Tag Archives: religion

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 …

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 …

Religion News Service reports: John Crist’s upcoming Netflix holiday special and new book are on hold after allegations the popular comedian has used his celebrity status and Christian reputation to sexually harass women. A Netflix spokesperson confirmed to Religion News Service on Thursday (Nov. 7) that the status of Crist’s special, entitled “I Ain’t Prayin’ for That,” is now up …

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 …

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 …

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 …

From a liberal group called Red Letter Christians: As we issue this statement together, we commit to pray for our members of Congress and the impeachment inquiry while they are home in their districts this coming Sunday, October 13th. We encourage faith communities to invite their Congressional representative to join them for a National Day of Prayer, read the statement …

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. …

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 …

Reuters reports: Indonesia is poised to pass a new penal code that criminalizes consensual sex outside marriage and introduces stiff penalties for insulting the president’s dignity – a move rights groups criticized as an intrusive assault on basic freedoms. Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim majority country and has substantial Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities, but has seen a …

The Washington Post reports: It was billed as a holy journey, a pilgrimage with West Virginia Bishop Michael J. Bransfield to “pray, sing and worship” at the National Shrine in Washington. Catholics from remote areas of one of the nation’s poorest states paid up to $190 for hotel rooms and overnight bus rides to the nation’s capital. Unknown to the …

NBC News reports: Exposure to “conversion therapy” — efforts by a secular or religious professional to change a transgender person’s gender identity — is associated with thoughts of and attempts at suicide, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Dr. Jack Turban, the study’s lead author and a resident physician in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, …

The Hill reports: A Baptist church in Birmingham, Ala., is capturing national attention for a sign saying that a black person voting for President Trump “is mental illness.” The controversial sign put on display outside the New Era Baptist Church reads on one side, “A black vote for Trump is mental illness.” The other side of the sign displays another …

Atlanta’s NBC News affiliate reports: A prayer vigil was held Wednesday night for a woman who says she’s been asked to stop praying at work. Nearly 100 people showed up to support “Ms. Barbara,” who has been praying for customers for years at an Ingles store in Cartersville, where she works as a cashier. “We’re here to support Ms. Barbara. …

The Associated Press reports: The former board chairman of the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist in Los Angeles has been charged with stealing $11.4 million and using it for personal expenses, including buying a home and a membership to an exclusive dining club at Disneyland. Fifty-four-year-old Charles Sebesta of Huntington Beach was arrested Monday on a federal grand jury indictment …

NBC Philadelphia reports: A Chester County priest who took the place of a disgraced Archdiocese official is now in trouble with the law as well after being accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his own church. Father Joseph McLoone, 56, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony theft and other related offenses after allegedly …

The Associated Press reports: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a warning to members that coffee is prohibited no matter how fancy the name, that vaping is banned despite the alluring flavors and that marijuana is outlawed unless prescribed by “competent” doctors. The new guidance in the August issue of a church youth magazine does not …

The New York Daily News reports: The handwritten missives, many signed simply “Uncle T.,” were sent to aspiring young priests as part of defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s perverse wooing of his victims, according to a pair of abuse prevention experts. Several postcards and letters sent by McCarrick to his sexual targets were made public by The Associated Press, with experts …

The Naples Daily News reports: A Florida man was arrested after writing a comment on his waiter’s receipt, then ripping it up and stuffing it down the restaurant manager’s shirt after she confronted him outside, police say. Frederic Sterry Smith, 62, of St. Augustine was charged with simple battery Saturday outside Milagro On 12 Latin Kitchen, in downtown St. Augustine. …

The New York Daily News reports: A Bronx pastor took money meant to help HIV-positive drug addicts and used it to jet off to the Caribbean and lavish himself with gifts, prosecutors said Wednesday. In his role as president and CEO of Addicts Rehabilitation Center Fund and the Addicts Rehabilitation Center Foundation, Rev. Reginald Williams, 67, scammed the nonprofits out …