Among the items in this issue of Religion News Briefs: Criticizing the Mormon Church can get you excommunicated. Leaving the destructive Scientology cult is scary (and wise).
Also: After three decades of debate on homosexuality, the Presbyterian Church has changed its definition of marriage. Plus: the Ex-Hijabi Fashion Photo Blog.
The ‘Church’ of Scientology, among other things known for tearing relationships apart, is delighted that two of its members in the UK have finally been able to marry in one of the cult’s ‘chapels.’
We also highlight a couple of other cases in which human rights and religious freedom interact.
Why are rich pastors not speaking up for the Obamacare ‘coverage gap’ poor in America’s Bible Belt states?
Also: Billy Graham’s final message to America (and the world). Catholic bloggers won’t be able to use the .catholic domain. name. And Christian rocker Marc Martel sounds just like Freddie Mercury.
Plus: a pastor goes on trial for officiating his gay son’s wedding.
Muslim author Reza Aslan misrepresents his scholarly credentials.
Sinead O’Connor’s unusual Gospel Music concert.
And the Scientology gang is unable to keep Leah Remini from thinking for herself
Find out much religious groups have shifted toward supporting LGBT rights since 2003.
Also: learn about a church where God doesn’t attend. Then there’s a guy who puts the fear of God into many atheists.
And for millions of people around the world, the end came a little closer last week.
Myanmar’s Buddhist 969 movement has been referred to as “neo-Nazi” — and not without reason. Four members of a Belgian sect have been found guilty in the death of a former follower.
Also: Bobby McFerrin talks about his new album, spirityouall — and you can listen to some of the songs here. Plus: members of the Westboro hate group that pretends to be a church are freaking out (more than usual).
This week a drifter, an 82-year-old nun and a house painter go on trial for penetrating one of the most secure nuclear-weapons facilities in the United States.
The dwindling Scientology cult in damage control mode — nasty and dumb as ever.
Also: Christian and homosexuality. Plus more religion news briefs.
In today’s issue: Your Amish whatever is probably not Amish after all. Televangelist Robert ‘Dr. Shine’ Freeman jailed. And a TV station staff entirely by veiled women.
Also: Philip Jenkins recounts a scary experience in Amsterdam.
Plus: Spending by Muslim tourists is growing faster than the global rate, and… Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Stephen Colbert team up.
The son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker Sunday led a rally encouraging North Carolinians to vote against the marriage amendment on the May ballot.
Bakker said though his parents didn’t always bring favorable attention to North Carolina, they taught him that Jesus’ message was to love others. Â
Three Muslim men in England have been found guilty of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation after distributing a leaflet that said Islam called for anyone caught committing homosexuality to be executed.
Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed handed out the pamphlet, called The Death Penalty?, which showed an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose and quoted Islamic texts that said capital punishment was the only way to rid society of homosexuality.