Tag Archives: religion

The Guardian reports: Pope Francis has apologised for using an offensive slur during a discussion with bishops about admitting gay men into seminaries, saying he “never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms”. The apology followed reports in the Italian press on Monday that, during the discussion in Rome last week, the pontiff, 87, had said there was …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis used a highly derogatory term towards the LGBT community as he reiterated in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops that gay people should not be allowed to become priests, Italian media reported on Monday. La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Italy’s largest circulation dailies, both quoted the pope as saying seminaries, or priesthood colleges, are already …

From the evangelical outlet Charisma News: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death serves as a much-needed reminder that no man, regardless of how powerful, threatening or fearful he sounds, has the ability to override the plans and purposes of God, Almighty who established Israel and has sustained her throughout 2,000 years of dispersion to the four corners of the earth, returning …

The Christian Post reports: Pope Francis drew scorn and accusations of heresy on social media Sunday for maintaining during his recent “60 Minutes” interview that the human heart is “fundamentally good.” Responding to interviewer Norah O’Donnell’s question regarding what gives him hope when he looks at the world, the pontiff said “everything,” and then went on to list examples of …

The Daily Beast reports: Pope Francis on Sunday railed against conservative bishops in the United States who oppose his efforts to revitalize the Catholic Church. When quizzed by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell over the issue on Sunday’s 60 Minutes, the 87-year-old provided an unexpected response. “You used an adjective, ‘conservative,’” Pope Francis said. “That is, conservative is one …

NBC News reports: Supernatural events like visions of the Virgin Mary and statues weeping tears of blood have for centuries stirred the faithful — and controversy for the Catholic Church. In the age of social media, unverified claims can spread rapidly around the globe, so on Friday the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued new guidelines radically …

From a new study on church attendance: To date, most studies on religion have relied on surveys where respondents self-report their worship, potentially limiting the reliability of results. In this paper, the author uses anonymized location data from smartphones to provide a descriptive analysis of religious worship attendance in the United States. Seventy-three percent of people step into a religious …

Bloomberg Law reports: Maryland’s largest public school system doesn’t have to allow parents to excuse their kids from classroom lessons involving LGBTQ-themed books while the families’ constitutional challenge proceeds, a divided federal appeals court said Wednesday. The parents haven’t shown they’re likely to succeed on their arguments that the Montgomery County school system’s attendance requirements violates their religious freedom, free …

The Associated Press reports: An anti-abortion activist who led others on an invasion and blockade of a reproductive health clinic in the nation’s capital was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly five years in prison. Lauren Handy, 30, was among several people convicted of federal civil rights offenses for blockading access to the Washington Surgi-Clinic on Oct. 22, 2020. Police found …

The Christian Post reports: In a revelation that appeared to some as almost as unusual as his announcement of the suicide of his wife, Mica Miller, Pastor John-Paul Miller of Solid Rock at Market Common in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said he tried to raise her from the dead but it didn’t work. “I’ve been down to the body about …

Bloomberg Law reports: A gay teacher saw his sex bias win against a Catholic high school overturned Wednesday by the Fourth Circuit, which said because he played a “vital role as a messenger” of the faith, he was a “minister” excepted from the protections of federal sex discrimination law. Charlotte Catholic High School teacher Lonnie Billard’s appeal is the latest …

The Christian Post reports: The late evangelist Billy Graham will take his place next week among 200 Americans honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Graham’s statue will be unveiled next Thursday during an 11 a.m. ceremony that will be attended by musician Michael W. Smith, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and other congressional representatives. The …

The Christian Post reports: In what at least one critic has dismissed as the Dunning Krueger Effect in action, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, claims there is no such thing as mental illness. MacArthur, who is also the president of The Master’s College and Seminary, called mental illnesses “noble lies” while speaking during a …

The Christian Post reports: The United Methodist Church General Conference voted to drop a ban on funding LGBT advocacy groups and removed a required punishment for pastors who officiate gay weddings after thousands of theologically conservative congregations left the mainline Protestant denomination in the last two years. The change was among the bulk of legislation approved by a vote of …

The Christian Post reports: Pastor Gene Jacobs of Real Life Ministries Silver Valley, who was found dead in a mountainous area south of Pinehurst, Idaho, on Tuesday evening, died from an apparent “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” local police said as his church continues to mourn their loss. While the church noted that an investigation into the pastor’s passing was ongoing, a …

The Carteret County News-Times reports: Jerry Allan Box, a local minister at the Russell Creek Original Free Will Baptist Church in Beaufort, turned himself in to the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office on April 12 after being charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals for killing a cat. Officials have video evidence in addition to Box initially lying to …

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 word ‘Christian’ means ‘Like Christ,’ and it was given to the followers of Christ because they acted just like Jesus. Remember those bracelets from the 2000s that asked, ‘WWJD?’ If Jesus Christ led Trinity, would HE have an Autism Awareness Week? Of course not! Why? Because anything that exalts itself above the name of Christ should be brought down. …

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 …

The Christian Post reports: The World Russian People’s Council, led by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, has labeled President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy” endeavor, seemingly aiming to bring the region under Russian dominion. The declaration frames the war as a key moment in Russia’s battle against the “criminal Kiev regime” and Western “Satanism,” calling it a …