Tag: religion

Ukraine Gov’t Looks to Ban Branch of Orthodox Church over Ties to Russia

The Ukrainian government has declared that a branch of the Orthodox Church has failed to sever its longstanding ties with Moscow – and could soon be banned.

The looming ban affects one of the two rival branches of Orthodoxy in the country and further underscores the turbulent role of religion as Ukraine fends off the Russian invasion. Orthodoxy is the majority religion in both Russia and Ukraine and has served as a cultural and spiritual battleground in tandem with the wider war.

The action comes a year after the Ukrainian Parliament passed a law banning the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church due to its strong support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The law also authorized banning any organization tied to the Russian church. A government investigation into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with its centuries-old ties to Moscow, soon followed.

The UOC denounced the full-blown Russian invasion from the start in 2022. It declared its independence from the Moscow church the same year and reiterated that stance in 2025.

Even so, the government says the UOC has refused to take necessary steps, such as revising its governing documents, to complete that separation.

The Aug. 27 government action, while long in the works, still requires more legal processes to take full effect.

The government has petitioned a court to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church itself. The church, if it loses, would have the right to one appeal to a higher court before the case is finalized – a process that could be completed in months, its lawyer said.

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Trump’s Department of Education CONFIRMS Biden Regime WEAPONIZED the Agency Against Christians

A new report confirms what millions of Americans had already known for years: Joe Biden’s Department of Education was weaponized against Christians, unleashing the full weight of the federal government to punish people of faith.

The findings come from the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, created under President Donald Trump and chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

According to the report obtained by Fox News, the Biden administration engaged in “numerous instances” of anti-Christian bias that went far beyond policy disagreements and into outright persecution.

“The Task Force makes this commitment: the federal government will never again be permitted to turn its power against people of faith,” the report reads.

“Under President Trump and Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, in partnership with all members of this Task Force, the rule of law will be enforced with vigor, and every religion will be treated with equality in both policy and action.

“The days of anti-Christian bias in the federal government are over. Faith is not a liability in America—it is a liberty,” the report added.

The Department of Education (DOE) tried to impose record-breaking fines on some of America’s largest Christian universities:

The report also documents how Biden’s DOE created a “book ban coordinator,” a bureaucratic hatchet job designed to target school boards and parents who dared object to sexually explicit or age-inappropriate material being forced on their children.

In other words, Christian parents standing up for their kids were treated as criminals.

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Dearborn Heights Police Department Unveils Police Patch with Arabic Writing

The Dearborn Heights Police Department became the first in the nation to feature a police patch with Arabic writing.

The patch was designed by Officer Emily Murdoc with the intent to honor the diversity of the community.

“The Dearborn Heights Police Department is proud to share a new patch that our officers may wear as part of their uniform,” the Dearborn Heights Police Department said in a Facebook post.

“This patch was created by Officer Emily Murdoch, who designed it to reflect and honor the diversity of our community – especially the many residents of Arabic descent who call Dearborn Heights home. By incorporating Arabic script alongside English, this patch represents unity, respect, and our shared commitment to service. We are proud of Officer Murdoch’s creativity and dedication in helping our department better represent the people we serve,” they said.

“Our officers proudly serve all members of our community, and this new design is another way we continue to celebrate the rich cultures that make our city unique,” they said.

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Ken Paxton Calls For Putting Prayer And Bible Back In Texas Schools

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged schools to prepare for classroom prayer and Bible reading following the passage of a new state law.

“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” Paxton said in a statement.

He recommended that students start with the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13.

He warned that the far left is actively working to strip schools of America’s spiritual foundation.

“Twisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America’s success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society,” he said. “Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth, and I will not stand by while the far left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand.”

The announcement follows Senate Bill 11, approved during the 89th Legislature. The law requires school boards to vote within six months of Sept. 1, 2025, on whether to adopt policies permitting voluntary prayer and Bible reading.

The measure also directs the Attorney General’s Office to defend districts or charter schools that adopt such policies.

Supporters quickly praised the move.

“God bless you, General Paxton, for having the courage to begin the legal process of putting prayer and reading of Scripture in Texas classrooms,” Melissa Katz wrote on X.

“Amen! Thank you, sir!” added Alexander Duncan, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Critics online pushed back.

“His actions are unconstitutional. I attend mass every week. Public school should be for all, not just Christians. Note, I am a Christian/Catholic and still feel this way,” wrote Vincomputerman.

“So now students have to take time out from academics so that there can be a prayer hour? Since when can’t people pray on their own time?” asked X user Johnson@F1979J.

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Bolivia sentences priests for concealing decades of child sex abuse

A Bolivian court sentenced two elderly Spanish Jesuit priests to a year each in prison on Tuesday for concealing decades of child sex abuse committed by their colleague in the church.

The convictions of the priests, Marcos Recolons, 81, and Ramon Alaix, 83, mark Bolivia’s first successful criminal prosecution against high-ranking members of the Catholic Jesuit order implicated in concealing abuse cases.

Prosecutors argued that Recolons and Alaix led the Jesuit order in Bolivia while the abuse occurred. They were aware of the allegations against a priest, Alfonso Pedrajas, but failed to report them to police, allowing him to continue contact with children, according to the prosecution.

The case came to light in 2023 with the publication of a diary belonging to Pedrajas, who died in 2009. In it, he wrote about abusing at least 85 minors between 1972 and 2000, many of whom were indigenous students on scholarships at a prominent boarding school.

The diary entries sparked international outrage and intensified the debate over the Catholic Church’s accountability in child sex abuse scandals across Latin America.

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Muslim official tells Belgians to leave Belgium

A Belgian official has told critics of her Muslim headscarf to “get out” of the country, according a video circulating online.

Saliha Raiss, a city council member for the social-democratic Vooruit party, made the controversial remarks during a municipal council session in Brussels’ Molenbeek district last Wednesday.

“If people wearing headscarves bother you so much, if you don’t want to see us anymore, move… Go somewhere else, get out!” Raiss is heard saying in the clip.

The footage, posted on X by Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of the Reformist Movement (MR), quickly went viral and made headlines. In the post, Bouchez accused Raiss of racism and “imposing a new cultural norm” by attacking those who oppose religious symbols in the administration. Elon Musk reposted the clip with the caption: “Belgians must leave Belgium!? This is insane.”

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Stats Show Shocking Surge In Attacks On Churches In America

In 2024, the United States witnessed a significant uptick in acts of hostility targeting churches, with a total of 436 documented incidents—a sharp increase from 315 in 2023 and nearly double the 230 reported in 2022.

This data, compiled by the Family Research Council (FRC), highlights a troubling trend amid broader societal shifts, including a decline in regular religious attendance from 42% to 30% over the past two decades, according to Gallup polls.

The incidents spanned a wide range of hostile actions across 43 states. Vandalism was the most prevalent, accounting for 284 cases that included property destruction, defacement, burglary, and ransacking.

Arson followed with 55 events, encompassing both confirmed attempts and fires of uncertain origin, occasionally linked to individuals struggling with mental health.

Gun-related incidents surged to 28, more than doubling from 12 the previous year, involving threats, brandishing during services, and actual shootings. Bomb threats numbered 14, primarily hoaxes delivered via calls or emails.

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Tim Walz Speaks at Press Conference Following Church Shooting by Transgender, Refuses to Mention Hate Crime Against Catholics or Shooter’s Trans Identity – Leftist Mayor Blames Guns and Hate Towards Transgenders!

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke during a press conference on Wednesday, hours after the shooting at a Catholic church and K-8 school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

As The Gateway Pundit reported, a transgender gunman opened fire, shooting through the windows of the church at Annunciation Catholic School as students attended mass during the first week of the school year. His manifesto was posted to YouTube before the shooting, and it was revealed that he wrote “kill Donald Trump” on one of his guns.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the shooter, a male in his early 20s, opened fire on children as they attended mass at the school, killing at least two children and injuring 14 children and three adults. Police say he was armed with three guns: a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun.

O’Hara later confirmed that 14 children between the ages of six and 15 and three adult parishioners in their 80s were among the 17 injuries.

In one manifesto video uploaded to YouTube before the shooting, the now-deceased shooter shows guns with scribbled words, including “kill Donald Trump,” and a body target on his wall with an image of Jesus Christ on the head of the target.

The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating the shooting as domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.

In Tim Walz’s speech, he rightfully thanked President Trump for his attention to the matter, but it was not a particularly strong speech as the chief executive of the state. Notably, he failed to condemn the targeted violence against Catholics by one of his insane transgender constituents or mention the mental illness that the shooter suffered. He likely hopes that part of the story will go away.

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South Korea’s Church Raids: A Political Assault by the New Administration Disguised as Law Enforcement

In the span of just a few months in 2025, the South Korean government under President Lee Jae-myung has launched a series of unprecedented raids against major churches and senior Christian leaders. What makes this wave of crackdowns so alarming is not only its scale, but also its unmistakable political targeting.

The churches under attack—Yeouido Full Gospel Church, SaRang Jeil Church, Segyero Church, and Unjeong Chamjon Church—have something in common: they are at the forefront of defending freedom, practicing biblical convictions, and voicing opposition to the impeachment and imprisonment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and former First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

Since the National Assembly forced through the impeachment bill in December 2024, these churches have been the backbone of nationwide protests demanding Yoon’s reinstatement and release.

Public opposition to impeachment surged above 50%, largely driven by church-led movements. Today, the overwhelming majority of citizens who still reject Lee Jae-myung’s presidency and call for Yoon’s release are Christians.

The government knows this. And by striking at churches, it is attempting to dismantle the very infrastructure of resistance.

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Why the Media Won’t Tell You Who Killed Children at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis

On Wednesday morning, a gunman dressed in black opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church and school in Minneapolis while children were celebrating Mass. At least two young children were killed, and 17 others, mostly children, were injured. The shooter, who killed himself, identified as trans.

The mass shooting and its media coverage echo what happened more than two years ago in Nashville, when a trans shooter, Audrey “Aiden” Hale, murdered three children and three staff at The Covenant School, a Christian school connected to the Covenant Presbyterian Church. In that case, the liberal press downplayed or completely ignored Hale’s trans radicalism, despite the disturbing details revealed in her journals.

Now, Democrats and much of the media are concealing the Minneapolis shooter’s identity. The truth: 23-year-old Robin M. Westman, of Minneapolis, was previously known as Robert Paul Westman. He came from a liberal Saint Paul, Minn. family that fully affirmed his transition as a minor. In 2020, his parents petitioned the court to change his legal identity.

“[‘Robin’] identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification,” his mother, Mary Westman, wrote in the filing. When Robert turned 18, his father, James Westman, marked the occasion with a public Facebook announcement using the trans flag colors.

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