Crosses to be removed from police chaplain badges
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Current events from the world of freethought, faith, and politics.
Crosses to be removed from police chaplain badges
Crosses will be removed from badges worn by Spokane Police chaplains under terms of an out-of-court settlement between the city and a former Lutheran pastor-turned-atheist who sued over the government agency’s use of the insignias and Christian prayers.
God tells Hayden man to cut off and microwave hand
A Hayden man cut off his hand with a circular saw Saturday and put it in the microwave, allegedly to rid his body of the mark of the beast and escape the wrath of God.
Spokane: Ex-youth minister gets 15 years for sex with minor
James Ritter used manipulation to groom young girls at a Lutheran church, deceive their parents and fool church leaders. But the former youth minister didn't dupe a Spokane County judge on Monday with his words of remorse and acknowledgement of deplorable acts as he pleaded for community-based sex-offender treatment rather than prison. Ritter was sentenced to 15 years on six counts of first-degree sexual misconduct. The charges stem from at least six times he met and had sex with a 16-year-old girl after youth group.
Powerful Civil Rights Group Calls Atheism a Civil Right
The right to not believe in a higher power is now considered a civil right to be defended like any other by one well-established civil rights organization in Washington, D.C. The Secular Coalition of America (SCA) is the first nontheist group invited to join the Legislative Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR).
Bishop blames child abuse on children
Bernando Álvarez said that there are 13-year-olds who are wanting to be abused, and 'if you are careless they will provoke you'
Youth pastor charged with performing sex acts on teenager
A youth pastor at Bible Way Church has been charged with performing sex acts on a 14-year old girl three separate times. Investigators say 36-year-old Falcon Davis worked at the Augusta church for 2 years. They say Davis confessed to the crimes. He is now in jail awaiting a bond hearing.
Priest charged with lying about mob ties
A Roman Catholic priest was arrested on perjury charges Wednesday, accused of lying about his relationship with a mobster in testimony to a grand jury investigating a casino owner's possible ties to organized crime.
Ex-Pastor sentenced, alleges molestation by a 4-year old
A retired pastor from Canada was sentenced to three years in prison today after telling a McHenry County judge he was sexually harassed by the 4-year-old Lake in the Hills girl he pleaded guilty to molesting. Kenneth R. Cooke, 73, appeared to have reasonable chance at a probation sentence given his age, health problems and lack of criminal history heading into his sentencing hearing this afternoon. But the Calgary man who once headed his own ministry likely blew his chance of avoiding prison when he took the witness stand and painted his pre-school age victim as a sexual aggressor. "On a couple of occasions I felt I was sexually harassed," Cooke said. "I think there is psychological evidence that children even in their younger years can become interested in sex."
What We Believe: Atheism - A belief in the here and now
Atheist Fernando Aguilar of Walla Walla reads extensively to learn about the world around him and believes it's possible to live a moral life without religion. "Live your life the way you want other people to live. Enjoy family. Do something in the community that helps others. It's the community and family, to me, that are most important," he said.
Military Evangelism Deeper, Wider Than First Thought
For US Army soldiers entering basic training at Fort Jackson Army base in Columbia, South Carolina, accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior appears to be as much a part of the nine-week regimen as the vigorous physical and mental exercises the troops must endure. That's the message directed at Fort Jackson soldiers, some of whom appear in photographs in government issued fatigues, holding rifles in one hand, and Bibles in their other hand. Frank Bussey, director of Military Ministry at Fort Jackson, has been telling soldiers at Fort Jackson that "government authorities, police and the military = God's Ministers,"
From the Censorship Desk: Toronto-area Catholic school board bans Pullman fantasy trilogy
(Are ideas threatening your dogma? Censorship to the rescue!) After yanking The Golden Compass from its library shelves for review, a Toronto-area Catholic school board has decided to make the removal permanent. At a board meeting Tuesday evening, the trustees of the Halton District Catholic School Board voted to ban the title as well as the remaining two books in atheist author Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy: The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
The Council for Secular Humanism Chides Congress for Disrespecting Religions
(December 14, 2007) -- Experts from the Council for Secular Humanism noted with alarm the passage of H. Res. 847 in the House of Representatives. This unnecessary, unwarranted, and bigoted law, under the misleading title "Recognizing the Importance of Christmas and the Christian Faith" passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support It effectively undermines the sort of religious tolerance necessary in these changing times.
Father says killed daughter in Canadian hijab case
A Canadian teenager who was said to have clashed with her father about whether she should wear a traditional Muslim head scarf died of injuries late on Monday, and her father told police he had killed her.
Colorado church gunman was from a "very, very religious" Christian family
The gunman was identified as Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled by his family and raised in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household.
Pastor is convicted in sex case
A Hamilton pastor was found guilty of inappropriate sexual contact with a teenage female member of his congregation Tuesday following an two-day trial. The Rev. Bruce Alvin Curtis, 54, a religious leader at Community Friendship Church of God in Christ in Hamilton, was found guilty of attempted sexual battery, a fourth-degree felony and sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor, for a February incident that occurred at the 17-year-old's Fairfield home.
Pastor in Puyallup charged with child molesting
A pastor in Puyallup has pleaded innocent to four counts of child molesting involving two sisters whose family attends his church. The Rev. Forrest Lee Hudson, 65, pastor of Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, was arrested Friday, posted $100,000 bail and remained free after his arraignment Tuesday in Pierce County Superior Court on first-degree child molestation and three counts of second-degree child molestation.
Las Vegas Raelian Gets 'God-Free' U.S. Citizenship Ceremony
Dozens of local residents were sworn in Friday as naturalized U.S. citizens, but one of the new Americans insisted on taking a special oath, one that removed all references to God.
Atheists' Sign Spurs Talk, Thought
The sturdy white sign in Rockville's Central Park asking passers-by to "Imagine No Religion" has generated some calls, a few of them angry, to town hall. There have also been calls to local clergymen and discussion in businesses along Rockville's West Main Street.
Romney Speech Reflects Inaccurate Understanding Of Church-State Relations, Says Americans United
Today’s speech by Mitt Romney on the role of religion in American politics reflects an inaccurate understanding of the constitutional relationship between church and state, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “I was disappointed in Romney’s statement,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “The founders of our Constitution meant for religion and government to be completely separate. Romney is wrong when he says we are in danger of taking separation too far or at risk of establishing a religion of secularism.
'Atheist Outrage' over holiday 'Tree of Knowledge'
Fox & Friends launched a salvo in the War on Christmas Monday, attacking an atheist group's "tree of knowledge" erected in front of a Philadelphia courthouse alongside a creche and menorah, while ignoring a 32-foot tree dedicated to "commercial attraction" in the same public square.
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