Tag Archives: religion

Reuters reports: The mother of the man arrested for the killing of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is a member of the Unification Church, the head of its Japanese arm said on Monday. Tetsuya Yamagami, an unemployed 41-year-old, has been identified by police as the suspect who approached Abe and opened fire during a campaign speech on Friday. Yamagami …

NBC News reports: The Edwardses were Christian missionaries from Canada who lived in Turkey for many years and moved to Florida in 2019. On paper they ran a faith-based charity with a high-minded mission: to “communicate Christian love in doctrine and service to the poor.” But by the fall of 2020, the family of four — dad Evan; mom Mary …

The Christian Post reports: A new report details allegations of sexual misconduct against well-known contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter Chris Rice, who reportedly engaged in “massages” with underage boys and invited them to stay overnight at his home. Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, a leading Evangelical organization specializing in “empowering Christian communities to recognize, prevent and …

Gallup reports: The vast majority of U.S. adults believe in God, but the 81% who do so is down six percentage points from 2017 and is the lowest in Gallup’s trend. Between 1944 and 2011, more than 90% of Americans believed in God. Gallup’s May 2-22 Values and Beliefs poll finds 17% of Americans saying they do not believe in …

Penn Live reports: A Lancaster County youth pastor was convicted of sexually assaulting two teens after a jury trial last week. Shane Ernest Richardson, 55, was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault of a person younger than 16, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with minors and indecent assault of a person younger than 16. Lancaster Crimewatch reports: In January of …

ABC News reports: The United Arab Emirates has banned the upcoming Pixar animated film Lightyear from showing in cinemas amid reports that the film includes a kiss between two female characters. The Emirates, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, announced through its Media Regulatory Office of the country’s Ministry of Youth and Culture that the film would not be opening …

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports: A pastor at a women’s prison in Las Vegas has been charged with sexually abusing an inmate, according to police and court records. Donald Burse, 55, was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on May 24. Court records show the Nevada attorney general’s office has filed two felony counts against Burse of sexual abuse …

Baton Rouge’s CBS News affiliate reports: A Missouri husband has been charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting the man he says his wife was having an affair with, according to police. Matthew Dedmon, 47, is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Joe Newburn, 57. Dedmon told investigators he is a pastor at Heritage Baptist Church in Rogersville. …

The Marysville Appeal-Democrat reports: The wife of a former Marysville police chief was arrested in Oklahoma after a federal grand jury indicted her on multiple counts, including fraud. On May 19, a federal grand jury in Sacramento returned an indictment against Chanell Easton, 36, of Oklahoma City with charges that included 22 counts of wire fraud and two counts of …

The Associated Press reports: It took more than three centuries, but the last Salem “witch” who wasn’t has been officially pardoned. Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday formally exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., clearing her name 329 years after she was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem Witch Trials. Johnson was never executed, but …

The Greensboro News & Record reports: Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office investigators charged a Baptist pastor who is a former Rockingham County School Board chairman with second degree rape on Thursday, officials said in a Friday news release. James Jeffery Eanes, 66, of 512 Carolyn Court North, was arrested and charged by RCSO Detective G. Staley as part of an ongoing …

New Orleans’ Fox affiliate reports: A former Jesuit priest and non-profit director has been arrested a second time for sex crimes allegations, jail records show. Stephen Sauer is accused of taking lewd photos and videos of unconscious men and sexually abusing at least one victim. Sauer was removed from his position with the Arc of Greater New Orleans, an agency …

Elmira, New York’s NBC News affiliate reports: Robert Fenton, 52, is being charged with sexually abusing and assaulting a 14-year-old girl from 1996 to 1998 in Bradford County, when he was 26 years old. According to the announcement from the AG’s office, Fenton allegedly claimed that “God wanted the victim to be his spouse” because of a vision he had. …

Harrisburg’s CBS News affiliate reports: Just days after being voted down from having an After School Satan Club, The Satanic Temple is filing for a civil law suit against the elementary school, according to Mathew Kezhaya who serves as the general counsel for The Satanic Temple. Kezhaya says the main issues to be litigated is whether the school board was …

The Associated Press reports: A New Jersey Catholic diocese has agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle claims involving clergy sex abuse with some 300 alleged victims in one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic church in the United States. The agreement between the Diocese of Camden, which encompasses six counties in southern New Jersey on the outskirts …

The Dallas Morning News reports: A 32-year-old youth pastor was arrested on charges related to the sexual assault of a child, Mesquite police said Monday. Conner “Jesse” Penny, a Mesquite resident, was arrested April 5 after police received a report the day before regarding the sexual assault of a child. He faces one count each of continuous sexual abuse of …

The Christian Post reports: Fifty-six days ago, Scottie Scheffler was a 25-year-old beginning his third full season on the PGA Tour, ranked 15th in the world but still seeking his first victory on the game’s top circuit. As of March 27, after winning three of five events, Scheffler shot up to No. 1 in the world. As of Sunday evening, …

The Christian Post reports: There has been an “unprecedented drop” in the number of Bible users in the United States since last year, according to a report released by the American Bible Society. The American Bible Society defines Bible users as “those who use the Bible at least 3-4 times each year on their own, outside of a church setting.” …

The Christian Post reports: Less than two weeks after Reed Bogard abruptly resigned as lead pastor of the now-defunct Hillsong Dallas church in January 2021, an internal investigation commissioned by Hillsong Global showed that the married father of three was accused of rape by a junior female staff member with whom he had a monthslong sexual affair while serving at …

The Daily Mail reports: A family of four are dead and a teenage boy is fighting for life in hospital after appearing to jump from their apartment building in the Swiss resort of Montreux on Lake Geneva, police said. The French family were found at the bottom of a seven storey building in Montreux on Thursday and are believed to …