Religion

The Chicago Tribune reports: It may have been a critical and commercial hit, but actor Mark Wahlberg says he’s prayed to God for forgiveness for his role in the 1997 movie “Boogie Nights.” Standing next to Cardinal Blase Cupich on Friday night in Chicago, Wahlberg, a committed Catholic, told Chicago Inc., “I just always hope that God is a movie …

WIBC News reports: A Rush County pastor, accused of molesting three young members of his congregation. 72-year-old Garry Evans, pastor of Baptist Temple in Rushville, faces three counts of child molesting, four counts of sexual battery, and five counts of child solicitation. Court documents show that an investigation into Evans began September 4, when a three-year-old girl reported an encounter …

From a poll just published by Pew Research: Most U.S. adults now say it is not necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values (56%), up from about half (49%) who expressed this view in 2011. This increase reflects the continued growth in the share of the population that has no religious affiliation, but it also …

The Sun reports: A doomsday preacher caused panic on a rush-hour train service yesterday by ranting about the end of the world. Commuters forced open doors and jumped off when the man began quoting from the Bible about sin. Some worried passengers forced open doors and walked close to “live” electric tracks to reach the platform at Wimbledon station in …

Catholic News Service reports: An arrest warrant has been issued in Canada for Monsignor Carlo Capella, the Vatican diplomat recalled from service in Washington in late August, who already was the subject of a Vatican criminal investigation involving child pornography. Police in Windsor, Ontario, issued a statement Sept. 28 saying, “A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Carlo Capella, …

Via press release from the Satanic Temple: This fall, the United States Supreme Court will hear a case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding. The argument has been contextualized as a matter of Free Speech versus Civil Rights. However, because sexual orientation is not a protected class under the Civil Rights Act …

The Associated Press reports: A high-ranking priest working in the Vatican’s embassy in Washington has been recalled after U.S. prosecutors asked for him to be charged there and face trial in a child pornography investigation, Vatican and U.S. officials said Friday. The diplomat was suspected of possessing, but not producing or disseminating, child pornography including images of pre-pubescent children, a …

Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: Nearly all of the Utah State Senate has signed on in support of a Colorado shop who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in a case now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah [photo], …

CBS News reports: President Trump is taking the side of three Texas churches that are suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency over disaster relief funds in the wake of Harvey. The Houston Chronicle reports that the three churches – Rockport First Assembly of God, Harvest Family Church and Hi-Way Tabernacle – sued FEMA on Tuesday for access to relief funding. …

Politico reports: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s assertion that Roman Catholic bishops “need illegal immigrants” is so “preposterous,” “insulting” and “ridiculous” that it doesn’t merit a response, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Thursday. “You might imagine I was rather befuddled to see it,” Dolan said. “I don’t really wanna care to go into what I think is a preposterous …

Just in from the Public Religion Research Institute: The American religious landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation. White Christians, once the dominant religious group in the U.S., now account for fewer than half of all adults living in the country. Today, fewer than half of all states are majority white Christian. As recently as 2007, 39 states had majority white …

Last night we came across vile hate preacher Ruben Israel and his band of repressed homosexuals as they screamed their usual abuse at passersby on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I’d had a few adult beverages so I rolled up on Israel, pointed to the closest bar, and offered to fuck the shit out of him if he’d just give …

The Hill reports: Surrounded by leaders from the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Trump signed a proclamation from the Oval Office on Friday inviting “all Americans to join us as we continue to pray for those who have lost family members or friends, and for those who are suffering in this time of crisis.” …

The Associated Press reports: A former Roman Catholic monk has filed a federal lawsuit against cosmetics giant L’Oreal, accusing the company of stealing patented technology in an anti-aging wrinkle cream that his charity was selling to raise money for the poor. Dennis Wyrzykowski and his company, Carmel Laboratories LLC, have been joined in the lawsuit by the University of Massachusetts …

ABC News reports: Pastor Joel Osteen said today that his Lakewood Church has been taking people in “from the very beginning” of Harvey as he pushed back against criticism that the church did not initially welcome evacuees. “We were here for people. We were a shelter,” Osteen said today on “Good Morning America.” “We were taking people as soon as …

Politico reports: A prominent coalition of American rabbis has decided not to hold its annual conference call with the president to mark Jewish holidays, citing Donald Trump’s remarks on the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, as supporting “those who advocate anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.” “We have concluded that President Trump’s statements during and after the tragic events in Charlottesville are …

The Times Of Israel reports: Thousands of people marched through central Jerusalem under heavy security on Thursday in the city’s 16th annual pride parade. The annual march was the scene of a deadly attack two years ago, and often draws protests from the far-right and ultra-Orthodox community. Police said that 12 people had been detained for questioning. They were suspected …

Agence France-Presse reports: A vote by the Haitian Senate to ban gay marriage as well as “public demonstration of support” for homosexuality reflects the will of the people, the chamber’s president has said. The Senate approved a bill late Tuesday that said “the parties, co-parties and accomplices” of a homosexual marriage can be punished by three years in prison and …

From a Vice profile on the Satanic Temple: There’s still ample confusion about what it means to be a Satanist. Given society’s long history of pegging Satan as the root of all evil, that’s fair—though it’s worth making some distinctions. Anton LaVey, a then 36-year-old American musician, founded the Church of Satan in 1966 with the mission of creating an …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: A Montgomery County religious leader has been charged with prostitution. According to charging documents, 52-year-old Eddie Hilburn was taken into custody after he agreed to pay for sex. Officials at The Woodlands First Baptist Church confirmed that Hilburn is an associate pastor. According to the church’s website, Hilburn has been with the church since 2012 and …