Happy Easter to Everyone on the Turley Blog. The Easter Bunny came as expected this morning, bringing sugarly foodstuffs . . . and even edible grass this year!
Category: Religion
While many of us think little of the level of effort needed for a single bunny to bring candy to all of the Goyim boys and girls each year, this picture shows that the holiday takes its tool on Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha.
Religious yeshiva student Aryeh Yerushalmi had a novel way of protesting a decision of an Israeli court to allow the sale of leavened grain products. The Court ruled last year that the Israeli law only prohibits the sale of hametz (bread and leavened grain products) in public on Passover. By ruling that stores are closed spaces and not public in that sense, the court loosened up the law. Yerushalmi decided, therefore, to strip in a supermarket in Tel Aviv since it cannot be viewed as “public indecency.”
A Saudi court has ruled that the marriage 47-year-old man to an 8-year-old girl — upholding the controversial decision in December. Sheikh Habib Al-Habib rejected the mother’s effort to secure a divorce for her child.
The Vatican has reportedly rejected at least three of President Obama’s candidates for the position of U.S. ambassador to the Holy See because they support abortion. It appears that the representatives of the United States must agree with the policies of Pope Benedict XVI.
Continue reading “Unholy Mess at the Holy See: Vatican Rejects Three Candidates For U.S. Ambassador Over Abortion Views”
Here my column in Sunday’s Washington Post on the increasing prosecutions in the West for insulting religion. The rise of international blasphemy prosecutions (and the proposal of the international criminalization of blasphemy) has sacrificed free speech in the name of free exercise.
Continue reading “International Blasphemy: The Free World Bars Free Speech”
Faith organizations and individuals have increasingly been sued over their exclusion or discrimination against homosexuals based on their religious beliefs. As the federal and state governments enforce anti-discrimination policies, they are turning against religious organizations which exclude members based on what they view as immoral practices.
Continue reading “Faith Groups Facing Liability Over Discriminatory Faith-Based Policies”
Illinois police have been accused of violating religious sensitivities by forcing Nour Hadid, a 26-year-old woman accused of beating her 2-year-old niece Bhia Hadid to death over four days. She demanded to be photographed wearing her veil covering her face and her husband Alaeddin Hadid has announced an intention to sue the police for the “insult against our religion.”
It is crucifixion day again in the Philippines as dozens of Catholics allowed themselves to be nailed to crosses as people cheered every nail pounded into their hands. A far greater number of devotees beat themselves bloody with whips to experience the torments of Christ.
Continue reading “Crucifixion Day: Dozens of Filipinos Flogged and Crucified For the Glory of God”
A respected literature journal, Ibdaa (or Creativity) has been banned by an Egyptian court for publishing blasphemous poem by poet Helmi Salem that compared God to a villager who feeds ducks and milks cows. It is only the latest crackdown on poets who have used the Koran or references to God in artistic ways.
Continue reading “Egyptian Court Bans Literature Journal For Publishing Blasphemous Poem”
Vermont’s legislature voted Tuesday to override the veto of Governor Jim Douglas (R) and become the fourth state to recognize gay marriage. This follows Iowa only last week, which achieved the same result through a vote of its Supreme Court. On the same day, the District of Columbia voted to recognize such marriages in other states.
Continue reading “Vermont Becomes Fourth State To Recognize Gay Marriage”
The Rev. William Blasingame, 66, really need some work. He is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the North Shore Episcopal church for plastic surgery and Botox injections and prescription drugs. Theft of botox, liposuction, and other cosmetic work seems to be on the rise. One has to look the best for one’s line up.
NASA has captured a picture of what appears to be the hand of God reaching across space. Notably, the picture was taken as former Sen. Ted Stevens (R., Alaska) is about to appear in federal court to declare victory after the Justice Department drops its case against him.
The Church of Scientology has been sued again. This time former “Sea Org” member Laura DeCrescenzo (aka Laura Dieckman) has filed a complaint on April 2, 2009 alleging a long pattern of abuse that began when she was just 10. This is the third such lawsuit filed this year against the organization and alleges breaches of labor laws, infliction of emotional distress, forced abortion, and other grounds.
After a Pakistani minister alleged that the video of a teenage girl being flogged was a “Jewish conspiracy,” the 17-year-old girl Chand Bibi in the film has claimed that the whole thing is a hoax and that she was never flogged.
Continue reading “Teenage Girl Denies That She Was Flogged in Infamous Pakistani Video”