Homeland Security Enlists Clergy

Could martial law ever become a reality in America? Some fear any nuclear, biological or chemical attack on U.S. soil might trigger just that. KSLA News 12 has discovered that the clergy would help the government with potentially their biggest problem: Us.

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Church Deacon, OU Fan Tears Scrotum Of UT Fan In Bar Fight

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Aggravated assault charges have been filed against a church deacon and University of Oklahoma Sooners fan after officials say he grabbed a University of Texas fan between the legs during a scuffle in an Oklahoma bar.

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Affidavit Filed Against Priest

WATERBURY -- A Roman Catholic priest at two Naugatuck churches allegedly coerced a teenage boy into giving him oral sex several times in exchange for wine and money, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released at Waterbury Superior Court on Wednesday.

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Artist Defends Osama-As-Jesus

THE artist behind a controversial work depicting terrorism mastermind Osama bin Laden morphing into Jesus today asked people to look deeper into the work.

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Bishop Weeks Blames Devil For Assault Charges

ATLANTA -- The minister husband of evangelist and gospel singer Juanita Bynum took the pulpit at the church where he is pastor just two days after surrendering to authorities on charges he beat his wife outside a hotel.

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Schools Need Not Recognize Christian Group -- Court

A school district that allows other extracurricular clubs to meet on high school premises need not extend that right to a group whose membership is limited to professed Christians, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday.

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Abuse Plagues Muslim Women In Germany

Traditional attitudes linger, leading to forced marriages and violence.

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Voters: Keep God Out Of It

Connecticut voters want God off the campaign trail, out of the voting booth and away from the halls of government.

That's according to a new poll on religion and politics sponsored by The Courant.

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The End of Secularism In Turkey

Sept. 3, 2007 issue - This fall, I plan to teach a course on Turkish secularism at Georgetown University. The class was originally listed as current politics. But given the direction in which Turkey's headed, it could well become a history course instead. For after some 80 years, Turkish secularism is withering away.

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The World's Oldest Bacteria

A research team has for the first time ever discovered DNA from living bacteria that are more than half a million years old. Never before has traces of still living organisms that old been found. The exceptional discovery can lead to a better understanding of the ageing of cells and might even cast light on the question of life on Mars.

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Anger At Malaysia 'Jesus Cartoon'

A Malaysian newspaper is facing calls to shut down after it published an image of Jesus holding a cigarette and what appeared to be a can of beer.

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Religious Related Violence 8/29/07

Some of the religious-related violence stories in the last 5 days:

Officials: India blasts that killed 41 were terror attacks

2 killed in northern Iraq roadside bombs

10 bodies found dumped in Baghdad

5 dead , 27 wounded in Baghdad blast

Troops south of Baghdad find 'terrorist execution site'

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Roadside bomb kills 2 U.S. soldiers in Iraq

Deadly blasts kill 44 in southern India

Local Indian officials blame deadly blasts on Pakistani, Bangladeshi militants

Militants fire upon civilians making religious pilgrimage south of Baghdad

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Suicide bombing at mosque kills at least 9

CBS translator killed in Iraq

2 U.S. soldiers killed in Salaheddin province

Roadside bomb kills 2 U.S. soldiers in Iraq

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

In southern Afghanistan, more than 100 insurgents killed in fighting

50 dead, 247 wounded in Karbala fighting

3 killed in Baghdad violence; 13 slain bodies found in Baghdad

In Iraq's Karbala, fighting prompts pilgrim evacuation order

Attack on U.S. troops in eastern Afghan spark concerns of new trend

3 troops killed in eastern Afghan attack were Americans

Iraq's military battles insurgents in heart of the capital; Police fight gunmen in Karbala

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

South of Kirkuk, suicide bombing kills 2 civilians

In Iraq's Babil province, curfews, influx of fleeing Shiite pilgrims, attacks

Taliban militants free 12 South Korean hostages; 7 still in captivity

54 dead, 262 wounded in Karbala fighting

6 killed in northern Iraq shooting

Baghdad attacks kill 1, wound 10

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

A Hole Lot Of Nothing

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there.

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Diamonds Unlock Secrets Of Early Earth

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Diamonds more than 4 billion years old -- nearly as old as the Earth itself -- have been discovered in Western Australia, giving scientists vital clues about the early history of our planet.

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Atheists' Warning

AMERICAN ATHEISTS cautioned today that President Bush's plan to sell $20 billion of advanced military hardware to Saudi Arabia and five other Persian Gulf states, and provide more aid to Israel threatens to further destabilize the region and fuel religion-based terrorism.

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Not So Fast, Christian Soldiers

The Pentagon has a disturbing relationship with private evangelical groups.

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See also:

The Pentagon Sends Messengers of Apocalypse to Convert Soldiers in Iraq

Fringe Evangelicals Distort US Military Policy

Mother Teresa's '40-Year Faith Crisis'

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who may be canonised as a saint by the Vatican later this year, had a deep crisis of faith in God for the last 40 years of her life, according to a new set of her letters.

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See also:

"Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith"

Mother Teresa Doubted Existance of God

Rough Justice: 80 Lashes

His face covered by a balaclava, an official brandishing a cane repeatedly lashes the back of a man found guilty of breaking Iran's morality laws.

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Old Statehouse Policy Bans Religious Ceremonies

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- A state official is warning he might have to enforce an old but largely forgotten rule banning people from using the capitol for religious functions, like protests and rallies.

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Graduation Prayer Policy Violates Constitution

Religious Liberty Watchdog Group Says School Officials May Not Promote 'Majority Rules' Prayer At Graduation.

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Atheism On CBS Sunday Morning

Atheism on CBS Sunday Morning (YouTube)

Ancient Protein Tells A Story Of Changing Functions

Offering insight into how evolution progresses inside a gene, scientists have pinpointed mutations in an ancient protein that transformed its shape and function more than 400 million years ago.

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Nigerian Islamic Court Tries 18

Eighteen Nigerian men accused of dressing up as women during a party at a hotel have gone on trial before an Islamic sharia court in the northern state of Bauchi.

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Furor Over Religion in La. Gov's Race

A political ad from the Louisiana governor's race is drawing a storm of criticism for accusing Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal of calling Protestants "scandalous, depraved, selfish and heretical."

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Romeoville Sex Offender Back In Pulpit

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (STNG) - A southwest suburban Southern Baptist congregation allowed a convicted child sex offender to preach for the last few years -- despite his past, and a warning from his previous church that he might still be dangerous, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

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Ind. State Agency Cuts Chaplain Program

INDIANAPOLIS -- The state's largest agency has scrapped its fledgling program to create a network of clergy volunteers to work with employees, an initiative that atheists challenged in court and one that had yielded few results.

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Evangelist Hinn Lands Under A Cloud

Hinn arrives under a cloud after the CBC's The Fifth Estate this week challenged his claims of miracle cures and described a lavish lifestyle of fancy cars, a 7,000-square-foot ocean-side mansion and luxury travel to five-star hotels on a private jet.

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God Bless Me, It's a Best-Seller!

The author's book tour -- for God Is Not Great -- takes a few miraculous turns, including the P.R. boost from Jerry Falwell's demise, a chance encounter with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and surprising support for an attack on religion.

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Brazilian Church Leaders Get U.S. Jail Time

MIAMI -- A husband and wife who lead one of Brazil's largest evangelical churches were sentenced to nearly five months in prison Friday after pleading guilty to smuggling more than $56,000 into the United States hidden in luggage, a child's backpack and a Bible case.

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Miami-Dade Jury Rejects Demon-Made-Me-Do-It Defense

A reformed Satanist was convicted of killing and dismembering a romantic rival.

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Moth Study Backs Classic 'Test Case' For Darwin's Theory

For more than a century it has been cited as the quintessential example of Darwinism in action. It was the story of the peppered moth and how its two forms had struggled for supremacy in the polluted woodlands of industrial Britain.

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Church Abuse Trial Ordered

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A federal bankruptcy judge on Friday ordered immediate jury trials in more than 40 sex-abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

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Iranian Police Give Barbers The Chop

Police in Tehran have closed two dozen barbers and hairdressers in a fortnight in the latest phase of a "morals" crackdown aimed at enforcing Islamic dress codes among young Iranians.

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Iran's Hangmen Work Overtime

The most visible manifestation of the new oppression sweeping Iran has been the wave of public executions and floggings carried out in Teheran and provincial capitals over recent weeks in a blatant attempt by the regime to intimidate political opponents. The official government line is that the punishments are part of its "Plan to Enforce Moral Behaviour".

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More Animals For Slaughter At Shambo Temple

Two more animals are to be put down today at the remote Hindu community where Shambo the temple bullock was slaughtered last month.

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When Wrong Boyfriends Or Clothes Lead Daughters To Kill Themselves

Families in Turkey accused of forcing young women to take their own lives.

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Televangelist Bynum Assaulted

ATLANTA (AP) - Police said Juanita Bynum, a televangelist who has won a national following with sermons about women's empowerment, was assaulted by her preacher husband in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel early Wednesday.

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Child Abuse In Mosques: Lifting The Veil Of Secrecy

ALI KHAN was sitting at a meeting in a Glasgow mosque, discussing a paedophile assault in a house of God, when he realised he had to take matters into his own hands. A Koranic teacher had been accused of sexually assaulting a young girl under his charge, and Khan, a 47-year-old property tycoon, was sitting alongside a handful of other senior Muslim figures in the community discussing what should or should not be done with the man.

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He Wanted To Die For Allah

Detectives investigating the attempted car bombing of Glasgow airport have recovered a "claim of responsibility" written by Kafeel Ahmed, who died from burns he suffered in the attack, the Guardian has learned.

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Minority Religions Under Attack In Iraq

The suicide bombings that ravaged the Yazidi sect in Iraq underscored the fears of violence and insecurity binding many of the nation's religious minorities, ranging from Christians who are fleeing their ancient enclaves to a dwindling sect that follows the teachings of John the Baptist.

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ACLU Sues To Stop Church Donations

NEW ORLEANS -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in federal court here Monday (Aug. 13) to stop Louisiana from making taxpayer-financed donations to two churches.

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Shop Targets U.S. Hunters With Camo Bibles

DALLAS (Reuters) - An on-line outdoor retailer in the United States is selling camouflaged Bibles, a curious product which says a lot about American culture.

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Scientists Induce Out-of-Body Sensation

Using virtual reality goggles, a camera and a stick, scientists have induced out-of-body experiences -- the sensation of drifting outside of one's own body -- in healthy people, according to experiments being published in the journal Science.

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See also:

Virtual reality gives out of body experience (Video)

In Google Earth, A Service For Scanning The Heavens

Google is unveiling within Google Earth today a new service called Sky that will allow users to view the skies as seen from Earth. Like Google Earth, Sky will let users fly around and zoom in, exposing increasingly detailed imagery of some 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies.

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Artificial Life Likely In 3 To 10 Years

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer.

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Fla. Televangelist Loses Show After Muslims Complain

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A Christian televangelist who harshly criticizes Islam and other religions said Friday that his late-night program is being pulled off the air because of pressure from a Muslim group.

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Camp For Those Who See Dead People

Mediums, clairvoyants and healers are housed in the camp -- known to the locals as "Spook Hill" -- either for all or part of the season. There are workshops and classes, not on typical summer camp fare like basket weaving and swimming, but rather past life regressions and how to see auras in 60 seconds.

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Religious Related Violence 8/24/07

Some of the religious-related violence stories in the last 10 days:

Death toll in northern Iraq bombings still rising

3 German federal police officers killed in Afghan bombing

11 militants killed, 4 detained in raids

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

In southern Afghanistan, 'number of insurgents' killed in fighting

Iraq government: Death toll in northern Iraq at more than 400

13 terrorists killed, 16 detained in Iraq raids

2 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq combat

Baghdad shopping center targeted with car bomb, 9 killed

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

3 killed, 6 wounded in Kashmir bombing

5 civilians killed in eastern Afghan fighting; nearly dozen arrests in south

U.S. soldier, boy, 13 insurgents killed during fighting in, near Iraqi town

U.S. soldier killed, another wounded in fighting at Sunni mosque north of capital

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

11 slain bodies found in Baghdad

Two insurgents killed, 16 detained in operations against al Qaeda in Iraq

At least 15 dead in suicide bomb attack on American security contractor convoy

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Pakistani military battles al Qaeda, Taliban militants in tribal areas; 16 dead

Nearly a dozen dead in mortar attack on Baghdad residential area

NATO soldier killed while escorting convoy in southern Afghanistan

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Hamas, hospital sources: Israeli airstrike kills 6 Hamas executive force members

Car bomb detonates in Sadr City; at least 5 dead

Baghdad attacks kill 4, wounds 14

Bomb kills southern Iraqi governor

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Israeli airstrikes kill 1 in Gaza; Hamas fires rockets at Israel

Tikrit police chief killed

Iraqi government official abducted by uniformed men, Interior Ministry says

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Suicide bombers strike military base near Baghdad; 4 Iraqi soldiers dead

At least 37 killed in suicide truck bombing in Baiji, latest in string of deadly incidents in northern Iraq

U.S. soldier killed in combat west of Baghdad

2 Afghan soldiers killed, 11 NATO soldiers wounded in attack on NATO base

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Sources: Israeli air strike kills 1, injures another

Diyala troop offensive over; in other incidents, 3 die in attack, 1 in raid

2 killed, 12 hurt in Mosul car bombing; 9 police detained in southern Baghdad

U.S. soldier killed in roadside bomb blast west of Baghdad

Gunmen kill at least 3 in dual attack launched in central Iraq

2 Canadian soldiers, 1 Afghan interpreter die in Afghanistan

German man kidnapped by Taliban appears in video, asks for help

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Official: Iranian forces shelling targets in Kurdish province in northern Iraq

U.S. troops, insurgents fight in Baghdad

Attacks prompt curfew in Samarra

Women, children among 10 killed in fighting between U.S. troops, militants west of Baghdad

Explosion kills U.S. soldier, wounds 4 others

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Man 'Mad At God' Drives Into Church

A 23-year-old St. Augustine man who told deputies he was "angry with God" and intentionally drove his pickup truck into a Catholic church early Tuesday morning, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.

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Wife Who Killed Preacher Set Free

(CNN) -- After spending a total of seven months in custody, the Tennessee woman who fatally shot her preacher husband in the back was released on Tuesday, her lawyer told CNN.

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Religious Right Lining Up Behind Fred Thompson

Despite their differences, social conservatives appear ready to give two thumbs up to the former Tennessee Senator, cum Hollywood actor, touted as the 'Ronald Reagan of the South,' when he finally tosses his hat into the ring.

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Recorded Lecture Reveals Hostility To Science, Religious Tolerance

AUSTIN -- A recorded lecture reveals that the new chairman of the State Board of Education harbors a shocking hostility to both sound science education and religious tolerance, the president of the Texas Freedom Network said today.

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Sonora Officially Trusts A Deity

SONORA -- The words "In God we trust," borne on U.S. currency for decades, will also adorn a wall at City Hall.

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Federal Judge Accused Of Religious Bias

Fort Lauderdale, Fla., attorney Loring Spolter is accusing U.S. District Judge William Zloch of bias in two employment discrimination cases, citing his deep religious beliefs, and wants the judge removed from the cases.

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Nude Jogging Priest

A Catholic priest who was arrested for jogging in the buff nearly two months ago in Frederick was investigated by the Archdiocese of Denver more than eight years ago for "inappropriate personal behavior," a church official acknowledged Thursday.

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NYC Principal To Be Fired Over School Chicken Blood Ritual

NEW YORK (AP) -- A public school principal accused of performing religious rituals with candles, incense and chicken blood in an attempt to cleanse her high school of negative energy has been reassigned and will be fired, the Department of Education said Tuesday.

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Church Learns Vet Was Gay, Cancels Memorial

ARLINGTON, Texas - A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay.

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Girl Allegedly Dragged Behind Van At Christian Boot Camp

BANQUETE, Texas -- The director of a Christian boot camp and an employee were arrested Friday for allegedly dragging a 15-year-old girl behind a van after she fell behind the group during a morning run, authorities said.

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Court Rejects Challenge To Use Of Churches As Polling Places

A federal judge in Florida has found that having a polling place at a Catholic church does not violate the First Amendment's establishment clause.

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Sali Concerned About Hindu Prayer

Idaho Congressman says offering in Senate "creates problems."

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Alorton Sign Is Fine By Town -- But Maybe Not By ACLU

"Welcome to The Village of Alorton," say two green-and-white billboards with lights shining on them. "Where Jesus is Lord. Randy McCallum Mayor."

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Rape In Darfur Persuaded Charity To Act

When observers from Amnesty International visited Darfur in 2004, they were appalled by the number of rape victims they encountered.

The women and girls fall victim to rape as they collect firewood outside the refugee camps. Many have been gang-raped in front of their families as the conquering Janjaweed militia burnt down their homes.

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See also:

Amnesty to defy Catholic church over rape victims' abortion rights

Islamists Rally To Demand Creation Of Muslim State

Shouting "Allah is great", and waving black and white flags, about 80,000 members of the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir gathered in a sports stadium in Jakarta yesterday to call for the creation of a Muslim state spanning the Islamic world.

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Religion, Culture Behind Texas Execution Tally

DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas will almost certainly hit the grim total of 400 executions this month, far ahead of any other state, testament to the influence of the state's conservative evangelical Christians and its cultural mix of Old South and Wild West.

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Teaching The Bible Increases At US Public Schools

It looks like a scene out of Sunday school: Students in a southern Orange County, Calif., classroom huddle over Bibles, as teacher Ryan Cox guides them in analyzing the relationship between God and Satan.

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New State Law Bolsters Use Of Bibles In Classrooms

The latest twist on bringing the Bible into the classroom comes courtesy of the Texas Legislature. Backers of House Bill 1287 say it was offered not only to give public schools the option of adding the course but also to protect them from legal challenges.

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Pentagon Generals In Trouble For Promoting 'Christian Embassy'

CNN reported Monday that the Pentagon's Inspector General has found that seven military officers, including four generals, engaged in misconduct three years ago when they appeared in a promotional video for an evangelical group called Christian Embassy.

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See also:

God in the Military - The Pentagon and its Christian Embassy (You Tube)

China Tells Living Buddhas To Obtain Permission Before They Reincarnate

Tibet's living Buddhas have been banned from reincarnation without permission from China's atheist leaders. The ban is included in new rules intended to assert Beijing's authority over Tibet's restive and deeply Buddhist people.

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Religious Related Violence 8/14/07

Some of the religious-related violence stories in the last 12 days:

Al-Sistani aide shot dead

U.S. soldiers killed in Baghdad combat

Bomb blast kills 3 U.S. soldiers in eastern Baghdad

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

At least 11 dead in mortar attack on gas station in Baghdad

Hamas: at least 1 dead, several wounded in Gaza airstrike

U.S. military reports raid in Diwaniya against Shiite insurgents; 3 dead, 3 detained

At least 12 killed in Pakistan attacks

More than a dozen U.S. troops killed in Iraq this week

37 bodies discovered in Baghdad in 2-day span

Dual bomb attacks kill 1, wound 8 in Baghdad

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Two U.S. soldiers killed Sunday, bringing weekend death toll to 4

At least 11 dead in mortar attack on gas station in Baghdad

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

U.S. military reports another soldier killed Sunday, bringing weekend toll to 5

Suicide truck bomber kills at least 28; roadside bombings kill 11

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

U.S. and Iraqi forces tangle with the Medhi Army in eastern Baghdad

Israel kills Palestinian gunmen in northern Gaza

Nearly two dozen militants killed in southern Afghan fighting

Military announces four more U.S. troop deaths in Iraq

8 killed, 14 detained north of Baghdad

Three U.S. troops killed over the weekend in war-torn region south of Baghdad

Roadside bomb kills 3 U.S. soldiers

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

2 U.S. troops killed in Iraq

5 dead in Samarra mortar fire

Around 30 militants killed in Sadr City violence

British troop death in Iraq, 2nd in two days

U.S. and Iraqi forces tangle with the Mehdi Army in eastern Baghdad

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Afghan troops in pitched battle with Taliban, U.S. reports

Bombing target British convoy kills two soldiers; 4 UK troops slain this week in Iraq

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Suicide car bomb kills at least 7 in crowded Kirkuk market

British soldier killed in southern Afghanistan

At least 8 wounded in Jerusalem Old City attack

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Coalition base in southern Afghanistan attacked twice on Saturday

11 slain bodies found in Baghdad

1 ISAF soldier killed, 2 injured in eastern Afghanistan

Governor, police chief, 3 bodyguards in southern Iraqi province slain in roadside bomb

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

1 NATO soldier and 3 coalition soldiers die in Afghan fighting

Five U.S. soldiers killed south of Baghdad

Roadside bomb blast kills Somali journalist on way home from colleague's funeral

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

2 soldiers killed by Ninewa blast

Grenade blast kills 3, hurts 20 in Kashmir market From Mukhtar Ahmad In Srinagar

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Suicide bombings in northern Iraq kill as many as 175

Deputy oil minister in Iraq, four other managers kidnapped

Polish soldier killed in Afghan conflict

Car bomb targeting police in northern Iraqi city kills 1, wounds 5

U.S. soldier killed in Baghdad fighting

Suicide bombing partially collapses bridge north of Baghdad; 8 dead, 10 wounded

Israeli forces target Palestinian militants in southern Gaza

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

OUT Campaign Launched

The new OUT Campaign website!


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See also:

Come Out!

The Out Campaign

God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy: 'No' Says God

(The Onion) SAN FRANCISCO -- For as long as he can remember, 7-year-old Timmy Yu has had one precious dream: From the bottom of his heart, he has hoped against hope that God would someday hear his prayer to walk again. Though many thought Timmy's heavenly plea would never be answered, his dream finally came true Monday, when the Lord personally responded to the wheelchair-bound boy's prayer with a resounding no.

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Eternity For Atheists

If God is dead, does that mean we cannot survive our own deaths?

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Minister In Skirt Charged With Indecent Exposure

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A Baptist minister has been charged in Tennessee with indecent exposure and driving under the influence.

Police said 58-year-old Tommy Tester of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly relieving himself in front of children at a car wash.

A report also accuses Tester of offering police officers oral sex and says an open bottle of vodka and empty oxycodone prescription bottle was found in his car when Tester was arrested Friday.

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Fatal Ending To Arizona Exorcism

Officers responding to a report of an exorcism on a young girl found her grandfather choking her and used stun guns to subdue the man, who later died, authorities said Sunday.

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Pharmacists Sue State Over 'Morning-After Pill'

SEATTLE -- Pharmacists have sued Washington state over a new regulation that requires them to sell emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill."

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Jonathan Falwell On The March

Kicking it into high gear after his father's death, Falwell defends Ann Coulter, and appears at a historic evangelical Christian/Muslim meet-up in Washington.

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Court Tosses Out Challenge To Board Prayers

A sharply divided 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans threw out on Wednesday a 2-year-old lower court decision that had blocked prayers from being said at Tangipahoa Parish School Board meetings, court records show.

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Refused The Pill On Religious Grounds

A Wimblebury woman has spoken of her shock and anger at being refused the morning after pill because of a pharmacist's religious beliefs.

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Woman Who Sued Judge Over 12-Step Program Won't Have To Attend Meetings

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A woman who sued a judge after he sentenced her to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings has reached a settlement and won't be required to attend the 12-step program that she claimed amounted to forcing religion on her, her lawyer says.

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Hindu Man Chops Off His Hand

A Hindu man has chopped off his right hand in an offering to his religion's goddess of death.

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Church Youth Leader Charged With Sexually Assaulting Young Girls

LACONIA, N.H. (AP) - Police say a Laconia (New Hampshire) man accused of sexually assaulting three girls met them through his work as a church youth leader.

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See also:

Church-goer jailed over child sex abuse charges

Non-Religious Doctors Just As Likely To Care For Poor

Atheist and agnostic doctors are as likely to provide care for the poor as religious physicians, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and Yale New Haven Hospital.

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Faith-Based Toys To Hit US Stores

Instead of Spiderman or Bratz dolls, children in the US could soon be clutching a talking Jesus toy, a bearded Moses or a muscle-bound figure of Goliath.

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Shambo Monks Vow To Defend Cattle

Hindu monks have said they are prepared to defend more of their cattle from slaughter after one of their temple bullocks was put down.

A post-mortem examination on Shambo found he had lesions typical of bovine tuberculosis.

It means other cattle at the Skanda Vale religious community in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, face possible slaughter.

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Religious Related Violence 8/2/07

Some of the religious-related violence stories in the last 6 days:

Afghan police foil insurgent attack on U.N. food convoy in southwest Afghanistan

Sources: 2 Palestinian militants shot, killed in northern Gaza

5 killed in Baghdad car bomb

Pakistan closes Red Mosque after Friday violence

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Taliban threaten to kill more of 22 remaining Korean hostages if demands aren't met

2 U.S. soldiers killed in, near Baghdad

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Suicide bomber hits coalition convoy in Kabul

Second South Korean hostage body found in Afghanistan

6 dead in Baghdad car bombing

U.S. military reports 3 deaths from last week's Anbar fighting

Palestinian sources: 2 wounded in Gaza airstrike

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Man accused of plotting to bomb shopping mall pleads guilty

Number of Iraqi civilian, soldier deaths up this month

25 slain bodies found Monday in Baghdad

Suicide bomber hits coalition convoy in Kabul

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

18 Shiite men kidnapped north of Baghdad

Military in Iraq reports discovery of 'mass grave'

British soldier killed in Iraq bombing

At least 69 people killed in four Baghdad bombs

1 NATO soldier killed, 1 wounded in eastern Afghanistan

IDF killed 2 Gaza militants

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE

Two U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq

Airstrike in southern Afghanistan targets 2 Taliban commanders

Suicide bomber in Iraq targets police station, kills 7

LINK TO STORIES ABOVE