protecting Confederate monuments as an unconstitutional violation of the …

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SURVEY: 30% Have “Positive” View Of Evangelicals

The Christian Post reports: Only thirty percent of adults in the United States have a “positive” perception of evangelicals as Americans increasingly view the religious demographic through a political lens, newly released Barna Group research indicates. “Based on a nationwide study of U.S. adults, we found that, though many people still view evangelicals as a committed group of believers who …

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INDONESIA: Govt Bans LGBTs From Civil Service Jobs

Agence France-Presse reports: Several Indonesian ministries are banning pregnant, disabled, or LGBT job hunters in favour of what one called “normal” applicants, the Ombudsman said Friday, slammed as “arbitrary and hateful restrictions” by a rights group. The report comes as the world’s biggest Muslim majority country takes applications from millions of candidates who are applying for some 200,000 civil-service jobs …

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Pope Francis Compares Anti-Gay Politicians To Hitler

Reuters reports: Pope Francis said on Friday politicians who rage against homosexuals, gypsies and Jews remind him of Hitler. “It is not coincidental that at times there is a resurgence of symbols typical of Nazism,” Francis said in an address to participants of an international conference on criminal law. “And I must confess to you that when I hear a …

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SURVEY: 40% Of Evangelicals Say They Are Pro-Choice

The Christian Post reports: Only a quarter of evangelicals in the United States believe abortion should be illegal in all cases, according to a new poll showing that a majority of self-identified Christians in the U.S. identify as “pro-choice” and less than half of evangelicals identify as “pro-life.” Save the Storks, a pro-life organization that partners with pregnancy centers to …

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Bishop Named By Pope To Investigate Sexual Abuses Is Himself Accused Of AND YOU KNOW HOW THIS ENDS

CBS News reports: A Roman Catholic bishop named by Pope Francis to investigate the church’s response to clergy sexual abuse in Buffalo, New York, has himself been accused of sexual abuse of a child, an attorney for the alleged victim notified the church this week. The attorney informed Catholic officials in New Jersey that he is preparing a lawsuit on …

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Only 64% Of Americans “Convinced” That God Exists

The Christian Post reports: While nearly 80 percent of Americans were “convinced” just over a decade ago that God exists, only 64 percent of Americans today are so strongly persuaded in their belief in God, a new analysis from Gallup says. Citing responses the question of belief in God asked in three different ways in recent years, Gallup found that …

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Poll Worker Threatens To Shove Voter’s Phone “Up Your Ass” When Asked Why Bible Is On Polling Station Table

The Philadelphia Weekly reports: “I have asked these poll workers nicely why the Bible is displayed at the polling place. I have tried to explain to them that they cannot leave it out after they are sworn in because it is intimidating to non-Christian voters,” says a Philly resident and self-described “middle-aged white woman” who goes by Veronica. When Veronica …

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MALAYSIA: Five Men Caned And Jailed For Gay Sex

The South China Morning Post reports: Five men in Malaysia were sentenced to jail and canings on Thursday by an Islamic court for attempting to have gay sex, local media and a rights group said. Sodomy and same-sex acts are illegal under Islamic law in Muslim-majority Malaysia, although convictions are rare. The Selangor Shariah High Court sentenced four men to …

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Hate Crime Verdict In Burning Of Church Rainbow Flag

The Ames Tribune reports: The Ames man accused of tearing down a pride banner from Ames United Church of Christ and setting it on fire was found guilty by a jury Wednesday morning. Adolfo Martinez, 30, was found guilty of a hate crime, third-degree harassment, reckless use of fire and habitual offender, Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds said. The habitual …

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NFL Kicker Misses Game-Winning Field Goal After Telling Atheists To Believe In God Due To His Kicking [VIDEO]

Hemant Mehta reports at the Friendly Atheist: About a month ago, Chicago Bears kicker Eddy Piñeiro made a game-winning field goal. He reacted with a tweet telling atheists they should start believing in God. He was even more specific during a post-game interview in which he said, “If you don’t believe in Jesus Christ, you better start, because he’s real. …

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Catholic Amazon Synod Proposes Married Priests

The Associated Press reports: Catholic bishops from across the Amazon called Saturday for the ordination of married men as priests to address the clergy shortage in the region, an historic proposal that would upend centuries of Roman Catholic tradition. The majority of 180 bishops from nine Amazonian countries also called for the Vatican to reopen a debate on ordaining women …

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UTAH: Mormon Church Opposes Ex-Gay Torture Ban

The Associated Press reports: A proposed conversion therapy ban in Utah is in danger of being derailed after The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints came out in opposition, just months after it said it wouldn’t stand in the way of a similar measure under consideration. The church said in a statement that the regulatory rule prohibiting Utah …

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Vatican Launches $110 “Click To Pray E-Rosary”

Via press release from the Vatican: The Click To Pray eRosary is an interactive, smart and app-driven wearable device that serves as a tool for learning how to pray the rosary for peace in the world. It can be worn as a bracelet and is activated by making the sign of the cross. It is synchronized with a free app …

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STUDY: Number Of Religious “Nones” Growing Fast

Just in from Pew Research: The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting …

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Mother Tells Kids To Remove Seatbeats Because “The Devil Can’t Hurt You, Only Jesus Can Cure Us” [VIDEO]

The Ocala Post reports: A Lake City woman says she attempted to kill her four children — ages 6 to 13 — because her husband “put a hex” on her. Calica Williams, 36, is now facing four counts of attempted murder. According to the arrest affidavit, Williams told the children to take off their seatbelts and stretch out their hands. …

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Kanye West Says He’s Only Doing Gospel Music From Now On, “Closed On Sunday” Track Hails Chick-Fil-A

Fox Business reports: Rap legend Kanye West said he will only make gospel music going forward — no more secular music, according to a Chicago music promoter who was in the room. West reportedly made the comment Saturday at a listening party in Chicago for his new album “Jesus is King: A Kanye West Experience.” “Kanye also announced that he …

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New York: Upstate Diocese First To Declare Bankruptcy As Child Victims Act Unleashes Flood Of New Lawsuits

Time Magazine reports: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester was the first in New York to seek bankruptcy protection under the weight of new sexual misconduct lawsuits, but lawyers and church leaders say it may not be the last. All eight of the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses face financial pressures as a result of the state’s new Child Victims Act, …

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