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News for: September 30, 2002
Franklin Graham not afraid to stand out, in words and deeds
Asheville Citizen-Times
Franklin Graham does not see himself picking up the mantle of his father's legacy. Nor does he consider himself a crusader against Islam, though Graham said he worries too few people realize the extent to which the country has been "Islamized."
GEORGIA
Sermon titles posted on church too explicit, some say
The Associated Press
MARIETTA -- Some parents in east Cobb County are complaining about the suggestive sermon titles on the red-brick sign of the 6,000-member Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. "Tough Love in Dealing with Raunchy Sex" is the topic Sunday where the Rev. Bryant Wright is preaching a series of sermons dealing with "tough contemporary issues."
INDIANA
Wiccans accuse landlord of religious discrimination
The Associated Press
SOUTH BEND -- A judge will decide whether a landlord can evict two renters because they overstayed their lease, or if he is discriminating against them because they practice a pagan religion.
LOUISIANA
N.O. man shepherds flock of atheists
Group says religion doesn't have answers
The Times-Picayune
Harry Greenberger looked at his calendar and noted that the particular Tuesday in question, Sept. 17, was the anniversary of the date that the U.S. Constitution was approved in 1787. It is not a date many people keep close to their hearts.
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa pastor defends controversial view
The Oklahoman
TULSA -- If his detractors envision Bishop Carlton Pearson ducking and dodging since news of his "Gospel of Inclusion" sparked a firestorm of controversy in the Pentecostal Christian world, they are in for a big surprise.
PENNSYLVANIA
Ex-husband of MOVE member was ambushed, prosecutor says
Knight Ridder Newspapers
PHILADELPHIA -- The man involved in a bitter custody dispute with a member of the radical Philadelphia-based group MOVE was shot to death early Friday as he returned from work and pulled his car into his apartment complex in Maple Shade, N.J., authorities said.
TENNESSEE
Excommunicated Jehovah's Witnesses speak out on church's handling of suspected child sex abuse cases
The Associated Press
TULLAHOMA -- Joe and Barbara Anderson have been abandoned by their peers. Their son won't talk to them, and won't let them see their 3-year-old grandson.
TEXAS
Judge: Inmates' religious rights not violated
The Houston Chronicle
Texas prison policies do not unconstitutionally restrict the religious rights of Native American inmates, a federal judge ruled here Friday. A group of 15 inmates sued the state in 1999, alleging violations of their First Amendment right to freedom of religion.
UTAH
Rebuilding Memory of Elijah Abel
The Salt Lake Tribune
For well over a century, black Mormons have had the comforting knowledge of Elijah Abel, a former slave who was ordained into the priesthood by LDS Church founder Joseph Smith and served as an ecclesiastical leader until Brigham Young banned black men from the clergy.
WISCONSIN
More taking interest in Spiritualism, believers say
Mediums coming to Milwaukee for convention; group known for belief in communicating with dead
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
In an age of cellular phones and e-mail, mediums from around the country will converge on Milwaukee next month to demonstrate a much older, more eyebrow-raising form of communication - talking to the dead.
CANADA
Witnesses say devil, not fear of rod, lured kids from P.E.I. commune
The Candian Press
CHARLOTTETOWN -- A married couple testifying in defence of a former nun charged with assault says it was the seduction of the devil, not fear of the rod, that drove children from their religious commune on Prince Edward Island.
Alien message one of hope and goodwill, says anthropologist
The Candian Press
VANCOUVER -- Forget the probes. Don't worry about an invasion. Aliens are actually quite affable, according to a recent university study. When extraterrestrials abduct earthlings, they often share with them a message of hope, according to anthropologist Krista Henriksen.
Rasta dispute comes to head
The Toronto Sun
The Justices of the Peace Review Council has recommended the province hold a public inquiry into why a Rastafarian man was convicted of a traffic offence without a trial because he refused to remove his hat.
EGYPT
Egypt jails man who claimed to be a prophet
Reuters
CAIRO -- Egypt sentenced a man who claimed to be a prophet to three years in jail on Saturday for insulting religion and promoting extreme ideas, court sources said. Sayed Tolba, who had claimed he knew the secret of the universe and that God had sent him messages from angels, had been tried with a group of 20 followers who used to attend lessons in his home.
KENYA
Matatu group accuses banned sect of harassment
The Nation
The Matatu Welfare Association yesterday condemned the harassment of vehicle owners by the Mungiki sect. Mr Dickson Mbugua, the chairman, said members of the outlawed group were invading matatu (commuter taxi) routes and extorting money from owners.
Othaya Back to Normal After Mungiki Violence
The Nation
Calm returned in Othaya yesterday after three days of tension and violence occasioned by deaths of two people who died after being attacked by suspected members of Mungiki sect.
MALAYSIA
Malaysian couple to sue religious police
BBC News
A Malaysian couple who have been married for 22 years plan to sue government officials who burst into their bedroom and arrested them under strict Islamic morality laws.
PHILIPPINES
Ecleo enjoying privileges in jail
The Philippine Star
CEBU CITY — Now it can be told. Cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr. enjoyed privileges at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center here as an "adviser" to his fellow inmates, including the right to have a woman of his choice inside his cell.
Other news agencies:
Jail warden probed for Ecleo 'perks', Inquirer News Service
