CALIFORNIA

Ex-Scientologist Collects $8.7 Million In 22-Year-Old Case
The Washington Post
"Nearly 22 years ago, Lawrence Wollersheim, a disaffected member of the Church of Scientology, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the church of mental abuse that pushed him to the brink of suicide. Teams of lawyers and various rulings came and went, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judgments against the church hit $30 million, then dropped to $2.5 million."

GEORGIA

Leader of sect arrested in raid
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"EATONTON --- A long-simmering conflict between government officials and an Egyptian-styled sect came to a head Wednesday as authorities arrested its leading figure and raided its headquarters here."
ALSO:
Couple at head of Ga. sect face child-sex charges
The Associated Press

KENTUCKY

Jehovah's Witnesses Face Expulsion
The Associated Press
"LOUISVILLE -- As a pillar of his church, William Bowen sat in judgment of fellow Jehovah's Witnesses who went astray. On a few occasions, Bowen supported the ultimate punishment - expulsion from the tight-knit religious group. But now the lifelong Jehovah's Witness awaits judgment himself from fellow members of the faith."

LOUISIANA

Foster flays ACLU over suit
Abstinence program religious, group says
NOLA.com
"BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Foster lashed out at the American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday, saying it must not have much to do if it has to file a legal challenge to the state's sexual abstinence program."

State gives up fight to keep Bible tax break for churches
The Advocate
"Louisiana churches are paying taxes on Bibles again, thanks to the American Civil Liberties Union. The state Department of Revenue has given up fighting an ACLU lawsuit that claimed special tax breaks for religious groups violate the U.S. Constitution."

MASSACHUSETTS

Sect couple appeals jailing to SJC
The Boston Herald
"The state's highest court has taken under advisement a bid by two members of an Attleboro religious sect to get out of jail. Rebecca and David Corneau have been locked up since February for refusing to answer a judge's questions about a baby that may or may not have been born to the couple last fall."

UTAH

TLC Church Requests Dismissal Of Verdict Granting Pair $300,000
The Salt Lake Tribune
"MANTI -- The attorney representing a Manti-based apocalyptic church asked a 6th District judge in Manti on Wednesday to dismiss a jury verdict earlier this year requiring church leaders to repay nearly $300,000 to a pair of former members."

AUSTRALIA

Non-Muslims 'stoned, abused and degraded' at Woomera
The Age
"Christians and non-Muslim minorities have been stoned, assaulted, sexually harassed and abused by Islamic fanatics inside Woomera, detention centre employees and pastoral care workers say."

CHINA

Red Rosary
China's Catholics Deal With Their Own Brand of Oppression
ABCNEWS.com
"With a weary creak in her voice, 69-year-old Rose Hu doesn't sound very different from most people her age. She speaks a little breathlessly, her words carefully paced - perhaps as much a factor of her age as her status as an immigrant to America."

INDIA

Nine Die in India Religious Clashes
The Associated Press
"AHMADABAD -- Ignoring a 24-hour police curfew, Hindus and Muslims fought each other, looted and burned through the night, adding nine deaths to the toll of more than 900 in western India's sectarian violence, police said Thursday."

ISRAEL

Jewish Rabbi: Israel a state against God!
ArabicNews.com
"A prominent Jewish rabbi considered Israel as a state standing "against God, against Torah, and against the Jewish religion." He added that it caused many tragic events to both Palestinians and Jews."
NOTE: ArabicNews is antagonistic to the state of Israel.

JAPAN

'Deity' to hang for fatal beating of 6 followers
The Mainichi Daily
"FUKUSHIMA -- A self-proclaimed "deity" who battered six of her followers to death in 1995 while performing "exorcism" was ordered Friday to take responsibility for her crimes with her own life, a Fukushima court ruled."
ALSO:
Faith healer to hang for killing six followers
The Japan Times
Cult leader gets death penalty for killing six believers
The Age

SOUTH AFRICA

No Satanism in Brandstetter killing
NEWS24.com
"East London - Detectives investigating the murder of Gunther Walter Brandstetter (21) have ruled out Satanism as a reason for the killing."

DISCLAIMER: Sect News Daily is not responsible for the content of any external links or news items written for any newspaper or news agency, nor are we responsible for the length of time external links are available online. Although Sect News Daily is intended for an evangelical audience interested in current events, we do not promote any specific denomination or church. This is to prevent us from unintentionally promoting a group or a group's teachings that may be in conflict with the spiritual beliefs of the staff of Sect News Daily. Sect News Daily does not regard all religious or spiritual groups listed in news items as cults. Some articles are posted to keep the evangelical Christian informed as to events in Christendom.