ReligionNewsBlog.com, Oct. 18-20, 2004
If you're a regular Religion News Blog reader, you may have noticed that
for the past two weeks we've been posting fewer stories than usual. This
is due to a serious computer melt-down (quite literally) that crashed our
main system.
We now have a new computer and a serious loan to pay back. A good time,
perhaps, to remind our regular readers that Religion News Blog is a
reader-supported website. Details at:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9015-.html
== Wed, Oct. 20, 2004 ==
[Holocaust] Holocaust diary discovered
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9049-.html
A newly-discovered diary of a young Jewish woman has shed a haunting
glimpse on her life in a Dutch prison camp in World War II before she was
sent to her death, in an echo of the Anne Frank diaries.
[Al Quaeda] Iraq war 'helped al-Qaeda recruit'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9048-.html
The war in Iraq probably helped boost al-Qaeda recruitment, according to a
report from leading Western think-tank.
The report, the annual Military Balance by the International Institute for
Strategic Studies in London, does not dwell on the causes of the war.
But it does consider its effects and has some highly critical comments. It
says that the risks of terrorism to Westerners and Western assets in Arab
countries "appeared to increase after the Iraq war began in March 2003".
[Al Quaeda] Al-Qaeda threat growing in Western Europe
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9047-.html
Al-Qaeda is present in more than 60 countries around the world and radical
Islam is increasing in Western Europe, where Muslims often feel
marginalised, a respected military and defence think tank in London said
Tuesday.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) also said that
Westerners and Western interests in the Arab world appeared to face
greater peril now than before the US-led war in Iraq.
The United States, through its military invasion and occupation of Iraq,
had shown a desire to change the political status quo in the Arab world to
advance its own strategic and political interests, it noted. "Al-Qaeda
seeks, among other things, to purge the Arab and larger Muslim world of US
influence," IISS said.
[Church and State] Gore assails Bush's use of religion
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9046-.html
Former Vice President Al Gore has accused President George W. Bush of
using "the symbolism and body language of religion" to mask policies
intended to satisfy the ideology of the right and the financial needs of
wealthy campaign donors.
"The essential cruelty of Bush's game is that he takes an astonishingly
selfish and greedy collection of economic and political proposals, then
cloaks them with a phony moral authority, thus misleading many Americans
who have a deep and genuine desire to do good in the world," Gore said in
a speech on Monday at Georgetown University.
[Catholic Church] Vatican Is Alarmed by Political Trend In Europe
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9044-.html
The Vatican is becoming increasingly alarmed at what it regards as
official anti-Roman Catholic sentiment and secular trends in Europe, as
government after government approves measures on abortion, family law and
scientific study that run counter to Catholic teaching.
[Islam] School expels girls for wearing headscarves
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9042-.html
A French school yesterday expelled two girls for wearing Muslim
headscarves in the first such case since a ban on religious symbols was
imposed in state schools last month. [...]
France imposed the ban in September to reassert the neutrality of its
state schools and counter what teachers said was rising Islamist
radicalism reflected in the wearing of headscarves, denial of the
Holocaust and attacks on Jewish schoolmates.
[Hate Groups] The enemy within
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9040-.html
This country’s internal enemies gather in the shadows as Americans find
themselves preoccupied on foreign terrorists. We don’t pay much attention
to the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and Aryanism.
Their rhetoric is far out on the fringes of reality, with absurd
observations about God’s will, “mud races” and the Holocaust. While the
Bill of Rights protects the speech, these people are anathema to the
American way.
And yet, hate groups are on the rise, according to the Southern Poverty
Law Center.
[Obituary] Bryan Wilson
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9039-.html
Bryan Wilson, who has died aged 78, was one of the world's leading
sociologists of religion; his scholarly interests ranged over many fields,
and his studies of secularisation and religious sects have
already become classics.
[Mormon Church] Son of Osmond on gospel tour
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9038-.html
The teenage son of Seventies pop idol Donny Osmond is finding it hard to
win over the audience on his very own tour of Scotland.
For the past eight months Brandon Osmond, a missionary, has been knocking
on doors the length and breadth of the country to preach the word of the
Mormon church, and has now moved to Elgin to continue his quest.
[Carl Drew] Former detective grilled at cult trial
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9037-.html
Drew, formerly of Fall River, has been in prison serving a life sentence
since being convicted of Fall River prostitute Karen Marsden's macabre
slaying in 1981.
Murphy, his co-defendant in the Marsden case, is expected to be a crucial
witness in the case.
It was her dark tale of Satanism, sex, prostitution and power that
eventually led to Drew's conviction. And thanks to that story, she was
offered a second-degree murder plea bargain in the Marsden case, while
also being granted immunity for the murders of two other Spindle City
prostitutes in 1979 and 1980.
[Obituary] Woman Who Claimed Alien Abduction Dies
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9036-.html
Betty Hill, whose tale of being abducted by aliens launched her to fame
and became the subject of a best-selling book and television movie, has
died. She was 85.
Hill died at her home Sunday after a battle with lung cancer.
Hill claimed that she and her husband, Barney, were abducted by
extraterrestrials in New Hampshire's White Mountains on a trip home from
Canada in 1961.
[Antisemitism] 'Muslims, neo-Nazis not to blame for French anti-Semitism'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9035-.html
Disaffected youth and marginalized individuals are more likely to
perpetrate anti-Semitic attacks than those with ties to the Palestinian
cause or neo-Nazi groups, as Jewish groups have charged, according to an
anti-Semitism report France released Tuesday.
The study "shows that the link with the Middle East conflict is the most
misleading or is constructed through false reasoning or exaggerated
representation," according to remarks made by Interior Minister Dominique
de Villepin released with the report he commissioned.
[Islam] Scholar Tells AP of 9/11 Manual's Promise
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9034-.html
A handwritten document in Arabic apparently used as inspiration by the
Sept. 11 suicide hijackers assures them about a dozen times that they
would go to paradise as Islamic martyrs, a German scholar said Monday.
The four-page document, found by the FBI after the attacks on the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001, urged the hijackers to view the
people they were about to kill as "sacrificial victims," said Tilman
Seidensticker, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of
Jena.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Seidensticker said he examined
the document in detail and published the results in a new book because he
felt it received too little attention in investigations of the Sept. 11
plot. Most of the missive, whose author has not been determined, is
devoted to religious exhortation, including calls to pray.
[Carl Drew] 'Cult killer' seeking new trial
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9033-.html
The attorney for convicted "cult killer" Carl Drew began to piece together
his client’s case for a new trial by asking retired Fall River Detective
Paul Carey a litany of questions pertaining to his initial investigation
into the grisly 1980 slaying of Karen Marsden.
Drew, 48, of Fall River, was convicted of the first degree murder of
Marsden in 1981 after an investigation into a string of similar slayings
which were apparently connected to a satanic cult operating in and around
the Spindle City.
[Buddhism] Dalai Lama says Tibet is better off within China
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9032-.html
Tibet would be better off to remain within China rather than regain its
independence, the Dalai Lama has told an interviewer. "Tibet is backward,"
the exiled spiritual leader said. "It's a big land, rich in natural
resources, but we lack the technology or expertise [to exploit them]. So,
if we remain in China, we might get a greater benefit, provided it
respects our culture and environment and gives us some kind of guarantee."
[Pakistan] Life sentence for burning Koran
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9031-.html
A Pakistani man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for burning a copy
of the Koran.
A court in Lahore found Mehdi Hassan, 36, guilty under Pakistani laws
covering offences against Islam, the prophet Mohammed or the Koran.
The defendant had denied the charge, which can carry the death penalty,
saying the case had arisen from a property dispute.
[Cloning] Bush aide attacks Britain for liberal law on cloning
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9030-.html
Britain's liberal policies on cloning will assist maverick doctors’
efforts to create a cloned human baby, according to President Bush’s most
senior bioethics adviser.
By allowing scientists to clone human embryos for research, countries such
as Britain that have permissive regulatory regimes are promoting the
perfection of technology that will one day be abused for reproduction,
Leon Kass, chairman of Mr Bush’s Council on Bioethics, said.
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Father faces off against Jehovah's Witnesses
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9029-.html
The father of a teen who died after refusing a blood transfusion was back
in a Calgary court Tuesday.
Lawrence Hughes has filed a lawsuit claiming that Jehovah Witnesses
members influenced his daughter to turn down potentially life-saving blood
transfusions.
Hughes' ex-wife is a member of the religion.
The Jehovah's Witnesses want the judge to dismiss the suit.
[Mormon Church] LDS Leaders Issue Statement Regarding Same-Sex Marriage
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9028-.html
A statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
fueling the emotional debate over same-gender marriage going beyond what
the Church has said in the past.
The church clarifies its position on same sex civil unions, and of
election-year measures that define male-female relationships.
== Tue, Oct. 19, 2004 ==
[Anglican / Episcopal Church] Unity plea as church seeks way forward
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9027-.html
The report by the commission headed by Ireland's Archbishop Robin Eames -
now called the Windsor Report of the Lambeth Commission - strives across
76 pages of text and 50 more of appendices to persuade men and women of
goodwill in the 78 million strong worldwide Anglican communion to find
ways of living together in unity and charity.
[Anglican / Episcopal Church] Anglicans Hover on the Brink Over Gays
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9026-.html
A high-level commission of the worldwide Anglican Communion on Monday
called on the American Episcopal Church to express regret for consecrating
an openly gay bishop and to stop blessings of same-sex unions.
But the much-anticipated report does not seek to expel the Episcopal
Church from the international communion or demand the removal of the gay
bishop, the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, as some
conservatives had sought.
[Santa Muerte] Catholic Church upset by Mexico's St. Death
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9024-.html
Deep in the heart of Mexico City's toughest neighborhood, in streets
plagued by drugs and prostitution, faithful Catholics are praying to a new
and fearsome saint: death itself.
They come by the dozens to the Mercy Church, a former house in the Tepito
neighborhood stuffed with statues and posters of the Grim Reaper, known
among the devotees as St. Death.
[Bitner Family] Family demands apology from state officials for farm search
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9023-.html
The attorney for a southwestern Kansas family whose farm was the object of
a 10-day search is demanding an apology from state officials for the
“unwarranted public attention” directed upon the family.
[Bitner Family] Authorities leave Kansas farm
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9022-.html
Authorities searching a Morton County, Kan., farm for evidence, possibly
bodies, pulled out Monday, a spokesman for Kansas Attorney General Phill
Kline said late Monday.
[...]
Testimony by Rebecca Galaviz, now a New Mexico resident, could be what
sparked the search.
Galaviz, a Bitner family relative, spilled a tale of alleged murder,
incest, occult practices and prostitution the Morton County, Kan., farm
when being cross-examined in a June 3 child custody hearing in Amarillo's
320th District Court.
[Bitner Family] Search for Bodies on Kansas Farm Ends
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9021-.html
Investigators used heavy machinery to comb a Kansas farm for more than a
week, after a woman involved in a divorce case testified she witnessed a
killing and that there are several bodies buried on the property.
[Mormon Church] Nauvoo transformed into movie set
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9019-.html
History is being re-enacted, starting last Thursday and continuing through
today, as a film crew from Utah films a portion of an upcoming movie about
the life of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ -- Latter
Day Saints.
[Mormon Church] Clean-Song Download Site Offers Mormon Music
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9018-.html
A new MP3 and iTunes-type business is gearing itself toward members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Responding to the growing
popularity of music produced just for LDS audiences, Richard and Sandy
Teraci of Provo, Utah, are about to launch an LDS-oriented Web site that
will allow users to download LDS-oriented music.
"This will be the iTunes for saints," Richard Teraci said. "It will be all
LDS artists."
[Ruben Ecleo] Cult member charged
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9017-.html
Task Force Arbet and a team of 16 lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP) filed yesterday afternoon a murder case against Michel
Favila Sr. and a companion for the death of lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco.
[Islam] Europe Struggling to Train New Breed of Muslim Clerics
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9016-.html
The goal of the European Institute for Human Sciences, as the
coeducational school is known, is an urgent one shared by political
leaders and intelligence and law enforcement authorities across the
Continent.
They believe that the growing Muslim population of Europe must stanch the
migration of Muslim clerics who often are self-appointed, unfamiliar with
the West, beholden to foreign interests and in the most extreme cases,
full of hate and capable of terrorist acts. To that end, they say, a
homegrown breed of imams must be created.
[Psychics] Police: Psychic Never Returned 'Cleansed' Money
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9014-.html
A 36-year-old woman described as a psychic adviser has been charged with
misdemeanor theft for allegedly bilking more than $4,000 from a client in
a spiritual cleansing ritual.
[Meditation] Meditate and cut crime
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9013-.html
Will the citizens of the country ever enjoy a crime-free environment? Will
this world ever find peace?
These are some of the questions that drove the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga
Centre to publicly launch World Peace Hour recently at its Chaguanas
branch.
The centre hopes to spread, through prayer and meditation, a peaceful
attitude that will help reduce crime.
[Islam] Radical cleric in Britain charged
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9012-.html
Radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri appeared in British court
Tuesday and was charged with urging followers to kill non-Muslims, a move
that pre-empted a U.S. extradition bid.
British prosecutors read out a 16-count indictment that includes 10
charges of soliciting or encouraging others to murder people who do not
believe in the Islamic faith.
Al-Masri faces 11 terrorist charges in the United States. The British
charges pre-empt a U.S. extradition bid.
[Kabbalah] Stroke hits Madonna's rabbi guru
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9011-.html
Madonna's personal kabbalah guru Rabbi Philip Berg has suffered a stroke
and is now wheelchair-bound, raising fears the controversial spiritual
leader may not have long to live.
[Da Vinci Code] Fearing Repeat of Past, Lebanon Bans a Book
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9045-.html
The international blockbuster was pulled from shelves last month by
Lebanon's domestic security agency at the request of the Catholic Church.
Church leaders claimed the murder mystery's use of controversial theories
regarding the life of Jesus defamed Christianity and warned that it could
ignite Lebanon's old sectarian tensions in the process.
In doing so, a country celebrated as the most progressive in the Middle
East became the only one in the world to forbid the book, according to the
book's agent and publishers in the region. After selling more than 17
million copies in at least 43 countries, "The Da Vinci Code" has fallen
victim here to the unresolved questions over Lebanon's religious identity
as well as its own commercial success
[Sikhism] Sikhs in court over religious ban
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9043-.html
Three Sikh boys in France have gone to court after being excluded from
school under a law banning conspicuous religious symbols and clothing.
[Hare Krishna] Remaining vigilant against child abuse
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9041-.html
The ISKCON of Philadelphia has a temple on Allen's Lane in the Mt. Airy
section. The Philadelphia Inquirer did a story on March 10, 2002, which
notes that the Mt. Airy temple is not named in the suit, and also that E.
Burke Rochford Jr., a sociologist who wrote a 1998 report published by
ISKCON documenting some of the abuse, said of the Mt. Airy temple's
temporary school that "there was no indication of anything untoward there."
== Mon, Oct. 18, 2004 ==
[Hinduism] Indian deities, western products: Ignorance or crass marketing?
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9007-.html
Is it crass marketing or the West's enchantment for our religious symbols
or simply ignorance which is finding a bizarre expression in the form of
this latest fad?
Be it doormats, toiletries or beachwear, the moment these products have
sketches of Indian idols, they become a rage in western markets.
[Mormon Church] Three Women Report Assaults From Men They Met on LDS
Dating Sites
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9006-.html
Online dating services geared to LDS church members are popular places for
Mormons to meet. But some officials are cautioning women not to be lured
into a false sense of security because of the connection of these sites to
the LDS faith.
That warning comes after three Utah County women in the last month have
reported they were assaulted by men they met men on LDS dating service
sites.
[Anglican / Episcopal Church] Church report 'set to fuel gay row'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9005-.html
The row over homosexuality that is threatening to split the Anglican
Church is set to erupt again with the release of a key report.
[Cults] Sectarians inundate grieving Beslan, seek new members
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9004-.html
Various sects have become rather active recently in Beslan, North Ossetia.
Sectarians try to attract Beslan residents to their sects, as former
hostages and their relatives recover from the recent horrible hostage
crisis.
[USA] Prisoner abuse detailed at U.S. camp
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9003-.html
Many detainees at Guantanamo Bay were regularly subjected to harsh and
coercive treatment, several people who worked in the prison said in recent
interviews, despite longstanding assertions by military officials that
such treatment had not occurred except in some isolated cases.
Military guards, intelligence agents and others described a range of
procedures that included treatment they said was highly abusive occurring
over a long period of time, as well as rewards for prisoners who
cooperated with interrogators.
[Netherlands] The Dutch aren't buying into medical marijuana
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9002-.html
There's a whiff of crisis in the air at the Dutch Health Ministry: It's
sitting on a pile of pot that it just can't sell.
The Netherlands rolled out a program last year that allows patients to buy
prescription marijuana at any pharmacy.
Some medical insurance policies cover at least part of the cost, but often
not enough to offset the pharmacy price.
In a country where any adult can walk into a "coffee shop" and smoke a
joint for much less than the government price, many say the experiment is
a bust.
[Trinity Broadcasting Network] Crouch Flouts Christian Tradition
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9000-.html
rom an Oklahoma reader: "Thanks for your column. I'm an evangelical
Christian [and a charismatic, no less] but the Crouches are beyond the
pale. They are truly an embarrassment. Here's hoping The Times news
stories, columns, etc., will bear fruit."
An Orange County pastor wrote: "In my opinion, you could have hit 'em much
harder and still been fair, but there was a certain kindness in your
restraint."
Referring to the "prosperity gospel" that Crouch preaches to his viewers
as a reason they should give, the pastor added: "The perversion of the
gospel perpetuated by the likes of TBN makes me want to puke, though I do
find solace in the hope of the coming day when the record will be set
straight."
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Oct. 26-27, 2004
Wed, Oct. 27, 2004
[Witchcraft] School keeps Halloween ban despite outcry
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9134-.html
The school board in this Pierce County city stood firm despite pleas from
an angry crowd: No Halloween in the schools. [...] Puyallup School
District officials announced last week that Halloween festivities would be
canceled in order to stop losing instructional time and to avoid offending
believers in the Wiccan religion, sometimes known as witches.
[Iglesia ni Cristo] Muslim scholars gather in U.A.E. to defend Islam
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9132-.html
Dozens of Islamic scholars have gathered in the United Arab Emirates to
defend their religion against accusations of fostering terrorism and to
denounce groups of co-religionist fanatics distorting the image of Islam.
[USA] Texas Lifts Reprieve, Executes Inmate
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9131-.html
A man convicted in a 1992 murder case in which the troubled Houston
police crime lab allegedly mishandled evidence was executed Tuesday
evening despite last-minute legal battles and pleas from relatives of the
murder victim that his life be spared.
[USA] U.S. Acts Against General Who Saw a 'Christian' War
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9130-.html
The U.S. Army has taken action against Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who
embarrassed the Bush administration by giving speeches in which he
described the war on terrorism as a Christian battle against Satan.
[Anglican / Episcopal Church] African clergy to train 'at home'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9129-.html
African bishops meeting in Nigeria to discuss their future ties with the
Anglican Church have decided to stop training African priests abroad.
[...] Earlier, the head of the 300 bishops at the meeting condemned the
ordination of gay priests.
[Worldwide Church of God] Worldwide Church of God leaving Pasadena
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9128-.html
The Worldwide Church of God will soon leave the former Ambassador College
campus, its home base for more than 50 years, for the smaller, less
expensive trappings of an industrial building in
[Media] Third Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9127-.html
Reporters Without Borders announces its third annual worldwide index of
press freedom. Such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (with North
Korea at the bottom of the entire list at 167th place, followed by Burma
165th, China 162nd, Vietnam 161st and Laos 153rd) and the Middle East
(Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th, Syria 155th, Iraq 148th). [...] The
greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland,
Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace
for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th,
Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.
[Science and Religion] Gene tests prove that we are all the same under the
skin
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9124-.html
The popular notion that skin colour can indicate physical or mental
differences between groups of people has been demolished by a new analysis
of the human genome, which declares race to be a biologically meaningless
concept. [...] The findings destroy the central argument of white
supremacists and other racist groups, and refute controversial theories
that attempt to link intelligence or criminality to ethnic origin.
[Hate Groups] Hate crimes confound authorities
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9123-.html
For reasons authorities and social scientists cannot seem to explain, a
series of unrelated crimes with racial overtones has occurred in Snohomish
County [Washington] this year.
[Netherlands] Anne Frank's nationality
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9122-.html
Should Anne Frank be granted Dutch citizenship 60 years after her death?
That question recently dominated the Dutch news media – and what had
seemed at first a simple and sympathetic gesture towards Holland's most
famous Jewish girl turned out to be a very complicated and thorny issue
indeed.
[Hate Groups] Two more Aryan Circle members sentenced
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9120-.html
Both protesting their innocence, two more Aryan Circle members were
sentenced Tuesday to life in federal prison. Both Malachi David Wren, 35,
and Victor Wesley “Pokey” Tucker, 41, were given life sentences on a
charge of “continuing criminal enterprise.”
[Hate Groups] Distribution of hate music puts schools, ADL on alert
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9119-.html
Houston-area teachers and administrators are being warned to watch for
music CDs that encourage hate and violence. The Anti-Defamation League is
particularly concerned about the ongoing distribution of more than 100,000
compact discs by a Minnesota-based record company with apparent roots in
neo-Nazism.
[USA] Religion playing key role in determining next U.S. president,
analysts say
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9118-.html
Americans are electing a president, not a pastor, a priest or a rabbi.
Yet faith has become a key factor in the U.S. election campaign, with some
analysts predicting religion will strongly influence the outcome of
Tuesday's vote. Republicans have made no secret of their direct appeal to
the religious right - white evangelical Christians who comprise up to a
quarter of American voters by the broadest measures.
[Hate Groups : Scientology] Groups criticize remark about 'bad gene pools'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9117-.html
Black leaders from Harris County on Tuesday joined with a group founded by
the Church of Scientology to denounce a psychiatrist's comment that many
foster children come from "bad gene pools."
[Trinity Broadcasting Network] Troubled SoCal religious network cancels
live "Praise-a-thons"
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9116-.html
The world's largest Christian broadcasting network, whose founder
reportedly sought to cover up a homosexual affair with a former employee,
has dropped plans for its live telethon next week and instead will show 40
hours of telethon reruns. [...] Network officials said the decision was
made earlier this month due to concerns about the health of network
co-founder Paul Crouch, 70, and his wife Jan, 66, who are its most popular
on-air personalities. But they also acknowledge the decision would take
the pressure off of guest pastors concerned about the controversy.
[Da Vinci Code] 'Da Vinci Code' Fans Besiege French Village in Quest
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9115-.html
There's profit in things that go bump in the night, though for the mayor
of the devil-infested French hamlet of Rennes-le-Chateau, it's the
dynamite going boom that has him tallying the mysteries evoked in Dan
Brown's bestseller ``The Da Vinci Code.'' [...] Just who or what the
devotees of the novel are trying to dig up in Rennes-le-Chateau remains a
lucrative bone of contention.
[Lord's Resistance Army] Forgiveness for Uganda's former rebels
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9114-.html
For the past 18 years a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has
abducted more than 20,000 children. One and half million civilians have
been displaced and an estimated 100,000 people killed. But while the
Ugandan government says it can defeat the rebels using the gun, others
hope for a more peaceful resolution.
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Tue, Oct. 26, 2004
[Jehovah's Witnesses] 'You've got to believe'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9113-.html
Torn between their religion and love for their child, a Jehovah’s Witness
couple from Sweden put faith in a Columbus doctor to save their little
fighter
[Catholic Church] Vatican Releases Guide to Teachings
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9112-.html
The Vatican on Monday issued an exhaustive guide to the teachings of the
Roman Catholic Church on social issues, reiterating positions against
abortion, same-sex marriage and preventive war waged without compelling
proof of a threat. Church officials said its release a week before the
U.S. election was not intended to influence the vote.
[Religious Freedom] Religious rights group sues L.A. over Messianic Jews'
banner
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9110-.html
A Virginia-based religious rights group has filed a federal lawsuit
against the city for its refusal to permit the display of a banner with
the phrase "Jews who believe in Jesus."
[Superstition] Very superstitious
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9109-.html
An edited extract from A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British
Isles, by Steve Roud, published by Penguin.
[Witchcraft] Halloween Ban Brings Boos In Puyallup
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9108-.html
And at least one self proclaimed Wiccan agreed with the majority of
parents who attended the meeting. Wiccans are the religious group cited in
school district guidelines as in need of protection from negative
stereotyping. "I want to assure you that Wiccans, Pagans and witches and
other members of our faith community on the whole are not offended," said
Larry Klingele.
[USA] U.S. Action Bars Right of Some Captured in Iraq
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9107-.html
A new legal opinion by the Bush administration has concluded for the first
time that some non-Iraqi prisoners captured by American forces in Iraq are
not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions, administration
officials said Monday.
[Kabbalah] Kabbalah attracted Madonna more than fame and money
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9133-.html
Pop diva Madonna, who has almost turned the mystical Jewish religion
Kabbalah into a brand name, has admitted that she took to the faith after
getting disillusioned with her fame and money.
[Christianity] Magician With A Mission Levitates In Front Of 400 People
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9106-.html
Kole noted that after painstakingly reading accounts in the Bible, and
other historical documents describing eyewitness accounts of the miracles
performed by Jesus, he came to the conclusion that the miracles were truly
supernatural feats. [...] Not content to tell the audience that Jesus
performed authentic miracles, Kole spoke of the Million Dollar Challenge
sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation. "This organization
offers a one million dollar reward to anyone who can demonstrate a true
paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event under proper viewing
conditions," he explained. "So far nobody has been able to claim the prize
money; in fact no one has even passed the relatively simple preliminary
test of their supernatural powers."
[USA] President's fake religion questioned
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9105-.html
No president in modern times has had more faith in himself and wrought
more injustice than George W. Bush. With his military madness and the
violence in Iraq, reckless fiscal policies, tax structures that most
benefit the rich and shift more of the obligations of government to the
middle class and harm the poor, and positions on the environment that
desecrate the earth and damage human health, this president acts as if
injustice were a virtue.
[Mormon Church] Belarus expels two Mormons for ''illegal missionary
activity''
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9104-.html
Authorities expelled two U.S. citizens for what they said was ''illegal
missionary activity,'' the Belarusian security agency said Monday. The two
were identified as Mormons who came to work with an international
humanitarian organization called ''Sofia'' in the eastern Belarusian town
of Mogiliyev, said the security service, known by its acronym, KGB. Their
names were not given.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Oct. 29, 2004
Fri, Oct. 29, 2004
[Michael W. Ryan] Court Rejects Appeal Of Former Cult Leader
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9172-Michael_Ryan.html
An appeal by one-time cult leader Michael Ryan in a 1985 torture-slaying
on a farm near Rulo was rejected Friday by a federal appeals court.
[Church and State] MSU faith-based project violates Constitution, judge
rules
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9171-faith_based.html
Magistrate Judge Richard Anderson ordered David Young, director of MSU's
Office of Rural Health, to stop giving federal funds to parish nursing
programs and particularly to the Carroll College Parish Nurse Center.
The judge also ordered Young and MSU to stop housing the offices of the
nonprofit Montana Faith-Health Cooperative and subsidizing it with a Web
site, clerical and leadership services.
[USA] Revealed: War has cost 100,000 Iraqi lives
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9170-Iraq_war_toll.html
The first scientific study of the human cost of the Iraq war suggests that
at least 100,000 Iraqis have lost their lives since their country was
invaded in March 2003.
More than half of those who died were women and children killed in air
strikes, researchers say. Previous estimates have put the Iraqi death toll
at around 10,000 - ten times the 1,000 members of the British, American
and multi-national forces who have died so far. But the study, published
in The Lancet, suggested that Iraqi casualties could be as much as 100
times the coalition losses. It was also savagely critical of the failure
by coalition forces to count Iraqi casualties.
[...]
The researchers are savagely critical of the US General Tommy Franks for
his widely quoted remark that "we don't do body counts". They say that the
Geneva Convention requires occupying forces to protect the civilian
population, and add the fact that more than half of the deaths caused by
them were women and children is "cause for concern".
The Lancet said it had received the study at the beginning of October and
it had been "extensively peer-reviewed, revised and edited". It had been
fast-tracked to publication "because of its importance to the evolving
security situation in Iraq".
[Nuwaubians] Sect members claim conspiracy against leader
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9169-Nauwaubians.html
Pyramids, obelisks and a lonely sphinx stand deserted on the
Egyptian-themed compound where as many as 500 members of a quasi-religious
sect lived only five years ago.
The United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors has gone quiet since its leader,
Malachi York, was sentenced to 135 years in federal prison in April for
molesting 14 boys and girls whose parents were members of his group.
[Helge Fossmo] Curtain falls on Knutby appeals
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9168-Helge_Fossmo.html
Pastor Helge Fossmo wants the sentence of life imprisonment for the murder
of his second wife, Alexandra, overturned. But the prosecutor, Elin Blank,
wants him found guilty of murdering his first wife too. She also wants
Sara Svensson, the nanny who has admitted killing Alexandra Fossmo and
attempting to kill a neighbour, sentenced to prison rather than
psychiatric hospital.
But the lack of conclusive evidence or indeed any form of agreement on the
main points in the case has left the pundits utterly baffled as to the
likely outcome - and has raised audience expectations of a session in the
Supreme Court next year to complete the trilogy.
[Witchcraft] Author Starhawk is a spiritual leader for Bay Area witches
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9167-Starhawk.html
A practitioner of "the Craft" for three decades, Starhawk has become one
of the leading voices in the Earth-based spirituality movement. Her
classic text on witchcraft, "The Spiral Dance," has sold more than 285,000
copies and has been translated into German and Danish. Some of her books
are used in college curricula.
[...]
Something else that sets Starhawk apart from ordinary witches is her
passion for protest. She's participated in countless demonstrations,
ranging from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory to the G8 summit in Genoa, Italy, in 2001
and the World Trade Organization talks in Cancun, Mexico, in 2003. She's
held vigils at Vandenberg Air Force Base and protested against Israeli
troops in the West Bank. She's been arrested more than two dozen times.
[Witchcraft] Britain’s witches stir it up for holiday
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9166-Samhain.html
Over the weekend, millions worldwide will don a witch’s hat, cape and
broom or some other outlandish garb, but how do real witches celebrate
Halloween? And where did the holiday originate?
[Lord's Resistance Army] LRA Child Soldiers' Tales
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9165-LRA.html
Onen is no ordinary teenager. He is a battle hardened youth who for two
years carried out ambushes and burnt villages with the Joseph Kony's
Lord's Resistance army.
He shivers as he narrates the atrocities he committed and all of a sudden
becomes speechless.
The youth did not join the LRA rebels willingly and he is one of the
thousands that have been abducted by the rebels during the 18 years of the
northern Uganda insurgency. He is only lucky to have been rescued.
[Anglican / Episcopal Church] Gay Priesthood Unbiblical, Obasanjo Tells
African Bishops
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9164-Anglican_church.html
President Olusegun Obasanjo commenting for the first time on the gay
bishop issue that has threatened the soul of the Anglican Communion ,
yesterday, saluted the wisdom, courage and resilience of the African
Bishops for standing so firmly against attempts to undermine the Christian
faith and falsify the gospel and the Word of God.
[Hate Groups : Scientology] Cruise's Nobel gig causes controversy
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9163-Manipulative_Scientology.html
Religious leaders in Scandinavia are outraged by the decision to chose
scientologist star Tom Cruise to co-host the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize
concert in Norway.
[...]
Karl-Erik Nylund, a priest from Stockholm, Sweden, says: "They're a
manipulative sect that takes over people's lives and finances. Cruise
isn't going to be there as a missionary. But it's difficult to separate
the artist Tom Cruise from Scientology Tom Cruise.
[Islam] Upper Sharia Court to Rule in Hajara's Appeal November 10
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9162-Sharia_ruling.html
Hajara Ibrahim, the teenager condemned to death by stoning by the Lere
Sharia Court in Bauchi State for being pregnant outside wedlock is to know
her fate, November 10 when the upper Sharia court, Dass entertaining the
appeal filed against the lower Sharia court judgment will give its verdict.
[Yoga] Yoga promises students physical, spiritual gains
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9161-Yoga.html
Since coming to Duke, senior Franklin Winokur has regularly participated
in what he describes as one of the most demanding workouts he has ever
undertaken. Senior Deirdre Hess, on the other hand, has found an exercise
routine that allows her to concentrate on de-stressing. These two
students are describing the same activity: yoga.
[Islam] Dispute splits Bulgaria's Muslims
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9160-Bulgaria_Muslims.html
A young man stands on a balcony, his hand cupped to one ear as he sings
out, calling his fellow students to prayer in a small Islamic studies
center high in Bulgaria's Rodopi Mountains.
[...]
The center, which trains men to be imams, is one several Islamic studies
institutes that have been branded as "terrorist nests" by parts of the
Bulgarian media and Muslim community leaders, who have suggested that the
institutes are trying to foist fundamentalist ideas on a traditionally
moderate Islamic community.
The suggestions have brought alarm among members of Bulgaria's Christian
Orthodox majority and have led to calls for tighter regulation of
religious groups. While these concerns may be genuine, some commentators
in Bulgaria say the allegations are a ruse in a dispute that has less to
do with religion than with power and money.
[Ruben Ecleo] Bacolod siblings oppose transfer of Ecleo case trial
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9159-Ruben_Ecleo.html
The surviving siblings of the murdered wife of Ruben Ecleo Jr. have
brought to court their opposition to a move to transfer the trial of the
parricide case against the cult leader.
Angelito, Ricky and Josebel Bacolod filed an opposition with the Office of
the Court Administrator, asking that the trial on the parricide case
against Ecleo remains in Cebu.
[Alternative Healing] Does Reiki have a place in Judaism?
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9158-Reiki_in_Judaism_.html
The ancient Japanese tradition of Reiki is emerging in Israel, and its
fresh presence is posing a simple question in the heart of the Jewish
world: Is there a place for Reiki in Judaism?
Reiki, "universal life energy" in Japanese, is more popular in Israel now
than it was five years ago, says Eli Navon, Reiki teacher at the Israel
Holyland Reiki Center and the School for Alternative Medicine in Kfar Saba.
"More people come to study- all kinds of people, including doctors," said
Navon.
As Japanese culture and healing are exported in the global village, Jewish
practitioners face the challenge of integrating the foreign belief system
into the Jewish domain.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] Woman Jailed Over 'Miracle Babies'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9157-Miracle_Babies.html
A woman was yesterday sentenced to six months' imprisonment for helping
register the births of the so-called "miracle babies". [...] Two of the
children are alleged to have been born to embattled UK-based preacher
Gilbert Deya and his wife, Mary, following miracle prayers by the couple.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Court Rejects AUM Cult's Request to Stop Surveillance
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9156-AUM_Surveillance.html
The Tokyo District Court turned down Friday a request by the AUM Shinrikyo
cult to stop government surveillance of it, saying its founder Shoko
Asahara continues to wield power over members.
[...]
In handing down the decision, Presiding Judge Yosuke Ichimura dismissed
the AUM members' argument that the law was unconstitutional.
[...]
Ichimura said Asahara, 49, "even now has influence over the cult's
activities mainly because senior cult members are still preaching absolute
submission" to him.
The cult, now headed by Fumihiro Joyu who was previously a close aide of
Asahara, has tried to make efforts to shed its criminal image.
But Ichimura said he sees no progress in the cult's efforts to reform.
[Bible] Dutch Bible translation slammed as 'too modern'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9155-Dutch_Bible_translation.html
A new Dutch translation of the Bible to be published on Wednesday has
attracted sharp criticism for being too modern and differing too much from
the original Hebrew and Greek texts.
The New Bible Translation (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling) was to be unveiled
in Rotterdam on Wednesday and launched in Antwerp for the Belgian market
on Friday. Ten years in the making, the publication is intended to offer a
standard translation for the entire Dutch-language region.
Well-known Dutch priests Huub Oosterhuis and Nico ter Linden claim the
attempt to translate the bible into Dutch language has come at the expense
of what the original authors meant.
[Hate Groups : Scientology] Subway-tology!
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9154-Sneaky_Scientology.html
A poster being sold to mark the 100th anniversary of the subway has an
underground message - and it has nothing to do with trains.
The poster, which depicts a crowded Times Square subway station, contains
what seems like an endless number of plugs for the controversial Church of
Scientology.
[...]
[Artist Kathy] Jakobsen also unabashedly includes plugs for one of her
children's books, "My New York," the book's publisher, Megan Tingley, and
her agent, art gallery owner Frank Miele.
Miele, reached at his gallery yesterday, confirmed that he is a
Scientologist and that Jakobsen is a "committed Scientologist."
Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority,
defended the $10 poster as depicting "the actuality of Times Square and
what is going on here."
[Islam] Discovery of Quran leads man to new spiritual path
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9153-conversion_to_Islam.html
When Amon Graves picked up the Quran, the holy book of Islam, there was
something instantly familiar about it.
[...]
Just a few years later the gangly kid who once played the tax collector in
the annual church Christmas play had changed his name to Amon Muhammad and
embraced the Muslim faith. Nowadays, he is Brother Amon, the spiritual
leader of his hometown mosque, the person those who are in trouble go to
for guidance.
His road from Christianity to Islam, however, is more of a bridge than a
path in a single direction.
"I never let Jesus go. Muslims believe in Jesus as the messiah," said
Muhammad,[...]
There are distinctions. Muslims believe Jesus is a messenger of God, but
that the Prophet Muhammad was the last messenger of God. They do not
believe that Jesus is the son of God or that God is comprised of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Christians generally do not believe
that Muhammad was a prophet sent by God.
[Science and Religion] Psychiatrist: spiritual belief helps mental illness
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9152-Belief_helps_mental_illness.html
People suffering with mental health disorders who have a faith in a higher
power' have a better chance of managing their illnesses and improving
their health.
They even live longer, Dr Andrew Powell, a member of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists, told a multi-faith meeting of mental health professionals,
carers and patients in Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley, on Thursday
last week.
[Nepal] Nepal courts Indian gurus to improve image abroad
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9151-Nepal_gurus.html
After renowned mountaineers Sir Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Messner and Peter
Habeler, Nepal is now courting Indian spiritual gurus to portray the
Himalayan kingdom as a safe destination.
Nepal is hoping that the arrival of Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar, whose Art of Living Foundation teaches how to deal with negative
emotions through breathing control techniques, will reinforce the image of
Nepal as a safe destination for tourists, especially from India.
[Obituary] Bryan Wilson
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9150-Bryan_Wilson.html
Bryan Wilson was one of the most brilliant and influential sociologists of
religion of the past century. It is impossible for any serious student of
the subject to write about the state of religion in contemporary society
without referring to his secularisation thesis or his work on sects and
new religious movements.
[...]
Bryan Wilson, sociologist of religion, was born on June 25, 1926. He died
on October 9, 2004, aged 78.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog, Nov. 1-3, 2004
Wed, Nov. 03, 2004
[USA] US Media Mishandle the Story on 100,000 Dead Iraqi Civilians
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9235-Iraqi_civilian_casualties.html
The Lancet, a British medical journal, just published results of a study
led by academics from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that reported a
surprisingly high number of civilian deaths in Iraq. The story broke three
days before the US elections, on November 29, and even where it received
prominent coverage, there has been little or no follow-up in the US. The
media coverage of this information around the world, however, was much
more intense, with quite a different focus.
[...]
The discrepancy between coverage of this story in the US as compared to
the international treatment is dramatic, allowing the observer to infer
that news coverage is being distorted in the US.
[Trinity Broadcasting Network] TBN airs reruns in wake of scandal
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9234-Trinity_Broadcasting_Network.html
The Trinity Broadcasting Network kicked off its twice-annual fund-raising
drive Monday with reruns, an unprecedented move partly prompted by
allegations that its founder had engaged in a homosexual tryst.
[...]
Officials at TBN, the world's largest religious broadcaster, are hoping
that the reruns, honed to present the best moments of past telethons, will
keep viewers' donations coming.
[Jehovah's Witnesses] When Jehovah’s Witnesses knock, DVD resource tells
what to do
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9233-Jehovahв_s_Witnesses.html
To help Southern Baptists and other evangelicals prepare for the
inevitable knock at the door, NAMB has produced the third in a series of
resources which explain what specific cults believe and how they operate
-- and how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their followers.
“In the Name of Jehovah: Understanding Jehovah’s Witnesses” is an
educational program that can be shown in its entirety for special worship
services or in conference settings. The DVD is formatted in segments
appropriate for groups or for individual study and includes a discussion
guide.
[Islam] Analysis: Suspected Islamist killing tests Dutch tolerance
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9232-Dutch_tolerance.html
The killing of a filmmaker critical of Islam puts new strains on Dutch
traditions of tolerance and will fuel demands for tougher treatment of
immigrants, analysts and commentators said on Wednesday.
Theo van Gogh, who angered Muslims with a film that said Islam encouraged
violence against women, was shot dead on Tuesday. A man with Dutch and
Moroccan nationality was arrested for the killing, and suspected of
Islamic extremist motives.
[Islam] Eight suspected Islamic radicals arrested in van Gogh murder
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9231-Islamic_radicals_arrested.html
Dutch police have arrested eight suspected Islamic radicals as part of the
investigation into the brutal slaying of outspoken filmmaker Theo van
Gogh, prosecutors said Wednesday.
[Voodoo] Voodoo 'snared girl as sex slave'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9230-Voodoo.html
A teenager was turned into a "sex slave" by two sisters who threatened her
with voodoo, a court has heard.
[...]
Mr Gadsen explained that "she believed Negi, through her aunt, was capable
of exerting some voodoo influence over her which stopped her from leaving
the house.
"It was just as effective as if she had been chained and manacled.
[Anglican / Episcopal Church] 'Men-only branch' plan for Church
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9229-_Anglican_men-only_branch.html
The Anglican church could set up a 'male clergy only' branch under
proposals aimed at ending the row over whether women can be bishops.
The new province, with its own archbishop, is one of several options set
out in the Church of England report which was published on Tuesday.
[Catholic Church] Ghanaians flock to see 'miracle'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9228-Ghana_epiphany.html
Thousands of people in Ghana's capital, have been thronging to a Catholic
Church where they claim the image of Jesus Christ has appeared on a wall.
They compare the image to that of the Biblical Virgin Mary who is said to
have appeared at Lourdes, in France.
[Kabbalah] Boca Raton to get newer, bigger Kabbalah center
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9227-Kabbalah.html
Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, has touched more than 3 million people
worldwide. Now, Kabbalah is expanding in South Florida.
The 10-year-old Boca Raton Kabbalah Centre, affiliated with the Kabbalah
Learning Centre in Los Angeles, is building a new 37,000-square-foot home
at its current location at 8411 W. Palmetto Park Road. The new building
will include an international healing and retreat center.
[Islam] The freedom to criticise the Koran
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9226-criticizing_the_Koran.html
Tuesday's murder of Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who criticised
Islamic practices, reminds all of a nagging truth: that more than 15 years
after the Iranian Government issued a death warrant against novelist
Salman Rushdie, dissenting with Muslims remains a risky business.
As a Muslim reformer, I speak from experience. My book, The Trouble with
Islam, has put me on the receiving end of anger, hatred and vitriol.
That's because I'm asking questions from which we Muslims can no longer
hide. Why, for example, are we squandering the talents of half of God's
creation, women? What's with the stubborn streak of anti-Semitism in Islam
today?
[Lord's Resistance Army] ICC to issue Kony warrant of arrest
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9225-International_Criminal_Court.html
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is planning to issue warrants of
arrest against Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony and seven
of his commanders.
[Theo van Gogh] Suspected Extremist Jailed in Dutch Murder
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9224-Islamic_extremist.html
A suspected Muslim extremist with alleged terrorist ties was under arrest
Wednesday in the death of a Dutch filmmaker who criticized the treatment
of women under Islam.
Theo van Gogh, 47, was repeatedly shot and stabbed to death on an
Amsterdam street on Tuesday.
[Yoga] Yoga's gone mainstream
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9223-Yoga_gone_mainstream.html
Nomiyama is one of an estimated 35 million Americans who will try yoga for
the first time this year. Once confined to New Agers with an interest in
Eastern spirituality, yoga is catching on among young men, fitness
fanatics, aging baby boomers and other unlikely enthusiasts who claim the
mind/body practice does everything from heal illness to tighten abs.
Nationally, yoga is a $22.5 billion industry.
[Psychics] Ex-mayor pleads guilty to using money for psychic readings
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9222-psychic_readings.html
The former mayor and bookkeeper of the small city of La Grulla pleaded
guilty Tuesday to charges they used federal grant money to pay for tens of
thousands of dollars in psychic consultations.
[Polygamy] New start for Kingston wife
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9221-Kingston_clan.html
Foster is ready, not just to move, but to move heaven and earth to get her
children back.
And this is just the first of many steps Foster, 33, has taken since 3rd
District Juvenile Judge Andrew Valdez removed eight of her 11 children
from her home and sent her to a domestic violence shelter. Valdez also
ordered her to have no contact with members of "The Order" - the insular
Davis County Co-Operative Society founded by the family of her children's
father, polygamist John Daniel Kingston.
With that order, the judge took away Foster's job, home, church, family
and friends. Get a new home, he said, and a new job.
And, believing that proving her independence will bring her children home,
Foster agreed
Tue, Nov. 02, 2004
[Theo van Gogh] Some 20,000 Dutch gather to pay homage to slain
controversial filmmaker
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9220-Theo_van_Gogh_homage.html
Some 20,000 people gathered in Amsterdam to pay homage to controversial
Dutch filmmaker and columnist Theo van Gogh who was murdered in the street.
Instead of holding a silent wake protesters on Amsterdam's central Dam
Square made as much noise as possible, banging pots and pans and blowing
horns and whistles. The friends and family of Van Gogh had asked for
people to make as much noise as possible in support of the freedom of
speech.
"The freedom of speech is a foundation of our society and that foundation
was tampered with today," Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen said, after the
deafening noise had subsided.
[Theo van Gogh] Life of slain Dutch filmmaker
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9219-Theo_van_Gogh.html
The murder of Dutch movie director Theo van Gogh comes two months after
his highly controversial film, Submission - about the abuse of Muslim
women - was shown on national TV in Holland.
Theo van Gogh's name was better-known around the world because he shared
it with his great-great-grandfather, the brother of artist Vincent van
Gogh.
But in the Dutch film community, he was a well-known figure and has been
described as the Netherlands' Michael Moore.
Submission may have only been a 10-minute English-language short, but it
caused uproar in his home country when it was broadcast at the end of
August.
The outcry centred on the stories of four Muslim women who were beaten,
raped and forced into marriage, and were asking for Allah's help.
[Solomon Key] 'Da Vinci' writer's next: 'Solomon Key'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9218-Solomon_Key.html
"The Solomon Key" will be the third novel by Brown to include the
character Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of religious symbology.
The new book's primary focus will be the Freemasons, the secretive
fraternity that has included some of the nation's founding fathers, and it
will be set in Washington.
[USA] Expatica.com: Why expats must vote for Kerry
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9217-Why_expats_must_vote_for_Kerry.html
The US Administration's policies over the so-called War on Terror, with
its false claims of an imminent threat from Iraq to justify an early rush
to war in the Middle East, have transformed opinion about the country from
that of it being a victim of an appalling attack that deserved sympathy
and solidarity — into an unruly bully boy.
And worse, it has turned a country that gave hope to the rest of the world
through the ideals of democracy and freedom — and a promise of a better
life — to one that, thanks to Iraq, rests on deceit.
While Bush's "with us or with the terrorists" policy might go down well
within the United States among voters far removed from developments
unfolding in the rest of the world, it hasn't worked so well with many
Americans this side of the Atlantic.
[Theo van Gogh] Dutch Filmmaker Theo Van Gogh Murdered
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9216-Theo_Van_Gogh_Murdered.html
A Dutch filmmaker who had received death threats after releasing a movie
criticizing the treatment of women under Islam was slain in Amsterdam on
Tuesday, police said.
[...]
Filmmaker Theo van Gogh had been threatened after the August airing of the
movie "Submission," which he made with a right-wing Dutch politician who
had renounced the Islamic faith of her birth. Van Gogh had received police
protection after its release.
[Al-Qaeda] Bin Laden's message: a call to bleed the United States
economically
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9214-Osama_Bin_Laden.html
Osama bin Laden vowed to bleed America to bankruptcy, according to a full
transcript of unaired portions of a videotape released Monday by an Arab
television station. The al-Qaida leader's remarks appeared targeted to the
final days of the U.S. presidential campaign in which the struggling
economy is a major issue.
Bin Laden boasted in his first appearance in more than a year that for
every $1 al-Qaida has spent on terrorist strikes, it has cost the United
States $1 million in economic fallout and military spending, including
emergency funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.
[Religious Freedom] Prisoners' lawsuit has religious import for all
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9213-Religious_freedom.html
Mention "prisoners' rights" and public reaction ranges from indifference
to hostility. This is especially true in the Ohio case, Cutter v.
Wilkinson, because the plaintiffs belong to unconventional religions such
as Asatru (a polytheistic religion) and groups like Satanists.
But principles at stake in this case guard religious freedom for everyone.
[Theo van Gogh] Dutch director Theo van Gogh murdered in Amsterdam
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9212-Theo_van_Gogh_murdered_in_Amsterdam.html
Van Gogh, 47, directed the controversial movie Submission — written by
Somali-born MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali — which criticised the Koran for
sanctioning domestic violence in Islamic communities.
He recently received numerous death threats following the release of
Submission. He was also making a movie about populist Dutch politician Pim
Fortuyn who was assassinated in Hilversum in May 2002. The film is due for
release on the internet via Tiscali in several weeks time.
[Christianity] Koreans Quietly Introducing Jesus to Muslims in Mideast
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9211-Koreans_Introducing_Jesus_to_Muslims.html
A South Korean missionary here speaks of introducing Jesus in a "low voice
and with wisdom" to Muslims, the most difficult group to convert. In
Baghdad, South Koreans plan to open a seminary even after Iraqi churches
have been bombed in two recent coordinated attacks. In Beijing, they defy
the Chinese government to smuggle North Koreans to Seoul while turning
them into Christians.
South Korea has rapidly become the world's second largest source of
Christian missionaries, only a couple of decades after it started
deploying them. With more than 12,000 abroad, it is second only to the
United States and ahead of Britain.
[Islam] Mosque demolished as mobs attack sect in Kattankudy
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9210-Mosque_demolished.html
Police Sunday declared unofficial curfew in Kattankudy, a large Muslim
town 5 kilometres south of Batticaloa, after mobs demolished a mosque and
several houses and buildings belonging to an Islamic sect.
[Ahmadiyya] Minority sect mosque attacked in Bangladesh
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9209-Ahmadiyya.html
At least 15 people were injured when a mosque of a minority Muslim sect
was attacked in Bangladesh Friday.
Around 300 activists from local madrassas and mosques attacked the
Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat mosque at Bhadughar in the southeastern
Brahmanbaria district, about 162 km from here.
[Theo van Gogh] Report: Dutch filmmaker murdered
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9208-Dutch_filmmaker_murdered.html
A Dutch filmmaker who criticized the treatment of women under Islam in a
recent movie and in newspaper columns was murdered in Amsterdam, media
reported Tuesday.
[Theo van Gogh] Filmmaker Theo van Gogh killed
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9207-Filmmaker_Theo_van_Gogh_killed.html
During his entire career, Theo van Gogh (47) courted controversy. One of
his most recent productions dealt with violence against women in Islamic
societies and prompted many death threats. The author of the film,
Conservative MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has been under police protection since it
was aired on Dutch national television. Mr Van Gogh was working on a film
about Pim Fortuyn, the anti-establishment and anti-immigrant politician
who was shot dead two years ago.
[Theo van Gogh] Controversial Dutch Filmmaker Shot Dead
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9206-Dutch_Filmmaker_Shot_Dead.html
Amsterdam police said Van Gogh had been stabbed and shot in the center of
the city. Van Gogh's short feature film "Submission" angered some Dutch
Muslims for its portrayal of a Muslim woman who is abused by her husband.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] FBI to probe 'miracle babies' saga
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9205-FBI_probes_miracle_babies.html
Two officers attached to the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) are
in the country to investigate the "miracle babies" saga.
[...]
Top on their agenda is to investigate some of Archbishop Gilbert Deya’s
investments in Kenya since he settled in the UK.
Mon, Nov. 01, 2004
[Peoples Temple] New revelations on Jonestown tragedy
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9204-Jonestown.html
"Everybody has assumed until recently that all 912 Jonestown residents,
including Jones, died on the same day -- Nov. 18, 1978," said Fielding
McGehee, who oversees the Jonestown Institute with his wife, Rebecca
Moore, whose sisters and nephew died in Jonestown.
But the tape found in Jonestown that the FBI labeled Q-875 appears to have
been made many hours later, possibly on Nov. 19, McGehee said. The tape is
one of 900 McGehee and Moore obtained from the FBI under a Freedom of
Information Act request.
[USA] Cherie Blair attacks legality of Guantanamo detentions
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9202-Guantanamo_human_rights_violations.html
Cherie Blair has mounted a fresh attack on the legality of some of the
Bush administration's decisions by challenging the legal basis of the
imprisonment of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay.
Downing Street conceded yesterday that she did make the criticisms, in a
lecture to law students at Harvard University, for which she was not paid.
But it said her remarks should not be interpreted as political.
In a previous lecture, she criticised the US administration's refusal to
sign up to the international criminal court.
[USA] George W. Bush and the 'politics of fear'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9201-George_Bush_politics_of_fear.html
To convince American opinion - and indeed President Bush himself - that
war against Iraq was necessary for American security, prominent neocons
like Douglas Feith, assistant secretary for policy at the Pentagon, and
his boss Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, did not hesitate to
fabricate and manipulate intelligence to show that Saddam Hussein was
linked to Al-Qaeda and had rebuilt his WMD arsenal. This deception lies at
the root of many of America's current problems.
[...]
It is now widely recognized that administration lawyers, in the Department
of Justice and the White House, devised arguments to bypass international
laws and treaties preventing the ill-treatment of prisoners in wartime.
They found ways to say that the Geneva Conventions did not necessarily
apply to "enemy combatants" and that the President, as commander-in-chief,
had the right to authorize torture.
These shameful betrayals of legal norms opened the way for the even more
shameful abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, where terrible methods were
used to get information about Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the Iraqi
insurgents. The stain on America's reputation will not easily be erased,
especially as no one in real authority has yet been held to account.
[Kabbalah] Give me back my old Madonna
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9200-Madonna_Kabbalah.html
Raquel Hecker used to worship at the same Kabbalah centre as the singer.
Now she's become disillusioned - both with mystic Judaism and with her
favourite star.
[Satanic and/or ritual abuse] Revealed: past lies of abuse witness
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9194-Satanic_ritual_abuse_hoax.html
A woman whose claims of Satanic child sex abuse helped put eight people in
the dock had a history of making false allegations, which was known to
police, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.
Angela Stretton was the key police witness in the Lewis abuse case which
collapsed this summer with charges against all the accused being dropped.
An investigation by this newspaper has revealed that Stretton was
convicted of making false allegations of child abuse in 1987, and that
Scots police were aware of her track record of false claims before
deciding to press charges.
=== Reader-Supported ===
Religion Newws Blog is a reader-supported service provided by Apologetics
Index.
Donation options: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/support.html
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Nov. 6-8, 2004
Mon, Nov. 08, 2004
[France] Turbans get French Sikhs expelled
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9293-sikhs.html
Three Sikh boys have been expelled from school outside Paris for breaking
a French law banning pupils from wearing religious headgear in school.
[Mormon Church] Mormon faith is drawing more area Latinos
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9292-Mormon_Latinos.html
A need to meet the demands of the church's Latino members prompted Jean
Hawley, director of the Thousand Oaks Family History Center, to add
Spanish classes and Latin-American heritage presentations to her church's
annual genealogical workshop Tuesday.
[Islam] Murder fuels fears among Dutch
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9291-Van_Gogh_murder_aftermath.html
Nearly a week after Theo van Gogh was shot and stabbed by the son of a
Moroccan immigrant, there is bewilderment, sadness and anger in the
Netherlands.
There is also fear. Van Gogh's bitingly critical views of Islam made him
the victim of what many Dutch are calling the country's first terrorist
attack.
[Islam] Another arrest in van Gogh murder
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9290-arrest_in_van_Gogh_murder.html
Police have detained another suspect in relation to the killing of Dutch
film-maker Theo van Gogh. They have also arrested two other men who are
accused of calling for the beheading of an anti-immigration politician.
[Netherlands] Islamic School in Netherlands Damaged in Blast
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9289-bomb_blast_at_Islamic_school.html
An explosion damaged an Islamic school in the southern Dutch town of
Eindhoven Monday, police said, the latest attack on a Muslim institution
following the murder of a filmmaker critical of Islam last week.
[Hate Groups : Scientology] Scientologist Tax Trial to Open Today
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9288-Scientology_Tax_Trial.html
A California accountant who sends his children to Orthodox Jewish schools
is to appear in federal court this morning to attempt to force the
Internal Revenue Service to grant him the same tax deduction for religious
instruction that it accords to members of the Church of Scientology.
[Theo van Gogh] Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9287-Theo_van_Gogh_submission_movie.html
The citizens of the Netherlands - including the publishers of Religion
News Blog, who live in Amsterdam - remain firmly committed to free speech.
Join the people of Holland by watching the 10-minute movie, 'Submission.'
Scripted by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and filmed by Theo van Gogh, the short film
addresses the abuse of women in Muslim societies.
[Islam] European Debate of Islam Heats Up
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9286-European_Debate_of_Islam_Heats_Up.html
Europe's complex interplay with Islam appears to stand at a tipping-point
and Tuesday's slaying of the 47-year-old filmmaker as he was riding his
bike down a busy boulevard in Amsterdam could indicate one direction in
which it is headed.
[...]
The attack has underscored the hard political and social choices that
European leaders face about Muslims and the wider Islamic world.
[Theo van Gogh] Van Gogh murder backlash begins
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9285-Van_Gogh_murder_backlash_begins.html
It prides itself on being the beating liberal heart of Europe, but the
murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh has convinced many in the Netherlands
that the nation’s legendary tolerance has now reached its limit.
Van Gogh’s execution last Tuesday, which has been linked to Islamic
extremists, has brought calls for a crackdown on fundamentalists and
renegade preachers that would previously have been unthinkable.
[Islam] Fanatical Muslim group linked to film-maker's death
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9284-Fanatical_Muslims_linked_to_murder.html
The man charged with the murder of a controversial Dutch artist last week
has been linked to a fanatical Islamic sect whose members are said to
include the al-Qaeda second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the
Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Islamic experts believe that the style and content of a five-page letter
that was found pinned to Theo van Gogh’s body were close to those of
al-Takfir wal Hijra, a radical group that has declared war on westerners.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] Couples learn 'miracle babies' are not theirs
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9282-miracle_babies_are_not_miracles.html
Dozens of couples in Kenya received the news they were dreading yesterday
as police released results of DNA tests which showed they were not the
parents of 21 children recovered in what has become known as the "miracle
babies" investigation.
The move came as Mary Juma Deya, wife of the evangelical preacher at the
centre of the scandal, faced three more charges of stealing children.
Sun, Nov. 07, 2004
[Religious Merchandising] Specialty retailers don't reap from Christian
book boom
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9281-religious_merchandising.html
The burgeoning popularity of Christian books and music, such as the New
York Times bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life and albums by musical group
Third Day, means mass merchandise retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy
have put the products on their shelves. And as the mass market in
Christian products boom
[Christianity] Passion of the Christs
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9280-Passion_of_the_Christs.html
He can fill churches and help win elections, but what makes him such a
modern-day theatre star?
Two plays coming soon to Toronto are among a flock on Jesus's life
[Islam] Muslims to Build First Islamic Center Outside Dublin
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9279-Islamic_Center_Dublin.html
The plans to build the center in Galway, Ireland's second largest county,
comes to meet the growing needs of the Muslim community in the city, The
Galway Advertiser reported on Thursday, November 5.
[Islam] Saudi Scholars Say Resistance in Iraq Is Jihad
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9278-Resistance_in_Iraq_Is_Jihad.html
Twenty-one prominent Saudi religious scholars have signed an open
statement to the Iraqi people legitimizing their resistance and forbidding
any cooperation or dealings with the occupied American forces.
In a statement published yesterday on a prominent Islamic website, the
Saudi scholars also called for not shedding Iraqi Muslim blood and not
targeting nationals of other countries whose governments have not taken
part in the war.
[Polygamy] FLDS buys more land in Mancos
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9277-FLDS_buys_more_land_in_Mancos.html
The most recent concern voiced by such polygamy critics as Boulder author
Jon Krakauer was that Mancos could become the next Eldorado - a small
Texas town near where the FLDS Church last year began a community on 1,691
acres, for which Allred acted as purchasing agent - as a refuge for
residents of the joint FLDS communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado
City, Ariz. The church also owns land in Bountiful, British Columbia.
The church's leader Warren Jeffs, is being sought for three civil lawsuits.
[Mormon Church] Mormon church plans changes at founder's home
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9276-Mormons_plan_changes_at_smith_home.html
The Mormon Church plans to build a new meeting house/chapel and visitor
center on Route 171 in Oakland Township, where a monument to its Aaronic
priesthood already stands.
The chapel and visitor center will be built around a planned
reconstruction of the home in which church founder Joseph Smith lived
during the early part of the 19th century.
Sat, Nov. 06, 2004
[Mormon Church] Black Mormons struggle for acceptance in church
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9275-Black_Mormons_struggle_for_church_acceptanc\
e.html
Despite being a faithful member of the church, "they didn't see me as
that; they saw me as the next gang banger," Washington says.
His experience reflects the frustrations that many black members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feel, particularly in Utah's
predominantly white congregations. A book released nationwide last month,
Black and Mormon (University of Illinois Press, $34.95), takes a new look
at the issue. In eight essays, Mormon historians and sociologists discuss
the dilemmas of black Latter-day Saints, what they see as the persistence
of racist teachings in church settings and remedies that might increase
black membership in the church.
[Carl Drew] Former assistant DA says 'cult murder' witnesses' claims of
coercion false
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9274-claims_of_coercion_false.html
After serving the last 24 years in prison, Drew has motioned for a new
trial based largely on the accusations made by the former trial witnesses,
who each now say they were lying about Drew’s role in a ritualistic
slaying of Karen Marsden.
[Polygamy] Kingston Trial Judge Will Not Recuse
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9273-Kingston_Trial_Judge_Will_Not_Recuse.html
A juvenile court judge, who himself says he personally feels targeted,
will continue to preside over the child custody case involving polygamist
John Daniel Kingston.
A presiding judge has denied a motion filed by Kingston's attorney asking
for Judge Andrew Valdez's removal.
[Polygamy] Polygamist seeks judge's recusal from case
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9272-Polygamist_seeks_judge_s_recusal_from_case.\
html
An attorney for polygamist John Daniel Kingston on Thursday asked a judge
be recused from Kingston's child custody case, alleging his comments make
it impossible for him to be impartial.
[Polygamy] Should polygamy be legal? After all, it's in the Bible
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9271-Should_polygamy_be_legal.html
With same-sex marriage now a reality in Massachusetts and a possibility
elsewhere, should legalized polygamy be next? Yes, asserted George
Washington University Law School's Jonathan Turley in a recent article in
USA Today.
He detests the practice but sees it as a matter of constitutional freedom,
noting that even the Bible accepts polygamy. The issue arose when Utah's
Tom Green, who has five wives and 31 children, asked the U.S. Supreme
Court to overturn his imprisonment for polygamy on grounds of religious
conscience.
[Hate Groups] Zundel not a threat, FBI ruled
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9270-Zundel_not_a_threat_FBI_ruled.html
The agency's conclusion is in stark contrast to that of the Canadian
Security Intelligence Service, which believes Mr. Zundel's status as an
inspirational guru to the extreme right renders him a danger to national
security.
Also unlike the FBI, which saw Mr. Zundel as nothing more than a Holocaust
revisionist, CSIS believes him to be a white supremacist.
[Koreshans] Festival highlights life of controversial Koreshan cult
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9269-Festival_highlights_Koreshan_cult.html
The Koreshans were led by Cyrus Teed, a utopian preacher who professed to
be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Teed planned to turn Estero into a
"New Jerusalem" with 10 million residents.
[Netherlands] Dutch call murder a declaration of Islamic holy war
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9268-murder_a_declaration_of_Jihad.html
The government vowed tough measures Friday against what a leading
politician called ''the arrival of jihad in the Netherlands'' after a
death threat to a Dutch lawmaker was found pinned with a knife to the body
of a slain filmmaker by his radical Islamic attacker.
[Mormon Church] College to study LDS Church
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9267-College_to_study_LDS_Church.html
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will become the subject of
intensive scholarly study at one Southern California university, where
officials hope to create a chair of religious studies as the focal point
for examining the faith's history, people and traditions.
Karen Torjesen, dean of religious studies at Claremont Graduate
University's School of Religion, confirmed to the Deseret Morning News
that efforts are under way to create a chair of Mormon studies at the
secular university — the first such attempt in the nation outside the
Beehive State.
[Interfaith] Evangelical to speak in LDS Tabernacle
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9266-Evangelical_to_speak_in_LDS_Tabernacle.html
Scalpers, take note: Tickets for the hottest event this season are long
gone, and people are getting desperate.
An evangelical Christian apologist and philosopher, Ravi Zacharias, is
coming to Utah and will speak at, of all places, the Tabernacle on Temple
Square.
"I'm just shocked at the interest," said Greg Johnson, president of
Standing Together Ministries, a network of 50 evangelical churches that is
bringing Zacharias to Utah for three nights. "There are so many people
calling and calling and calling back [for tickets].
[Lyndon LaRouche] New hope in cult victim campaign
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9265-Jeremiah_Duggan.html
A top lawyer who represented a former East German Communist leader will
try to prove that a Jewish student who died fleeing an anti-Semitic cult
did not kill himself.
Nikolas Becker, who once worked for Erich Honecker, believes there is
enough new evidence to overturn a German verdict that 22-year-old Jeremiah
Duggan committed suicide.
[Ravi Shankar] Indian guru plans to reform Nepal's Maoists
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9264-Indian_guru_plans_to_reform_Nepal.html
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the 46-year-old founder of the Art of Living
Foundation in India, who preaches conquering anger and other negative
emotions through philanthropy and breathing practices, was in Nepal on a
three-day visit to spread the "message of love and harmony".
[Ravi Shankar] Guru to calm rowdy politicians
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9263-Guru_to_calm_rowdy_politicians.html
A spiritual guru is to try to calm rowdy Indian politicians whose
outbursts have led to brawls in parliament.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been invited to deliver lectures on the Art of
Living to the Orissa State Assembly.
[USA] We Christians ought to be embarrassed
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9262-We_Christians_ought_to_be_embarrassed.html
I've followed the teachings of Christ since I was 9 years old. For more
than 30 years, I've served my faith, church and God. I listened with shock
as Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center said it was the organization
and get-out-the vote campaigns by my evangelical church that put George W.
Bush back into the White House. I'm ashamed to call myself a Christian
today.
[USA] US Christian right exultant after Bush re-election
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9261-Christian_right_celebrates.html
The US Christian right took credit for helping President George W. Bush
win re-election this week, in part by mobilizing its followers to vote for
a ban on gay marriage in 11 of the 50 states.
Although millions of religious conservatives did not vote in 2000, exit
polls last Tuesday showed they turned out in force this time around.
[Santeria] 'This is Mother Nature's religion'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9260-Santeria.html
Ever since slaves were brought to Cuba from West Africa centuries ago,
Santeria, a fusion of the Yoruba African faith and Catholicism, has been a
secretive world, a religion discreetly practiced in the shadows, in
private homes that are turned into temples. But recently the faith has
become more visible, quietly flourishing in Greater Boston among people
from Latin America and the Caribbean, whose numbers have surged in the
last decade as a result of immigration.
[Islam] Dutch pledge Islamist crackdown
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9259-Dutch_pledge_Islamist_crackdown_.html
The Dutch government has vowed to take tough action against Islamic
radicalism after the murder of a film maker.
Theo van Gogh, the director of a movie criticising the treatment of women
under Islam, was shot and stabbed in Amsterdam on Tuesday.
Several men, all believed to be radical Islamists, have been arrested.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Nov. 10-12, 2004
Fri, Nov. 12, 2004
[Helge Fossmo] Appeals court upholds Knutby verdict
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9368-Appeals_court_upholds_Knutby_verdict.html
Pastor Helge Fossmo has been sentenced by the Appeals Court to life
imprisonment for the murder of his second wife, Alexandra, and for the
attempted murder of a neighbour in January of this year. He was found not
guilty of the murder of his first wife in 1999.
[Offbeat News] Pastor short of cash, but robbers agree to take a check
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9367-offbeat_check.html
Lacking cash, a Kansas City church pastor wrote checks for two men during
an armed robbery Wednesday night. Since the checks were written to each
robber by name, police think they know who the robbers are.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] 'Miracle Baby' Is Victim of Child Greedy
Traffickers - Judge
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9366-Miracle_Baby_Victim_of_Child_Traffickers.ht\
ml
The one-year-old boy is one of many children who a self-styled archbishop
claims were born to infertile mothers through the power of prayer.
[Melody O'Gara] Missing woman's 'cult' connection
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9365-Missing_woman_cult_connection.html
Her father, Hugh, said she was reading a book before she disappeared which
urges readers to "dump" their past. [Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now"]
[Islam] Muslim convert Cat Stevens gets peace award in Rome
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9364-Cat_Stevens_gets_peace_award.html
Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev presented singer-songwriter
Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, with a peace prize, two months
after he was refused entry to the United States on "national security
grounds".
[Buddhism] Afghanistan wants its 'Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism' back from
UK
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9361-Afghanistan_wants_Buddhism_scrolls.html
The Afghan government is to request the return of the "Dead Sea Scrolls of
Buddhism" from the British Library, amid concerns the priceless
manuscripts were looted during civil war in the early nineties.
[Nicole Mancini and John Thurber] Couple arrested after church workers
fear child sacrifice
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9360-child_sacrifice_couple_arrested.html
A Farmington woman who allegedly said she wanted to "sacrifice" at least
one of her children in a local church on Wednesday is scheduled to face
child endangerment charges in court today, along with her boyfriend.
[Islam] An online war for hearts and minds
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9359-online_war_for_Muslim_hearts_and_minds_.htm\
l
The battle for Muslim minds is not being fought by radicals in Falluja or
in the mosques. It is being fought on the net. And one of Europe's experts
on Islam in the West says governments must rethink how they are going to
win this war. [...]
[Science and Religion] Bringing religion to medicine
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9358-Bringing_religion_to_medicine.html
Dr. Daniel Sulmasy and Dr. Alan Astrow, faculty members at New York
Medical College, aren't trying to be prophets, exactly. But they want
their fellow physicians to acknowledge that they often are not prepared
for the questions that arise when medicine runs out of answers, and
patients are not ready to die.
[Hate Groups] Arafat's Terrorist Legacy: A Partial List
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9357-Arafat_Terrorist_Legacy.html
Yasser Arafat, considered the founder of the modern-day terrorism, began a
wave of murder against Jewish targets around the world shortly after
taking control of the PLO in 1968-9.
[Islam] Elders 'beat children at mosques'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9355-children_beaten_at_mosques_.html
Police and child protection officials have launched an investigation into
allegations of child abuse at two mosques in the West Midlands.
Around 40 schoolchildren are to be interviewed over claims that they have
been subjected to violence and punishment by elders at the mosques, which
are on adjoining roads.
[Lord's Resistance Army] Uganda Heads List of World's Forgotten Tragedies
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9353-LRA_uganda_tragedy.html
The kidnapping and torture of children by a Uganda religious sect was high
on the list of a new United Nations appeal on Thursday for the world's
forgotten tragedies.
The appeal seeks $1.7 billion for 14 crisis areas that have not captured
headlines, 11 of them in Africa. Among the worst is for northern Uganda,
which has 1.6 million homeless people, more than in Sudan's Darfur region.
[Rastafarianism] Two marijuana proponents convicted of possession
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9352-rastafarian_marijuana_proponents.html
Two proponents of legalizing marijuana were convicted yesterday of
misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana during three protests at
Independence National Historical Park after a federal judge rejected their
claim that smoking was constitutionally protected because they are
Rastafarians.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Justice Minister Backs Extension of AUM Surveillance Law
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9351-Justice_Minister_Backs_AUM_Surveillance.htm\
l
Justice Minister Chieko Nono said Friday that the law allowing
surveillance of the AUM Shinrikyo cult, responsible for the deadly 1995
sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes, should be
extended beyond December when it will be reviewed.
[Hate Groups] Matt Hale's sentencing postponed
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9350-Matt_Hale_sentencing_postponed.html
White supremacist Matt Hale's sentencing for soliciting the murder of a
federal judge - originally scheduled for Monday - has been postponed.
Thu, Nov. 11, 2004
[Interfaith] Reaching out, church hires Muslim
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9349-Church_hires_Muslim.html
A Muslim imam will join the staff of a Christian church, a first in Denver
and perhaps nationally.
Ibrahim Kazerooni, a Shiite cleric, will direct the church's fledgling
Abrahamic Initiative, a bridge-building effort among Christians, Jews and
Muslims. He will continue to head the Islamic Center of Ahl Al-Beit in
west Denver.
[Polygamy] Foster gets last chance with kids
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9348-Mattingly_Foster.html
Heidi Mattingly Foster will get a final chance to show she can be a good
parent to her children with polygamist John Daniel Kingston.
Third District Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Valdez agreed Wednesday to let
Foster have expanded visits with eight of the 11 children she had with
Kingston.
[Theo van Gogh] Dutch say murder suspect linked to radical Muslims
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9347-murder_suspect_linked_to_radical_Muslims.ht\
ml
Dutch authorities are investigating a radical Muslim group they suspect is
linked to the man accused of killing a filmmaker critical of Islam and to
last year's Casablanca bombings.
[Netherlands] Seven held in Dutch anti-terror raids
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9346-Seven_held_in_Dutch_anti-terror_raids.html
Dutch police stormed a flat after a 14-hour standoff in which four
officers were wounded, arresting two people there and five more in other
parts of the country all suspected of links with a network of radical
Muslims.
[Islam] 2 Held After Dutch Standoff
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9345-2_Held_After_Dutch_Standoff.html
The confrontation in the Dutch city erupted about 2:45 a.m. when
anti-terror police raided an apartment house in search of three extremists
in a crackdown on Islamic networks that was launched after the slaying
last week of filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
[Word of Faith Fellowship] Whaley appeal hearing delayed until January
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9341-Whaley_appeal_hearing_delayed.html
Word of Faith Fellowship co-founder Jane Whaley's hearing on her appeal of
a misdemeanor assault charge was put off until January after a scheduling
conflict with attorneys arose on Wednesday.
Whaley was found guilty in March of assaulting former WOFF member Lacy
Wien.
[Smith's Friends] Tiny Christian sect seen as the centre of Woerlens' lives
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9340-Marc_Monika_Woerlens.html
Known informally as the fellowship of Smith's Friends, the Norwegian-based
church has been defined by religion sociologists as authoritarian and
ethnocentric, and in Germany where it has significant membership, the news
media have called it a cult.
The cult label is very likely an overstatement, suggested University of
Toronto new-religion specialist David Reed. For example, its 25,000 to
30,000 adherents living in 55 countries are close-knit but do not live
communally. However, the church certainly is the star by which its members
steer their lives.
[USA] The law and Guantanamo
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9338-The_law_and_Guantanamo.html
A prosecution before the first U.S. military commission since World War II
was halted this week, just as it was getting started, by a federal judge
in Washington who ruled that the proceedings lacked the basic elements of
a fair trial and violated the Geneva Conventions. It was the latest in a
series of court decisions that have taken the Bush administration to task
for trampling on the law in the name of fighting terrorists. The
administration should bring its policies into compliance with law.
[USA] Editorial: Justice at last/One detainee gets a day in court
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9336-Justice_at_last.html
Salim Ahmed Hamdan was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and has
spent three years interned at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Finally
this week, he got his day in court, and what a refreshing day it was. For
the first time, a federal judge has said what most of the world has long
believed: American treatment of the captives at Guantanamo goes against
the rule of law, against the nation's international obligations and
against the best interests of American troops in foreign conflicts.
[USA] Review of detainee rights proper
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9335-Review_of_detainee_rights_proper.html
A federal judge has ruled that the Bush administration exceeded
constitutional authority - and ignored the Geneva Conventions - when it
set up military commissions to try terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.
The decision is an important step in sorting out the status of so-called
illegal combatants.
[Carl Drew] Drew case in judge's hands
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9334-Drew_case_in_judge_s_hands.html
After 11 days of testimony from more than 20 witnesses, the fate of
convicted "cult murderer" Carl Drew now rests with Superior Court Judge
John Connor.
[Mormon Church] LDS artist adapts religious text
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9333-LDS_artist_adapts_religious_text.html
The Book of Mormon is many things to many people, a spiritual guide to the
truths of the world to some, a topic of scorn and controversy to others -
now it is one more: a comic book.
[Mormon Church] Doubleday Book of Mormon is on the way
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9332-Doubleday_Book_of_Mormon_is_on_the_way.html
Cast in a partially gold cover reminiscent of the plates from which
millions believe it was translated, the first secular printing of "The
Book of Mormon" will line bookstore shelves beginning next week, marking
what many within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will no
doubt see as a milestone in the mainstreaming of their faith.
[Melody O'Gara] Missing Melody could be with a cult
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9331-Missing_Melody_could_be_with_a_cult.html
Melody, from Bolton, disappeared two weeks ago from a friend's house in
Sydney where she had stayed the night. She has not been seen since and has
not been in contact with any family or friends.
Her father, Hugh, and brother Kevin flew to Australia last week to help in
the search for Melody, a former Bolton School pupil. After speaking to
some of her friends, they believe she may have decided to follow the
teachings of a self-help book called The Power of Now.
Written by German Eckhart Tolle, the book suggests people can find
inner-fulfilment by forgetting their past.
[Melody O'Gara] Cult fear over lost Melody
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9330-Cult_fear_over_lost_Melody.html
The family of missing British backpacker Melody O’Gara are convinced she
has started a new life in a cult.
Melody’s father Hugh and brother Kevin revealed their belief as they
arrived yesterday in Sydney, where the 28-year-old vanished more than two
weeks ago.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Aum said still dangerous, to be kept under tight watch
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9327-Aum_said_still_dangerous.html
Because of concerns it could infringe upon the freedom of religion and
other rights, the law is subject to review every five years, including its
possible abrogation.
On Wednesday, Justice Ministry officials told a joint meeting of legal and
security panels of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that they do not
plan to abolish or revise the law when it comes up for its first review in
December, according to the sources.
[Homosexuality / Lesbianism] 'Homosexuality and the Scriptures' explored
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9362-Homosexuality_and_the_Scriptures_explored.h\
tml
In the wake of voter approval of a constitutional amendment banning same
sex marriage in Oklahoma and controversy within the Episcopalian Church
concerning the consecration of a gay bishop last year, the Rev. Dr. T. Lee
Stevens of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Bartlesville took on the subject
of "Homosexuality in the Scriptures" during a public forum held Tuesday.
Wed, Nov. 10, 2004
[Hate Groups] Arafat, terrorist to some, national symbol to others, dead
at 75
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9356-Arafat_dead_at_75.html
Arafat became one of the world's most familiar faces after addressing the
U.N. General Assembly in New York in 1974, when he entered the chamber
wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. "Today I have come bearing an
olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun," he said. "Do not let the olive
branch fall from my hand."
[Islam] Grief and anger over Theo's murder
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9326-Grief_and_anger_over_Van_Gogh_murder.html
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born member of the Dutch Parliament,
collaborated with Theo van Gogh on the film "Submission," which deals with
Muslim women who suffer abuse. Van Gogh was murdered in Amsterdam on Nov.
2, and the son of a Moroccan immigrant has been charged. Hirsi Ali is in
hiding under police protection.
[Aum Shinrikyo] LDP Backs Extension of Surveillance Law on AUM Shinrikyo
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9325-Surveillance_Law_on_AUM_extended.html
A ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to
a plan to extend a law allowing surveillance of the AUM Shinrikyo cult,
responsible for the deadly 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway and other
crimes, ahead of next month's review of the law.
[Falun Gong] Hong Kong Court Quashes Falun Gong Obstruction Convictions
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9324-Court_Quashes_Falun_Gong_Convictions_.html
Hong Kong's Court of Appeal overturned obstruction convictions against a
group of Falun Gong followers who demonstrated outside China's de facto
embassy in the city almost three years ago.
[Smith's Friends] Mother, seven children killed in farm blaze
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9339-Mother_children_killed_in_blaze.html
The Norwegian-based sect to which the Woerlens belonged is known simply as
The Christian Church -- or, by outsiders, as Smith's Friends after its
founder, a Norwegian ship's officer named Johan Oscar Smith.
Mr. van Stralen, Monika Woerlen's father, was the moving force behind the
establishment of the Toronto-area church, known as the Palgrave Christian
Fellowship.
[Polygamy] Polygamists selling Utah-Arizona parcel
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9323-Polygamists_selling_Utah-Arizona_parcel.htm\
l
A polygamous sect on the Utah-Arizona border recently put 1,300 acres of
its land there up for sale while purchasing property and building new
compounds in Texas and Colorado.
[Melody O'Gara] Cult 'unlikely' to have taken tourist
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9322-Cult_unlikely_to_have_taken_tourist.html
There was no evidence a cult that believed in severing ties to the past
existed in Australia and had spirited away a British tourist, a cult
expert said today.
However, Uniting Church minister David Milliken said missing tourist
Melody O'Gara may have been taken in by the writings of a German new-age
author who advocated shedding the past "like the skin of a snake".
Ms O'Gara's father Hugh said he had found a copy of Eckhart Tolle's book
The Power of Now among his daughter's belongings.
[USA] Editorial: Halting an injustice
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9321-US_must_obey_international_law.html
The president surely is entitled to some discretion in the exercise of his
power. But he is not entitled to do anything he wants. The war on
terrorism cannot be allowed to become a free-for-all.
The extent to which Robertson’s ruling applies to other prisoners at
Guantanamo is unclear. The Justice Department vows to appeal the decision.
This is unfortunate.
If the U.S. claims the right to obey only some of the rules of war, it
will have no right to object when others make a similar claim. Roberson’s
ruling was fair, just and sensible. Let it stand.
[USA] Bush should obey Geneva Conventions
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9320-Bush_should_obey_Geneva_Conventions.html
President George W. Bush should stop flouting federal and international
law over the legal status of detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. The administration needs to move beyond the impasse that has now
dragged on for three years. Bush should abandon his attempt to operate an
alternative justice system for enemy combatants beyond the reach of any
authority other than his own.
[Theo van Gogh] Family, friends pay last respects to Van Gogh
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9344-Theo_Van_Gogh_funeral.html
Family, friends and colleagues have paid their final respects to the
murdered Theo van Gogh in a dignified ceremony attended by 500 invited
guests at a crematorium in Amsterdam.
[Islam] Nigeria overturns stoning sentence
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9342-Nigeria_overturns_stoning_sentence.html
A Nigerian Islamic appeal court has freed a pregnant woman sentenced to be
stoned to death for having sex out of wedlock.
Judge Mohammed Mustapha Umar said the conviction of 29-year-old Hajara
Ibrahim by the Lere lower court was unsound and set the woman free.
[Polygamy] Polygamists Torn Apart by Divided Leadership
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9319-Polygamists_Divided_Leadership.html
A leadership change in the nation's largest polygamy group has set off
shock waves and after-effects in several states. And far away in Canada,
it's created a deep division that critics say is driven by a history of
tyranny and brainwashing.
Bountiful, British Columbia is a town divided. Polygamists here are torn
apart by a leadership crisis a thousand miles away.
[Islam] Muslim anger at Ramadan dress code
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9318-Muslim_anger_at_Ramadan_dress_code.html
Pressure was mounting yesterday for national rules on Muslim dress in
schools to be drawn up after a local authority chose Ramadan to enforce a
ban on the jilbab, leading to protests from parents and pupils.
[Science and Religion] Evolution textbooks row goes to court
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9317-Evolution_textbooks_row_goes_to_court.html
A suburban American school board found itself in court yesterday after it
tried to placate Christian fundamentalist parents by placing a sticker on
its science textbooks saying evolution was "a theory, not a fact".
[Netherlands] Dutch find the strength to take on their 'new Nazis'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9316-Dutch_take_on_their_new_Nazis.html
The resonance of this hideous crime, not only in the Netherlands, but
across the whole of continental Europe, is difficult for the British to
comprehend. We have no conception of the status accorded to the artist in
countries that have known totalitarian dictatorship within living memory.
The Nazis and the Communists liquidated or exiled the intelligentsia
wherever they could. Persecution cast a shadow across the Continent from
which it has still not wholly recovered.
Hence the reverence in which the artist is held. Hence the cult of dissent
at any price, however absurd, pretentious or childish. Hence the aversion
to censorship of any kind, including self-censorship. For a post-traumatic
culture, the artist is a high priest. The murder of an artist for the sake
of his art shocks secular Europe rather as martyrdom once shocked
Christendom. Theo van Gogh is a secular martyr.
[Theo van Gogh] Crackdown on radicals as Dutch mourn film maker
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9315-Crackdown_on_radicals.html
The Dutch government declared war on Islamic terrorists yesterday as
mourners gathered in Amsterdam for the cremation of the murdered film
maker Theo van Gogh.
Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, said the brutal killing of
van Gogh last week by a Moroccan-Dutch terrorist was a grave assault on
freedom of speech and Holland's tolerant way of life. He promised a
relentless crackdown on extremist cells.
[Religious Persecution] China's Christians suffer for their faith
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9314-China_Christians_suffer_for_their_faith.htm\
l
"They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and
my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that
for four hours."
That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of the largest religious
movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail
sentences on account of his belief in Christianity.
[Islam] Buddhist plantation worker beheaded in Thailand
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9313-Buddhist_plantation_worker_beheaded.html
A 60-year-old Buddhist was beheaded in troubled southern Thailand early
Tuesday in revenge for the deaths of 87 Muslim protesters two weeks ago,
most of them in army custody, police said.
[Catholic Church] Vatican to help research on Inquisition
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9312-Vatican_to_help_research_on_Inquisition.htm\
l
Church, academic and cultural experts will work together to gather
documentation on religious and civil trials for witchcraft, heresy and
other crimes against the faith during the Inquisition, the Vatican said
Tuesday.
[Witchcraft] 27 Feared Dead in Ozalla Witch Verification Exercise
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9311-Witch_Verification_Exercise_.html
Twenty-seven persons were yesterday feared dead in Ozalla community in
Owan West Local Government area of Edo State following the intake of a
concoction allegedly administered on them during a witchcraft verification
exercise by a herbalist hired by elders of the community.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Nov. 17-18, 2004
Thu, Nov. 18, 2004
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] Coroner Dismisses 'Miracle Baby' Claim
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9461-Miracle_Baby_Claim_Dismissed.html
The DNA of a “miracle baby” which an evangelist claims was conceived
through the power of prayer does not match those of her alleged parents, a
coroner has ruled.
Dr William Dolman, of Hornsey Coroner’s Court, yesterday said Sarah, who
died three weeks after she was born, was not related in any way to the
couple claiming to be her parents, BBC Radio 4 programme You and Yours
reported.
The child was one of many babies who Gilbert Deya, head of controversial
religious sect Gilbert Deya Ministries, claims were conceived through the
power of prayer.
[Raymond Russell George] Alleged cult leader silent at plea hearing
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9457-Alleged_cult_leader_silent.html
Trial was set for April 25 for a Reno man who prosecutors say led a
religious cult in which he molested and raped two teenage girls in his
“fantasy room” and mentally and physically abused their young brother.
[Books] Is It the End of the World as This Author Knows It?
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9455-The_Last_Disciple.html
Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have sold 42 million books by fictionalizing
the Biblical End Times in the Left Behind series. But this fall their
Christian publisher, Tyndale House, launched a rival series directly
challenging the premise that born-again Christians will be "raptured" into
heaven while those "left behind" face the anti-Christ during the
Apocalypse.
LaHaye was not amused when Tyndale asked him to debate his new
competition, Christian-radio host Hank Hanegraaff, as a promotion.
[Catholic Church] US bishops shelve statement urging greater use of Bible
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9454-Bishops_shelve_Bible_statement.html
Despite pleas from Bible Belt bishops, the Catholic bishops of the United
States yesterday voted to shelve plans to develop a statement urging
greater use of the Bible, a move aimed at restraining spending and cutting
down on a crush of publications they fear have little impact.
[China] Chinese Internal Document Puts New Squeeze on Religion
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9453-Chinese_Put_Squeeze_on_Religion.html
An internal Chinese government document obtained recently by Christians
overseas says the state organs should beef up Marxist education to push
out superstition, teachings of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement
and "Western hostile forces."
[Arlan and Linda Kaufman] Bond set for couple in slavery case
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9452-Bond_set_in_slavery_case.html
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a couple charged with enslaving
mentally ill residents at a group home in Newton can be released on bond
while awaiting trial.
[...]
During Wednesday's hearing, federal prosecutor Lisa Krigsten argued that
the Kaufmans, if released, would take advantage of the "cult-like" control
they had over the former residents of the Kaufman House.
[Interfaith] Anderson holds forums aimed at bridging Utah's religious
divide
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9450-Utah_interfaith.html
If Wednesday night's packed meeting is any indication, there is a
groundswell of people who want to heal Salt Lake City's religious divide.
Mayor Rocky Anderson's first community meeting on the topic crammed the
Main Library auditorium and more listened to the discussion live on KCPW.
The 1 1/2 -hour open-mic conversation was punctuated not by verbal bashing
between Mormons and others, as was feared, but with applause for comments
like this from Susan Deal: "There are many opportunities for me to love
much more every day.
[Polygamy] Investigators find missing FLDS girl
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9449-Missing_FLDS_girl_found.html
Investigators Tuesday identified and questioned a 17-year-old girl who was
reportedly missing and rumored to be married to Warren Jeffs, prophet of
the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
[Nuwaubians] Convicted Nuwaubian leader files appeal, claims trial full of
errors
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9448-Nuwaubian_leader_files_appeal.html
The federal trial of religious sect leader Dwight "Malachi" York that
resulted in his conviction on child molestation and racketeering charges
and a 135-year prison sentence was fraught with errors by nearly all
parties involved, according to an appeals brief filed with the 11th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals.
Wed, Nov. 17, 2004
[Islam] Anger over call for Muslim public holiday
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9447-German_Muslim_holiday.html
German opposition and government members reacted with anger Wednesday to
calls by the Greens party - which serve in Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's
coalition - for establishing a Muslim holiday in the country.
Bavarian state Premier Edmund Stoiber, a member of the Christian Social
Union, slammed the idea as "sending out a totally wrong signal."
[Islam] Nothing Islamic About Human Sacrifice
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9446-Islamism.html
These are the actions of a resurrected blood cult that has nothing to do
with the message of the Prophet Mohammed and everything to do with the
bloodthirsty winged devils and gory altars that haunted the ancient Middle
East.
The terrorists may believe that they're good Muslims -- self-awareness is
not a widespread human trait -- but their deeds are those of the pagans
Mohammed condemned
[Dane Hoover] Teen accused of trying to kill father
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9445-Teen_tried_to_kill_father.html
"They have a statement from the son that he'd been reading The Book of
Mormon, and somewhere along the line he said he had an epiphany that his
father was evil and that he needed to kill him -- and that's what he
attempted to do," said LaPorte County police Major Gary Broling.
[Goth] Black-clad youths say others assume worst
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9444-Goths.html
Goth is a term applied to young people who dress entirely or mostly in
black, listen to certain types of heavy metal and alternative music, and
often express a fascination for vampires or similar dark, gothic themes.
Mainstream people seem to have a natural inclination to fear what they
don’t understand, said Nancy Kilpatrick, a Canadian author who has written
14 novels of gothic literature.
She attempts to assuage some of those fears with her newest work of
non-fiction -- "The Goth Bible" -- a compendium of all things Goth.
[Polygamy] Authorities: Colorado City girl is not missing
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9442-Girl_is_not_missing.html
An Arizona investigator said a 17-year-old Colorado City girl reported
missing by her sister and feared forced to marry a polygamist leader says
she is fine and not married.
[Colonia Dignidad] Chile Judge Sentences Fugitive German Sect Leader
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9441-Fugitive_Sect_Leader_sentenced.html
The German enclave Villa Baviera, also known as Colonia Dignidad, has been
the center of dozens of legal battles in Chile for decades, including sex
abuse charges, tax evasion cases and a human rights investigation related
to collaboration with Chile's former military government.
The only person found guilty of acts of sex abuse was the former sect
leader, Paul Schaefer, who has been missing since 1997. He is believed to
be 81 years old.
[Netherlands] Tension high, Dutch ponder old blasphemy law
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9440-Dutch_ponder_old_blasphemy_law.html
Political leaders angrily responded to Donner's proposal. D66, the
smallest party in the governing coalition, submitted a motion to remove
the blasphemy clause from the criminal code.
"Since van Gogh's murder there are great doubts about what can and cannot
be said," said Lousewies van der Laan, parliamentary leader of D66.
Instead of addressing those concerns, he said, the minister proposes "to
dust off a barely used law on blasphemy."
[Da Vinci Code] World's best-selling novel got its key facts wrong
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9439-Da_Vinci_code_errors.html
The Da Vinci Code is one of the biggest-selling novels of all time. It has
sold an estimated 17 million copies, been translated into 42 languages and
reportedly made author Dan Brown ?140million.
Now it's set to be turned into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Hanks
as a Harvard professor seeking the Holy Grail. But the news has dismayed
scholars who dismiss the book as "absurd rubbish".
[Atheism] Atheist to speak tomorrow despite denied honorarium
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9438-Dan_Barker_to_speak.html
Barker is a former preacher and an atheist who works for the Freedom from
Religion Foundation, an educational group working for the separation of
church and state, said Andrew Stangl, Wichita sophomore and president of
the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA).
[Christianity] Billy Graham Is Frail, but Mission Is Strong
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9436-Billy_Graham_Mission.html
55 years after his first crusade in Los Angeles launched him into
international prominence, evangelist Billy Graham opens his four-day
Greater Los Angeles Crusade at the Rose Bowl on Thursday night with a
Christian Gospel message of salvation that has remained unchanged.
[Kabbalah] Kabbalah:(In)famous faith
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9435-Infamous_Kabbalah.html
One of the latest trends in Hollywood isn't Gucci handbags or Prada pumps
- it's Kabbalah.
Kabbalah has reached nearly 3 million people worldwide including the likes
of Madonna, Britney Spears, Jeri Hall, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.
[Offbeat News] Man claims religion prohibits him from carrying license
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9434-No_license.html
A southwest Missouri man who claims he answers to God and not the
government remained jailed Tuesday after his third arrest on a charge of
driving his pickup truck without a license.
[Church and State] Pentagon To Cut Boy Scouts From Bases
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9433-Boy_Scouts_Cut_From_Bases.html
The Pentagon has agreed to warn military bases worldwide not to directly
sponsor Boy Scout troops, partially resolving claims that the government
has engaged in religious discrimination by supporting a group that
requires members to believe in God.
[Catholic Church] Faithful flock to place of physical and spiritual
healings
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9432-Physical_and_spiritual_healings.html
A tiny catholic mission deep in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New
Mexico is known as "the Lourdes of the West" where physical and spiritual
healings take place.
The faithful say the curative powers literally swell-up, out of the earth
attracting pilgrims as close as San Antonio and as far as Russia
[Buddhism] More Westerners Go East to Learn About Buddhism
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9431-Westerners_Go_East_For_Buddhism.html
Professor Thak Chaloemtiarana, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at
Cornell University, says Thailand is a natural magnet for seekers of
Buddhism because the country has well-developed tourism infrastructure and
an unusual history.
[Science and Religion] Study reveals spirituality’s effects on emotions,
behavior
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9430-Spirituality_affects_emotions.html
Students who are actively religious are less likely to suffer from
depression and engage in risky behavior like drinking alcohol, according
to a study recently released at UCLA.
The study by the Higher Education Research Institute surveyed students at
46 colleges and universities and found that students who did not regularly
attend religious services were more than twice as likely to report
suffering from depression or poor emotional well-being.
[Taize] Spirituality of Taize takes root
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9429-Spirituality_of_Taize.html
The movement's ecumenical community now consists of 90 brothers from 20
nations, some of Catholic background and others of Protestant. They have
taken a vow of common life and celibacy.
Though it remains concentrated in France, the movement has attracted
followers around the world. "Some are living in small groups in poor
neighborhoods in Asia, Africa, North and South America," according to the
Taize website.
[Offbeat News] 10-year-old sandwich depicting the Virgin Mary draws
$22,000 bid
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9428-Virgin_Mary_sandwich.html
White bread from Publix and Land 'O Lakes American cheese, slapped
together and fried up for a Dania Beach woman's breakfast 10 years ago,
produced what she believes is an image of the Virgin Mary.
"I think she protects me," Diana Duyser said Tuesday. "I guess I'm lucky
because of her -- I've had a lot of wins at the casino."
Duyser, 52, isn't the only one who trusts in the crust. Since she offered
the aging, triangular sandwich for sale last week on the Internet auction
site eBay, she's had bids of up to $22,000.
[Hare Krishna] A new kind of adherent dons the saffron robe
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9459-New_Hare_Krishnas.html
These are Portland’s present-day Hare Krishnas. Unlike the 1970s, you
won’t find them at the airport, tossing flowers at tourists and tired
businessmen. You won’t find them dancing with throngs of hippies in the
park.
These days, they’re more likely to leave you with a vegetarian cookbook or
just a smile and an enthusiastic “Hare Krishna!”
[Islam] Animated Islam comes to US screens
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9427-Islam_cartoon.html
After the turbulence that followed the attacks of 11 September, 2001,
Muslims in America are making efforts to reach out to the rest of the
country.
An animated film of the life of the Prophet Mohammed is the latest attempt
to improve the interaction of Muslims in US society.
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ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
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ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Nov. 19 - 22, 2004
News about religious cults, sects, alternative religions and related issues
Mon, Nov. 22, 2004
[Peoples Temple] Foreign Trade Minister calls on PNCR to disclose all on
Jonestown tragedy
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9491-Jonestown_tragedy.html
"It is the greatest tragedy from the national and international
perspective.”
This was the way Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation
Clement Rohee described what happened at Jonestown in 1978.
Speaking with Martin Goolsarran of NCN Television, Minister Rohee said
this nation needs full disclosure on what took place in that part of
Guyana.
[Christian Exodus] Christian group plans mass exodus to South Carolina
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9489-Christian_group_plans_mass_exodus.html
Church and state is the age old debate over how much each should be
connected to the other.
One man says he has the answer and his name is Cory Burnell, "The
particular reason we've looked at this strategy is that we've come to the
conclusion that across the nation, Christian conservatives really are
having trouble getting any voice at the national level."
Burnell is the leader of "Christian Exodus ." It's a group of Christian
activists who say the nation is so far off the proper path, they will move
to a place where many already share their views, set up a Christian
government and possibly, split from the other state
[Peoples Temple] Keeping her brother's memory alive
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9487-Leo_Ryan.html
For many, the date of Nov. 18 passes each year without much thought.
For 74-year-old Shannon Ryan Torphy, it always passes with a recollection
of her older brother, Leo and the Nov. 18, 1978, shooting in Jonestown,
Guyana, that killed him.
"I remember . . . I always remember. He was my brother and I lost him,"
she said recently while seated on a couch of her room at the Brookside
Assisted Living facility in Freehold.
It was on that date that California Democratic Congressman Leo Ryan, 53,
was gunned down by members of the Rev. Jim Jones' People's Temple in
Guyana, South America.
[Mormon Church] Retailers set sights on Mormons' pocketbooks
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9486-Mormons_pocketbooks.html
On a shelf at Wal-Mart's Sandy store on State Street — next to a line of
jewelry boxes and figurines — sits a 15-inch statue of the Angel Moroni,
boxed and ready for holiday shoppers, many of them predictably members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who recognize the Book of
Mormon character as the figure perched on more than 100 LDS temples
worldwide.
[...]
While many may well be turned off by the hawking of one of the faith's
signature symbols — made in China for Wal-Mart and selling at $19.86 —
there are few better clues about the growing market for LDS products, and
the money to be made from some 12 million Latter-day Saints. Once
considered a tiny niche market, the church's rapid growth in the past two
decades portends more targeted marketing by both LDS and secular retailers
to an ever-growing audience.
[Islam] Terror probes turn up an even more zealous brand of Islamic
militancy
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9485-Islamic_militancy.html
An ultra-radical Islamic ideology mixing zealot-like devotion and holy war
creed is drawing more scrutiny in anti-terrorist probes from the Middle
East to Europe — with increasing indications that its base on the fringes
of Islamic extremism could be widening.
In existence since the 1960s, al-Takfir wa al-Hijra has offered
intellectual inspiration to al-Qaida and other militant groups. But
authorities now worry about followers becoming more aggressive with
recruitment and retaliation against perceived foes of Islam, such as Dutch
filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
Officials in the Netherlands say the Dutch-Moroccan suspect — accused of
killing Van Gogh on a busy Amsterdam street earlier this month — hosted
gatherings of immigrants influenced by the Egyptian-founded Takfir
ideology, which strives for a purified form of Islam and condemns anything
or anyone deemed an enemy of the faith.
[Islam] U.S. Muslims grapple with issues
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9484-U.S._Muslims.html
Should Muslims seek to return to Islam as it was practiced 1,000 years
ago? Is homosexuality halal (permitted) or haram (forbidden)? These and
other debates raged on — though generally in calm, respectful tones — as
more than 100 Muslims from across the country came together to attend a
three-day conference sponsored by the Asma Society, a New York City-based
Muslim nonprofit group espousing religious tolerance and cultural exchange.
[Hate Groups] Judge refuses to acquit Hale
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9483-Matthew_Hale.html
"This is a case involving an intelligent, educated defendant who tried to
walk a very fine line, soliciting another person to commit a crime of
violence but doing so in terms designed to make it appear that he was only
discussing abstract philosophical concepts," wrote U.S. District Judge
James Moody.
[Media] A bet on Christian readers for The Jerusalem Post
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9482-Jerusalem_Post_for_Christian_readers.html
The Jerusalem Post, an English-language newspaper born in Israel in 1932
as The Palestine Post, is about to get new owners who are betting they can
rebuild its circulation by reaching an international readership of Jews
and fundamentalist Christians.
Sat, Nov. 20, 2004
[Religious Merchandising] What would Jesus eat?
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9480-What_would_Jesus_eat.html
Poor Jesus Christ. What with coming up with one-liners for T-shirts and
bumper stickers and approving the cars that we drive -- let alone running
the White House for the next four years -- He must be almost as busy as
Oprah.
According to The New York Times, His latest brand extensions include the
Riverview Community Bank in Minnesota, a "Christian financial institution"
whose deposits have grown from $5-million (U.S.) to more than $75-million
in the past 18 months, and the chain of Curves fitness centres (based in
Waco, Tex.), which Entrepreneur magazine calls the "fastest growing
franchise in the world" (and whose born-again founder Gary Heavin donates
10 per cent of profits to Operation Save America, a radical-right
anti-abortion group). Said Heavin in an interview with Today's Christian:
"I couldn't dream this big . . . but I serve a God who is."
[Catholic Church] Devout Catholics 'risk lung cancer'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9479-Devout_Catholics_risk_lung_cancer.html
After nine hours of candle burning, the normal daily amount, the
atmosphere in the Roman Catholic basilica in Maastricht, Holland, had
readings between 12 and 20 times higher than European clean air guidelines.
The air quality was worse than in an area used by 45,000 vehicles a day.
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Man Shot Outside Blockbuster Refused Transfusion
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9478-Jehovah_s_Witness_Refused_Transfusion.html
According to a coroner's investigator, Davis said no to offers of a
transfusion because he's a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his religious
stance prevented him from accepting blood from others.
[Internet] And on the eighth day, the Lord created spam
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9477-Religious_spam.html
The growth area in unsolicited email is now spam containing religious
mesages. And the bad news is that unlike commercial spam, it's not illegal.
[Internet] Not All Spiritual E-Mail Is Sent With Divine Intentions
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9476-Spiritual_spam.html
Get ready for spiritual spam. An e-mail security company Friday reported
an uptick in evangelical missives crusading across the Internet.
[Ruben Ecleo] Ecleo to ask for delay in slay case until SC rules on venue
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9475-Ruben_Ecleo.html
After the parricide case of Ruben Ecleo Jr. was raffled off to another
judge for the sixth time, the cult leader’s lawyer said his client will
ask the court to defer further hearing the case until the Supreme Court
rules on his motion to transfer the case to Manila.
[Polygamy] Union vote to exclude Kingston relatives
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9474-Union_votes_out_Kingston_Clan.html
Struggling coal miners at the Kingston family-owned Co-Op Mine in
Huntington now can vote to join the United Mine Workers of America union
without fear their voices will be drowned out by co-workers related to the
polygamous clan.
In a ruling handed down this week, the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) in Denver determined workers at the mine who are related by blood
or marriage to the Kingston family won't be allowed to vote on UMWA
representation.
[Netherlands] Popular Dutch lawmaker would shut border to Muslim
immigrants for 5 years
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9473-Dutch_lawmaker_on_Muslim_immigrants.html
One of the most popular politicians in the Netherlands said Friday his
country's democracy is under threat and called for rejecting immigration
from non-western nations in the wake of the killing of a Dutch filmmaker,
allegedly by a Muslim radical.
"We are a Dutch democratic society. We have our own norms and values,"
Geert Wilders told The Associated Press in an interview Friday. "If you
chose radical Islam, you can leave, and if you don't leave voluntarily,
then we will send you away. This is the only message possible."
Fri, Nov. 19, 2004
[Islam] Norwegian imam supports van Gogh murder
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9472-Norwegian_imam_supports_murder.html
Dr. Zahid Mukhtar, spokesperson for Islamic Council in Norway, stated that
he sympathize with reason why the Dutch film director Theo van Gogh was
murdered.
[Nuwaubians] Nuwaubian leader appeals case, has backers
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9471-Nuwaubian_leader_appeals_case.html
Attorneys for jailed religious sect leader Dwight "Malachi" York on
Thursday called his federal conviction on child sex charges flawed, as
more than 100 members of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors proclaimed
the group strong, even with its leader in prison.
[...]
York recently referred to himself as "Baba" in a letter to supporters from
a special housing unit of the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan. In the
Oct. 30 message, York said he has received visitors from another planet
while in prison and was moved by prison officials because he was
converting other inmates and levitating in the air.
[Mormon Church] Utah art dealer: Divine intervention led to return of
artifacts
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9470-Book_of_Mormon.html
Last month, Snarr's trailer and two Mormon holy books from the 1800s were
recovered by Reno police. The third stolen Bible was recovered by a Reno
Gazette-Journal reporter who turned it into police.
[Church and State] Town Wasting Money in High Court Appeal, Legal Experts
Contend
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9469-Church_and_State.html
The town of Great Falls is likely fighting a losing battle in its effort
to keep the name of Jesus Christ in its council meeting prayers, several
legal experts say.
The Town Council this week voted to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in
its ongoing case with Darla Wynne. Wynne, a Great Falls resident and
Wiccan high priestess, sued in 2001 to prevent the council from evoking
the name of a specific deity, in this case Jesus, in its prayers.
Wynne won the case, a decision that has been upheld in two appeals,
prompting the 6-1 council vote to go to the highest court in the land.
[Uniao do Vegetal] A Federal Appeals Court Says A Religious Group Can
Import Illegal Drugs
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9468-Religious_Group_Can_Import_Hoasca.html
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently sat en banc -
that is, in a larger-than-usual panel representing the Circuit as a whole
- to address the claim that the federal drug laws do not apply to a
particular church.
The party adverse to the government was the O Centro Espirita Beneficiente
Uniao Do Vegetal (UDV). It was secretly importing a tea-like substance
called hoasca -- which it refers to as the "vine of the soul," the "vine
of the dead," and the "vision vine - from Brazil to the U.S. for use in
its religious ceremonies. The problem is, hoasca contains a Controlled
Substances Act, Schedule I, banned drug
[Armenia] Armenian Apostolic Church Calls for Review of Law on Religion
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9467-Armenian_Apostolic_Church.html
The participants in a sitting of the supreme spiritual council in the Holy
See of Echmiadzin discussed the activities of various sects in Armenia and
the recent registration of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious sect in
Armenia.
[Bible] Getting the Bible back to its roots
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9466-Bible_Pentateuch_Translation.html
Biblical scholar Robert Alter's major new English translation of the first
five books of the Hebrew Bible -- alternately called the Five Books of
Moses, the Torah or Pentateuch -- has some critics manning the barricades
while others are applauding his efforts to return the work to its original
Hebrew meanings and majestic repetitions.
[Glenn and Justin Helzer] Ex-Playmate rehashes Helzer's extortion plot
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9465-Ex-Playmate_rehashes_extortion_plot.html
Jurors in the penalty trial of Glenn Taylor Helzer heard two witnesses
once close to Helzer describe how he masterminded an extortion plot and
five murders in the summer of 2000.
[The Fellowship (Australia)] Book exposes damning secrets about cult
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9464-Book_exposes_damning_secrets_about_cult.htm\
l
A new book is lifting the lid on The Fellowship, which some clergy want
expelled from their church, writes Steve Waldon.
"One Sunday evening, close on 65 years ago, in the genteel suburb of
Canterbury, an earnest bunch of church men and women gathered in the home
of Alan and Frances Neil to share their faith, encourage one another, and
learn more about the deeper Christian walk.
Without doubt, they were a sincere and eager group, representing most of
the big mainline churches, whose motives were 100 per cent commendable.
They could not know they were laying the foundation for a parachurch
organisation, which would live on for many decades to come, outlive most
of those present, and acquire a reputation as cruelly elitist and
sectarian."
The organisation referred to is The Fellowship. According to a new book,
Fractured Families: The Story of a Melbourne Church Cult, up to 400 people
are still connected to the group, which is described as elitist, pious and
controlling.
[The Fellowship (Australia)] How I endured 'psychological crucifixion'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9463-How_I_endured_psychological_crucifixion_.ht\
ml
Traditional Christian teaching holds that believers are saved by grace.
Works are a sign of their commitment. Contrary to The Fellowship,
theologians say the New Testament does not portray prosperity as a sign of
God's favour. Fractured Families says The Fellowship's emphasis on works
and public confession leads to crippling introspection, and elitism.
Leaders use this to control members.
[Polygamy] Author discusses abuse in polygamist families
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9492-Author_discusses_abuse_in_polygamist_famili\
es.html
Current legislation is not enough to protect women from the dangers of
polygamy, a local author said at a Food for Thought meeting on Wednesday.
The presentation, sponsored by the Women's Resource Center, focused on
abuse and coercion, which occurs often in polygamist families, said
presenter Andrea Moore-Emmett.
She interviewed 18 women who left from polygamist families so she could
gather information for her book, "God's Brothel."
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Nov. 23-25, 2004
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Thu, Nov. 25, 2004
[USA] Thanksgiving: America’s religious holiday
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9522-Thanksgiving.html
In an age in which students can get suspended for wearing religious
T-shirts to school and pre-game prayers have been dropped lest they offend
someone, it is a wonder the Supreme Court has not ruled Thanksgiving
unconstitutional. It is, after all, an official recognition of religion.
[USA] Flawed U.S. diplomacy contributes to Muslims' hostility, report says
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9521-Flawed_U.S._diplomacy.html
The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have created an anti-American
cause among Muslim extremists who are otherwise divided and have raised
the stature of the radicals in the eyes of ordinary Muslims, a Pentagon
advisory panel says.
[Polygamy] Rift in FLDS Church raises local fears
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9520-Rift_in_FLDS_Church.html
With the grim specter of the Aryan Nations so recently erased from North
Idaho, there is new fear of an equally rabid “religion” gaining a foothold
in Boundary County following a rift in the leadership of the Fundamental
Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, which is reportedly bringing massive
instability to a sect that has remained secretively in the background for
decades.
[Mormon Church] Mormons ask court to silence preacher who believes their
church is a cult
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9518-Andrew_Price.html
On one night in August Mr Price bombarded Mormons - members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - with phone calls. He made 90 in
less than four hours.
Mr Price also sent more than 80 evangelical texts from his mobile phone to
a handset belonging to Elder Daniel Pitt over a period of two months.
The court was shown several videos of Mr Price in action. In one he was
preaching in stentorian tones from behind metal railings at one of the
Mormon church's London chapels
[Dena Schlosser] Man worried how God will judge wife who killed baby
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9517-Dena_Schlosser.html
The minister of a woman who admitted killing her baby daughter by severing
the child's arms said Wednesday that her husband seemed emotionally stable
but was searching for answers and concerned about how God will judge his
wife.
[...]
[A] friend of Schlosser's mother, Connie Macaulay, told The AP that
Macaulay opposed her daughter's involvement in Davidson's church, and
feared her grandchildren were being exposed to a cult-like environment.
[Islam] Muslim preacher in hiding over death wish remark
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9515-Muslim_preacher_in_hiding.html
A Muslim preacher has provoked a storm of protest by admitting on Dutch
television he wants parliamentarian Geert Wilders to die.
Wilders, an independent Conservative MP, plans to set up a party "to
tackle Islamic extremism" in the Netherlands.
Abdul-Jabbar van de Ven, 25, told the media on Wednesday afternoon he had
gone into hiding as a result of the outcry about his remark.
[Islam] Dutch Shocked by Public Death Wish from Muslim
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9514-Dutch_shocked_by_Muslim_preacher.html
Dutch leaders on Wednesday condemned comments by a Muslim teacher who said
he hoped for the death of a popular politician, further stoking religious
tension prompted by the murder of a filmmaker critical of Islam.
Abdul-Jabbar van de Ven, a Dutch convert to Islam, told a Dutch television
chat show on Tuesday he hoped anti-immigration populist Geert Wilders
would soon die, although he did not want him to be killed by a Muslim.
Interior Minister Johan Remkes said he was horrified by the remarks and
said the Justice Ministry would look into the matter. "It is too crazy for
words," he told Dutch news agency ANP.
Wed, Nov. 24, 2004
[Science and Religion] Why some people see a hero in a simple cheese
sandwich
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9513-Virgin_Mary_cheese_sandwich.html
For Diana Duyser, the Dania Beach woman who peddled the sandwich half with
a bite missing for $28,000 in an eBay auction, the partially-consumed
breakfast meant a miraculous windfall.
[...]
The sandwich's Virgin, experts say, could simply represent a common human
phenomenon of perception called pareidolia -- the capacity for people to
recognize familiar patterns in random images, such as sailing ships in the
clouds.
[Holocaust] Holocaust stamps auctioned
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9512-Holocaust_stamps_auctioned.html
Unique stamps, envelopes and cards mailed from Nazi-era death camps and
Jewish ghettoes were sold at auction today but the world's Holocaust
museums left private collectors to sweep them up.
The hundreds of historic, and emotive, items were part of a philatelic
collection put together over 40 years by US lawyer Herbert Rosedale who
won fame acting for parents trying to free their children from the grip of
religious cults.
[Success Coaches] Self-Help Gurus
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9511-Self-Help_Gurus.html
John Naish looks at the top people who have got inside our heads, from
Deepak Chopra and Susan Jeffers to John Gray.
[Hinduism] Hindu cleric faces fresh charge
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9510-Saraswathi.html
A Hindu cleric facing murder charges in southern India has also been
accused of ordering an attack on a former devotee.
Police in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu delivered an arrest
warrant for the new case to Jayendra Saraswathi in prison in the town of
Vellore.
[Transcendental Meditation] Trial set for former MUM student charged in
stabbing
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9509-Shuvender_Sem.html\
A former student at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield has
been found competent to stand trial on a murder charge.
Twenty-five-year-old Shuvender Sem of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is charged
with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of another student in March.
[Wellspring Retreat] Counselor fights for freedom of cult victims 'one
mind at a time'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9508-Wellspring_Retreat.html
For almost two decades, a small clinic in rural Albany has been quietly
helping people from all over the world break their dependence on
brainwashing cults.
While the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center goes about its business
with little local fanfare, its work has earned attention from major media,
including "CBS 48 Hours," "NBC Nightly News," "The Montel Williams Show"
and the Chicago Tribune.
[Palo Mayombe] Skull probe focuses on cult rituals
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9507-Palo_Mayombe.html
[Polygamy] Judge bars polygamist Kingston from visiting children
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9519-John_Daniel_Kinston.html
Tue, Nov. 23, 2004
[Science and Religion] Faith-Based Parks? Creationists meet the Grand
Canyon
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9506-Creationism.html
At a park called Dinosaur Adventure Land, run by creationists near
Pensacola, Florida, visitors are informed that man coexisted with
dinosaurs. This fantasy accommodates the creationists’ view that the Earth
is only 6,000 years old and that Darwin’s theory of evolution is false.
Among the park exhibits is one that illustrates another creationist
article of faith. It consists of a long trough filled with sand and fitted
at one end with a water spigot. Above the trough is a sign reading “That
River Didn’t Make That Canyon.” When visitors open the spigot, the water
quickly cuts a gully through the sand, supposedly demonstrating how the
Grand Canyon was created, practically overnight, by Noah’s flood. That’s
nonsense, of course, but what else would you expect at a creationist park?
Certainly, one might think, this couldn’t be acceptable at, say, a
National Park, right? Think again.
[Mormon Church] LDS temple to be in Draper foothills
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9505-LDS_temple.html
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that its new
Salt Lake Valley temple will be in the Draper foothills near Corner Canyon.
[...]
The temple will be the third in the valley. The church has 130 temples in
use or planned worldwide.
[Science and Religion] Poll: Creationism Trumps Evolution
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9504-Creationism_Trumps_Evolution.html
Americans do not believe that humans evolved, and the vast majority says
that even if they evolved, God guided the process. Just 13 percent say
that God was not involved. But most would not substitute the teaching of
creationism for the teaching of evolution in public schools.
[Hinduism] Police blow in Hindu cleric case
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9503-Saraswathi.html
Indian police have failed in a quest to win more time to question a Hindu
cleric facing murder charges.
A court in southern India has rejected a plea by the police requesting an
extension of Jayendra Saraswathi's police custody.
[Christianity] Interview With Rick Warren [Transcript]
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9502-Interview_With_Rick_Warren.html
KING: We now welcome to LARRY KING LIVE," Rick Warren.
Long time no see, it's good to have him back. The founding pastor of the
Saddle Back Church in California. Author of the number one "New York
Times" best seller "The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For?"
Publisher's Weekly, by the way there you see it's cover, reports that "The
Purpose Driven Life," get this, is the best-selling hard cover non-fiction
book in American history. It's been translated into 30 languages.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] Latest 'miracle' babies hoax
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9501-Miracle_babies_hoax.html
He is the self-styled "archbishop" who claims to help infertile women have
miracle babies - but Gilbert Deya stands accused by the Kenyan authorities
of child trafficking. He is also at the centre of an international
investigation by Scotland Yard's child abuse unit and has been described
by a High Court judge as "self-serving" and "economical with the truth".
Yet Mr Deya invited the Evening Standard to witness his latest cruel hoax,
parading two "pregnant" women at his headquarters - a converted warehouse
in South Bermondsey - as a means of establishing what he claims is his
"complete innocence".
[Falun Gong] Falun Gong Denies Pirate Broadcast in China
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9500-Falun_Gong.html
Falun Gong denied Tuesday hacking into a satellite feed to spread its
banned message in China, but defended broadcast interruptions as an
acceptable way to counter the mainland government's propaganda against the
spiritual group.
[Falun Gong] Satellite Operator Accuses Falun Gong of Intercepting
Satellite Signal
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9499-Falun_Gong.html
A Hong Kong based satellite company accused here on Sunday [21 November]
the Falun Gong cult, that has been outlawed on the Chinese mainland, of
hijacking its satellite and disrupting its normal signal sending.
[Offbeat News] 'Virgin Mary' toast fetches $28,000
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9498-Virgin_Mary_toast.html
A decade-old toasted cheese sandwich said to bear an image of the Virgin
Mary has sold on the eBay auction website for $28,000.
An internet casino confirmed it had purchased the sandwich, saying it had
become a "part of pop culture".
[Trinity Broadcasting Network] Judge in TBN Case to Step Aside
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9497-Paul_Crouch.html
Citing concerns about remarks he made in an earlier hearing, an Orange
County judge removed himself Monday from a case involving televangelist
Paul Crouch.
Judge John M. Watson made the decision during a contempt-of-court hearing
for Enoch Lonnie Ford, a former TBN employee who says he had a homosexual
tryst with televangelist Paul Crouch.
[Dena Schlosser] Texas mother charged with murdering her infant daughter
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9516-Dena_Schlosser.html
A 10-month-old girl died Monday after her mother cut her arms off, police
said. The 35-year-old woman, who has suffered from postpartum depression,
was charged with capital murder.
- Religion News Blog is a reader-supported website provided by Apologetics
Index. If this service is of use to you, please consider a one-time or
monthly donation:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/support.html#Subject3
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
Greetings,
The Apologetics Index 2004 Year-End Newsletter has just been emailed
to the AI Newsletter mailing list. The newsletter can also be viewed
online:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2004.html
It includes news and information about our various sites, some
statistics, and a look at some of the feedback and results received.
Janet and I would like to thank those who have supported the ministry
of Apologetics Index.
We wish you a blessed Christmas, and a wonderful 2005.
Love, Grace, and Mercy,
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
Gilbert Deya claims that his ministry is "the fastest growing Ministry
in the UK and worldwide." He thanks God for "the visit of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II,", and for "the support of His Royal Highness King
Mswati III" of Swaziland.
Oh, and he believes in miracle signs and wonders, casting out devils,
healing the sick," and so on.
So much for the pomp (which, by the way, isn't all it appears to be).
Now for the circumstances...
Preachers who promise miracles, make big claims, and are into name-
dropping are a dime a dozen. If he had stuck with doing just that, few
people would have taken much notice.
But Gilbert Deya did more. Allegedly, he not only promised. He also
delivered. Babies, that is. Or, as Deya claims, "miracle babies."
Gilbert claims that his prayers for women who have previously been
unable to have babies, results in them becoming pregnant. They then
travel to Kenya where they give birth to what Deya says are "miracle
babies."
But there are some problems. Turns out that not everyone believes in
miracles - and with good reason.
Deya's activities are currently being investigated by Kenyan and UK
authorities. Scotland Yard and the FBI have joined the probe.
Here's what's going on with Gilbert Deya Ministries:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/d/d51.html
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Dec. 14-15, 2004
Wed, Dec. 15, 2004
[Fraud] Nigerian scam adds Christian variation
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9727-Nigerian_scam.html
The lady in Nigeria was on her deathbed, she said in her e-mails.
She was a Christian woman dying in a non-Christian country, with $3.2 million in
the bank. She wanted to send the money to the United States where Christian
charities could use the money.
Would Karen Boltz help the woman fulfill her dying wish?
[Mariology] Methodist church stirs controversy with statue
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9726-virgin_mary.html
When some members of Amor de Dios United Methodist Church in Little Village
elected to move a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe into the sanctuary last
year, the icon spawned an exodus.
Turned off by the introduction of a Roman Catholic tradition to a Protestant
congregation, most of the church's 15 founding parishioners drifted away. To
them, venerating the Virgin Mary and reciting the rosary did not belong in a
Methodist church.
Pastors of other Hispanic Methodist congregations objected too. They said
praying to the Virgin equaled idolatry.
And Roman Catholics in the neighborhood worried that the church might be selling
itself as something it was not.
Still, Rev. Jose Landaverde allowed the statue to stay. He says he sees no harm
in embracing a tradition--the Virgin is an unofficial national symbol of
Mexico--that might bring people closer to God.
[Ruben Ecleo] Ecleo trial begins; judge bans foreign travel
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9725-ruben_ecleo_trial.html
Ecleo, supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association,
stands accused of killing his wife, Alona Bacolod-Ecleo, 27, on Jan. 5, 2002.
[Seventh-day Adventism] Appeals Chamber Upholds Father-Son Conviction
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9724-genocide.html
Pastor Ntakirutimana, 80, was the president of the West Rwanda Seventh-Day
Adventist (SDA) area at the time of the genocide. He was based at Mugonero SDA
complex in Kibuye province. His son, Doctor Ntakirutimana, 46, was a doctor at
the SDA hospital in the complex.
The two were found guilty of conveying attackers to Mugonero complex and
Bisesero hills to kill hundreds of predominantly ethnic Tutsi men, women and
children who had taken refugee in the complex. The refugees were fleeing from
attacks by extremist Hutu militias.
Doctor Ntakirutimana was also found guilty of at least two murders and direct
participation in several attacks in the Bisesero area in Kibuye. "By these acts,
in particular transporting and encouraging attackers, Elisaphan Ntakirutimana
knowingly participated in the massacres of Tutsis in Bisesero", judge Meron
ruled.
[Religion Trends] O Little Town of ... where?
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9723-bethlehem.html
It may be Christmas but 'tis the season to be silly if the findings of an
internet poll are anything to go by. It has found that more than a quarter of
those it polled do not know that Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
The finding was recorded earlier this month by the internet polling company
YouGov, commissioned by the Sky Box Office channel to promote its festive
showing of Mel Gibson's version of the crucifixion, The Passion of the Christ.
It found that nearly 20% of churchgoers claimed not to know the answer either.
[USA] Justice Triumphs -- Finally
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9722-wrongful_conviction.html
His faith sustained Tom Goldstein as he served 24 years for a murder he didn't
commit. His own legal study helped free him.
[Science and Religion] Parents sue schools over 'intelligent design'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9721-intelligent_design.html
Highlighting the growing national debate over the role of religion in public
life, 11 Pennsylvania parents Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a
local school district's order to teach "intelligent design" to public high
school students.
The requirement, they said, violates the religious liberty of parents, students
and faculty and the constitutional separation of church and state.
[Glenn and Justin Helzer] Prosecutor calls killer a 'psychopath,' religious
extremist
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9720-glenn_helzer_conviction.html
Glenn Helzer says he killed five people in the opening salvo of a battle to save
the world from Satan, but he is nothing more than a "psychopath" and a religious
extremist who sought to promote himself instead of God, a prosecutor said
Tuesday.
[France] As holidays approach, French find new ban on religious symbols cuts
both ways
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9719-religious_symbols.html
PARIS – They arrived as they do every December: gaily wrapped gifts destined
for children at a kindergarten in rural northern France.
But this year, teachers unwrapped a few, took a look and sent all 1,300 packages
back to City Hall. The presents were innocent, but strictly speaking, illegal:
seasonal chocolates shaped like Christian crosses and St. Nicholas.
As Christmas approaches, France is awakening to the realization that a new law
banning conspicuous religious symbols at schools – a measure used mainly to
keep Muslim girls from wearing traditional Islamic head scarves to class – can
cut both ways.
[Ruben Ecleo] 3 more cultists charged with Cebu lawyer's slay
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9718-ruben_ecleo_cultists.html
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG 7) has
charged three more members of the cult group Philippine Benevolent Missionaries
Association (PBMA) with involvement in the killing of human rights lawyer Arbet
Sta. Ana Yongco.
[Glenn and Justin Helzer] Ex-wife wants Helzer spared
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9717-Glenn_helzer.html
Sending confessed murderer Glenn Taylor Helzer to California's death chamber
would devastate his two young daughters, Helzer's former wife testified Monday.
Ann Helzer was the final witness called by defense attorneys in a trial that
explored issues of religious fanaticism and centered on a murderous plot to
secure Christ's return to earth.
[...]
When the couple first started dating, Glenn Helzer, 34, of Concord was a devout
Mormon who had returned the year before from a two-year mission to Brazil, Ann
Helzer said. Through Glenn, Ann Helzer joined the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
[Antisemitism] France bans Hizbollah channel over race hate
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9716-Hizbollah_hate_group.html
France has ordered a satellite television station run by the extremist Hizbollah
movement in Lebanon to be banned from the French airwaves by tomorrow for
promoting the hatred of Jews.
[Japan] When Jesus walked in Japan
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9715-When_Jesus_walked_in_Japan.html
In the Bible version of The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus Christ was crucified
at Calvary and rose from the dead three days later to save mankind from sin. Not
so, says local legend in Shingo; that was his brother Isukuri. In reality,
Christ escaped the clutches of the Romans, fled across land carrying his
brother's severed ear and a lock of hair from the Virgin Mary and settled down
to life in exile in the snowy isolation of Northern Japan.
== Religion News Blog ===
Religion News Blog (RNB) is a reader-supported service, published by Apologetics
Index. If RNB is of use to you, please consider helping us:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/support.html
Tue, Dec. 14, 2004
[USA] Human rights group demands U.S. accountability in Afghanistan
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9714-USA_human_right_problems.html
WASHINGTON - The Asia Division of Human Rights Watch has sent a letter to U.S.
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld demanding accountability in Washington for
crimes allegedly committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
[...]
Human Rights Watch says it has heard testimony that U.S. forces have hung
prisoners upside down, hit them with sticks, soaked them in cold water, forced
them to lie in snow and administered electric shocks to their toes.
[South Korea] For cult leader buried alive, resurrection doesn't arrive
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9713-cult_leader_buried_alive.html
Four members of a religious cult that believes in resurrection and eternal life
are under investigation for burying their leader alive by sealing him in an
underground room and pouring concrete over the entrance.
[Mormon Church] LDS author disfellowshipped
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9712-grant_palmer_disfellowshipped.html
After an exhausting six-hour disciplinary hearing Sunday, Mormon leaders
temporarily suspended Grant H. Palmer's membership in The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints.
Palmer, a longtime Mormon educator, was asked to defend himself on charges of
apostasy stemming from his 2002 book, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, which
challenged traditional beliefs about the church's history.
[...]
In the book, Palmer argues that the faith's scripture, The Book of Mormon,
reflects LDS founder Joseph Smith's own 19th-century environment, not ancient
America as Mormons believe. He further suggests that Smith embellished his
divine revelations to respond to critics and to stabilize the church.
In the charges, Adams said that Insider's View had damaged others' faith.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] UK police seize child from Deya son's home
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9711-gilbert_deya.html
Controversy continued to haunt Archbishop Gilbert Deya as police in Britain
seized a four-year-old baby boy from his son’s home.
NOTE: For the background to this story, see the new Apologetics Index entry on
Gilbert Deya:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/d/d51.html
[Psychotic Depression] Moms who kill children have religion in common
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9710-Moms_who_kill_children.html
Andrea Yates said Satan told her to drown her five children.
Deanna Laney said the Lord sent her signs to beat her three sons with stones.
And the night before Dena Schlosser became the latest Texas mother to take her
child's life, she told her husband she wanted to give her children to God. The
suburban Dallas mother was charged with capital murder for severing her
10-month-old baby's arms. Attorneys were expected to discuss her competency in
court Tuesday.
Women who kill their children commonly cite God, the devil and other religious
influences for their actions. Although the mothers are also often found to be
severely mentally ill or psychotic, the recurring theme of religiosity begs the
question: Is religion to blame?
[Theo van Gogh] Dutch watch Van Gogh's last film
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9709-theo_van_gogh_film.html
The last film to be made by the slain Dutch director Theo van Gogh, called
06/05, has been premiered in The Hague.
Members of Van Gogh's family and celebrities attended the screening of 06/05,
based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn.
[South Korea] Cult Leader Found Dead in Concrete-Sealed Room
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9708-Cult_Leader_Found_Dead.html
Police found the remains of a religious cult leader on Tuesday [14 December]
while acting on tips that his followers put him in a room and sealed it with
concrete in an attempt to allow him to experience immortality and resurrection.
[Holocaust] A Catalogue of Genocide
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9707-A_Catalogue_of_Genocide.html
The lives of thousands of Holocaust victims are coming to light in a new
database that allows anyone with an Internet connection to research the fate of
family members and friends sent to Nazi death camps.
More than 3 million names are included in the digital archive, which was
launched last month by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust center in Jerusalem. The
ultimate goal is to have most or all of the estimated 6 million Jews who were
executed, Avner Shalev, chairman of Yad Vashem's directorate, said in a
telephone interview from Israel.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and related
issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
Religion News Blog is down for some database maintenance and, if we can manage
it at the same time, a design change.
The site should be back up some time this Saturday.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and related
issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
NOTE: Religion News Blog is back in service after a software upgrade designed to
accommodate our growing number of visitors and page views.
Our programmer is still putting the finishing touches on certain features of the
site, including the news trackers, the RSS links and the story tools. The
headline ticker will be back in service later this week.
There's an improved search feature which is still being tweaked and expanded.
We took advantage of the downtown to introduce our new design - shared by our
other sites.
The end result should be faster loading pages. Following are the 25 most recent
items:
[Netherlands] Evangelical broadcaster to answer God's letters
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9801/evangelical-broadcaster
Dutch postal company TPG has decided to send all anonymous letters addressed to
God to the country's evangelical broadcasting company. Up to now, the Deity's
mail from the Netherlands has ended up in the wastepaper basket.
Members of the aftercare division of the EO broadcasting company will pray for
the people who write the letters, clergyman Cees van Velzen, of the division,
said on Monday.
[Books] Jewish scholar reviews concepts of the afterlife
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9800/afterlife
Western religions that believe in a single god traditionally teach that after
the present life, individuals will exist eternally in resurrected bodies.
Eastern religions believe the soul is embodied in either human or animal forms
in numerous past and future lives.
Now comes Alan F. Segal of Barnard College in New York with the latest review of
Jewish, Christian and Muslim concepts: "Life After Death: A History of the
Afterlife in Western Religion" (Doubleday). As one of the leading Jewish
analysts of first-century Judaism and Christianity, Segal is admirably equipped
to produce a 731-page blockbuster on this central, powerful theme.
[Mata Amritanandamayi Devi] $28m in aid pledged by Indian 'hugging guru'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9799/hugging-guru
A Hindu religious leader known for travelling the world and hugging people has
pledged one billion rupees ($28 million) to help those facing the aftermath of
southern Asia's devastating earthquake and tsunamis.
Mata Amritanandamayi, a maternal figure who uses hugs as a gesture of blessing
and is often called "the hugging saint", has devotees throughout India and in
the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
[Lord's Resistance Army] Truce fails in Uganda with attack on army
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9798/joseph-kony
Hopes for peace in northern Uganda were dashed yesterday when President Yoweri
Museveni threatened a new military offensive and condemned rebels from the
Lord's Resistance Army for failing to sign a ceasefire.
Barely two days after Ugandan ministers and LRA commanders held a breakthrough
meeting, raising unprecedented hopes for peace, a promised truce failed to
materialise.
[Meditation] Meditation Gives Brain a Charge, Study Finds
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9797/meditation-news
Brain research is beginning to produce concrete evidence for something that
Buddhist practitioners of meditation have maintained for centuries: Mental
discipline and meditative practice can change the workings of the brain and
allow people to achieve different levels of awareness.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Cult calls off 'hot water training' after death
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9796/aum-shinrikyo
A Japanese cult behind a deadly 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway will end a
ritual in which followers spend long hours in scalding water after a sect member
died in a bathtub.
Wakashio Togashi, 45, who had been a senior member of the Aum Supreme Truth
cult, was found dead in the bathtub at another Aum follower's house in Tokyo on
Saturday, a police spokesman said.
Togashi had served seven years in prison for helping build a plant to produce
Nazi-invented sarin gas used by the cult in several attacks.
[Jeffrey Lundgren] 15 years later, cult member reflects on Kirtland murders
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9795/Jeffrey-lundgren
The parole board has two different Deborahs to consider at her next hearing in
August.
The first is a 52-year-old woman who works maintenance and helps train dogs at
the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. She chuckles after she tells you
she has the most beautiful grandkids in the world. She says she's learned a lot
about what led her to follow a murderer.
The second Deborah is 15 years younger. She was recently divorced, low on money
and feeling hopeless.
She latched on to a cult in Kirtland and followed its leader even after he
murdered three little girls and their parents.
That Deborah wanted someone to make all of her decisions for her.
"Jeff had all the answers," Olivarez said of cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren, who
is also her cousin. "I couldn't tell you today what those answers were and what
the questions were. I just felt like he had the answers, and he promised to take
care of me. And all my life all I wanted was somebody to take care of me."
[Jeffrey Lundgren] Authorities recall horror of family's cult killings
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9794/kirtland-killings
The bodies of Dennis and Cheryl Avery and their three daughters, of Madison
Township, were discovered 15 years ago this week.
The five victims were bound and gagged with duct tape and shot one by one in
Kirtland by cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren on April 17, 1989.
[Church and State] Governor to expand faith plan amid flap
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9792/faith-based-funding
Ignoring objections from critics and looming court battles, Gov. Jeb Bush is
expanding his quest to hand over state dollars to faith-based organizations to
care for Florida's neediest citizens.
Mirroring his brother's 2001 creation of the White House Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives, Gov. Bush issued an executive order in November
formalizing a similar advisory board of religious advocates and others, many of
whom contract with the state.
[Church and State] U.S. Gave $1B in Faith-Based Funds in 2003
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9791/faith-based-funding
The government gave more than $1 billion in 2003 to organizations it considers
"faith-based," with some going to programs where prayer and spiritual guidance
are central and some to organizations that do not consider themselves religious
at all.
Many of these groups have entirely secular missions and some organizations were
surprised to find their names on a list of faith-based groups provided to The
Associated Press by the White House.
[...]
Other grant recipients are religious, offering social service programs that the
government may have deemed too religious to receive money before President Bush
took office.
[Religion, General] Archbishop of Canterbury admits: This makes me doubt the
existence of God
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9789/tsunami
The Asian tsunami disaster should make all Christians question the existence of
God, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, writes in The Telegraph
today.
In a deeply personal and candid article, he says "it would be wrong" if faith
were not "upset" by the catastrophe which has already claimed more than 150,000
lives.
Prayer, he admits, provides no "magical solutions" and most of the stock
Christian answers to human suffering do not "go very far in helping us, one week
on, with the intolerable grief and devastation in front of us".
[Religion, General] Of course this makes us doubt God's existence
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9788/rowan-williams
Every single random, accidental death is something that should upset a faith
bound up with comfort and ready answers. Faced with the paralysing magnitude of
a disaster like this, we naturally feel more deeply outraged – and also more
deeply helpless. We can't see how this is going to be dealt with, we can't see
how to make it better. We know, with a rather sick feeling, that we shall have
to go on facing it and we can't make it go away or make ourselves feel good.
The question: "How can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this
scale?" is therefore very much around at the moment, and it would be surprising
if it weren't – indeed, it would be wrong if it weren't.
[USA] Senator Says Lifetime Terror Detentions 'Bad Idea'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9787/human-rights
A reported U.S. plan to keep some suspected terrorists imprisoned for a lifetime
even if the government lacks evidence to charge them in courts was swiftly
condemned on Sunday as a "bad idea" by a leading Republican senator.
The Pentagon and the CIA have asked the White House to decide on a more
permanent approach for those it was unwilling to set free or turn over to U.S.
or foreign courts, the Washington Post said in a report that cited intelligence,
defense and diplomatic officials.
Some detentions could potentially last a lifetime, the newspaper said.
[USA] Long-Term Plan Sought For Terror Suspects
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9786/human-rights
Administration officials are preparing long-range plans for indefinitely
imprisoning suspected terrorists whom they do not want to set free or turn over
to courts in the United States or other countries, according to intelligence,
defense and diplomatic officials.
[USA] Guantanamo Briton 'in handcuff torture'
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9784/guantanamo-bay
A British detainee at Guantanamo Bay has told his lawyer he was tortured using
the 'strappado', a technique common in Latin American dictatorships in which a
prisoner is left suspended from a bar with handcuffs until they cut deeply into
his wrists.
The reason, the prisoner says, was that he was caught reciting the Koran at a
time when talking was banned.
[...]
Thousands of documents obtained last month under the US Freedom of Information
Act by the American Civil Liberties Union support the claims of torture at
Guantanamo, which has apparently continued long after the publication last April
of photographs of detainees being abused at the US-run Abu Ghraib prison in
Iraq. They include memos and emails to superiors by FBI and Defense Intelligence
Agency officers, who say they were appalled by the methods being used by the
young military interrogators at Guantanamo.
[Hate Groups] Hate music gains ground -- publisher
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9783/hate-music
Minnesota-based Panzerfaust Records is nearly halfway to its goal of
distributing 100,000 sampler CDs of white supremacist music for teens to hand
out to friends. "Project Schoolyard" aims to spread the white power movement to
young people turned on by the heavy metal and punk music.
The angry band names - H8Machine, Rebel Hell, Brutal Attack - and voices
screaming "White supremacy!" are enough to give Brenda Brown of Flint troubled
pause.
But Brown's greater concern is that such music from racist bands is gaining a
foothold in Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan through an aggressive campaign by
a Minnesota record company.
[Books] The good, the bad in religious books
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9781/religious-books
The year past was an unusual one in religious publishing because some fine books
stemmed from Islam and Judaism while Christians bore the blame for the very
worst ones.
Hallelujahs for the top four of 2004:
[Scientology (Consumer Alert!)] Scientologists join Aussie experts
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9780/scientologists
Australian disaster victim identification (DVI) experts are being helped by
Church of Scientology volunteers to preserve bodies of tsunami victims in
Thailand.
[Polygamy] Saudi man with 58 wives stirs polygamy debate
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9779/polygamy
In 50 years, he says, he has married 58 women and has forgotten the names of
most of them. He knows he has had 10 sons, but ask about daughters and he counts
on his fingers: 22. No, no, 28. No, that's too many. He settles on 25.
[...]
Al-Sayeri's story might seem a bizarre curiosity, but it touches a nerve in
Saudi Arabia, the status of whose women is a matter of international
controversy.
[...]
Sayyidaty magazine, which interviewed al-Sayeri, also spoke to psychiatrist Mona
al-Sawwaf who said al-Sayeri does not treat a wife as a human being "but as a
piece of clothing he can change whenever he pleases or an object."
"The biggest blame lies with the parents" who let their daughters enter such
marriages, she said.
Al-Sayeri dismisses such critics as "crazy," insisting he is not breaching
Islamic laws, which permit a man to have four wives at a time.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Japanese Aum Cult Member Found Dead
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9778/aum-shinri-kyo
A male follower of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which has been renamed Aleph, was
found dead in a bathtub at the group's facility in Tokyo on Sunday [2 January],
the police said.
The police said they suspect the dead follower is Wakashio Togashi, 45, a former
senior Aum member who served a prison term for involvement in the cult's sarin
gas attack in June 1994 in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, and having a hand in
the construction of its sarin plant.
While a police autopsy found the cause of his death to be drowning, group
members suggested he may have died from an accident while going through "thermal
training" in which followers soak for long hours in hot water with temperatures
of about 50 C.
[Falun Gong] Chinese TV Director Sued by Falun Gong Claims Free Speech
Protection in the U.S.
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9777/falun-gong
Suits against Chinese officials by the movement's adherents in courts around the
world are not unusual, and the officials typically ignore them.
But Mr. Zhao, who says the suit challenges his honor as an independent and
objective journalist, has taken a different approach. In a filing on Thursday in
the Federal District Court in New Haven, he said American free speech principles
should protect him.
The case tests the bounds of the Alien Tort Statute, a 215-year-old law that
allows foreigners to sue in federal court over serious human rights violations
anywhere in the world. In June, the United States Supreme Court, in a separate
case, upheld the law but said lower courts should apply it cautiously.
[Kabbalah] Everyday Kaballah
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9776/kabbalah
The ancient form of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah made a huge comeback in
2004.
Celebrities like Madonna, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Demi-and-Ashton made
news for studying Kabbalah's teachings, learning Hebrew and donning red string
bracelets to protect against the evil eye. Even Target stores, riding the red
string fashion trend, briefly carried the bracelets earlier this year but pulled
them after Jewish groups complained.
Around the country, ordinary people, their curiosity piqued, started Kabbalah
study groups, taking Kabbalah lessons online and celebrating Jewish culture,
whether or not they were Jewish.
[Religion, General] Heavens! That was a wacky '04
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9775/religion-news
Summing up the year in religion isn't easy when one of the stories involved the
eBay auction of a 10-year-old grilled-cheese sandwich bearing what the seller
described as an image of the Virgin Mary. The news was that it sold for $28,000.
[Brazil] African religions resurgent in Brazil
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9774/african-religions
Brought to Brazil by African slaves, religions such as Candomble, Tambor de
Mina, Batuque and Umbanda long had to be practiced in secret, its deities
disguised as Catholic saints – the sea goddess Iemanja, for instance, who
became the Virgin Mary.
But even after slavery was abolished in 1888, Candomble was still considered
backward, if not blasphemous – the province of the poor and dispossessed.
Now Afro-Brazilian religions are flourishing across Brazil, even in the middle
class.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects, and related
issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults, sects, and
related issues
[Books] Selling Spirituality: the silent takeover of religion http://www.religionnewsblog/9837/selling-spirituality
According to Jeremy Carrette and Richard King, the separation of
spirituality from religion came about in the 1960s, when spirituality
was cut off from its roots and became individualised: something
concerned with "my" quality of life, "my" prosperity, "my"
authenticity, and so on. In the 1980s and 1990s, companies started
tapping into this new spirituality, using it to enhance the image of
brands.
[Hate Groups] Kansas church plans 2 anti-gay protests http://www.religionnewsblog/9836/westboro-baptist-church
A Kansas church that protests against gays is planning a trip here next
month in response to the state Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex
partners of University System employees are entitled to health benefits.
The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., sent faxes this week
stating that its members will protest at a half-dozen "pro-gay"
churches in Helena on Feb. 13, and outside the state Supreme Court
building in Helena and at the University of Montana in Missoula on Feb.
14.
[Hate Groups] Banality of a church of hate http://www.religionnewsblog/9835/westboro-baptist-church
The phrase "banality of evil," first applied to the Nazis, always has
been more ironically satisfying than strictly accurate. We get the
point — those goose-stepping popinjays were insipid to the point of
inanity — but the world appeased them to its peril.
Likewise, one can smile at the emptiness of character exhibited by
members of a church of hate — folks with the effrontery to travel about
the country showing off their intolerance — but they should not be
ignored. They should be shamed.
[Andrea Yates] Andrea Yates' conviction thrown out http://www.religionnewsblog/9834/andrea-yates
The Texas First Court of Appeals reversed today the capital murder
conviction of Clear Lake mom Andrea Yates, who's serving a life
sentence for drowning her children in a bathtub.
The three-member appeals court granted Yates’ motion to have her
conviction reversed because, among other things, the state’s expert
psychiatric witness testified that Yates had patterned her actions
after a Law & Order television episode that never existed.
In ordering a new trial, the appellate court said the trial judge erred
in not granting a mistrial once it was learned that testimony of Dr.
Park Dietz was false.
[Antroposophy] Steiner option to be offered in state-run primary school
http://www.religionnewsblog/9832/steiner-method
The controversial Steiner teaching method is to be offered at a South
Australian government school for the first time.
Despite the protests of some parents and criticism that Steiner schools
operate "like a religious cult", Trinity Gardens P-7 School is to enrol
two classes of Steiner students next year.
The issue has divided the school community, with some parents fearing
their school will be taken over.
[Church and State] Atheist Files Second Suit on 'Under God' in Pledge http://www.religionnewsblog/9831/pledge-of-allegiance
An atheist who sued because he did not want his young daughter exposed
to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has filed another
lawsuit - this time with other parents.
The plaintiff, Michael Newdow, won his case more than two years ago
before a federal appeals court, which said it was an unconstitutional
blending of church and state for public school students to pledge to
God.
In June, the Supreme Court dismissed the case, saying Dr. Newdow could
not lawfully sue because he did not have custody of his
elementary-school-age daughter and because her mother objected to the
lawsuit.
In the latest challenge, which was filed Monday in federal court in
Sacramento, eight co-plaintiffs have joined the suit, and all are
custodial parents or the children themselves, Dr. Newdow said.
[TD Jakes] Bishop Jakes, Turning His Focus to Home http://www.religionnewsblog/9830/TD-jakes
T.D. Jakes, the TV mega-preacher who whipped up a spiritual storm
during a revival meeting this week in Upper Marlboro, is going through
trying times. He talked to The Post's Hamil Harris about the two heart
attacks his 25-year-old son, Jamar, suffered last month.
[Gilbert Deya Ministries] Now Deya Accuses the Press Over Babies Saga http://www.religionnewsblog/9829/gilbert-deya
The Kenyan preacher at the centre of the miracle babies saga, Mr
Gilbert Deya, has accused the media, the judiciary and the Kenyan and
UK authorities of torturing and humiliating his family and church
members.
In a reaction to the news that a child recently taken into care in
Britain was to go for a DNA test this week and the rearrest of his wife
Mary and two others, he said there was a conspiracy to intimidate his
family and bring down his ministry.
The UK department of social services announced yesterday that the
preacher would undergo a test to determine the parentage of the child
in custody.
[Archeology] Unscrolling the Commandments http://www.religionnewsblog/9828/dead-sea-scrolls
If Alabamians got excited about former Chief Justice Roy Moore's
granite monument of the Ten Commandments, imagine how they'll react
when the world's oldest known copy of the Ten Commandments arrives in
Alabama for display.
The parchment from the Dead Sea Scrolls contains a complete handwritten
Hebrew text of the commandments dated to within 30 years before the
birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It will be part of a Dead Sea Scrolls
exhibit that starts Jan. 20 and ends April 24 at the Gulf Coast
Exploreum in downtown Mobile. The exhibit will feature 12 scrolls from
the Israel Antiquities Authority, seven of them biblical books.
[Books] Bounded Choice : True Believers and Charismatic Cults http://www.religionnewsblog/9827/janja-lalich
[Janja] Lalich's fascinating discussion includes her in-depth
interviews with cult devotees as well as reflections gained from her
own experience as a high-ranking member of the Democratic Workers
Party.
Incorporating classical sociological concepts such as "charisma" and
"commitment" with more recent work on the social psychology of
influence and control, she develops a new approach for understanding
how charismatic cult leaders are able to dominate their devotees.
She shows how members are led into a state of "bounded choice," in
which they make seemingly irrational decisions within a context that
makes perfect sense to them and is, in fact, consistent with their
highest aspirations.
[Science and Religion] Science's scourge of believers declares his
faith in Darwin http://www.religionnewsblog/9826/evolution-theory
Prof Richard Dawkins, the scourge of those who maintain their belief in
a god, has declared that he, too, holds a belief that cannot yet be
proved.
[...]
Now the Oxford University evolutionary biologist is among the 117
scientists, futurists and other creative thinkers who have responded to
the question: "What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove
it?" posed by John Brockman, a New York-based literary agent and
publisher of The Edge, a website devoted to science.
[Antisemitism] Anti-Semitism Rising, State Dept. Says http://www.religionnewsblog/9825/Anti-Semitism
A rise in the number of Muslims in Western Europe, many of them poor
and uneducated, is contributing to an increase in already deeply rooted
anti-Semitism there, the State Department said in a report to Congress.
However, far-right groups still account for a significant proportion of
attacks on Jews and Jewish property, the report said.
[Felicisima Galope] Cultist tagged in New Year's Day attack yields http://www.religionnewsblog/9824/Felicisima-Galope
A top leader of a pseudo-religious sect who is wanted for allegedly
ordering an attack in a remote village in Makilala town, voluntarily
surrendered to authorities on Monday.
Felicisima Galope, however, denied the accusations hurled against her
by her former ‘master’ and followers.
[Elizabeth Smart] Smart Family Seeks Quick Resolution http://www.religionnewsblog/9823/elizabeth=smart
The father of Elizabeth Smart says the family wants a quick resolution
to the kidnapping and sexual assault charges against the girl's alleged
abductor, Brian David Mitchell - even if that means a plea deal.
[Scientology (Consumer Alert!)] Church volunteers fly out to give aid http://www.religionnewsblog/9822/scientology-PR-campaign
Volunteer ministers from the Church of Scientology in East Grinstead
have flown out to Madras to help the aid effort in India after raising
funds for their flights and operations.
NOTE: The Church of Scientology has embarked on a charm campaign which,
like everything else it does, appears designed to a) seek to present
the cult as a legitimate religion, and b) to market its expensive
'services' to vulnerable people.
[Exorcism] British TV exorcism planned http://www.religionnewsblog/9821/exorcism
An exorcism will be shown for the first time on British television as
part of a new programme, the Daily Mirror reports.
But religious leaders have slammed the idea and said Channel 4's show,
Exorcism, could be "very dangerous".
The programme is being pitched as a serious scientific experiment as
industry regulator Ofcom prohibits "actual demonstrations of exorcisms
and occult practices" on TV.
[Lord's Resistance Army] LRA get new peace terms http://www.religionnewsblog/9820/Lord-s-resistance-army
Hope for a peaceful end to the northern conflict was renewed yesterday
when the Government negotiators handed over an improved version of the
proposed ceasefire agreement to the LRA leader, Joseph Kony.
[Marcus Wesson] Mind control possible argument in Wesson case http://www.religionnewsblog/9819/marcus-wesson
Mind control and religion could play prominently in the mass murder
trial of Marcus Wesson.
The prosecution's witness list includes at least five experts,
including some who will testify about mind control, said Wesson's
attorney, Peter Jones, who added that he may not be ready for the
scheduled Jan. 25 trial because he's unsure what the psychologists and
psychiatrists will say on the stand.
[...]
On Dec. 1, Jones was given a list of witnesses who could testify
against Wesson. The names include Park Dietz, Kris Mohandie, J. Reid
Meloy, Susan Napolitano and Randall Robinson, according to a document
posted on a Fresno County Superior Court Web site.
[Helge Fossmo] Supreme Court will not hear Knutby case http://www.religionnewsblog/9818/helge-fossmo
The life sentence handed down by the Court of Appeal in November to the
pastor of Knutby will stand, following the Supreme Court's decision not
to hear his appeal.
The pastor, Helge Fossmo, was found guilty of murdering his second
wife, Alexandra, and for the attempted murder of a neighbour in January
of this year.
[Branch Davidians] Branch Davidians feel at home http://www.religionnewsblog/9817/Branch-Davidians
Charles Pace said the 1993 siege and destruction of Koresh's compound
was predicted in the teachings of the Branch Davidian church, which
still owns the land. He believes it was a reminder to the world of what
happens when a man claims to be the only one who can interpret the word
of God.
Today, nearly 12 years later, the Paces go about their lives on the
property, although Pace said at times they do feel as if they're
"living in a fishbowl."
[Yoga] Indian yogis treat trauma victims in tsunami-hit villages http://www.religionnewsblog/9816/Indian-yogis
Yoga experts fanned out across tsunami-hit villages in southern India
to aid people suffering trauma amid an acute shortage of skilled
pyschological counsellors.
Volunteers and individuals trained in traditional yoga, which combines
meditation, breathing techniques and exercises, are focussing on
Nagapattinam district where nearly 6,000 people died on December 26.
[Lord's Resistance Army] Uganda still committed to peace talks with
rebels http://www.religionnewsblog/9815/joseph-kony
The Ugandan government is still committed to talks with the country's
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels despite the resumption of military
operations to flush out the elusive group, a minister said on Tuesday.
[Skeptics] Group thrives on skepticism http://www.religionnewsblog/9814/skepticism
The Cincinnati Skeptics Society is more than just a group that
challenges claims of UFOs and psychic phenomena. The group also
discusses political issues, literature and current events.
"We ran out of ghosts to investigate a long time ago," said Bryan
Sellers, the group's secretary.
Instead the group prefers to focus on using critical thinking and
scientific methods to investigate things that happen in all aspects of
society.
[RLDS] Community of Christ Church Gets $40M Gift http://www.religionnewsblog/9813/rlds
An anonymous family has given the Community of Christ $40 million, a
donation that exceeds the church's annual operating budget by about a
third.
The Independence-based church, formerly known as the Reorganized Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, announced the gift in the January
issue of its magazine.
[Islam] Trial date set for radical cleric in U.K. http://www.religionnewsblog/9812/hamza-trial
Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri will stand trial beginning
July 4 on charges including soliciting the murder of Jews and other
non-Muslims, a judge decided Tuesday.
[Felicisima Galope] Police in pursuit of religious group’s leader http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9802/Felicisima-galope
Military and police authorities in North Cotabato have intensified
their manhunt against a leader of a religious sect who allegedly
ordered the attack on a remote village in Makilala town that killed one
and injured two other members.
Makilala police chief Leo Ajero identified the leader as Felicisima
Galope, head of a breakaway group of the Alpha and Omega, a religious
group founded in the early 1960s by a certain Moncado in Barangay New
Israel, Makilala.
[Mormon Church] New school trying for LDS niche http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9803/mormon-church
Two LDS values-based private schools closed their doors in December.
Next week, Mount Hyrum Academy is scheduled to open and take their
place.
[Psychics] Psychic charged with theft http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9804/psychic
A woman who promotes herself as a psychic has been charged with
stealing more than $100,000 from a Pennsylvania woman.
[Catholic Church] Alleged victims of Orange County clergy abuse sob as
settlement unsealed
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9805/catholic-church
Details of a record $100 million settlement between alleged victims of
priest sexual abuse and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange were
unsealed, with church leaders saying it would make the diocese a
"holier, humbler and healthier church."
[Religion, General] Religions are different, but grief is same http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9806/tsunami-grief
Members of the DFW Hindu Temple held a deepa puja Sunday morning. The
"prayer of light," honoring victims of last Sunday's earthquake and
tsunamis, felt something like a candlelight vigil in any church or
synagogue.
But the Hindu religious response to massive human tragedy is
essentially different. The flower-draped altar and oil candles
surrounded by elaborate statues of Indian deities were clearly not part
of a Christian or Jewish service. And differences in how the faiths try
to explain unimaginable suffering are more than just ritual.
[Interfaith] Leaders of Jews and Muslims aim to halt extremism http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9807/interfaith
Imams and rabbis from across the world will gather in Brussels today in
an unprecedented effort to quell the rising tensions between Muslims
and Jews in Europe
The "imams and rabbis for peace" conference will bring together 150
leaders of the two faiths, allowing them a unique opportunity to meet
face-to-face.
[USA] Backing Gonzales Is Backing Torture http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9808/torture
That is the central question the Senate Judiciary Committee faces
Thursday as it begins hearings on the confirmation of White House
Counsel Alberto Gonzales as the next attorney general of the United
States. At stake is whether Congress wants to conveniently absolve
Gonzales of his clear attempt to have the president subvert U.S. law in
order to whitewash barbaric practices performed by U.S. interrogators
in the name of national security.
Gonzales ignored the objections of State Department and military
lawyers to strongly endorse the determination of Justice Department
lawyers that neither the Geneva Convention nor corresponding U.S. laws
on prisoner protections should be applied in the "war on terror."
[USA] Gonzales Torture Memo Controversy Builds http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9809/torture
Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales' confirmation hearing this
week may become more contentious because the White House has refused to
provide copies of his memos on the questioning of terror suspects.
[USA] The torture memos http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9810/torture
The photos released last spring of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi
prisoners at Abu Ghraib brought that issue to the world's attention. So
far, just a few low-ranking guards have been punished for what the Bush
administration has tried to pass off as isolated actions. But the real
extent of the abuse at both Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo is made clear in
Defense Department and FBI papers released last month as a result of
Freedom of Information suits by human rights organizations.
[Islam] Arrested California mosque leader leaves U.S. voluntarily;
officials had questioned his speeches http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9811/islam
An Orange County mosque leader from Egypt who had allegedly given
speeches that could be considered to support terrorist organizations
has left the United States, authorities said.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
[Jerusalem Syndrome] A biblical experience http://religionnewsblog.com/9871/jerusalem-syndrome
A bizarre mental syndrome that has seen scores of visitors to Jerusalem
become convinced they are characters from the Bible is the subject of a
major new exhibition in Scotland.
Artist Nathan Coley has turned his attention to Jerusalem syndrome, a
travel psychosis affecting people hypnotised by the Holy City who start
to preach and behave as biblical characters, from King David to John
the Baptist, the Virgin Mary and Jesus himself.
[Religion Trends] Humanists, Atheists Look to Higher Global Profile http://religionnewsblog.com/9870/Humanists-Atheists
Humanist and atheist groups around the world are looking to boost
their profile in 2005 to counter religious fundamentalism and efforts
by some Western leaders to relaunch faith as a keystone of national
life.
Under pressure from the rise of militant Islam, Vatican activism in the
European Union and the re-election of a "born-again" Christian to the
White House, they feel they must resist to ensure the ideas of
secularism survive and spread.
[USA] Wives of Terror Suspects Live Like Widows http://religionnewsblog.com/9869/guantanamo
Three years after the first prisoners in America's war on terror were
dispatched to Guantanamo Bay, wives left behind in Pakistan live like
widows. The only word from their loved ones is an occasional letter on
military-issue writing paper, chunks blacked out by a censor's pen.
[Media] Christians to sue BBC over Springer show 'blasphemy' http://religionnewsblog.com/9867/Christians-vs-Springer
Security has been stepped up at the London theatre staging Jerry
Springer: the Opera as the controversy over the BBC's decision to
broadcast the production intensified yesterday.
The move came as Christian Voice, a lobby group that spearheaded a wave
of protests against the corporation, announced plans to launch a
blasphemy action against the BBC and the West End's Cambridge Theatre.
[Kabbalah] Kabbalah leader's Holocaust 'slur' http://religionnewsblog.com/9865/Kabbalah-Holocaust
A senior figure in the controversial Kabbalah Centre - the sect
championed by stars including Madonna and Demi Moore - seems likely to
spark a storm of protest by saying Jews killed in the Holocaust brought
their downfall upon themselves.
Eliyahu Yardeni, of the London Kabbalah Centre, made the astonishing
claim to an undercover reporter investigating high-pressure sales
techniques employed by the group, which promotes its own brand of
beliefs, part ancient Jewish mysticism and part pseudo-science.
[Kabbalah] The great Kabbalah con exposed http://religionnewsblog.com/9864/kabbalah-con-exposed
Using a secret camera, cancer patient Tony Donnelly went inside the
Kabbalah Centre in London to reveal an organisation that charges ?860
for dinner, 'healing' water and some books in Aramaic.
[Islam] God signed name in tsunami, claim clerics http://religionnewsblog.com/9862/Muslims-blame-god-for-tsunami
God signed his name in the December 26 tsunami and sent it as
punishment because humans have been ignoring His laws, Sri Lankan
Muslims say.
Proof, according to Mohamed Faizeen, manager of the Centre for Islamic
Studies in Colombo, is a satellite picture taken seconds after the
tsunami smashed into Sri Lanka's west coast near the town of Kalutara
and as it was receding.
"This clearly spells out the name 'Allah' in Arabic," Faizeen said,
pointing to the shape of the waves -- a gigantic "E" complete with
whorls and sidewaves that do indeed appear to combine to resemble the
Arabic script for the name "Allah".
[Yoga] Health fears over 'cult-like' hot yoga http://religionnewsblog.com/9861/bikram-yoga
A leading health expert has branded the popular Bikram yoga "cult-like"
and has warned it carries serious health risks.
"I think there is a significant danger of exercising in such heat,"
said Dr Anita Green, the director of the peak health body Sports
Medicine Australia.
Bikram is the latest, and trendiest, yoga to hit Sydney and involves
90-minute classes being conducted in a room heated to 37 degrees.
[Benny Hinn] TV evangelist Benny Hinn inspires thousands at Miami Arena
http://religionnewsblog.com/9868/Benny-Hinn
Pastor Benny Hinn ministered to 16,500 believers Thursday night. They
filled the Miami Arena. Hundreds more waited outside because the arena
was full. In about a month, when this service airs on TV, 30 million
more will watch.
[Cults] Ford Greene: Attorney at odds http://religionnewsblog.com/9866/Ford-Greene
San Anselmo resident Ford Greene sounds like a typical Marin County
lawyer, what with his outspoken liberalism, scruffy hair and a white
Porsche in the garage. But this self-described "cult buster" is
anything but that.
[Gentle Wind Project] Gentle Wind Project Sues Couple Over Internet
Postings http://religionnewsblog.com/9863/Gentle-Wind-Project-Sues
The Gentle Wind Project collected millions of dollars in donations by
distributing plastic healing instruments that believers say alleviate
suffering through the regeneration of human energy fields damaged by
trauma.
But when two of the group's former associates went on the Internet and
compared the Kittery-based nonprofit to a "mind- control cult," Gentle
Wind called a lawyer.
[Euthanasia / Assisted Suicide] Dutch euthanasia law should apply to
patients "suffering through living," report says http://religionnewsblog.com/9860/Dutch-euthanasia-law
Doctors can help patients who ask for help to die even though they may
not be ill but "suffering through living," concludes a three year
inquiry commissioned by the Royal Dutch Medical Association. The report
argues that no reason can be given to exclude situations of such
suffering from a doctor’s area of competence.
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Child abuse cases allege Jehovah's Witness
cover-up http://religionnewsblog.com/9859/Jehovahs-Witnesses
A bundle of child abuse cases may finally get off the ground at a key
pre-trial hearing in Napa Superior Court this morning.
As many as 11 lawsuits filed in six counties contend that Jehovah's
Witnesses covered up acts of child molestation by church officials.
Today's hearing is set to determine how the court should go forward
with handling the cases and even whether an attorney's potential
life-threatening illness could hold up progress.
[Aum Shinrikyo] High Court Pushes Back Deadline for Documents in
Asahara Appeal http://religionnewsblog.com/9858/Shoko-Asahara
The Tokyo High Court told the defense counsel of AUM Shinrikyo cult
founder Shoko Asahara on Friday that it will extend the deadline from
Tuesday to late August for submission of documents needed to begin
Asahara's appeal trial, the lawyers said.
[USA] US doctors accused over Guantanamo abuse http://religionnewsblog.com/9857/Guantanamo-abuse
Doctors at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib used their medical knowledge
to help devise coercive interrogation methods for detainees including
sleep deprivation, stress positions and other abuse, it was reported
yesterday.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine provides the most
authoritative account so far that doctors were active participants in
the abuse of prisoners in America's "war on terror".
[Islam] Radical Islam group aids relief, raises anti-U.S. fears http://religionnewsblog.com/9856/Radical-Islam-tsunami
An extremist Islamic group with alleged links to al-Qaida has set up a
relief camp in the tsunami-stricken Aceh province on Sumatra island,
raising concerns its fiercely anti-American members could stir up
sentiment against U.S. and Australian troops helping to distribute aid.
[Death Penalty] Catholics mobilized to fight execution http://religionnewsblog.com/9855/Catholics-fight-execution
As the execution of serial killer Michael Ross looms, Bishop William E.
Lori this weekend invites the 400,000 Roman Catholics of the Diocese of
Bridgeport to sign a petition calling for an end to the death penalty.
[Ruben Ecleo] Ecleo judge says bribe attempts can’t force her to
inhibit self http://religionnewsblog.com/9854/ruben-ecleo
The regional trial court (RTC) judge handling the parricide case
against cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr. said the attempts by Ecleo’s
followers to bribe her will not force her to inhibit herself from the
case.
[USA] Geneva Convention Overhaul Considered http://religionnewsblog.com/9853/Geneva-Convention-abused
White House officials considered trying to rewrite the international
treaties signed more than half a century ago protecting certain wartime
prisoners from mistreatment, senators were told Thursday.
That revelation came during testimony by Alberto R. Gonzales, President
Bush's choice as attorney general, whose conclusion as White House
counsel that the Geneva Convention did not apply to suspected
terrorists has prompted Democrats and human rights advocates to
question his suitability as head of the Justice Department.
[Polygamy] Mattingly Foster: A judge restricts interactions to four
children at once http://religionnewsblog.com/9852/kingston-clan
Supervised visits between plural wife Heidi Mattingly Foster and eight
of her 11 children by John Daniel Kingston have so deteriorated that a
social worker must act as a "baby sitter for both the children and the
adults," 3rd District Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Valdez said Thursday.
[Polygamy] Kingston Polygamist Wife Attends Court Hearing http://religionnewsblog.com/9851/Kingston-Polygamist-Wife
It's now apparent there will be a criminal investigation into John
Daniel Kingston's relationship with 10 of his more than 100 children.
What started, as another routine visitation hearing with one of
Kingston's wives quickly revealed more.
[Polygamy] Polygamy guide aims to provide info to outsiders http://religionnewsblog.com/9850/Polygamy-primer
\The Utah Attorney General's Office produced the manual with help from
the Arizona Attorney General's Office, government agencies, nonprofit
groups, fundamentalists who support plural marriage and people who have
left the polygamous lifestyle.
"The Primer" - which was put online Thursday at
http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy.html - includes a history of
polygamy, a glossary of terms, descriptions of fundamentalist groups
and their practices, training exercises and a list of resources.
[The Family : Lord Byron] Defying values http://religionnewsblog.com/9849/
Rather than being steeped in dry academia, Hollenbach's history has
been forged from interactive, real-world experiences. The most unusual
of these is her time with a hippie community called The Family in Taos,
N.M. The group served as the focus of Hollenbach's recent book Lost and
Found: My Life in a Group Marriage Commune.
[Witchcraft] Women's commission wants legislation against witchcraft http://religionnewsblog.com/9847/witchcraft
Rajasthan state Commission for Women has proposed a legislation against
the practice of witchcraft, which would provide for imprisonment of up
to ten years for branding a woman as a witch.
[Elizabeth Smart] Hearing in Smart case delayed again http://religionnewsblog.com/9846/brian-mitchell
The drifter and self-proclaimed prophet accused of kidnapping Elizabeth
Smart showed up to his competency hearing 90 minutes late Thursday and
was kicked out after he started singing a Bible verse.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
[Interfaith] Rabbis and imams unite against religious extremism http://religionnewsblog.com/9897/Rabbis-and-imams
A few minutes before Europe observed three minutes of silence last
Wednesday in memory of the tsunami victims, Jewish and Muslim clergy
who had convened at Egmont Palace decided to join them. Two days
earlier, the clergy had come together to seek means of greater
involvement for religion in quietening the bloody Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
[Fraud] Spain police crack witchcraft con http://religionnewsblog.com/9896/witchcraft-con
Police in Spain have arrested seven Brazilians suspected of cheating
people out of thousands of euros by claiming to be clairvoyants and
witch doctors.
[Islam] Turkish imams' EU peace move http://religionnewsblog.com/9895/Turkish-imams-peace-move
More than 1,000 moderate clerics have been dispatched to European
countries by Turkey, the only Muslim candidate member of the EU, in a
drive to promote modern and peaceful interpretations of Islam.
[Abraham Kennard] Preacher calls charges 'theory' as trial opens http://religionnewsblog.com/9894/Abraham-Kennard
"It's not a law against riding in a Cadillac if you don't want to ride
in a Volkswagen," said Abraham Kennard in his opening remarks as he
began defending himself against 132 criminal counts brought against him
by the United States government.
The 46-year-old charismatic preacher is charged with swindling more
than 1,600 churches out of more than $8.7 million. The criminal charges
include mail fraud, income tax evasion and money laundering.
[Abraham Kennard] Defendant: A dream, not scheme http://religionnewsblog.com/9892/Network-International-Investment-Corporation
With pointing fingers, sweeping gestures and an impassioned intonation,
defendant Abraham Kennard told jurors Tuesday that federal prosecutors
charging him with fraud mistook “a dream for a scheme.”
In a 91-count indictment, the government alleges that Kennard headed up
a multi-million-dollar advance-fee fraud scheme from May 2001 to
October 2002 through the sale of memberships in the Network
International Investment Corporation’s “Church Funding Project.”
[Religion, General] Scientologists, Jews, Quakers, flock to give
tsunami aid http://religionnewsblog.com/9891/tsunami-aid
The Church of Scientology is applying its mind-over-matter healing
techniques to injured tsunami survivors in Aceh. Jews and Quakers are
sending humanitarian aid. Radical Islamic groups are providing
"spiritual guidance".
Scores of religious and humanitarian groups have, quite literally,
pitched their tents in Indonesia's Aceh, after the province of 4
million people was pulverised by the strongest quake in 40 years and
unprecedented tsunami.
[Free Speech] Nation's eyes on Christian protesters http://religionnewsblog.com/9890/Michael-Marcavage
Four members of a local Christian group, Repent America, are facing
felony charges in connection with their behavior in the fall during the
gay and lesbian community's annual Outfest celebration in Center City.
For allegedly trying to disrupt the event with their
bullhorn-amplified, Scripture-based denunciations of homosexuality,
they have been accused of criminal conspiracy, incitement to riot, and
violating the state's law against hate crimes.
[Children of God] Murder suspect, a suicide, raised by cult to lead http://religionnewsblog.com/9889/Richard-Rodriguez
Richard Rodriguez was raised to be the spiritual leader of a tightly
knit religious organization of 12,000 followers.
Instead, his life ended Saturday when he shot himself in the head hours
after allegedly stabbing Angela Smith to death in Tucson.
Rodriguez left the Family International in 2000 but was still haunted
by what he experienced growing up in its rigid structure, said Celeste
Jones, a friend who also had left the Family and spoke to him the day
before he took his and Smith's lives.
[Science and Religion] Scientists hunt the ghost in the machine http://religionnewsblog.com/9888/does-faith-relieve-pain
Scientists at Oxford University are to torture people in laboratories
in an experiment to see whether a belief in God is effective at
relieving pain.
The scientists will apply a chilli-based gel to the skin of volunteers
and ask them to try different strategies to lessen the burning
sensation, including asking people with strong religious beliefs to
draw on their faith to cope with the pain.
The experiment is one in a series that sees scientists join forces with
philosophers, theologians and brain surgeons to tackle some of the most
profound questions of the human condition: what is the nature of
consciousness and how do religious beliefs manifest themselves in our
brains?
[Islam] 14 Islamic Extremists Arrested in Germany http://religionnewsblog.com/9887/Islamic-Extremists-Arrested
Police arrested 14 people during raids of apartments and mosques in
five German states Wednesday in a crackdown on an Islamic extremist
organization suspected of aiding terrorists, authorities said.
[Children of God] Stabber's friends blame decades of abuse in sex cult http://religionnewsblog.com/9886/Richard-Rodriguez
A man who police say committed a murder-suicide last weekend was acting
in anger against a woman he claimed sexually abused him for decades as
part of a sex cult, his friends said Tuesday.
Richard P. Rodriguez, 29, told family members he killed his former
nanny, Angela M. Smith, 51, in Tucson before shooting himself in
Blythe, Calif. Police said Rodriguez stabbed Smith to death.
The Tucson Police Department was not investigating Smith for any crime,
said Officer Michelle Pickrom. But Rodriguez lived all over the world
with a religious sect called The Family, and it wasn't known Tuesday
whether the alleged abuse was ever reported in any of those locations.
[Netherlands] Ajax seek image change to stop anti-Semitic chants http://religionnewsblog.com/9885/Ajax-seek-to-stop-anti-Semitic-chants
Dutch giants Ajax are eager to discard their image as a Jewish club in
a bid to end anti-Semitic chanting in the crowd at games, club chairman
John Jaakke has announced in his new year's speech.
[Vampirism] Vampirism linked to suspect http://religionnewsblog.com/9884/Vampirism
A how-to book for vampires. Another book titled "The Satanic Rituals, A
Companion to the Satanic Bible." Two leather masks. Three thongs. An
opened box of sterile scalpel blades.
Six days after finding a 13-year-old Northampton County runaway in
Charles Matthew Blair's Newport News home on New Year's Day, police
seized more than 42 items from his home - ranging from occult books to
leather sex toys - according to court documents filed Monday.
[USA] U.S. to Free Five Guantanamo Inmates http://religionnewsblog.com/9883/US-to-Free-Five-Guantanamo-Inmates
The United States has agreed to release the four remaining British
citizens who have been held as suspected terrorists without charge or
trial at Guantanamo Bay for more than two years, Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw told the House of Commons Tuesday.
[Opus Dei] Controversial Catholic group is given care of parish church http://religionnewsblog.com/9881/Opus-Dei
Opus Dei, the conservative Roman Catholic organisation that counts Ruth
Kelly, the Education Secretary, among its members, has been given its
first parish in Britain since it was founded in 1928.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O’Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, is to
hand over pastoral care of St Thomas More church, Swiss Cottage, to
Father Gerard Sheehan, an Opus Dei priest.
[Children of God] Murder-suicide case in desert evangelical sex cult http://religionnewsblog.com/9880/Richard-Rodriguez
Police in Arizona and California said they are investigating an
apparent murder-suicide involving the son of Maria David, the prophet
and spiritual leader of the Family, an international evangelical sex
cult previously known as the Children of God.
[Abraham Kennard] Alleged defrauder to defend himself http://religionnewsblog.com/9893/Alleged-defrauder-to-defend-himself
The man who the federal government has charged with bilking more than
1,600 churches out of more than $8 million had a surprise for U.S.
District Court on Monday, the day his trial was to begin.
Abraham Kennard, 46, told his attorney, Michael Trost, that he no
longer required his services and notified federal Judge Harold Murphy
of the same only minutes before jury selection was to begin.
[Polygamy] Source: Jeffs dedicates FLDS temple site at YFZ Ranch http://religionnewsblog.com/9879/Warren-Jeffs-dedicates-FLDS-temple-site
Jon Krakauer came to Eldorado last weekend, not to celebrate the new
year, but to be nearby the YFZ Ranch where Prophet Warren Jeffs and the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ are said to be building a temple.
Of particular interest to Krakauer was a recent spate of rumors that
Jeffs was predicting the end the world and that he had ordered his
followers in Utah, Arizona and Canada to stay in their homes throughout
the weekend.
[Islam] In Pakistan's tribal areas, women throw off the Hijab http://religionnewsblog.com/9878/Hijab
When [Taliban] the regime was toppled in late 2001 it was partly billed
as a victory for Afghan women, who could finally cast off the
restrictive garments and show their faces to the world.
Now with the spread of education and exposure to the media, observers
have also detected a sharp decline in the numbers of Pakistanis
choosing to wear it in the last few years.
[Taize] Taize makes worship palpable http://religionnewsblog.com/9877/Taize-worship
I spoke not long ago with the Rev. George W. Westlake Jr. of Kansas
City, pastor of a large Assembly of God Church in which the worship
style is expressive of the active presence of God. He explained why he
thought that worship experience is so attractive to people: “The
previous generations you could reach with apologetics. You can't do
that with this generation. The newer generation wants an experience of
God.”
“Apologetics” is a term referring to the rational defense and
explanation of theological doctrine. It's what mainline Christians
often — but not always — get in sermons. And it has an honored place in
most religions because of the need to explain belief and practices in a
reasonable way.
But Westlake is right that apologetics is not enough. My colleague's
experience at the Taize service was evidence of the desire many of us
have to feel the divine in a palpable way, a way that words cannot
exhaust.
[Gentle Wind Project] Judge: Web site can't be sued for 'cult' comment http://religionnewsblog.com/9876/Gentle-Wind-Project
The operator of a Web site based in New Jersey should be dismissed from
a lawsuit that he faced for publishing articles comparing the
Kittery-based Gentle Wind Project to a "mind-control cult," a U.S.
Magistrate judge ruled Monday.
Judge David Cohen wrote that a court in Maine has no jurisdiction over
Rick A. Ross and his Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults,
Controversial Groups and Movements.
Cohen said that because Ross has no connection to Maine, he cannot be
sued here for alleged defamation.
[Ananda] East meets West: A US guru in India http://religionnewsblog.com/9874/Swami-Kriyananda
It is hard to miss the reversal of roles between the East and the West,
when you meet J. Donald Walter a.k.a. Swami Kriyananda, the 78-year-old
yogi and guru from the US.
At a time when religion equals fundamentalism and "men of god"
increasingly come under the scrutiny of law in this land of
spiritualism, Kriyananda shifted to Delhi two years ago from the US to
spread the word of his guru — Paramhansa Yogananda.
The latter was, perhaps, India's first spiritual ambassador to the US,
who settled in the US way back in 1920.
[Hate Groups] Klan can clean road, court says http://religionnewsblog.com/9873/KKK-can-clean-road
For the second time in four years, the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared
the way for the Ku Klux Klan to participate in Missouri's
Adopt-A-Highway Program.
The high court on Monday declined to hear the state's appeal of a lower
court ruling siding with the Klan, meaning that picking up litter along
Missouri 21 heading into Potosi can remain the responsibility of the
Klan.
In 2001, the court did the same thing in a case relating to another
stretch of highway in Missouri, I-55 south of St. Louis — now known as
the Rosa Parks Memorial Highway in honor of the civil rights heroine.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
[Children of God] Ex-sect members fear new violence http://religionnewsblog.com/9945/Ex-sect-members-fear-new-violence
Former members of an international evangelical sect rocked by the
murder-suicide of two leading members said Sunday that more violence
may be in the offing for the troubled Children of God.
Many young people who say they suffered years of physical, sexual and
spiritual abuse growing up in the sect say that the latest deaths are
part of a series of suicides by former members.
[Islam] Britain's online imam declares war as he calls young to jihad http://religionnewsblog.com/9944/online-imam-calls-young-to-jihad
An extremist London cleric is using live broadcasts on the internet to
urge young British Muslims to join al-Qaeda and has condoned suicide
terrorist attacks. Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has lived in the UK for 18
years on social security benefits, pledged allegiance to Osama bin
Laden and told his followers that they were in a state of war with
Britain.
[Children of God] Fringe Group at Center of Deaths http://religionnewsblog.com/9943/The-Family--Children-of-God
Almost 20 years after a fringe religious group renounced practices that
included child sexual abuse and incest, a murder-suicide carried out in
two states has brought the group's sordid past back to the fore.
Last week, Richard P. Rodriguez, 29, the disaffected son of Karen
Zerby, current leader of the communal Christian ministry known as the
Family, allegedly killed longtime group member Angela M. Smith, 51, in
his Tucson, Ariz., apartment. Then, after driving to Blythe, he
apparently took his own life.
In a videotape recorded a day before the deaths, Rodriguez described
his desire to exact revenge for an isolated childhood in which he was
routinely sexually abused.
The conference is collaborating with the Connecticut Coalition to
Abolish the Death Penalty, which developed the petition that will be
presented to this session of the General Assembly.
The debate on the death penalty is heating up as the state prepares for
its first execution in more than 40 years. Serial killer Michael Ross
is slated to die by lethal injection in the early morning hours of Jan.
26 for killing four eastern Connecticut women and girls, three of whom
were raped.
[Mexico] Mexicans petition modern saints http://religionnewsblog.com/9941/Mexicans-petition-modern-saints
The Captured Infant is one of several saints and religious symbols that
Mexicans have adopted in recent decades for help with the kinds of
tribulations they face in the 21st century. They include Juan the
Soldier of Tijuana, whose spirit is believed to protect migrants who
cross illegally into the United States, and Jesus Malverde of Sinaloa,
who some say is the saint of drug traffickers.
"People want saints and symbols that reflect their environment. And
kidnappings and drug traffickers are part of the modern Mexico," said
Carlos Garma, an anthropologist at Mexico's Autonomous University. "But
the principle is the same as the old saints. People go to them for
help."
[Da Vinci Code] UNC scholar's new book takes shot at 'Da Vinci Code' http://religionnewsblog.com/9939/scholar-takes-shot-at-Da-Vinci-Code
Ehrman, who chairs UNC's religious studies department, takes a shot at
debunking many of these claims in his new book, "Truth and Fiction in
The Da Vinci Code."
Ehrman, an expert on Jesus and the New Testament, knew the subject
matter so well, the book took all of two weeks to write.
"My book was a response to all these historical claims," Ehrman said
this week from his office on campus. "They're all wrong."
Though Dan Brown's wildly popular work has been the subject of a number
of "debunking the myths" books in the popular press, Ehrman's is the
first from a prominent academician who doesn't put a conservative
religious spin on the issue.
[Alternative Healing] Doctors, Others Deride Chiropractic School http://religionnewsblog.com/9938/Doctors--Others-Deride-Chiropractic-School
Some Florida State University professors have been circulating a parody
map showing the campus of the future, with a new Bigfoot Institute, a
School of Astrology and a Crop Circle Simulation Laboratory.
It's a not-so-subtle jab in a growing debate over a proposal to build a
chiropractic college on this campus -- the first such school at a
public university in the United States.
More than 500 professors, including the university's two Nobel
laureates, have signed a petition opposing the school and a handful
have even threatened to resign rather than teach alongside what they
consider a "pseudoscience."
[Opus Dei] The Dei today http://religionnewsblog.com/9936/Opus-Dei-today
It wields huge influence in the Vatican yet is condemned as a sinister
and ruthless Catholic sect. Now the fundamentalist group is taking
control of a British parish for the first time - and one of its members
is in the Cabinet. Peter Stanford gains rare access to the closed world
of Opus Dei.
[Euthanasia / Assisted Suicide] Church ends taboo on mercy killings http://religionnewsblog.com/9935/Church-ends-taboo-on-mercy-killings
The Church of England took a radical step towards backing 'mercy
killing' of terminally ill patients last night after one of its leading
authorities said that there was a 'strong compassionate case' for
voluntary euthanasia.
Canon Professor Robin Gill, a chief adviser to Rowan Williams, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, said people should not be prosecuted for
helping dying relatives who are in pain end their lives. Last week Gill
was sent by Williams to give evidence to a parliamentary committee
investigating euthanasia.
[Transcendental Meditation] Lynch: 'Bliss is our nature' http://religionnewsblog.com/9934/David-Lynch-on-transcendental-meditation
"Pretty much everything I'm going to tell you I've learned from
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi," Lynch says, staring off into the middle
distance of his screening room. "I've been practicing transcendental
meditation, the Maharishi's transcendental meditation, for 31 years."
[Benny Hinn] Pastor Benny Hinn’s Bangalore congregation kicks up a fuss
http://religionnewsblog.com/9932/Benny-Hinn
The proposed ‘Pray for India’ programme later this week by American
evangelist, Mr Benny Hinn has sparked a controversy with the Bharatiya
Janata Party and Sangh parivar organisations up in arms against it,
dubbing it as one that’s intended to promote religious conversion.
[Hate Groups] Call for Europe-wide swastika ban http://religionnewsblog.com/9928/Call-for-Europe-wide-swastika-ban
German politicians have called for Nazi symbols to be banned throughout
Europe after Prince Harry was pictured wearing a swastika to a fancy
dress party.
The Liberal group in the European Parliament says all of Europe
suffered because of the crimes of the Nazis, so there should be a
continent-wide ban.
A senior Christian Democrat said the proposal may be discussed at the
next meeting of European justice ministers.
The symbols are already banned under German law.
[Mormon Church] Speaker's apology to LDS stirs up fuss http://religionnewsblog.com/9927/Richard-Mouw-apology-to-LDS-stirs-up-fuss
In the two months since a leading evangelical Christian apologized, on
behalf of his fellow believers, to Latter-day Saints for
mischaracterizations of their faith, several conservative Christians
have voiced their displeasure with his remarks.
[...]
A story following the event in Baptist Press, which writes about the
Southern Baptist Convention, quoted three local ministers — Mike Gray,
pastor of Southeast Baptist Church; Roger Russell of Holladay Baptist
Church; and Tim Clark of the Utah-Idaho Baptist Convention — saying
Mouw unfairly impugned their ministries and activities by making a
blanket apology to Latter-day Saints.
[...]
Another Utahn troubled by Mouw's remarks, Ronald V. Huggins, assistant
professor of theological and historical studies at Salt Lake
Theological Seminary, posted a text of his own in response at a Web
site of the Institute for Religious Research,
www.irr.org/mit/authentic-dialogue.html, under a section titled,
"Mormons in Transition."
[Polygamy] Temple construction begins at YFZ Ranch http://religionnewsblog.com/9937/Temple-construction-begins-at-YFZ-Ranch
The already rapid pace of construction at the YFZ Ranch picked up
sharply this week as walls began going up on a building many believe
will be the first-ever temple built by the Fundamentalist Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Aerial photos obtained by the
Success reveal that concrete forms have been erected around a large
foundation just west of several log cabin-style buildings.
Locals say spirits are terrifying them; health experts say the
phenomenon is an outpouring of delayed mass trauma.
Volunteer body searchers at the resorts of Phi Phi Island and Khao Lak
have been reported as claiming they have heard laughing and singing on
a devastated beach only to find darkness and empty sand.
[Scientology (Consumer Alert!)] City rejects tsunami-aid appeal http://religionnewsblog.com/9925/City-rejects-scientology-tsunami-aid-appeal
The city has declined a request from a group linked to the Church of
Scientology that is seeking donations to assist orphans in nations
struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Women’s groups and moderate Muslims in the nation’s largest province
are outraged at the recommendation by former attorney-general Marion
Boyd to allow arbitration tribunals to be governed by the principles of
Sharia - the code of Islamic law.
[Children of God] Rage turns to vengeance against 'Family' http://religionnewsblog.com/9923/Rage-turns-to-vengeance-against-The-Family
As a baby, the 29-year-old Rodriguez had been christened "Davidito,"
the young prince and future prophet of the Children of God -- a
freewheeling religious sect founded in the late 1960s by Oakland native
David "Moses" Berg.
But heading west into the desert last Saturday night in his Chevy
Cavalier, all Rodriguez could think about was whether to kill himself.
Or someone else.
[Children of God] Murder and Suicide Reviving Claims of Child Abuse in
Cult http://religionnewsblog.com/9922/Murder-and-Suicide-Reviving-Claims-of-Child-Abuse-in-Cult
Mr. Rodriguez is not the only suicide among people reared in the
Children of God. Some former members who keep in touch with one another
through a Web site, movingon.org, say that in the last 13 years at
least 25 young people reared in the cult have committed suicide.
[Islam] Indonesia Muslims Warn Against Evangelism http://religionnewsblog.com/9921/Indonesia-Muslims-Warn-Against-Evangelism
A senior Islamic leader warned foreign relief workers Friday of a
serious backlash from Muslims if they bring Christian proselytizing to
tsunami-struck Sumatra along with humanitarian help.
[Religion, General] A battle to save survivors' souls, too http://religionnewsblog.com/9920/A-battle-to-save-survivors---souls--too
Muslims are handing out Qurans with the bags of rice and sugar they
distribute to tsunami victims. Christian aid groups have also rushed
in, quietly promising salvation in this predominantly Islamic region
but fearful their presence could spark sectarian violence.
Across the Indian Ocean basin, dozens of religion-based groups have
joined relief efforts in the wake of last month's tsunami, which killed
more than 155,000 in 11 countries and left millions homeless.
The groups range from militants believed linked with al-Qaida to
evangelical Christians, and their presence is most profound in
Indonesia, where the needs are greatest and the cash-strapped
government has thrown open the doors to foreign aid groups.
[Science and Religion] Judge in Georgia Orders Anti-Evolution Stickers
Removed From Textbooks http://religionnewsblog.com/9919/Judge-Orders-Anti-Evolution-Stickers-Removed-From-Textbooks
A federal judge in Georgia has ruled that schools in Cobb County must
remove from science textbooks stickers that say "evolution is a theory,
not a fact" that should be "approached with an open mind, studied
carefully, and critically considered."
The judge, Clarence Cooper of Federal District Court, wrote that the
stickers, perhaps inadvertently, "convey a message of endorsement of
religion," violating the First Amendment's separation of church and
state and the Georgia Constitution's prohibition against using public
money to aid religion.
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Hospital's test of new blood worries group http://religionnewsblog.com/9918/jehovah-witnesses
Officials at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center said they will
reach out to midstate Jehovah's Witnesses over religious concerns about
a proposed trial of an experimental blood substitute.
[USA] U.S. moral authority hurt by prison abuses, rights group says http://religionnewsblog.com/9917/US-moral-authority-hurt-by-prison-abuses
Washington's moral authority in the war on terrorism has been
undermined by the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and the secretive
detention and coercive techniques used against prisoners elsewhere,
Human Rights Watch said in a report yesterday.
The international monitor said human rights suffered a serious setback
worldwide in 2004 as a result of the Abu Ghraib scandal and the failure
of the global community to protect victims of ethnic massacres in the
Darfur region of Sudan.
The stage and shamianas have been erected to house the prayer. Benny
Hinn is a US-based Israeli-born prayer leader who holds prayer meetings
across the world and is regularly seen on the God channel.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
Earlier today, Apologetics Index was
unavailable for several hours.
Consistently high traffic rates have caused the site to use more than
its share of server resources, causing the server to crash several
times this week. Since other sites on the server also go down each
time the server crashes, our host temporarily disabled Apologetics
Index.
While we are pleased to see that Apologetics Index continues to grow in
popularity, our web host provider has let us know that we must move the
site to a dedicated server. That means the server would be used only by
Apologetics Index, and the site would thus not have to share the
server's resources with other websites. This would be ideal, were it
not for the fact that our shoestring budget cannot deal with the extra
expense of a dedicated server (in addition to the current monthly cost
of a semi-dedicated server for Religion News Blog).
One option suggested by our web host is to move both Apologetics Index and
Religion News Blog to one dedicated server. Doing so would still
increase our server costs to $170.00/month. That said, in
investigating all our options - both at our current web host and at
other host providers - it appears that our current provider is able to
meet our needs (in terms on traffic, diskspace, database use, speed,
etcetera) cheaper than other hosts can.
As always, we are committed to providing our websites free of charge. A
small portion of our costs is covered by income derived from
advertisements carried on both sites. For example, each time you
purchase something from Amazon.com through our affiliate link -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/christianministr - we
receive a small commission.
However, for the bulk of our expenses we rely on donations. In other
words, our websites are primarily reader-supported. Hence this appeal:
If these websites are of use to you, please consider supporting us with
a one-time or monthly donation. If you are willing and able to help us
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At this writing, we have decided to indeed move both Apologetics Index
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Should you have questions, comments of concerns, please feel free to
contact us: ajhein-hudson@...
Blessings,
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Trial begins in stabbing death of Glenville woman
http://religionnewsblog.com/9976/Carol-Ferenz
The case posed an unusual judicial and religious issue because Carol
Ferenz, a devout Jehovah's Witness, declined a potentially life-saving
blood transfusion in keeping with her faith.
Prosecutors weighed manslaughter charges before charging Ferenz with
murder, ultimately deciding that state law warranted the heavier charge
though Carol Ferenz had declined medical treatment, Bernardi said.
[Children of God / The Family] On tape, son of 'prophet' declares war
on mother http://religionnewsblog.com/9975/Ricky-Rodriguez-Davidito
Oakland native David "Moses" Berg, the founding seer of the Children of
God, put forth a prophecy about his new wife and new son on May 2, 1978.
"Davidito and Maria are going to be the end-time witnesses. They are
going to have such power they can call down fire from Heaven and devour
their enemies," the sect leader proclaimed.
"They are going to be killed. Then, after only 3 1/2 days, Jesus is
going to raise them from the dead.''
Not only did Berg fail as a prophet, but some now say his
miscalculations will have a devastating effect on the group and its
followers.
[Benny Hinn] Paralytic walks before meeting Benny http://religionnewsblog.com/9972/Paralytic-walks-before-meeting-Benny
Kuria Kose, who was claimed to have suffered stroke in his right hand
and right leg, was sitting in a chair watching the media per- sons'
conversation with Bharathi.
As the media persons were coming out, Kuria Kose, all of a sudden got
up from his chair, walked up to them and shook hands with them to bid
farewell.
[Opus Dei] Don't judge Ruth Kelly's spirituality by what The Da Vinci
Code says http://religionnewsblog.com/9971/Ruth-Kelly-Opus-Dei
There's nothing sinister about Opus Dei, says former member Christopher
Howse
[Opus Dei] Kelly denies her religious belief will influence job http://religionnewsblog.com/9970/Ruth-Kelly
Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, has insisted her faith is a
private matter that has nothing to do with her new job.
In a newspaper interview, Ms Kelly rejects suggestions she should break
off links with such controversial groups as the hard-line Catholic
organisation Opus Dei, with which she has been linked since being
promoted to the Cabinet. The sect is portrayed as a sinister cult in
the best-selling book The Da Vinci Code.
[Netherlands] Dutch Muslim MP out of hiding after death threats http://religionnewsblog.com/9966/Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a member of parliament for the centre-Right VVD, or
Liberal party, was working with the film-maker Theo van Gogh when he
was shot dead by a Muslim fanatic on Nov 2.
She said yesterday she intended to publish a second volume of her
controversial book Submission, which was the basis of the film.
[Polygamy] Allen gives colleagues anti-polygamy book http://religionnewsblog.com/9965/anti-polygamy-book
Utah lawmakers were handed some "light reading" for Tuesday's two-hour
bus ride to Fillmore for the governor's State of the State address.
Saying he wants to dispel the notion that polygamy is harmless - or
worse - "a laughing matter," Sen. Ron Allen on Tuesday distributed 104
copies of God's Brothel to his House and Senate colleagues.
[Abraham Kennard] Fraud trial in second week http://religionnewsblog.com/9964/Fraud-trial-in-second-week
Kennard, who is defending himself against charges that he stole around
$9 million from 1,600 churches nationwide, spent the morning
cross-examining Bishop Willie Robbins Jr., a former affiliate of his
company, Network International Investment Corporation.
[St. Matthew's Churches] Recipient skeptical of Jesus letter http://religionnewsblog.com/9963/scam
"This is a scam," Damico said. "They ought to go to that postal box and
see who's picking up that mail."
The money actually goes to a St. Matthew's Church, a Los Angeles-based
organization that has been accused of swindling donors.
[UCKG] Mexican church promises miracles for cash http://religionnewsblog.com/9962/universal-church-kingdom-of-god
With Catholicism losing its lure for some, the Universal Church of the
Kingdom of God (UCKG), a Brazil-based evangelical Christian group that
promises miracles for cash, is spreading fast in Mexico, the
second-biggest Catholic country after Brazil.
[Islam] 'End preacher's website of hate' http://religionnewsblog.com/9961/Omar-Bakri-Mohammed
An internet company is under pressure to pull the plug on inflammatory
broadcasts by an extremist London-based Muslim cleric.
Omar Bakri Mohammed makes live nightly appeals on the PalTalk site for
his followers to support terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
He claims Muslims have a duty to "hate" Western values, democracy and
other religions including Christianity and Judaism.
[Benny Hinn] Priests call off protests against US evangelist's meeting http://religionnewsblog.com/9960/Benny-Hinn
Karnataka's Hindu priests Wednesday called off protests against a
prayer meeting here by American evangelist Benny Hinn after the state
government assured there would be no conversions or healing sessions
during the event.
[Benny Hinn] Karnataka CM rules out banning American evangelist's
discourse http://religionnewsblog.com/9959/Benny-Hinn-India-Meeting
Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh today rejected calls for
banning the controversial American evangelist Benny Hinn's three-day
programme here from Friday, as BJP stepped up pressure seeking its
cancellation and the pastor's arrest.
[Benny Hinn] Pontiffs urge ban on Benny Hinn's discourse http://religionnewsblog.com/9958/Benny-Hinn
Pontiffs of various religious mutts on Wednesday stepped up their
campaign staging dharna demanding ban on discourse by controversial
American evangelist Benny Hinn commencing in Bangalore from Friday, but
government reiterated that it cannot ban the programme.
[Ruben Ecleo] 3 Ecleo cult members fail to dispute charge http://religionnewsblog.com/9954/Runeb-Ecleo
Three prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) got “plain mad”
after three men implicated in the death of lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco
failed to submit their evidence in yesterday’s preliminary
investigation.
The DOJ panel flew in from Manila, only to find out that the three
members of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA)
did not receive the order directing them to present their
counter-affidavit and other evidence.
[Apollo Quiboloy] Cult probed for recruitment of minors http://religionnewsblog.com/9951/Name-Above-Every-Name-Inc
Councilor Jose Molintas presented to the council on Monday a documented
report on Erlinda Rillon, 60, mother of Arlene, a 19-year-old recruit
of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Name Above Every Name Inc.
Rillon claimed that Church founder and leader, Apollo Quiboloy, had
been luring teenagers and young adults from Baguio to operate
Quiboloy's ministry in Barangay Catitipan in Davao City.
[Children of God / The Family] Murder-Suicide Leads to Secretive Cult http://religionnewsblog.com/9950/The-Family-International
A murder-suicide leads to a secretive cult accused of shocking crimes,
adults routinely having sex with children. Tonight, 360 investigates.
What really happened to the so-called Children of God? And what led
this one-time child prophet to kill? [Transcript]
[Children of God / The Family] Former cult member speaks from grave http://religionnewsblog.com/9949/Davidito
In the video, Ricky Rodriguez sits in his apartment, and from his
kitchen table, documents his plan -- to hunt down and kill several
members of a religous sect he claims sexually abused him and other
children.
[Apologetics Index] Apologetics Index / Religion News Blog needs your
help http://religionnewsblog.com/9948/Apologetics-Index
Growing popularity of the sites has forced us to move to a dedicated
server at a cost of $170/month
[Children of God / The Family] 'Prince' of Former Cult Commits
Murder-Suicide http://religionnewsblog.com/9956/children-of-god-the-family-international
Members of the 1970s cult known as the Children of God believed Ricky
Rodriguez would be the man to lead them to the end. But Rodriguez met a
very different fate -- one that involved an act of revenge against the
people who once saw him as a prince.
[Islam] Prof sets forth 'How Islam Plans to Change the World' http://religionnewsblog.com/9974/How-Islam-Plans-to-Change-the-World
Wagner writes in his book that Islam has grown in America as a result
of a detailed strategy that was already in place long before radical
Islamists associated with Osama Bin Laden perpetrated the tragedies of
Sept. 11.
“Islam is a world religion with a well-defined culture and a developed
strategy for taking control of the world,” Wagner writes in the preface
of the book.
[Faith Healing] Where is Filipino 'faith healer' now? http://religionnewsblog.com/9973/psychic-surgery
Even doctors agree that faith can heal. But when faith healers become
brands bigger than the faith itself, they tend to court controversy.
The Benny Hinn episode, which is still unravelling itself in Bangalore,
is mired in a controversy — not the first of its kind in Karnataka.
[Opus Dei] A creepy scrape with the Da Vinci Code set http://religionnewsblog.com/9968/Opus-Dei
My article described the members' practice of self-mortification (men
across the buttocks, women across the back); I also mentioned the
peculiar rule that states that single men, including priests, are not
allowed to travel in a car with an unchaperoned woman. (I wonder how
Ruth Kelly gets round that one as she goes about her ministerial
business.) But, on the whole, the tone of my piece was respectful.
Alas, The Spectator decided to have a bit of fun, heading it "Beating a
path to sainthood". Worse, Nick Garland drew a cartoon of a man with
his trousers around his ankles, merrily scourging his fat bottom while
holding a halo over his head.
That was the moment I was added to Opus Dei's secret enemies list.
[Brethren] Veiled sect hails Bush, Martinez http://religionnewsblog.com/9946/Exclusiv-Brethren
The group of men who formed the committee belong to the Exclusive
Brethren, a reclusive religious group with roots in England and
Australia. The group includes members from Knoxville, Tenn., Omaha,
Neb., and other U.S. cities. Members of the Exclusive Brethren do not
vote, read newspapers, watch television or participate in the outside
world, according to published reports. So why would they care who gets
elected in the United States?
"I am the only daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, 28th of 48
children -- a middle kid, you might say."
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults, sects,
and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
[Alternative Healing] Running on faith http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10316
Around 15,000 spiritual healers practise in Britain, so it is important
to examine whether their techniques do more good than harm. The term
covers a great many approaches: reiki, johrei, therapeutic touch,
intercessory prayer, faith healing and distant healing all fall under
the umbrella of spiritual healing. The common denominator is that
healers of all types claim to somehow channel "healing energy" into the
patient's body with the intention of improving health. The concept is
as simple as it is unproven - nobody, for instance, has so far been
able to measure the "energy" that these healers are talking about.
[False Memory Syndrome] Experts disagree on existence of repressed
memories http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10314
Forget repressed memories for a moment.
Even contemporary memories are iffy, especially when their recall could
become the basis of a lawsuit or other financially motivated action,
according to a Tucson forensic psychiatrist.
"Memories are much more fluid and flexible than we like to think.
Studies have been done that show under even fairly innocuous
conditions, you can cause a person to believe that the incident had
happened or likely had happened," said Dr. Bennett Blum, who
specializes in forensic and geriatric psychiatry.
[Children of God / The Family] La Jolla Foundation Donated to Charity
with Ties to Sex Cult http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10312
An East County charity with close ties to a notorious sex cult has
received tens of thousands of dollars from one of La Lolla's most
prominent foundations. Records filed with the Internal Revenue Service
show the Waitt Family Foundation gave $28,305 to the Family Care
Foundation in Dulzura between 2001 and 2003.
Waitt Family Foundation chief administrator Al Panico told LOCAL 8 that
he was “shocked and surprised” when he found out about the connection
between the Family Care Foundation and a sex cult called The Family
that once advocated sex with children.
[Dena Schlosser] Jury: Schlosser not capable of standing trial http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10311
A jury deliberated for about nine minutes this afternoon before
determining that a Plano mother accused of cutting off her baby's arms
and killing her is not mentally capable of standing trial.
[Transcendental Meditation] Flyaway peace palaces http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10310
Big-talking flying yogics and their "Peace Palaces" seem to have flown
the proverbial coop in Toronto.
With the formal announcement of a University of Peace promised for
Toronto portlands last March, there are no visible signs of
construction. Rather than hammers, drills and saws, the only sound to
be heard in the portlands is the piercing cry of seagulls.
Ditto for sound coming from construction of the nine peace palaces
planned for Canadian soil, and no word either on the fate of the 2,000
square metre peace palace to have begun construction in Ontario, in
2004.
[Mormon Church] Bill aimed at stifling anti-LDS protesters is full of
holes http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10309
Rep. Douglas Aagard, R-Kaysville, is pushing a new state law aimed at
restricting protesters at the LDS Church's General Conferences. To make
the bill seem broadly based, he went beyond restrictions on protests at
a "place of worship" and extended the rules to protesters at a "health
care facility. "
[Mariology] Last child who claimed to see Virgin Mary dies http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10308
Sister Lucia Marto, the last of three children who claimed to have seen
the Virgin Mary in a series of 1917 apparitions in the town of Fatima,
has died, Portuguese media reported. She was 97.
Forensic experts in Italy have come up with this computer-generated
sketch of a fair-skinned young Jesus with wavy hair and dark eyes,
based on historical data and images from the controversial Shroud of
Turin.
The image was created with the same technology used by police to age
the faces of long-time missing people or wanted criminals.
[Unification Church] Local mosque to decide Muslims' role with Moonies http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10306
The question of whether Muslims should participate in conventions run
by the Unification Church, otherwise known as the Moonies, will have to
be decided at the local mosque level, the Colorado Muslim Council
decided at its monthly meeting Sunday.
The council had agreed to discuss the controversial practice by one of
its longtime members, Muhamad Jodeh, who since 2001 has actively
promoted interfaith conventions run by the Rev. Sun Yung Moon.
[Lord's Resistance Army] Ugandan army says 19 LRA rebels killed in
clashes http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10304
The attacks took place in remote parts of Gulu and Pader districts,
where the elusive LRA has waged an 18-year-old war against the
government of President Yoweri Museveni.
Both sides embarked on the most significant peace talks for a decade in
December and the government has announced a limited ceasefire zone to
facilitate more talks -- but outside the zone fighting has continued.
[Personality Tests] The cult of personality tests http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10317
Personality tests are increasingly popular as management tools, yet
many of them are no better than astrology at describing character or
predicting behavior. Though we may regard personality tests as harmless
fun, or an annoying nuisance, in fact important decisions may hang on
their results -- making their widespread use deeply troubling.
[Islam] Despite religious restrictions, Saudis mark lovers' day http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10301
The kingdom's attitude toward Valentine's Day is in line with the
strict school of Islam followed by the kingdom for a century. Like
Valentine's Day, all Christian and even most Muslim feasts are banned
in the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, because they're considered an
unorthodox creation Islam doesn't sanction.
Beyond the ban, it's a challenge for couples to be together on
Valentine's or any other day because of strict segregation of the
sexes. Dating consists of long phone conversations and the rare tryst.
Men and women cannot go for a drive together, have a meal or talk on
the street unless they are close relatives. Infractions are punished by
detentions.
The muttawa, or religious police, mobilize a few days before Feb. 14,
making the rounds of gift and flower shops. As Feb. 14 approaches, the
flush of red fades.
[Christian Science] Christian Science facility proposed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10300
Christian Science has seen its share of critics over the years. Founder
Mary Baker Eddy believed that disease was caused by false beliefs and
that drugs borrow their power from human faith. If someone becomes ill,
they can cure themselves by reconnecting with God.
That belief has led to a number of high-profile court cases, often
involving parents who declined to seek doctors for sick children. More
than a decade ago, an 11-year-old Minnesota boy died when his mother, a
Christian Scientist, refused to take him to a hospital. A jury returned
a multi-million dollar verdict against the boy's mother and the church.
[Clint Brown] Singer-pastor took long road to prosperity http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10299
In 2002, a lucrative year for Clint Brown's music career, he and his
family charged $242,256 on two American Express cards alone. The
following year, they rang up $215,701 on the same cards. Some of the
credit-card charges were paid for by the church, which is reviewing the
bills.
Two developments have cast a spotlight on Brown and his 6,000-member
church. A former congregation member filed a lawsuit claiming $200,000
she gave Brown in 1999 for a new church was a loan, and not a gift, as
the church maintains. And Brown's 38-year-old wife, Angela, filed for
divorce last year in Seminole County.
Using details from the divorce file, news accounts provided a rare
glimpse into the lavish lifestyle of the minister who runs the 25-acre
FaithWorld complex, all the while nurturing a music career on the side.
[Polygamy] Alleged Death Threats Against Judge Probed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10297
Third District Judge Andrew Valdez said in court this past week that he
had gotten law enforcement protection at his home last weekend, but he
did not know why until learning about it at an emergency hearing where
a 16-year-old girl testified that members of her polygamist family had
threatened to kill him and others.
[Gerald Krein] Oregon man had been soliciting suicides for at least
five years http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10295
An Oregon man, who was arrested after he tried to set up a mass suicide
on Valentine's Day, had been urging women to kill themselves for at
least five years, officials confirmed.
[Alternative Healing] Spiritual healing fails test in health study http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10290
Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, reiki and reflexology have
gained huge public approval in recent years for the treatment of
anything from epilepsy to cancer.
But spiritual healing – a mix of meditation, prayer and laying of hands
– has been re jected by Scottish researchers after a ?27,000 academic
study found that the technique has no effect in helping to relieve the
symptoms of asthma.
[RLDS] Leader's resignation puts Community of Christ on unfamiliar
ground http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10289
The succession plan for the Community of Christ has always been simple:
The church's leader designated his successor, and the membership
accepted that choice.
Now, the resignation of W. Grant McMurray without naming a new
president has forced the church and its 250,000 members into unfamiliar
territory. And so they wait for "discernment" - in other words, for God
to show them who the new leader should be.
[Hate Groups] Neo-Nazi threat on Dresden anniversary http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10287
Ceremonies to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Allied
firebombing of Dresden could be disrupted today by the biggest neo-Nazi
demonstration in Germany since the Second World War, police warned.
[Yoga] Faith, healing and ... yoga http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10286
As yoga teacher at Jackson's First Baptist Church, Mason integrates
Christian spirituality into a physical art with Hindu roots. And though
some Christians shun yoga because of its Eastern origins, Mason
embraces the practice that helped heal her body and spirit after
debilitating cancer treatments.
[Religious Merchandising] Spirit of enterprise http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10315
New Age has shed the anti-capitalist trappings of its 1960s revival to
align itself with the dogmas of the new, globalising market, embracing
the ancient teachings of Adam Smith, the economic patron saint of the
Enlightenment, if not enlightenment
[USA] Coalition calls FBI probe of pastor 'alarming' http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10303
The media has been telling the tale of the senior pastor of Southwest
Christian Church being interrogated by FBI agents over the topics of
some of his sermons, including the pastor's speaking out against
abortion and homosexuality.
This week, the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional
Values Coalition based in Washington, issued a formal statement calling
the incident "alarming."
[Kenja Communication] Rau angry at sister's visit http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10278
The 39-year-old former Qantas flight attendant was expelled from the
secretive Kenja cult, after being humiliated in a cruel ceremony in
Melbourne.
She joined other members of the cult at a get-together in October 1998
where witnesses said she was humiliated, "demonised" and expelled.
[Children of God / The Family] Hewlett grant went to cult-linked
charity http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10277
The Flora Family Foundation, an heir to the HP fortune, gave a Southern
California charity with ties to an infamous evangelical sex cult
$61,500 during the past three years, but a top foundation official said
it never would have made the grants had it known about the connection.
The donations were made to the Family Care Foundation, which has
extensive links to the Family International, formerly known as the
Children of God.
[Cults] Flagler woman helps families break cult grip http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10276
Carol Giambalvo looks like a typical, active 61-year-old grandmother.
But when the phone rings in her Flagler Beach mobile home, the caller
is likely to be a terrified parent, a therapist asking for advice, or a
former cult member desperate for help in readjusting to society.
While she's not a psychologist, Giambalvo describes herself as a
self-trained "thought-reform consultant." And although heart surgery in
1999 ended her days of traveling cross-country to lead interventions to
extricate members from cults, she remains a leading force in the
controversial anti-cult movement.
Giambalvo advocates for ethical standards for professionals working to
free people from cults. Abductions and forced de-programmings were
never her style.
"The ends don't justify the means," says Giambalvo, who's been involved
in more than 200 successful voluntary interventions from 1984-99.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
ReligionNewsBlog.com, Feb. 8, 2005
- News about religious cults, sects, and related issues
- Shown in context
- Includes links to related research resources
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Court rules doctors can override patient's wish http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10343/jehovah-s-witnnesses
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says doctors are obliged to
provide the best care possible to seriously ill children, even if it
conflicts with their parents' religious beliefs.
The Supreme Court of Western Australia has ruled staff at Princess
Margaret Hospital can give a 15-year-old cancer patient blood
transfusions, even though he and his parents object to the treatment
because they are Jehovah's Witnesses.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Attempted Murder Victim Hopes Ex-AUM Member is Not
Executed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10342/aum-shinrikyo
Hiroyuki Nagaoka, 66, told the Tokyo High Court he does not want former
senior AUM member Tomomitsu Niimi put to death. "Capital punishment may
be inevitable, but if possible, I hope he could be let off it." [...]
"The defendant has changed from what he was, and he understands he
committed irreparable crimes," Nagaoka told the court.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Car Dealer Found Guilty Over AUM-Related Sales of Skin
Ointment http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10341/aum-shinrikyo
The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced a used car dealer to a
three-year term, suspended for five years, for selling atopic ointment
in 2003 and 2004 without the government's authorization, in conspiracy
with former members of the AUM Shinrikyo cult.
[Polygamy] The Texas Prophecy - A Special Report http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10344/flds-warren-jeffs
The biggest drain on the FLDS bank account in recent weeks is a
seemingly frenzied construction project on a remote ranch in Texas.
It's believed to be the first polygamist temple and it's setting off
alarm bells. John Hollenhorst flew over the site in West Texas and
brings us the exclusive story.
It's not just the spending that has people worried. It's the astounding
speed of the project. Some believe Warren Jeffs has created a dangerous
atmosphere by setting a deadline: his own "Texas Prophesy" of the end
of the world.
[Hate Groups] Police: Man uses media to create illusion of movement http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10340/matthew-ramsey
For more than a year now, a Tualatin man has used public access
television, the Internet and the mainstream media to create the
illusion that a white supremacist movement is on the rise in the
Northwest, law enforcement officials said.
But in reality, authorities said, the so-called Tualatin Valley Skins
and the pro-white movement is the work of one man, Matthew Ramsey of
Tualatin, and perhaps one or two other men.
[Destiny Churches] Destiny promotes Tamaki to bishop http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10339/destiny-churches
Formerly Pastor Brian, the head and founder of Destiny Church is to
become New Zealand's newest bishop, he confirmed in Dunedin last night.
[USA] Files Show New Abuse Cases in Afghan and Iraqi Prisons http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10338/human-rights-issues
A cache of documents disclosed Thursday provides several instances of
prisoner abuse by American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq that
appeared to have been investigated only briefly. The documents,
released by the American Civil Liberties Union, include one file in
which an Iraqi detainee asserted that Americans in civilian clothing
beat him repeatedly, dislocated his shoulder, stepped on his nose until
it broke, choked him with a rope and hit him in the leg with a bat.
Medical reports in the file confirmed the broken nose and fractured leg.
[Exorcism] Priests get refresher course on exorcisms http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10336/exorcism
In a classroom ringed by Rome's pine-covered hills, 100 priests
solemnly stood in prayer, made the sign of the cross and got down to
business: a lesson on Satanism, demonic possession and exorcism.
Worried about ritual killings in Italy and simple adolescent angst, a
Vatican-recognized university launched the course Thursday to help
priests and seminarians understand what makes people turn to the
occult. The class is billed as the first of its kind, with wide-ranging
instruction by exorcists, psychologists and a police criminologist.
[Santa Muerte] Mexico weighs recognition of Saint Death sect http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10335/santa-muerte
Praying to a statue of the Grim Reaper and collecting the faithful
across the country, a small religious sect that worships death is now
fighting the Mexican government for recognition.
The church, an unofficial offshoot of Roman Catholicism, was registered
as a religious group in 2003, allowing it to legally raise money and
own property.
But on Tuesday, the Mexican government said it was considering
withdrawing official recognition of the church after an excommunicated
member accused the cult of forcing its members to worship death and
failing to stick to its bylaws.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Facts Lost If AUM Members Executed Before Founder,
Ex-Cultist Warns http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10334/aum-shrinrikyo
A former AUM Shinrikyo cult cadre who is appealing the death sentence
against him to the Supreme Court, said Thursday that the truth
surrounding a series of crimes related to the cult will remain forever
hidden if death-row followers of AUM founder Shoko Asahara are executed
before him.
[Polygamy] Challenge of Utah polygamy law swatted down http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10333/polygamy
A federal judge has refused to strike down Utah's ban on polygamy,
dashing hopes for a walk down the aisle by a Salt Lake County man who
wants to add another wife to his marriage.
In an order issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart rejected
an argument that the prohibition on polygamy is an unconstitutional
violation of religious and privacy rights and ruled that the state has
an interest in protecting monogamous marriage.
[Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee] Kidnapping suspect breaks into
religious song at hearing http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10332/brian-mitchell
Defense expert Jennifer Skeem, a University of California-Irvine
assistant professor, has twice examined Brian David Mitchell but said
in the hearing Mitchell had become "recently delusional and more
distressed" and was no longer fit for trial.
She also said Mitchell, whom she has diagnosed with delusional
disorder, believes the last days are near, and he will lead the
righteous people to the holy land, where they will engage in an epic
battle with the Antichrist.
[Vampirism] Justice derailed: who's to blame? http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10331/vampires
It was a story of almost unbelievable brutality — the frenzied stabbing
to death of a 12-year-old boy, tape-recorded evidence of the three
accused killers plotting attacks, tales of vampirism, of blood, of
hate, of teenage love.
At the core of it all, the teenage girl who appeared so cool and calm
in the witness box, who brightly told of the phone call she got from
one of the accused killers. She recounted how she had played along with
the vampirism. Really, she said, she didn't take any of that stuff
seriously.
Then Tuesday night, one of the decade's biggest trials turned into a
train wreck. A newspaper story told how the teen, the prosecution's
star witness, had posted references to bloodlust and vampirism on the
Internet. The judge reviewed the information — and declared a mistrial.
What went wrong?
[Vampirism] Crown to retry 'Johnathan' case http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10330/vampires
A mistrial was declared after a key prosecution witness allegedly lied
about her interest in vampirism.
Justice David Watt said the witness, a former girlfriend of one of the
defendants, may have misled the court after a newspaper reported she
had contradicted her sworn testimony in postings to the internet.
[Vampirism] Small fringe jumps from hobby to cult http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10328/vampires
If most are recreational vampires, a small fringe cross the line from
bizarre hobby to dangerous cult.
During the trial, one of the boys facing charges in Johnathan's death
-- a friend of the brother also in the defendants' box -- confessed in
his testimony to a fascination with vampires and a proclivity for
drinking human blood.
But this week, while the jurors were in their second day of
deliberations, a mistrial was declared when it was discovered that the
boy's former girlfriend -- a teenager who was the prosecution's key
witness -- had posted her profile on a popular website for vampire
aficionados, where she claimed a fondness for blood, pain, cemeteries
and knives, after denying in the witness box that she shared the boy's
interests in blood.
[Scientology] Clear thinking http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10327/e-meter
Since a 1963 US food and drug administration edict, Scientology can no
longer refer to E-meters as having any medical use: they are now
"religious artifacts" that continue to play a central role in
scientological practice. The latest Mark VII Quantum model looks like
two tin cans wired up to a Smart Car dashboard but, like its
predecessors, it is integral to the process of becoming "clear" or
"free from negative thoughts and emotions".
[Shinto] Court accepts priest's touching of girl's breasts as
'religious activity' http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10326/ryoichi-sakamoto
In giving the ruling, Tomita acknowledged that Sakamoto had touched the
breasts of the girl, but said of his actions, "(In the sect to which
the defendant belongs) there are some cases in which the skin is
touched directly, and one cannot say that this did not constitute a
religious activity."
[Word of Faith Fellowship] Judge delays hearing http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10324/shana-muse
Tuesday afternoon, District Court Judge David Fox handed down a
visitation order with a serious stipulation before postponing the
hearing involving Shana Muse's efforts to reunite with her two youngest
children.
Judge Fox, agreed to let Muse's two daughters, who have been
emancipated and and have returned to the Word of Faith Fellowship, to
have two hours of unsupervised vistation with their younger brothers.
The stipulation is that the girls not attempt to discuss their religion
with their siblings.
Muse is a former Word of Faith Fellowship member whose four children
were placed in DSS custody by an October 2003 court order which found
the WOFF environment abusive.
[Transcendental Meditation] International Education: Meditation helps
students http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10323/transcendental-meditation
New research appears to be strengthening the case for teaching
transcendental meditation in U.S. schools, showing it to be a means to
improve the concentration of students and a way to enhance their
physical and mental well-being.
[Hinduism] Sex, lies and CDs, it has all the ingredients http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10321/durlabhji-ramnikbhai-aaswadia
The dramatis personae were four priests and seven other persons who had
planned and funded the operation. The CDs were shot at two Swaminarayan
(Vadtal sect) temples in Junagadh and Bharuch and two private premises
in Ahmedabad and Surat.
The three women who figured on the CDs told police during interrogation
that they’d been lured with the promise that they would give birth to a
male child.
[Hinduism] Priest, others in sex scandal dismissed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10319/durlabhji-ramnikbhai-aaswadia
The sadhus, including the priest of Swaminarayn temple, allegedly
involved in a sex scandal, would be dismissed, a top priest of the
Vadtal-based sect said here on Wednesday.
[Polygamy] Polygamous leader Owen Allred dies http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10318/apostolic-united-brethren
Allred had faulted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for
abandoning polygamy to appease the federal government to get statehood
but in 2000 said he supported the state's ban on polygamy.
"I'm really in favor of it being against the law, because if it wasn't
against the law, there wouldn't be anything sacred about it at all," he
said. "If you really believe in it, you'll fight for it."
[Vampirism] Vampirism allegation leads to mistrial in Toronto murder
case http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10329/Vampirism
A mistrial was declared Tuesday night in the murder trial of three
teenagers in Toronto amid allegations that a key prosecution witness
lied about her interest in vampirism.
***
Please note: Religion News Blog is a reader-supported service. If this service is of use to you, please consider making a
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Regards,
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
Sorry folks, the date on the RNB
headlines newsletter you just received should have shown up as Feb.
18...
I'll take the opportunity to mention that our site programmer has
recently added some advanced search options to Religion News Blog.
You'll find them here: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/search.php
The search feature is still being tweaked, so if you run into any
issues, please feel free to let us know.
Also, the story tools (print this article, email this article, ectera)
will be back. We just don't know when.
Regards,
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
[Living Church of God] Ministers to console shooting victims http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10554/living-church-of-god
Charles Bryce, the director of church administration, has only moments
to spare. He is heading to Milwaukee to console the wife of his good
friend, Pastor Randy Gregory.
Gregory, his son and five others were killed Saturday when a gunman
interrupted services.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Victims Still Awaiting Compensation After 1995 Gas
Attack http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10553/aum-shinrikyo
Even 10 years after the AUM Shinrikyo sarin gas attack on the Tokyo
subway system, the government continues to move at a snail's pace in
providing much-needed monetary aid and medical and psychological care
to several thousands of victims of the March 20, 1995 attack.
[Aum Shinrikyo] AUM Follower Bemoans Treatment Over 1995 Sarin Attack http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10552/aum-shinrikyo
Ten years after the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system,
relatives of the 12 people who died and the more than 5,500 others who
survived are still trying to come to terms with what happened on March
20, 1995.
But some members of AUM Shinrikyo -- the religious sect which gained
notoriety for the sarin attack and other crimes -- claim they too have
their own scars to bear.
"We are not recognized for our teachings. The view of our group is all
based on the sarin gas attack -- that is how we are seen from the
general viewpoint," a longtime member of AUM said.
AUM has vowed to reform in an effort to distance from its criminal
image but people still regard it with fear and loathing.
[Aum Shinrikyo] Security Concerns May Lead to Restrictions on Human
Rights http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10551/aum-shinrikyo
The 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system has stirred public
concerns over the security of Japanese society, leading people to
support tougher punishments and the spread of surveillance systems,
civil rights activists said.
[Polygamy] Teen rejected by polygamous family finds new life http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10550/flds
Barlow - the son of polygamist Dan Barlow, banished from the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in January
2004 - is one of dozens of a group known as the Lost Boys, who have
fled or been kicked out of the polygamous communities of Hildale, Utah,
and Colorado City, Ariz.
[Colonia Dignidad] Argentina hands over fugitive in Chile sex case http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10549/colonia-dignidad
The former head of a secretive German colony in southern Chile was
flown to Santiago early Sunday after his arrest in Argentina.
Paul Schaefer, who founded the commune-like enclave in 1961, is wanted
in connection with the disappearance of a dissident under the
dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet ruled from 1973-90.
Schaefer, 83, also faces charges of sexually abusing children at the
colony, Colonia Dignidad, 400 kilometers, or 245 miles, south of
Santiago. He was arrested Thursday near the Argentine capital of Buenos
Aires.
That's not so unusual. Groups put up structures all the time.
What is unusual is the contrast with what happened 15 years ago, when
the church was wrapping up its last major construction project: a
756-person underground bomb shelter in a mountain meadow tucked into
the upper reaches of the church's sprawling Royal Teton Ranch.
[Living Church of God] Details about the sect involved in shooting at
hotel church http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10544/living-church-of-god
Terry Ratzmann, the man who police say killed seven people and then
himself during a church service, was a member of the Living Church of
God, a born-again denomination that focuses on ``end-time'' prophecies.
The church's estimated 6,300 members in 40 countries place a strong
emphasis on using world news to ``prove'' that these are end times, to
be followed by Christ's second coming.
[Living Church of God] Tragedy puts spotlight on small, obscure church http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10543/living-church-of-god
The Living Church of God, a relatively new organization born of a
contentious split over religious doctrine, is small but spreads its
word through weekly telecasts on 150 stations in several countries.
While there was no known motive for Saturday's slayings at a Brookfield
hotel, the man believed responsible had been upset about a taped sermon
by the church's spiritual leader, Roderick C. Meredith, according to a
fellow congregation member who survived the attack. She reported that
the sermon by Meredith, who is seen on many of those broadcasts, dealt
with a coming "spiritual war."
[Living Church of God] Police Provide Details in Wisconsin Church Group
Shooting http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10542/living-church-of-god
The Living Church of God, according to its Web site, is "a new
organization with an old history," led by Dr. Roderick C. Meredith, who
was ordained in 1952. Its 200 congregations observe Saturday as the
true Christian Sabbath - Mr. Colwell said Mr. Ratzmann refused to
attend his wedding because it was on the Sabbath - and "members today
view themselves as the spiritual heirs of the original Jerusalem Church
of New Testament time," the Web site says.
[Hate Groups] Germany Cracks Down on Neo-Nazi Music http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10541/hate-groups
Germany's Supreme administrative court has ruled that a neo-Nazi rock
group that spread racial hatred was a criminal organization, upholding
a first such statement in Germany against a music band.
The court also upheld a three and a half year prison sentence against
the lead singer of the band, Michael Regener -- argueing his lyrics
would incite public hatred against foreigners and minorities in
Germany. The move is part of a nationwide crackdown on neo-Nazi groups
and organizations -- two of which were also banned this week.
[Books] Barney the Inquisitor http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10540/brainwashing
Why did U.S. special forces try to kill goats by staring at them? What
is Uri Geller doing working for the military, and why did the U.S.
Army's Psychological Operations section use music by Barney the purple
dinosaur to interrogate Iraqi prisoners? These are just three of the
questions Jon Ronson raises in The Men Who Stare at Goats, his latest
foray into the dark recesses of government, where conspiracy theories
fester and grow.
The decision was announced two days after Chile's most wanted fugitive
was arrested after eight years on the run.
[Aum Shinrikyo] 10 years after Aum sarin attacks, pseudo-religions
thriving in Japan http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10538/aum-shinrikyo
Asahara's punishment for the subway attack and other criminal cases
involving the deaths of 27 people was a forgone conclusion: the
hangman's noose. Prosecutors called him the most heinous criminal in
Japanese history.
But even today, Aum and other fringe religious groups continue to make
headlines while interest in Japan's traditional Shinto and Buddhist
faiths continues to decline.
"She's continuing a slow decline," Erin Prophet, her oldest daughter
and co-guardian, said in a recent interview.
It's a sad, slow winding down of a woman whose life was always
controversial, but never dull, who is still revered by thousands of
people around the world as a spiritual leader with a direct link to God.
She founded the Church Universal and Triumphant, an international New
Age sect with its headquarters in Corwin Springs. She's written dozens
of books, had at least four books written about her and her church,
could preach for hours and never break a sweat.
[Children of God / The Family] Growing up in a cult http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10536/children-of-god
Before driving across the desert and killing himself, Ricky Rodriguez,
29, had killed Angela Smith, 51. The two had known each other. Smith
may have helped to raise Rodriguez.
The names didn't mean much to most people. But the news was cataclysmic
within the secretive religious society to which both had once belonged.
For more than three decades, the Children of God, now called The
Family, had been a world unto itself. In that world, Rodriguez had been
royalty.
He was the son of the group's self-proclaimed prophet and prophetess,
who led a fervent flock scattered in communes around the globe. When he
was 2, they declared him a prophet too, announcing to followers that
the boy would one day "deliver them out of great sorrow and bondage."
That was not to be.
[Gloria Trevi] A nonfiction puzzle of stardom and sex http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10548/gloria-trevi
Charged with the kidnapping, raping and brainwashing the young teens
they'd taken into their performing arts training school, Trevi and
Andrade fled to Brazil. After a year on the lam, they were arrested and
spent years in jail fighting extradition charges.
That's where Christopher McDougall, who covered Trevi's story for The
New York Times, picks up in Girl Trouble: The True Saga of Superstar
Gloria Trevi and the Secret Teenage Sex Cult That Stunned the World.
[Living Church of God] Gunman kills seven, then himself at church
meeting http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10545/living-church-of-god
A man neighbors described as quiet and devout opened fire Saturday on a
group of men, women and children attending a weekly church service at a
Brookfield hotel, killing eight people - including himself - and
seriously wounding four others.
"He planned to shoot us all," said Chandra Frazier, a 31-year-old woman
attending the Living Church of God gathering.
[Samaritan Foundation] Cult member gets jail for hiding man's body http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10531/samaritan-foundation
A 51-year-old Cheyenne, Wyo., woman was sentenced to at least two years
in prison this week for helping cover up the murder of Chicago
filmmaker Allen Ross, who authorities have long believed was killed by
his cult leader, who was also his common-law wife.
[Polygamy] Polygamous leader ruled in default in suit http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10530/warren-jeffs-flds
The head of a polygamous sect on the Utah-Arizona border has forfeited
the right to defend himself against allegations that he orchestrated
the firing and blacklisting of a former member, setting the stage for a
possible damage award against him.
The clerk of U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Friday entered a
certificate of default against Warren Jeffs, president of the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), in a
lawsuit filed by ex-member Shem Fischer.
Now that he has the certificate, Fischer can either request a hearing
or submit an affidavit to argue the amount of monetary damages he
should be paid. Jeffs has the legal right to dispute the amount but
cannot defend himself against the underlying allegations in the suit.
[USA] Army Details Scale of Abuse of Prisoners in an Afghan Jail http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10529/human-rights-abuse
Two Afghan prisoners who died in American custody in Afghanistan in
December 2002 were chained to the ceiling, kicked and beaten by
American soldiers in sustained assaults that caused their deaths,
according to Army criminal investigative reports that have not yet been
made public.
[...]
John Sifton, a researcher on Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch, said
the documents substantiated the group's own investigations showing that
beatings and stress positions were widely used, and that "far from a
few isolated cases, abuse at sites in Afghanistan was common in 2002,
the rule more than the exception."
[Colonia Dignidad] Indicted Chile cult leader 'ill' http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10527/colonia-dignidad
A former Nazi and fugitive child abuser, Paul Schaefer, has been taken
to hospital in Argentina, a day after his arrest ended eight years in
hiding.
[Colonia Dignidad] Cult leader arrest stirs joy in Chile http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10526/colonia-dignidad
Members of a German-Chilean religious cult have celebrated the arrest
of their ex-leader, a fugitive convicted as a paedophile.
Human rights lawyers said the arrest could help them prove the cult
aided the 1973-1990 dictatorship in the torture of political prisoners.
[Benny Hinn] Hinn Claims Dateline Story Distorted Facts to Attack His
Ministry http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10525/benny-hinn
Televangelist Benny Hinn is accusing NBC of deception after the
network's airing of an investigative report on the finances and
spending practices of his ministry. The recent Dateline report featured
former and current employees of Benny Hinn Ministries, who provided NBC
with receipts and other documents detailing how ministry funds are
spent.
[Islam] Spanish Muslims issue 'fatwa' against Osama Bin Laden http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10524/islam
Spain’s leading Islamic body has issued a religious order declaring
Osama Bin Laden to have forsaken Islam by backing attacks such as the
Madrid train bombings a year ago.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
== Aum Shinrikyo
On March 20, 1995, a Japanese religious movement
known as Aum Shinrikyo engaged in a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo
subway system. Twelve people were killed, and thousands injured.
With the 10th anniversary of the cult's terrorist attack coming up, we
have updated and expanded our entry on the movement: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/a06.html
Of particular interest is Aum's history of violence, Robert Jay
Lifton's description of life inside the cult, and how his concept of
'ideological totalism,' first described in his book, "Thought Reform
and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'Brainwashing' in China,"
applied to Aum Shinrikyo.
== Bill and Patsy Freeman
Bill Freeman is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary.
He is reputed to have a lot of Bible knowledge. Yet he and his wife,
Patsy, long were leaders in the Local Church - which, theologically, is
a cult of Christianity. The Local Church is especially known for its
elitism and exclusivism.
They left that movement, and have started their own meetings, first in
Scottsdale, Arizona, and now in Spokane, Washington.
Note: We are in the process of updating our entry on spiritual abuse.
We intend for this entry to turn this entry into a separate website
(much like our CultFAQ.org site) which will be part of the Apologetics
Index 'family of websites.'
The purpose of ApoloTalk is to provide a forum in which Christians can
discuss any and all apologetics-related issues. If you are looking for
a more general Christian discussion forum, see the Apologetics Index
email discussion list
(http://www.apologeticsindex.org/discussionlist.html). That said, the
"Living Room" section of ApoloTalk -
http://www.apolotalk.com/forum/index.php?c=2 - is a place where you can
talk about any topic of interest to Christians.
=== Apologetics Index 'family of websites'
The Apologetics Index 'family of websites' (listed in the menu:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/) currently includes 15, 233 pages.
Since mid-January our sites are hosted on a dedicated server, at a cost
of $170/month. This means that a $5 donation pays for almost a full
day of web server fees.
Note: from time to time we receive questions about the content of some
of the Google ads that appear on our sites. Generally, we refer people
to this online message: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2004g.html
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
The Gentle Wind Project, based in Kittery, Maine (USA), says it
attempts "to eliminate enough suffering and damaging human behavior to
insure all of humanity a better future."
To this end, the organization - which describes itself as "a
not-for-profit world healing organization with a remarkable healing
technology" - claims to have developed "Instruments [...] that would
alleviate most negative human conditions, along with telepathic
abilities to transmit these healings to anyone. "
In case that makes you wonder, the organization helpfully proclaims
that "[t]he technology available through The Gentle Wind Project comes
from the Spirit World, not the human world."
The project has attracted some attention in the media, not in the least
place because it sued former members and others who have posted some
critical notes on the Internet.
== Living Church of God
The Living Church of God was
recently in the news because of a shooting that took place at one of
its services.
We provide some background information in this entry (yet to be
expanded to include more details): http://www.apologeticsindex.org/l/l43.html
If Apologetics Index
and its related sites are of use to you, please consider making a
donation. The Apologetics Index 'family of websites' (listed in the
menu:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/)
currently includes 15,360
pages.
Since mid-January our sites are hosted on a dedicated server, at a cost
of $170/month. This means that a $5 donation pays for almost a full
day of web server fees.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
[Scientology] Mental health bill gets star treatment http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10901/scientology
A Church of Scientology group brought celebrity firepower to the
Capitol Tuesday, recruiting actor Kelly Preston to lobby for a bill
that aims to restrict mental health services in public schools.
[...]
The bill, backed by the Scientology offshoot Citizens Commission on
Human Rights, has moved steadily through House committees. But it
appears to have hit a snag in the Senate, partly because of its ties to
the church.
[Seishin Chuo Kyokai] Scandal-hit church was investigated for demanding
donations http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10899/Tamotsu-Kin
A church whose leader stands accused of raping a young girl was
investigated by Kyoto Prefectural authorities seven years ago after
officials received information that it was demanding donations from
people, it has been learned.
[Bill and Patsy Freeman] Freemans refuse to respond http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10898/bill-and-patsy-freeman
With the exception of one e-mail sent to the Whitworth administration
late February, the Freemans and their followers have reacted with
silence to the college’s caution about the group and articles in The
Whitworthian detailing the Freeman’s history.
[...]
In reply to Johnson’s e-mail, Whitworth President Bill Robinson wrote:
“I believe we acted in a responsible way when we alerted the community
to concerns that had come to us regarding the Freemans.”
[Witchcraft] Third patient alleges witchcraft in Delnor suit http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10897/witchcraft
A third malpractice lawsuit has been filed against Delnor-Community
Hospital charging that a former psychologist used witchcraft under the
guise of therapy.
[...]
The lawsuit states that Libman administered witchcraft to Carlson by
instructing her to use the witch's pentagram, to conduct a seance, told
her how to write and perform her own witch's spells and asked for a
sample of Carlson's ex-husband's DNA so she could perform a spell on
him.
[Offbeat News] 'Holy Ghost' faces classroom ban http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10896/politically-correct
New guidelines for religious education in Norfolk suggest expressions
such as the Holy Ghost be banned from lessons because they could
confuse pupils.
The Norfolk Agreed Syllabus for religious education recommends that
teachers use the term Holy Spirit, to avoid comparisons with ghost
stories.
[Mormon Church] Mormons Abusing Memory of Deceased Russians — Religious
Council http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10895/Mormon-proxy-baptisms
The Russian Inter-Religious Council has descrideb as “deliberate abuse”
the Mormon practice of enrolling deceased people in their organization.
Russia is also subject to the practice, and it’s a pity there is no law
to stop Mormons from doing it, Roman Silantyev, spokesman for the
Council, told Interfax Tuesday.
[Satanism] Band member jailed for part in satanic murders http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10892/Mario-Maccione
A court in Italy jailed a man for 19 years yesterday for his part in
two satanic ritual killings which were committed when he was a minor.
Mario Maccione, a member of the Beasts of Satan heavy metal group, was
17 when he helped murder a young couple whose bodies were found in
woods outside Milan in January 1998.
[Russia] Russian TV Visits Sect That Believes That Putin is Apostle
Paul Reborn http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10891/Putin-is-Apostle-Paul-Reborn
Vladimir Putin is a reborn Apostle Paul. Such is a new postulate of a
sect that has been operating in Nizhniy Novgorod Region for several
years already. A former prison inmate, now known as Mother Fatinya, is
attracting more and more followers under her wing. People are
abandoning their families and selling their flats - all for the sake of
learning the so-called truth. The local [Russian Orthodox] diocese is
aware of the sect but cannot do anything about it.
[Polygamy] Bizarre events add intrigue to Kingston family hearing http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10890/Heidi-Mattingly-Foster
Heidi Mattingly Foster spent nearly two hours on the stand in juvenile
court Monday as state attorneys repeatedly asked her to acknowledge she
and polygamist John Daniel Kingston abused their children and
questioned her ability to protect them.
[...]
Inside the building, Mattingly Foster refused to detail any past abuse,
citing her right to avoid self-incrimination. But she said new
parenting techniques learned in months of therapy would help her keep
the children safe and that she would protect them from Kingston "If I
need to."
[Polygamy] Custody Hearing in Kingston Case http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10889/John-Daniel-Kingston
A hearing was held today involving some of the children of polygamist
John Daniel Kingston and one of his wives. A judge is deciding if
he'll reunite them with their parents.
[MOVE] Jury verdict will push city costs from MOVE bombing to nearly
$43M http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10888/MOVE-Philadelphia
A federal jury awarded $12.8 million to 24 residents of Osage Avenue
yesterday after finding that Mayor Street and the city violated their
rights in the wake of the bombing of the MOVE house 20 years ago.
The jury's verdict, and comments by some of the jurors, reflected sharp
criticism of Street's actions in dealing with the residents, whose
homes were among 61 destroyed in the fire that followed the Mother's
Day 1985 police bombing.
[MOVE] MOVE block residents awarded $12.83 million http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10887/MOVE-Philadelphia
Twenty years after the MOVE bombing, the price tag for the debacle
keeps rising, with a federal jury yesterday awarding the last 24
residents of the West Philadelphia block about $530,000 each and
handing a stinging rebuke to Mayor Street.
[Hate Groups] Czechs worried by increase in neo-Nazi meetings http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10886/Neo-Nazi
Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda expressed concern about the
increasing number of international meetings of right-wing extremists,
especially in regions of the country bordering Germany.
"I hope and wish that the Czech Republic does not become a melting pot
for neo-Nazis," Svoboda said in Prague.
[Alternative Healing] Most Older Adults Use Alternative Medicine http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10885/Alternative-Medicine
More than 70 percent of adults aged 50 or older use some type of
alternative therapy, such as herbal medicine, meditation, or seeing a
chiropractor, according to new study findings.
Author Dr. Gong-Soog Hong said she was surprised to see so many older
adults turning to alternative treatments. Although it's important to
have "options," she said that many of these remedies are largely
untested, and experts still don't know if they interfere with many
combinations of drugs older adults are taking.
[Catholic Church] Lay activists may shape Catholicism http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10884/Religion-Trend
The Vatican needs all the hope, and the help, it can get these days in
Latin America, which accounts for about 40 percent of the world's
Catholics. The church may still be dominant in the region, but it's now
far from universal.
An array of spiritual beliefs and political tendencies fractures the
church. Millions of its believers have deserted to evangelical
Protestant faiths. The ranks of priests and nuns continue to dwindle
even as the total number of Catholics expands with the rocketing
population.
[Unification Church] Public Faith in NGOs Remains Strong Despite
Scandals http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10883/Sung-Myung-Moon
Of wide historical note in Korea are the Reverend Moon Sun-myung’s
pseudo-religious political organizations, most well known of which are
the Unification Church and the Women’s Federation for World Peace
International.
Having been in operation since the 1950s, Moon’s non-profit
organizations, which now total 1,000, have been little more than a
front for transferring funds through a transcontinental business empire
with links to North Korea and Latin American conservative militia
groups.
[Mormon Church] Jews, Mormons to Examine Proxy Baptisms http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10882/Baptisms-for-the-dead
Jews and Mormons decided Monday to jointly scrutinize a Mormon database
that includes the names of thousands of deceased Jews including
Holocaust victims who were given unwanted, posthumous baptisms.
[Clint Brown] Evangelist Clint Brown hit by suit http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10881/Clint-Brown-FaithWorld
A Denver church has sued Orlando evangelist Clint Brown, saying he has
refused to repay a $100,000 loan he sought to help buy a building for
his Pentecostal congregation.
The suit by Heritage Christian Center is the latest in a series of
legal troubles for Brown, who leads the 6,000-member FaithWorld church
west of Maitland. Heritage is suing FaithWorld as well as Brown.
The 41-year-old preacher and recording artist also is embroiled in a
bitter divorce case and already has been sued by a former church member
who says he reneged on a verbal loan agreement with her.
[Opus Dei] Opus Dei watching for selection of pope http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10880/Opus-Dei
As cardinals prepare to elect a new pope, one Catholic community in
particular has much at stake - Opus Dei, the ultraconservative movement
at the center of the furor generated by "The Da Vinci Code."
Founded in Spain in 1928, the movement has more than 80,000 members
worldwide, many of them lay people but also hundreds of priests,
bishops and even two cardinals among those who will be casting votes in
Rome.
[Jehovah's Witnesses] Teen can't refuse blood, court rules http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10879/blood-transfusion
A 14-year-old Jehovah's Witness undergoing cancer treatment lost her
fight in court yesterday to stop doctors from giving her a blood
transfusion against her will.
[Scientology] Scientology in schools http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10878/Scientology-Is-Dangerous
L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer before he decided, more
than a half-century ago, to publish his views on mental health. Now,
apparently, his adherents are writing Florida law.
Two bills aimed at schoolchildren that are winding their way through
the Legislature bear a familiar Hubbard trademark. They hold the
practice of modern mental health medicine in contempt and, by
extension, those who would dare to seek the help of a psychiatrist. The
bills were written, at least in part, by a group called Citizens
Commission on Human Rights, which was set up by the Church of
Scientology in 1969 to attack health care professionals who don't
subscribe to Hubbard's vision of "Dianetics."
[...]
The Scientologists are certainly entitled to their own world view, and
the celebrities who are drawn to it are surely buoyed by Hubbard's
suggestion that they are "a cut above man." But Florida law, and
Florida schoolchildren, don't need to be a party to Hubbard's grudge
against psychiatrists.
[Christianity] On new NBC show, Revelation meets ad rates http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10893/Revelation
When NBC airs the first episode in its new “Revelations” TV drama
Wednesday night, don't expect to learn much about the New Testament
book of Revelation.
The six-part series may have been inspired by the imaginative, puzzling
and complex apocalyptic writing in the final book of the Bible, but the
TV show's take on Revelation can't possibly reflect what Christianity
thinks about it. That's because Christianity as a whole has never quite
decided what it thinks about Revelation.
[Lyndon LaRouche] Fresh inquiry into student's death rejected http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10877/Jeremiah-Duggan
A fresh investigation into the bizarre and unexplained death of a
British student who had become involved with a political cult in
Germany has been ruled out by prosecuting authorities in Wiesbaden.
The decision is a devastating blow to the family of Jeremiah Duggan,
22, who have maintained since his death two years ago that the decision
of the German police that their son committed suicide by jumping in
front of cars on a dual carriageway was wrong and based on inadequate
inquiries.
The family believe Mr Duggan's involvement with the Wiesbaden-based
followers of Lyndon LaRouche, a right-wing American millionaire and
conspiracy theorist who has been accused of running a political cult
with anti-Semitic views, holds the key to his death. They believe their
son may have been victimised because he was Jewish and wanted to leave
the gathering of cult followers he had been attending.
[Scientology] Scientologists deny claims of homophobia http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10876/Scientologists-deny-claims-of-homophobia
John Travolta and Tom Cruise have forcefully denied allegations that
they turned to Scientology to "cure" them of their supposedly gay
urges. But critics continue to claim the religion is rife with
homophobia.
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote in his 1950 best seller,
"Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health," that gays were
"sexual perverts" and "very ill physically."
[Judaism] 'Lost' Jewish tribe to settle in Israel http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10875/Bnei-Menashe
Thousands of tribals in India's north east are set to migrate to the
promised land after Israel recognized them as descendants of one of the
Biblical lost tribes, community leaders say.
The 6,000-strong "Bnei Menashe", or children of Manasseh Tribe, spread
across Mizoram and Manipur states have been officially recognized by
sephardic or oriental chief rabbi Shlomo Amar in Jerusalem.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
[Offbeat News] Chicago Officials Turn Off 'Jesus' Light http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11653
City officials have turned off a streetlight that drew more than 250
people to see a shadow that some say resembles the image of Jesus
Christ.
[UK] Mosques, madrasas attacked in UK http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11652
Backlash and reprisal attacks against British Asians seem to be gaining
momentum: three further attacks were reported on mosques and Islamic
educational centres in east London and Bristol.
[Religious Merchandising] French shoes with Lord Rama's image annoys UK
Hindus http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11651
A French footwear company has recently managed to offend just about
every member of the UK's Hindu community. So how did they manage this
feat? By selling shoes with an image of Lord Rama imprinted on them.
[Jesus Christians] Police ignore plea from 'cult mum' http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11650
A young mother allegedly abducted by an Australian missionary in Kenya,
yesterday denied she was being held against her will by the Bible-based
cult Jesus Christians.
[Scientology] Tom Cruise's clown show http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11649
Washington Monthly 's Kevin Drum has had enough of Tom Cruise's
wackadoodle public behavior and Scientology-inspired obnoxiousness.
''If the media stopped treating this like a bit of chuckleheaded fun
and asked Cruise some real questions,'' growls Drum, ''Americans might
be a wee bit less tolerant of his dangerous and dishonest clown show.''
[Religion Trends] Stars more outspoken about religion http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11648
What happens when a Hollywood star spouts off about religion? If it's
ultimate A-lister Tom Cruise, who has been outspoken about his
Scientology beliefs while promoting "War of the Worlds," the fallout --
at least at the box office -- appears negligible.
[Scientology] Tom Cruise, three questions for you http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11647
Cruise is clearly speaking from a deep personal belief. The scandal is
that our supine, celebrity-hungry media have cravenly let him publicise
this controversial organisation on his own uncritical terms.
[Polygamy] Eight men indicted in polygamous community http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11646
Eight men in this community dominated by a polygamous church have been
indicted on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and conspiracy,
prosecutors said Monday.
[Opus Dei] Opus Dei shuns Da Vinci Code image http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11645
Critics accuse Opus of promoting right-wing beliefs and using
aggressive recruiting methods. Some former members allege cult-like
practices such as brainwashing and coercion. Its notoriety soared with
the 2003 bestseller The Da Vinci Code, where US author Dan Brown
depicted it as a secretive society ruthlessly plotting to keep the
Church conservative.
[Mohammed Bouyeri] Van Gogh murder suspect waives right to defence http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11643
A suspected Islamist went on trial on Monday for the murder of a Dutch
filmmaker critical of Islam but waived the right to mount a defence in
a case that has stoked religious and racial tension in the Netherlands.
[Mohammed Bouyeri] Van Gogh's Self-Confessed Killer Declines to Testify
in Trial http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11642
Mohammed Bouyeri, the self-confessed murderer of Dutch filmmaker Theo
van Gogh, declined to testify as prosecutors opened their case against
him in Amsterdam today. He faces a maximum penalty of a life
imprisonment.
[Harry Potter] Harry Potter fans ready to be spellbound http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11641
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment of J.K.
Rowling's popular book series, will be released at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
[UK] Witch trial girl's 'mother' found http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11640
The BBC has found a woman in Angola who says she is the mother of
"Child B", the eight-year-old abused because she was believed to be a
possessed witch.
[Scientology] Katie More Zombie-Like Than Ever http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11639
Katie Holmes' interview in W magazine has set off a firestorm. Reading
it can only be even be more worrisome for her parents as they see the
steady hold Tom Cruise and Scientology have taken of their beloved
daughter. There is no way to minimize the frightening aspect of the
interview.
[Ayah Pin | Sky Kingdom] Ayah Pin Followers Wary of More Raids http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11638
Expecting another raid by the State Religious Affairs Department and
the police today, cult leader Ariffin Mohamad a.k.a. Ayah Pin placed
barbed wire along the perimeter of his 'Sky Kingdom'.
[Islam] Europe's radical Muslim youth turn to violence http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11637
“What we are now awaiting is the emergence of a new generation of
terrorists: kids who were 12 to 15 years old on September 11 2001 and
who have taken a year or two to make the same ideological progress that
leads to violence, and which took their elders around 10 years or
more,” Claude Moniquet, director general of the European Strategic
Intelligence and Security Centre, told a US congressional committee in
April.
[Islam] In London, Islamic Radicals Found a Haven http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11635
As bin Laden's ideology of making war on the West spread in the years
before Sept. 11, 2001, London became "the Star Wars bar scene" for
Islamic radicals, as former White House counterterrorism official
Steven Simon called it, attracting a polyglot group of intellectuals,
preachers, financiers, arms traders, technology specialists, forgers,
travel organizers and foot soldiers.
[Mohammed Bouyeri] Trial begins for suspect in Van Gogh murder http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11634
Mohammed Bouyeri is accused of murdering Van Gogh as he cycled to work
in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. A descendant of the brother of 19th
century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, the filmmaker was known for his
outspoken criticism of Islam.
[Hate Groups] Canada signs protocol against Web racism http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11632
Canada has joined an international crackdown on Internet racism and its
links to terrorism, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler says. He was in
Strasbourg, France, yesterday as Canada became the first non-European
country to sign a protocol to fight hatred on the Web.
[True and Living Church...] Women get new trial against church for
fraud http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11631
Two women who gave their life savings to an apocalyptic religious group
will get a new trial on their terms, the Utah Court of Appeals decided
Friday. Kaziah Hancock and Cindy Stewart sued leaders of a polygamous
church for failing to make good on promises they'd get land, some money
back and a face-to-face visit with Jesus. The promises were made in
return for their contributions to The True and Living Church of Jesus
Christ of Saints of The Last Days.
[Islam] Muslims see more abuse after London attacks http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11630
Muslims have been subjected to a higher than usual level of abuse since
Thursday's bomb attacks in London, police and Muslim groups said on
Sunday. But they have also received thousands of messages of support
from non-Muslims who recognise the vast majority of the country's 1.6
million Muslims have no sympathy for those who carried out the attacks.
[Scientology] Florida mental health advocates go on offensive to
protect patient rights http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11628
Advocates for the mentally ill in Florida are finding it hard to keep
quiet.
Actor Tom Cruise, a fervent disciple of the Church of Scientology,
caught recent national attention for railing against psychiatry and
antidepressants. Mental health advocates say they might ordinarily
dismiss the outbursts of the War of the Worlds star as ravings of an
eccentric celebrity. Not this time, they say, because his views -- or
at least sentiments much like them -- found unexpectedly strong support
in this year's Florida legislative process.
[Scientology] Tom Cruise is so hot - that is, for Scientology http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11627
If you think the actor's behavior is a little, um, intense lately,
members of his church got the first glimpse of it in a convention video
to rally support.
[Scientology] Scientology minder prompts Katie Holmes through first big
interview http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11626
Katie Holmes, whose whirlwind engagement to Tom Cruise has produced one
of Hollywood's more improbable unions, has taken on a new role - that
of a lovestruck automaton. In her first big interview since her
betrothal to Cruise, who turned 43 last week, the actress, 26,
responded to every question with gushing platitudes as her
Scientologist "minder" looked on approvingly.
[Terrorism] Look where the terrorists are from http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11636
As the shock waves from Thursday's terrorist attacks in London
reverberate across the Atlantic, a grim truth should become
increasingly clear: One of the greatest terrorist threats emanates not
from the graduates of Middle Eastern madrasas, but from some of the
citizens of Britain.
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
Amsterdam, Netherlands http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions,
cults, sects, and related issues
We have updated the Apologetics Index entry on the Fundamentalist
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS):
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/f/f39.html
FLDS leader Warren Jeffs was recently indicted, and is being sought by
the FBI.
:===Begin Quote===
It's been a difficult spring for Warren Jeffs, the reclusive leader of
a secretive polygamist sect that is building a large settlement and an
imposing stone temple a few miles outside of town.
In Texas, the governor recently signed into law measures aimed
directly at the polygamists, including raising the age of consent to
marry from 14 to 16 and outlawing "stepfather marriages."
In Utah, a state judge in late May removed the trustees including
Jeffs who had controlled the multimillion-dollar trust that owns
most of the land, homes and businesses used by sect members.
In Arizona, officials two weeks ago seized control of the public
school district in Colorado City Jeffs' former stronghold. The
district, which had been run by the polygamists, is heavily in debt
and assets are missing.
And on June 10, in the first fruits of a long-running criminal
investigation into underage marriages within the sect, a grand jury in
Kingman, Ariz., indicted Jeffs on two felony charges.
- Source: Eldorado sect is hammered on all sides, San Antonio
Express-News, June 20, 2005.
:===End Quote===
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
Amsterdam, Netherlands
http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
:===Begin Quote===
A man who claims he's God and a cult that venerates tea? In many
places, this would be viewed as harmless eccentricity. But in
Malaysia, where the limitations on religion are growing ever more
rigid, they are seen as dangerous deviants
The giant teapot is tucked behind a palm grove in the spiritual heart
of Malaysia. A painted, concrete structure, it stands two storeys high
in the village of Kampung Batu 13. At first glance, you might think it
was some sort of advertisement, or part of a theme park. But the
teapot is the symbol of a bizarre cult, set up by a 65-year old Malay
who claims to be God, and it was built to symbolise the pouring of
blessings on mankind.
For nearly 10 years the teapot has dominated Ayah Pin's commune, named
"Sky Kingdom", and worshippers flock to the village to test its
healing powers. An umbrella-shaped building stands nearby, and there
is a floating ark and a huge vase to store "holy" drinking water that
is distributed to devotees. People from Malaysia, neighbouring
countries and beyond come for healing sessions in the mysterious round
room under the lid.
[...more: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11728 ...]
:===End Quote===
We have also posted an Apologetics Index entry on Ayah Pin's Sky Kingdom:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/s/s53.html
Anton
--
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
Amsterdam, Netherlands
http://ApologeticsIndex.org: Research resources on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
http://ReligionNewsBlog.com: News & news archive on religions, cults,
sects, and related issues
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