Religion

We’re not exactly church going folks, but we gotta admit there’s something intriguing about the high drama of a church that bills itself as “apocalyptic”. Well, that is, right until we read that the head of said church — who claims to be the “Messiah” — may have been diddling some of the younger parishioners.

The two girls and one boy — all under the age of 18 — were taken from the northeastern New Mexico compound following an April 22 investigation, Romaine Serna, spokeswoman for the state Children, Youth and Families Department spokeswoman, said Wednesday.

She said a fourth child, a girl, agreed to be interviewed by the department. Serna said that girl had been at the compound but now lives elsewhere with her parents.

The three children were taken into state custody because of allegations of inappropriate contact between minors and the adult leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, Serna said.

Well here’s something you don’t see every day — Rev. Thomas Szydlik, a Roman Catholic priest, is being accused of forcing a woman to have an abortion after he found out she was pregnant. Did we mention that Szydlik allegedly was the father of the baby? You’re not supposed to be *that* kind of father, Father!

Holly Force claims Szydlik began pursuing a relationship with her in 2004 while she attended a church in Peoria. The complaint states the Forces left Peoria and moved to Edwardsville to distance themselves from Szydlik.

Force alleges she had an abortion in July 2006 due to coercion by Szydlik.

Diocese Chancellor Patricia Gibson said Szydlik told Bishop Daniel Jenky in March 2005 that he had feelings for a woman, but that no vows had been broken. Szydlik asked then to be transferred to a different parish.

Who would have thought the Catholic Church — that great bastion of gender equality — would not allow a female referee to officiate a boys basketball game simply because she’s a woman? Our minds are blown.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary’s Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.

The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy’s beliefs.

Campbell then walked off the court along with Darin Putthoff, the referee who was to work the game with her.

“I said, ‘If Michelle has to leave, then I’m leaving with her,”‘ Putthoff said Wednesday. “I was disappointed that it happened to Michelle. I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

Two beautiful, teenage girls were allegedly shot by their father and left for dead in a taxi cab last Friday in Texas.

Rumors have it that the girls were shot for defying their father’s native cultural and religious boundaries of Islam, as the girls were very Americanized.

An ongoing manhunt is under way for Yaser Abdel Said, 50, of Lewisville, Texas, wanted for shooting Sarah Yaser Said, 17, and Amina Yaser Said, 18, in his taxi Tuesday night. Police say they don’t have a motive for the shootings, but believe a domestic issue may have led to the deaths.

A public viewing for Sarah and Amina Said was planned for 6 to 9 p.m. CST Friday in Dallas. Their funeral will be at 11 a.m. CST Saturday, also in Dallas.

Friends and Lewisville High School classmates of the Said girls posted photos and comments in a tribute to the sisters set up on the social networking site Facebook.com called “Rest in Peace, Sarah & Amina.”

I had to do a double take when I read this, did this happen in the United States of America or Afganistan???

Lutz said she was sitting in the back of the bus, but wasn’t being disruptive. She claimed she was stunned when the bus driver interrupted her reading.

“She asked me to stop reading my Bible,” Lutz told FOX 4. “I said, ‘No, I’m reading the Bible, I’m teaching the kids, I’m going to continue.’ And I continued.”

Lutz said the next thing she knew, the bus had pulled over and she was being escorted into a supervisor’s van, which then took her and her family to church.

Can a 14 year old really be held accountable and mature enough to make life or death decisions (based on religion)? If so, shouldn’t they be paying taxes??

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) — A few hours after a judge ruled that a 14-year-old Jehovah’s Witness sick with leukemia had the right to refuse a blood transfusion that might have helped him, the boy died, a newspaper reported.

Dennis Lindberg died Wednesday night at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, his father, Dennis Lindberg Sr., told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Lest I be victim of some Jihad, I think this story just speaks for itself and the tolerant religion/culture of Islam. Muslims need to speak out about this. The time is now!

A British primary school teacher arrested in Sudan faces up to 40 lashes for blasphemy after letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was arrested at at Khartoum’s Unity High School yesterday, and accused of insulting the Prophet of Islam.

Her colleagues said that they feared for her safety after reports that groups of young men had gathered outside the Khartoum police station where she was taken and were shouting death threats.

The Unity school is a Christian-run but multi-racial and co-educational private school that is popular with Sudanese professionals and expatriate workers.

It’s one thing for adults to blow themselves up, but why can’t they spare the children??? I know they’re crazy but that’s not the fault of these poor kids…

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) — A doomsday cult leader whose followers are barricaded inside a cave in southern Russia will be taken to the site in an attempt to secure the release of several children, according to a government official.

The 29 cult members — including four children as young as 18 months — retreated last month to the hideout in the Penza region, about 640 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of Moscow, threatening to blow themselves up if the authorities tried to intervene.