http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:08:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26009/%e2%80%98pot-church%e2%80%99-member-sentenced-to-three-months-in%c2%a0jail http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26009/%e2%80%98pot-church%e2%80%99-member-sentenced-to-three-months-in%c2%a0jail#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:41:19 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26009 Kharaghani, along with co-accused Peter Styrsky, who was released earlier this month for time served, are members and ministers in the Church of the Universe, a group of several thousand adherents that believes the cannabis plant is the “tree of life” and marijuana and hashish are sacraments that open the door to communing with God.

That forced the court to deal with the highly philosophical issue of what constitutes a religion and how an individual’s religious belief can be judged to be sincere instead of simply a ruse for criminal activity. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26009/%e2%80%98pot-church%e2%80%99-member-sentenced-to-three-months-in%c2%a0jail/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24951/church-of-the-universe-seeks-exemption-to-pot-laws http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24951/church-of-the-universe-seeks-exemption-to-pot-laws#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:27:40 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24951 Canadians are as good at religious tolerance as they are at hockey, a lawyer for members of a branch of The Church of the Universe argued Tuesday.

Lawyer Paul Lewin said based on that Canadian tolerance, if marijuana is religious to some — as he feels the defence has proven — Toronto’s G-13 Mission of God should be shut out of Canada’s marijuana laws.

It isn’t clear yet if that argument has scored with the judge presiding over the charter challenge by two members of the Church of the Universe busted for drug charges back in 2006.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24951/church-of-the-universe-seeks-exemption-to-pot-laws/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24950/marijuana-holy-smoke http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24950/marijuana-holy-smoke#comments Sat, 01 May 2010 15:17:16 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24950
Dr. Harold Kalant was providing his expert testimony on both the adverse effects and benefits of pot at a constitutional challenge by a Toronto church — the “Church of the Universe.”]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24950/marijuana-holy-smoke/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24949/church-seeks-ok-to-smoke-sacred-marijuana http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24949/church-seeks-ok-to-smoke-sacred-marijuana#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:13:33 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24949 Church of the Universe” — asked a Superior Court judge Wednesday for an exemption to the country’s marijuana laws.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24949/church-seeks-ok-to-smoke-sacred-marijuana/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17003/reverend-eddy-does-xmas-in-the-joint http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17003/reverend-eddy-does-xmas-in-the-joint#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:41:48 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17003/reverend-eddy-does-xmas-in-the-joint http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17003/reverend-eddy-does-xmas-in-the-joint/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17006/the-stoning-of-jesus http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17006/the-stoning-of-jesus#comments Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:31:32 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17006/the-stoning-of-jesus http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17006/the-stoning-of-jesus/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17005/mayoral-candidate-charged-in-church-drug-bust http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17005/mayoral-candidate-charged-in-church-drug-bust#comments Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:28:03 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17005/mayoral-candidate-charged-in-church-drug-bust http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17005/mayoral-candidate-charged-in-church-drug-bust/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17004/marijuana-trafficking-center-closed-in-beaches-toronto http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17004/marijuana-trafficking-center-closed-in-beaches-toronto#comments Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:44:47 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17004/marijuana-trafficking-center-closed-in-beaches-toronto http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17004/marijuana-trafficking-center-closed-in-beaches-toronto/feed 0