Tony Blair wants to 'unite the faiths'

guardian.co.uk, Thursday May 29 2008
Tony Blair today said he wanted to devote the rest of his life to promoting understanding between the world's religions.

The former prime minister recalled how his Christian faith gave him the strength to take tough decisions during his spell in Downing Street.

In his most detailed description of the central role of faith during his decade as prime minister, Blair said religion inspired him even when he thought he had little political support.

His remarks appeared in an interview with Time magazine on the eve of tomorrow's launch of his new Faith Foundation, which aims to increase dialogue and practical work between the world's religions, in New York. Full story HERE.

Hundreds of New Testaments torched in Israel

(CNN) -- Police in Israel are investigating the burning of hundreds of New Testaments in a city near Tel Aviv, an incident that has alarmed advocates of religious freedom.

Investigators plan to review photographs and footage showing "a fairly large" number of New Testaments being torched this month in the city of Or-Yehuda, a police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said Wednesday.

News accounts in Israel have quoted Uzi Aharon, the deputy mayor of Or-Yehuda, as saying he organized students who burned several hundred copies of the New Testament. The deputy mayor gave interviews to Israeli radio and television stations after word of the incident surfaced about two weeks ago.

Soon he was talking with Russian, Italian and French television stations, "explaining to their highly offended audiences back home how he had not meant for the Bibles to be burned, and trying to undo the damage caused by the news (and photographs) of Jews burning New Testaments," The Jerusalem Post reported. Full story HERE.

Marines are pushing Christianity in Fallujah

FALLUJAH, Iraq — At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.

Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked.

He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16." Full story HERE.

Charges dropped over Scientology protest

Legal action has been dropped against a 15-year-old who faced prosecution for branding Scientology a "cult".

The teenager held up a sign which read, "Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult", in May outside its headquarters in the City of London. City of London Police said it had received complaints and warned the teenager to get rid of the sign as it breached the Public Order Act.

Human rights campaigners vowed to take action against the police. Lawyers for the human rights group Liberty represented the teenager in his legal battle.

James Welch from the organisation said: "The police may have ended their inquiries into this tawdry incident but rest assured that Liberty's inquiry will continue. Democracy is all about clashing ideas and the police should protect peaceful protest, not stifle it." Full story HERE.

Below is a video showing how it started:

Ventura explains civil rights

Glenn Greenwald has written en excellent editorial on the subject HERE.

Texas polygamist sect skilled at misleading authorities

Sunday, May 25, 2008
AUSTIN – Child welfare officials were up against a culture of secrecy, unlimited resources and sect members well-schooled in the art of misleading authorities as they tried to build their case for removing hundreds of children from a West Texas polygamist enclave, religious experts and former adherents say.

Thursday's appeals court decision that many if not all of the children removed from the Yearning For Zion ranch last month must be returned to their parents highlights how difficult it is to build a child welfare case against a fundamentalist religious group, sect investigators say – particularly without a vocal victim.

The 450 children remain in state custody while the Texas Supreme Court decides whether to take up the case. But the legal challenge has kindled quiet debate over whether Texas authorities should deal with polygamist groups as states such as Utah and Arizona have done: trying to win cooperation rather than raiding communities and prosecuting members en masse.

"These are people who have been taught from the cradle that outsiders are bad, that government is evil, until they fear us more than they fear their abusers," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

Full story HERE.

Customers Upset Over Controversial Billboard

POSTED: 4:38 pm EDT March 28, 2008

UPDATED: 8:14 am EDT March 31, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- It looked harmless enough, but the words on a billboard unnerved so many people that a popular restaurant nearby actually lost business. The billboard was on Colonial Drive near Old Cheney Highway. Although the popular Straub's Seafood restaurant often advertises on it, it wasn't their billboard. The sign was taken down after Channel 9 started asking questions.

The billboard came down around 4:00 Friday afternoon and nearby business owners are relieved. Straub's Restaurant can replace the sign with the night's specials. At first glance, the sign looked like a children's cartoon, but the message next to the fairy princess stirred emotions.

"When you condemn all religions and say they are a fairytale, that is wrong," said Rich Stormes, a nearby business owner. Full story HERE.

McCain's minister does it again

U.S. commander apologizes for Koran target practice

One in Eight Biology Teachers Still Teach Creationism

One in eight U.S. high school teachers presents creationism as a valid alternative to evolution, says a poll published in Public Library of Science Biology.

Of more than 900 teachers who responded to a poll conducted by Penn State University political scientist Michael Berkman and colleagues, 32% agreed that creationism and intelligent design should be taught as scientifically unsound. Forty percent said that such explanations are religiously valid but inappropriate for science class.

However, 25% said they devoted classroom time to creationism or intelligent design. Of these, about one-half -- 12% of all teachers -- called creationism a "valid scientific alternative to Darwinian explanations for the origin of species," and the same number said that "many reputable scientists view these as valid alternatives to Darwinian theory." Full story HERE.

Polish Catholic church "cures" gays

Women sue cult over childhood rape

Dad appeals son's circumcision to Supreme Court

A divorced father who wants to circumcise his 13-year-old son against the wishes of the boy's mother is trying to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

James Boldt, who converted to Judaism, argues that preventing him from circumcising his son violates his constitutional right to practice his religion.

The U.S. Supreme Court accepts a small fraction of the appeals it receives. A decision on whether it will take the case is not expected until the fall

Earlier this year, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the trial judge should determine what the boy wants.

Boldt's ex-wife, Lia, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, says her son doesn't want the procedure but is afraid to tell his father. Full story HERE.

Belief in God 'childish' : Einstein letter

Albert Einstein described belief in God as "childish superstition" and said Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this week, an auctioneer said Tuesday.

The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion have been more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in response to a philosopher in 1954.

As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish people but said they "have no different quality for me than all other people".

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. Full story HERE.

Attorney wants pope to testify on clergy sex abuse

BRETT BARROUQUERE
AP News
May 12, 2008 22:36 EST

Pope Benedict XVI should be questioned soon about clergy sex abuse in the Catholic church because he is the most knowledgeable person on the topic and his advanced age makes future testimony unlikely, an attorney said Monday. Many similar lawsuits have named the pope, the Vatican and other high-ranking church officials as defendants but have failed.

Attorney William McMurry said Pope Benedict XVI has an unparalleled knowledge of the scope of sex abuse complaints because before becoming pope, he led Vatican offices that were directly involved with the investigation of sexual abuse by clerics.

Jeffrey Lena, the Berkeley, Calif.-based attorney for the Vatican, had little to say about the motion. "It's novel," Lena said. "It's not appropriate." Full story HERE.

House of Yahweh: An Even Darker Sect

By Angela K. Brown, Associated Press

posted: 13 May 2008 03:13 pm ET

CLYDE, Texas (AP) — Behind guarded, ornate gates at the end of a rural road, a self-proclaimed prophet warns his followers about the end of time and rails against a dangerous and unclean world outside their West Texas compound.

The women are covered in long skirts and long-sleeve shirts. Many of the children have different mothers and share the same father.

But this is not the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' ranch, which authorities raided last month in Eldorado after receiving reports that underage girls were being forced to marry much older men.

This is the House of Yahweh: a different, even darker sect that the state has been investigating for years. Authorities in February charged the group's 73-year-old leader with performing polygamous weddings and forcing about 40 children — some as young as 11 — to work jobs at his 44-acre (18-hectare) compound. Full story HERE.

Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You

EDITORIAL - by Michael White
Would you recognize a legislative push for Creationism if you saw one? After decades of failed legal strategies to overtly ban evolution or make equal time for Creationism in public schools, the latest tack used by the opponents of evolution is to have 'academic freedom' bills that encourage school teachers to include supposed evidence against evolution, or the presentation of 'both sides' of a controversial issue in science class. If you support the integrity of science education, you should oppose bills like this, both because they are redundant when it comes to good science (teachers already can teach both scientific sides of a legitimate scientific debate), and because the Creationist legislators pushing them are up to no good. But are we reaching a point where Creationism is defining itself out of existence? Are they creating a legal loophole too small for their anti-evolutionary propaganda to fit through? Full story HERE.

Ministry to distribute Bibles with newspaper

Posted on Sun, May. 11, 2008- The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - A religious group is planning to distribute 250,000 Pittsburgh-themed New Testament Bibles in advertising pouches to be delivered with editions of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper.

CityReachers Pittsburgh, a program of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based International Bible Society, hopes to send the New Testaments to the paper's subscribers in Allegheny County and some border communities on Sept. 7.

The group has delivered custom-designed Bibles to newspaper subscribers in several other cities across the country in an effort to find innovative ways of spreading a Christian message.

Last month, the group distributed 140,000 New Testaments in Philadelphia and Chester counties. It plans to send out another 260,000 in Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware counties in November. Full story HERE.

Mary Tillman talks about her son Pat

Scientology loses it's wealthiest member

Andrew Hornery, May 10, 2008

THE Church of Scientology has lost its grip on James Packer.

The billionaire's closest friends have revealed that he has quietly distanced himself from Scientology, labelled a cult by some former members, as it faces international controversy about its anti-psychiatry stance.

Members of Mr Packer's inner circle have confirmed that the billionaire, who had ranked as Scientology's wealthiest member in the world, was no longer undertaking Scientology courses and had slowly moved away from the religion, telling his closest friends he no longer "needs it".

Full story HERE.

It's always about 'God'

By JILL ZEMAN, Associated Press Writer
Fri May 9, 5:25 PM ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - It's a happy Mother's Day for an Arkansas woman — she's pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year's Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins.

Duggar has been been pregnant for more than 11 years of her life, and the family is in the process of filming another series for Discovery Health. Duggar said she's six weeks along and the pregnancy is going well. She and her husband, Jim Bob Duggar, said they'll keep having children as long as God wills it.

Full story HERE.

Body of woman found on toilet, residents praying over it

Fri May 9, 7:40 PM ET
NECEDAH, Wis. - A sheriff's deputy discovered the remains of a 90-year-old woman on a toilet in a house she shared with a woman and two children, authorities said Friday.

According to the criminal complaint, Bernice Metz contacted the Juneau County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday and asked if a deputy could check on her 90-year-old sister, Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth. Metz said no one had heard from Middlesworth for some time.

When Deputy Leigh Neville-Neil arrived at the house, she encountered Lewis, also known as Sister Mary Bernadett, the complaint said. Lewis initially refused to allow the deputy to check on Middlesworth, telling her Middlesworth was on vacation and saying she had to check with her "superior" first.

When the deputy opened the last closed door, she smelled "decaying matter" and noticed something piled on what appeared to be a toilet, and Lewis told her it was Middlesworth's body, the complaint said.

The deputy ordered Lewis' children — a 15-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy — out of the house because of the stench. Lewis and the children began crying hysterically outside.

Lewis told the deputy Middlesworth died about two months earlier, but God told her Middlesworth would come to life if she prayed hard enough. Full story HERE.

Florida teacher fired for 'Wizardry'

Another Pasco County substitute teacher's job is on the line, but this time it's because of a magic trick. The charge from the school district — Wizardry!

Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears. But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own.

"I get a call the middle of the day from the supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he said. When Piculas went in, he learned his little magic trick cast a spell that went much farther than he'd hoped.

"I said, 'Well Pat, can you explain this to me?' 'You've been accused of wizardry,' [he said]. Wizardry?" he asked. Full story HERE.

Gay Penguins: The most objectionable book in America

8/05/2008 11:14:00 AM.
Anil Lambert-Patel, LiveNews

The tale of a pair of gay penguins who adopt a chick has once again topped the ‘objectionable’ list in US libraries.

‘And Tango Makes Three’ is a children’s picture book published in 2005 about a family of penguins – with two fathers.

It is the most ‘challenged’ book in public schools and libraries for the second year in a row, according to the American Libraries Association.

The ALA defines a "challenge" as a "formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness."

"The complaints are that young children will believe that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is acceptable. The people complaining, of course, don't agree with that," Judith Krug, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, told AP.

Other books hitting the Top Ten complained about include Maya Angelou's memoir ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,’ in which Angelou writes of being raped as a child; Mark Twain's ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’ long attacked for racism; and Philip Pullman's ‘The Golden Compass,’ which is widely perceived to be pro-atheism.

Rioting over women's rights in Bangladesh - 12 April 08

City panel votes to nix Boy Scouts-connected front group

A commission in the nation's second-largest city, by a unanimous vote, is forcing its fire department to drop part of its cadet program administered by a group it says is a front for the Boy Scouts of America to skirt anti-discrimination policy.

The programs in question were developed by Learning for Life, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts, and adopted by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The Learning for Life mission statement, as retrieved from their website, reads: "It is the mission of Learning for Life to enable young people to become responsible individuals by teaching positive character traits, career development, leadership, and life skills so they can make moral choices and achieve their full potential." While materials have also stated that participation is not restricted based on criteria such as race, religion and sexual orientation, the Fire Commission and Lambda Legal contend that the organization is at odds with city anti-discrimination policy due to its Boy Scouts ties. Full story HERE.

U.S. evangelicals call for step back from politics

07 May 2008 18:02:50 GMT

DALLAS, May 7 (Reuters) - A group of U.S. evangelical leaders called on Wednesday for a pullback from party politics so that followers would not become "useful idiots" exploited for partisan gain. One in four U.S. adults count themselves as evangelical Protestants, giving them serious clout in a country where religion and politics often mix. Conservative evangelicals have become a key support base for the Republican Party. But the movement has had growing pains and the statement issued on Wednesday, called an "Evangelical Manifesto," is the latest sign of emerging fractures as some activists seek to broaden its agenda beyond hot-button social issues such as opposition to abortion and gay rights. "Christians from both sides of the political spectrum, left as well as right, have made the mistake of politicizing faith," the manifesto declares. Full story HERE.

'Apocalyptic church' leader arrested

Top 10 Crazy Cults

LiveScience has composed a 'Crazy Cults' list HERE. It's cute, but as expected, they neglected to include the biggest offenders. Like Scientology. And Catholicism.

Hillary asks a serious question

From 2007: Whether you like it or not, this is THE issue with school vouchers. What is your answer to this problem?

Ex-prez Bush hosts cult leader

The Moonies have just trumpeted the latest delegation of their dreaded leader, Sun Myung Moon, to the Bush presidential library in College Station, TX. The occasion: a statesmanlike party, from April 28 to May 2, 2008, celebrating Moon's dreams of influencing world events and burying Jesus Christ. The host: George H.W. Bush. Full story HERE.

Investment scam targeting Christians

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Federal authorities arrested a man accused of running an investment scheme that netted more than $25 million by targeting Christian investors nationwide.

Jon G. Ervin, 61, of Mission Viejo, was arrested Friday on a charge of wire fraud. He later appeared in federal court, where he was ordered held on $1 million bail.

Ervin's public defender, Leon Peterson, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

Ervin was named Thursday in a criminal complaint filed in federal court. The same day, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed lawsuits against Ervin and his company, Safevest LLC, and obtained federal orders freezing their assets. Full story HERE.

Students are leaving Oral Roberts University

TULSA, Okla. - As Oral Roberts University prepares to hand out diplomas to its Class of 2008, Anna Siebring, a junior, will be mailing out applications to transfer to another school. Siebring, a government major, is among many students having second thoughts about staying at Oral Roberts after six months of scandal at the evangelical Christian university.

She and others fear the furor will reduce the value of any degree they earn there. Some graduates worry that they will have to try twice as hard to market themselves to potential employers after Saturday's commencement.

"The reputation of the school means a lot," Siebring said. "I want to be proud of the school that I went to, but I could definitely not say that about the school right now." Full story HERE.

McCain's minister

In a sermon given at his San Antonio, Texas Cornerstone megachurch that was telecast and available in up to ninety million homes worldwide, controversial pastor John Hagee, who has endorsed the presidential bid of Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, Jr., claimed that American public schools provide abortion services. Hagee stated, "Your daughter can get an abortion in public school without telling you but she can't get an aspirin without your approval."
More from 'Talk to Action' HERE.

Baby-Dropping Ritual