Category: Religion

Criminal law, Politics, Religion, Society

Faith-Healing Parents in Oregon Convicted of Negligent Homicide

A church in Oregon has the infamous reputation of killing children in the name of faith. Now, two parents — Jeff and Marci Beagley — have been found guilty of negligent homicide. Their case was discussed in this prior column. It is a welcomed charge (often religious parents are given lesser charges in the death of their children due to faith-healing), but the likely sentence is likely to be relatively low given the history of this church and the loss of life.

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Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

France Refuses Citizenship to Moroccan Man Who Forces Wife To Wear Veil

France has been stepping up its opposition to the Muslim tradition of women wearing full veils. It has not only moved toward a ban in public places, but it has now denied citizenship to a Moroccan man for his attitude toward women, including forcing his wife to wear a veil.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Religion, Society

Washington Woman Allegedly Killed as “Warlock” in Wiccan Murder

Police in Everett, Washington are dealing in a rather bizarre murder where Eric Christensen allegedly kiled Sherry Harlan, 35, for breaking a “Wiccan blood oath” by texting another man on her cellphone. Christensen, 40, allegedly cut up her body and distributed it around Snohomish County. Text-based blood oath violations were presumably not one of the original Wiccan problems but all religions have to adapt to modern technology.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Lawyering, Politics, Religion, Society

Iranian Cleric Calls for Execution of More Protesters As Sanctioned By God

Leading Iranian Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati used his Friday prayer sermon to celebrate the recent executions of protesters and to call for more executions as the will of God. Jannati explained that the Koran (Qur’an) expressly allows rulers to execute critics.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Head Haitian Voodoo Priest Objects To Scientologists and Others Proselytizing Through Aid Activities

We have been following the arrival of Scientologists and Evangelicals in Haiti to spread their faith with needed aid to survivors. Now, Haiti’s top Voodoo priest is objecting to the use of the aid efforts to spread the off-island faiths.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Religion, Society

Collared: Catholic Priest Arrested Shoplifting Butter and a Sofa Cover

In West City, Illinois, police were a bit surprised when they arrested a shoplifter at Wal-Mart. It was not the fact that he had curiously chosen butter and a sofa cover (or the stolen computer power pack they found later). It was the fact that Steven Poole is the Rev. Steven Poole of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sesser, Illinois.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

The Offal Truth: The U.S. Lifts Its Ban on Haggis Importation After 21 Years

Robert Burns called it “great chieftan o’ the puddin-race” but the United States government just called it contraband for decades. Now, first being banned from importation, the Scots have been given a green light to send waves of haggis to our shores. After 21 years, one of the last great prohibitions has fallen and now Americans will be able to experience the stomach curling, soul-crushing dish known simply as “the Haggis.”

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the puddin-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang’s my arm.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Media, Religion, Society

Head of the Family: Islamic Radio Station Founder Claims Wife Dominated Him Before He Beheaded Her

Muzzammil Hassan, the founder of an Islam-oriented television station, has fired his attorney and hired a new attorney who promised a “revolutionary defense” for the beheading of Hassan’s late wife. It appears to be a type of spousal abuse syndrome claim.
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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

New and Improved Terror: Taliban Announces It Will Drop Use of Tongue Cuttings, School Bombings, and Suicide Bombings (Against Civilians)

The war on terror just got more dangerous. The Taliban has actual image consultations and is now rebranding the organization in a kindler and gentler image. In a new code of conduct, Mullah Muhammad Omar has ordered that the organization will now forego such signature methods as suicide bombings against civilians, burning down schools, or cutting off ears, lips and tongues. Next the Taliban will announce that it is starting a Terror for Tots program to reach out to underprivileged children. Wait, they already have that program.

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Academia, Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Joan of Arc: Study Finds Sacred Relic Contains Mummy and Cat Bones

For centuries, the Archbishops of Tours (Chinon, France) have protected one of the holiest relics of the Church: the charred bones of Joan of Arc. Kept in a bottle and showing signs of the burning, the bones were a prized possession in France where Joan of Arc is the national heroine. New tests, however, reveal that the bottle contains the bones of a cat and an Egyptian.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Phone Flog: Saudi Court Orders 13-Year-Old Girl Flogged and Jailed For Bringing Phone to School

A Saudi court has sentenced a 13-year-old girl to 90 lashes and two months in jail for the crime of bringing a cell phone to school. To make the sentence all the more barbaric, the judge ordered the girl flogging in front of the other children.
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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

The Ultimate Fatwa: Saudi Arabia Closes Women’s Hospital Health Club

After previously shutting down health clubs for women as “unIslamic,” Saudi authorities have now shutdown a fitness center connected to one of the leading hospitals despite objections that women are suffering from high rates of heart disease and diabetes due to diet and lack of exercise.
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