Tag Archives: religion

The Birmingham Herald reports: The young male victims accusing an Alabama evangelist of multiple sex crimes told investigators the misconduct lasted months, and sometimes years, according to new court records filed on Wednesday. One of the victims, a teen boy over the age of 12 but under the age of 16, said Acton Bowen exposed him to deviate sexual intercourse …

Trinidad’s Newsday reports: Members of the gay community are calling for calm and tolerance as three young men who were at the forefront of a human rights rally celebrating the historic court ruling on the unconstitutionality of the buggery and serious indecency laws, last Thursday, have been kicked out of their homes. The three men, social worker Luke Sinette confirmed …

San Diego’s NBC affiliate reports: A former pastor at a Carlsbad church who pleaded guilty to repeatedly molesting a child over the course of nearly two years was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday. Prosecutors said the man, who was a pastor at the North Coast Calvary Chapel at the time of his arrest, only turned himself in because …

The Birmingham News reports: A well-known Alabama evangelist, public speaker and author was arrested in Hoover Tuesday on child sex charges. Paul Edward Acton Bowen, a 37-year-old Gadsden native who now lives in Etowah County’s Southside community, was taken into custody by Hoover police about 12:35 p.m. The founder of Acton Bowen Outreach Ministries is charged with second-degree sodomy, enticing …

Gallup reports: From 2014 to 2017, an average of 39% of Catholics reported attending church in the past seven days. This is down from an average of 45% from 2005 to 2008 and represents a steep decline from 75% in 1955. By contrast, the 45% of Protestants who reported attending church weekly from 2014 to 2017 is essentially unchanged from …

The BBC reports: Police at the Vatican have arrested a priest who previously worked at the Holy See’s US embassy on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Carlo Alberto Capella was taken into custody after an investigation. Monsignor Capella was recalled from the US in September 2017 after US authorities told the Vatican about a possible violation of child pornography laws …

Go Erie reports: The Catholic Diocese of Erie on Friday opened a long-locked vault of secrets and released the names of priests and lay people accused of sexually abusing minors while working in the diocese. The list is made up of 51 names — 34 priests, 21 of whom are dead, according to revised diocesan figures, and 17 lay people, …

Arkansas Online reports: Oren Paris III, former president of Ecclesia College in Springdale, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to a fraud charge in a kickback scheme involving state grants for his school. Paris was scheduled to go to trial Monday alongside former state Sen. Jon Woods (R) of Springdale and consultant Randell G. Shelton Jr., formerly of Alma but currently of …

The New York Times reports: The Chinese government has banned online retailers from selling the Bible, moving in the wake of new rules to control the country’s burgeoning religious scene. The measures to limit Bible sales were announced over the weekend and began taking effect this week. By Thursday, internet searches for the Bible came up empty on leading online …

USA Today reports: A Navy chaplain was fired last month from his post at a Marine Corps command after he was caught on video having sex with a woman at a pub in New Orleans, USA TODAY has learned. The Marines fired Navy Capt. Loften Thornton on March 20 for “loss of trust and confidence,” said Marine Lt. Col. Ted …

Maryland’s Capital Gazette reports: Del. Meagan Simonaire said in a dramatic speech Wednesday she would vote for a ban on conversion therapy for homosexuality and revealed that her father — state Sen. Bryan Simonaire — asked her to try the discredited treatment after she revealed she was bisexual. The Republican from Pasadena, who is not seeking re-election after one term, …

Mexico News Daily reports: A Catholic priest was sentenced yesterday to 90 years in jail for aggravated rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and corruption of minors. Jorge Raúl Villegas Chávez, 50, the confessor and spiritual guide for the students of an all-girls’ private school in Guanajuato, was arrested in February last year after two mothers filed criminal complaints, …

New Hampshire’s ABC outlet reports: A Seabrook man is being held without bail after he was accused of raping a child while he was serving as a pastor in the Methodist Church. Russell Davis, 65, faces several charges in Massachusetts. Seabrook police said they arrested Davis Thursday on a fugitive from justice warrant. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said …

The Tennessean reports: Metro police have arrested a pastor accused of molesting several children across two decades while he was leader of a South Nashville congregation. Matthew Dennis Patterson, known as Denny, served as pastor of Nolensville Road Baptist Church for more than 20 years. He resigned on Sept. 24. Days later, members of the congregation came to the police …

Pastor John Hagee, who is perhaps most infamous for declaring that God sent Hurricane Katrina to punish America for homosexuality and for claiming that God sent Hitler to enable the creation of Israel, turned a few heads today with a fresh take the alleged crucifixion of Jesus. “Up the bloody slopes of Calvary, Jesus Christ went where atheistic hands nailed …

The Christian Post reports: Conservative evangelical leaders have issued a rare public condemnation of the Donald Trump White House after the president signed an “immoral” spending bill that they say “constituted a moment of weakness” for his administration. Evangelical leaders with close ties to the administration were quick to voice their disapproval of the $1.3 trillion omnibus bill passed by …

A new study by a team of university sociologists purports to reveal that support for Trump is largely driven by “white Christian nationalism.” The study examines support for statements such as “the federal government should declare the United States as a Christian nation” and includes an accounting of “anti-black prejudice” and views of Muslims and immigrants. From the Washington Post: …

Kyle Mantyla reports at Right Wing Watch: In the wake of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, last month, televangelist Pat Robertson voiced his support for a ban on assault weapons, saying that there is no reason why “the general population needs to have automatic weapons” and that a ban on them was “sensible.” Over the …

No kids involved. This time: A group of Catholic priests in Brazil have been arrested, accused of embezzling £426,000 of church donations, funeral fees and fundraising cash. The Bishop of Formosa, Jose Ribeiro, along with five clergymen and three lay people were detained in prison in Goiás this week charged with stealing over 2 million reais (£426,000) from church funds. …

The Dallas News reports: Aracely Meza cradles the limp body of a 2-year-old boy, praying for God to bring the starved toddler back to life. The moment was captured on videos that a Dallas County jury watched this week before finding the Balch Springs pastor guilty Friday of felony injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. The 52-year-old will …