Tag: religion

Australia’s “eSafety” Commissioner Holds 2,600+ Records Tracking Christian Media Outlet

Australia’s online safety regulator is refusing to process a Freedom of Information request that would expose how it has tracked the activity of a prominent Christian media outlet and its leaders, citing excessive workload as the reason for denial.

The office of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has confirmed it is holding more than 2,600 records connected to The Daily Declaration, its founding body The Canberra Declaration, and three of its editorial figures: Warwick Marsh, Samuel Hartwich, and Kurt Mahlburg.

Despite admitting the existence of these records, the agency says reviewing them would take more than 100 hours and would therefore unreasonably impact its operations.

In a formal response dated 29 September, the regulator explained that it had identified thousands of documents referencing the group and its members. “Processing a request of this size would substantially impact eSafety’s operations,” the notice read.

The documents include media monitoring reports automatically generated whenever The Daily Declaration or its editors have posted online about the regulator or been tagged in relevant conversations.

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Record number of children in England are abused because parents think they are witches or possessed by black magic

The number of children in England suspected of being abused because of witchcraft, sorcery and black magic beliefs has surged to its highest level on record, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Official figures show 2,180 children were identified as potential victims of abuse linked to faith or belief last year- a rise from 2,140 in 2023 and 1,960 in 2022.

The disturbing figure represents a 49 per cent increase on 2017, when 1,460 suspected victims were identified by social services.

Experts believe the true figure could be even higher due to under-reporting and a fear that officials are too afraid of intervening for fear of offending religious beliefs.

Megan Manson, of the National Secular Society, said: ‘It is alarming that thousands of children in England are suffering abuse relating to religion or belief – and that these numbers are increasing.

‘We know that fear of criticising religious or cultural beliefs can impede tackling these serious forms of abuse.

‘Authorities must ensure that the safety and wellbeing of children are always prioritised above any reluctance to criticise religion or culture.’

Abuse cases linked to faith or belief have seen children accused of harbouring demons subjected to exorcisms and ritualistic ‘cleasings’ to ‘deliver’ evil.

Others have been harmed because relatives believe their actions have brought bad luck – such as dialling a wrong number and supposedly allowing malevolent spirits to enter the home.

Among the most notorious cases was eight-year-old Victoria Climbié, tortured to death in 2000 by relatives who believed she was possessed.

She had been sent to England by her parents who hoped she would gain a better education than in her native Ivory Coast.

Instead she was starved, tortured, beaten with bike chains and kept prisoner in a freezing bathroom by her great-aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her partner Carl Manning.

When she finally died of hypothermia and multiple organ failure in a squalid flat in Haringey, east London, she was discovered with 128 separate injuries on her body.

Kouao and Manning claimed they believed Victoria, who died weighing just 3st 10lb, was possessed by evil spirits, before being jailed for life in 2001.

In 2002, former bus driver Manning apologised to Victoria’s parents for his part in her ‘sickening’ death. He last month lost a bid to be released on parole.

A decade later, 15-year-old Kristy Bamu was beaten and drowned on Christmas Day 2010 by his sister and her boyfriend in east London after being accused of being a witch.

Over four days, Kristy was subjected to torture with knives, sticks, metal bars, a hammer and pliers.

He was forced to pray for ‘deliverance’ and denied food and water. His siblings were also beaten alongside him but escaped further attacks after ‘confessing’ to being witches.

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Muslims accused of vandalizing church in Texas argue First Amendment right, so far jurors disagree

Three Muslims charged in connection with vandalizing a church in Euless, Texas, last year argue doing so was their First Amendment right.

So far, jurors have disagreed, convicting one man, Raunaq Alam, of vandalism but not of a hate crime.

Alam was one of three charged in connection to the vandalization of a nondenominational church, Uncommon Church in Euless, in Tarrant County in March 2024. They are accused of spray-painting “expletive Israel” and affixing pro-Palestinian/Hamas stickers on the exterior of the church building, among other actions recorded on a church security camera.

District Attorney Phil Sorrells initially charged them with felony criminal mischief. The charges were later increased to a third-degree felony hate crime, which carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison. It was increased to a hate crime because the perpetrators targeted a church because of religion, the prosecution argued. 

Judge Brian Bolton issued a sentence of five years probation. Alam was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $1,700 in restitution to the church. His probation terms include serving 180 days in jail, conducting 180 hours of community service, undergoing regular drug and alcohol testing, wearing a GPS monitor and issuing an apology to the church.

Alam was next indicted on a charge of committing perjury, and he faces a drug possession charge. His attorney argues her client is being targeted.

Co-defendant Afsheen Khan was also charged with felony criminal mischief, and her trial is set to start soon. A third defendant, Julia Venzor, agreed to testify against Alam and Khan as part of a plea deal. She pleaded guilty in exchange for the deal and also received five years of probation, WFAA News reported.

The vandalism occurred after the church put up an Israeli flag to express solidarity with Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, Uncommon Church’s pastor, Brad Carignan, testified in court.

The case has been considered part of a pattern in Texas in which Christians, churches, Jews, synagogues and pro-Israel Americans have been targeted with unprovoked violence by Muslims.

In January 2022, a Pakistani Islamist held hostage Jewish parishioners at a Colleyville synagogue.

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Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex crimes

Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty in an Oklahoma court on Oct. 2 to sex crimes against a girl that started in 1982 and continued for years.

Morris, 64, entered guilty pleas to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child in an Osage County courtroom. He will serve six months in the Osage County jail and then be on probation for nine years and six months, according to a plea agreement outlined by Oklahoma Attorney General Getner Drummond in a news release.

He also must register as a sex offender and pay $270,000 in restitution to the victim, Cindy Clemishire, who in court called him “a pedophile, disguised as a preacher.” Morris did not apologize in court.Robert Morris’ indictment: Here’s a timeline of the events

Osage County Special Judge Cindy Pickerill accepted the deal after Clemshire acknowledged she had been consulted about it and was in agreement with the punishment.

The probation is considered a suspended sentence under the plea agreement, which means Morris is now a convicted felon. He could go to prison if he violates the conditions of his probation.

“This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority,” Drummond said in the news release. “The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day.” 

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Motives Behind Mormon Church Shooter Becoming Clearer – May Have All Started Over a Woman

The tragic shooting inside a Michigan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is already being politicized.

The left desperately needs this tragedy to be political because of the violence on that side of the aisle, but the facts point to something else entirely.

According to the New York Post, shooter Thomas Sanford had a long-standing, deranged fixation on the Mormon church.

Friends said the military veteran believed Mormons were going to “take over the world.”

That obsession appears to trace back to a soured relationship with a deeply committed Mormon woman in Utah.

A former landlord told The New York Times that Sanford was pressured by the woman to join the church.

“He wasn’t so sure that he wanted to become a member of the church, but he really wanted to be with this woman,” Sandra Winter said.

Sanford had moved to Utah after serving in the Marines, including a deployment to Iraq.

There, he reportedly began using methamphetamine, which friends say changed him.

“Mentally he was in rough shape,” Peter Tersigni told the New York Times.

By the time Sanford returned to Michigan, he was said to have been openly hostile toward Mormons.

“He got this whole fascination with Mormons, and they are the Antichrist, and they are going to take over the world,” Francis Tersigni, Peter’s twin brother, said.

His fixation was so extreme that at Peter’s wedding, “all he could talk about was Mormons.”

Burton, Michigan, city council candidate Kris Johns said Sanford approached him just a week before the massacre in which he was killed in a shootout with police.

“He was venting. He was going off …The Mormon Bible had additional books. He did not like that at all,” Johns told the New York Post.

Johns recalled Sanford calling Mormons the Antichrist in a calm, casual tone.

Days later, according to police, Sanford drove his truck into a church in Grand Blanc, opened fire, and burned the building to the ground.

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Dozens of victims discovered inside Tampa mansion linked to church forced labor scheme

According to newly released court documents, 57 people, including minors, were forced to live and work under harsh conditions, reportedly enduring food and sleep deprivation, threats, and physical abuse.

Despite their lavish setting, victims were discovered to have been made to sleep on floors, kept in a garage, or crammed into rooms with limited access to bathrooms.

The indictment alleges that Michelle Brannon and fellow Kingdom of God Global Church leader David Taylor manipulated followers into working 24-hour shifts in church call centers. The workers were not paid and pressured into relentlessly soliciting donations that generated about $50 million over the last decade.

What they’re saying

One former church employee described the environment as mentally and physically abusive, citing public humiliation and isolation from family and friends.

“I did see David Taylor get aggressive with the staff,” said Leslie Portillo, who lived at the church’s Detroit ministry for several months.

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Muslim Rights Groups: US Army Grooming Standards May Infringe on Religious Freedom

Muslim rights groups are concerned that new US Army grooming standards will exclude Muslims and Sikhs from serving. There are only about 10,000 – 20,000 US service members who identify as Muslim, and Sikhs appear to number only in the low double digits.

An ancillary effect of the policy is that it reinforces the elimination of accommodations for transgender soldiers, requiring them to dress and meet the standards of their birth gender.

The Army announced updated appearance, grooming, and uniform standards following a force-wide review, emphasizing professionalism and discipline as reflections of Army values. Key changes include clarified rules on hairstyles, cosmetics, fingernails, jewelry, uniforms, insignia, and body composition assessments. Developed with input from leaders across the Army, the policy is intended to realign standards with warfighting priorities and eliminate ambiguity.

The Army also reinforced its facial hair policy in July 2025 through Army Directive 2025-13, requiring soldiers to remain clean-shaven in uniform or while on duty in civilian clothes, with only temporary medical exemptions and permanent religious accommodations.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Pentagon to protect the religious rights of military personnel after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new “no beards” policy. Hegseth told military leaders, “no more beards… we’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards and adhere to standards.” CAIR urged the Department of Defense to clarify that religious accommodations will remain in place for Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, and others.

Historically, the rule in the US Army for about 100 years has been that the Army allows religious freedom and will accommodate as much as it can. However, the priority is always the mission, followed by the men, or in Army terms, “mission, men.” While attempts would be made to accommodate religious practices, if a practice prevents a soldier from carrying out duties, then that individual cannot serve.

For example, Jewish soldiers were allowed to wear a yarmulke under their helmet because it did not interfere with equipment. But a beard, even for religious reasons, was not permitted because a protective mask would no longer seal. Similarly, a Sikh turban could not be worn with a combat uniform because it interfered with the helmet and other equipment

From 1948 to 1984, Sikh men were permitted to serve in the US military while wearing beards and turbans. That changed in 1984, when Gen. John A. Wickham Jr., then Chief of Staff of the Army, eliminated the exception for Sikhs and others who wore “conspicuous” items of faith, citing health and safety concerns. The official reasoning was that turbans and uncut hair interfered with helmets and equipment, while beards prevented protective masks from sealing properly.

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Which States Experienced the Most Attacks on Churches in 2024?

Although the backlash to the overturning of Roe v. Wade appears to have subsided, vandals, arsonists, and worse targeted hundreds of churches in 2024, according to a new report.

Travis Weber, vice president for policy and government affairs at the Family Research Council, which released the report Monday, said most Americans would be surprised to hear that 383 churches suffered 415 attacks in 2024.

“We have a tendency in the West and in the United States to think of ourselves as safe and freedom-loving, tolerant, and protective of religious freedom, including religious freedom to practice Christianity,” he told The Daily Signal in an interview Friday. “So, I think the fact that we have hundreds of incidents—specifically, 415—in the year 2024 is very revealing.”

While these 415 attacks represented a decrease from the 2023 high of 485 attacks, it still included hundreds more incidents than in 2022 (198), 2021 (98), and previous years.

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FBI Suspects Michigan Church Shooter Hated People of the Mormon Faith

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Sept. 29 that the man accused of killing at least four people and injuring eight more at a church in Michigan hated Mormons.

“From what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith, and they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note, all of those questions have yet to be answered but certainly will be answered by the FBI,” she told Fox News in an interview on Sept. 29.

Leavitt said that search warrants are being executed at the home of the suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, to “get to the bottom of why he would commit such an act of evil.”

Sanford’s family is cooperating with the FBI, according to Leavitt. She did not provide more details about the suspect, who was killed by police during the incident.

Sanford, 40, allegedly drove a truck into a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Grand Blanc before opening fire and setting the structure on fire during a Sunday service, officials said. The attacker allegedly used gasoline to start the fire and also had explosive devices, but it wasn’t clear whether he used them, according to James Dier of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Investigators were searching Sanford’s residence. Authorities did not say what they found or provide any additional details, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.

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Alleged Mormon Church Shooter Identified — 42 Yr-Old Military Vet — Reportedly Has “ANTI-Trump/Pence” Sign on Fence Attached to His Garage

This morning, only moments after the violent attack on churchgoers in Grand Blanc, MI, the Gateway Pundit reported about the incident.

At the time of the incident, very little was known about the gunman who opened fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McCandlish Road.

Early reports claimed that 6-8 victims of the gunman had been taken to the hospital, although the exact toll was not confirmed. Later, it was discovered that one person was killed by the alleged shooter and an additional 8 individuals were taken to the hospital. The church caught fire during the incident, triggering a massive four-alarm emergency response.

At a recent press conference, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye did not name the shooter, but did say that the suspect of the mass shooting inside the Mormon Church was a 40-year-old man from Burton, MI, a neighboring city just outside Grand Blanc, roughly 60 miles north of Detroit.

Now, it’s been confirmed that the alleged shooter, who was killed by law enforcement, is Thomas Jacob Sandford, a 40-year-old former U.S. Marine who fought in Iraq.

Law enforcement sources confirmed that investigators were stationed outside Sanford’s home on Atherton Road, which has been cordoned off as a crime scene. Property records list Sanford as the owner of both the residence and a 2008 GMC Sierra pickup truck, the same vehicle used to ram into the church during the attack.

The New York Post claims an old Facebook post by Sanford’s mother says the gunman — who died at the scene in a shootout with cops — served in Iraq from 2004-2008.

Law enforcement sources confirmed that Sanford, from nearby Burton, Michigan, is the shooting suspect. Sources told the Post that authorities also found several improvised explosive devices on church property, which a bomb squad was investigating.

The Gateway Pundit looked up the alleged shooter’s home address and found a Trump-Vance sign wedged behind a STOP sign on what appears to be his property, according to records. We verified his address on SmartBackgroundCheck.com and CheckMyVote.org, where we were able to view his voting record. It appears that the alleged shooter registered to vote in the 2018 midterms following Trump’s first presidential election victory in 2016.

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