Tag: religion

Appeals court upholds West Virginia vaccine mandate, denies religious exemption

A federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia can enforce its school vaccine mandate without offering religious exemptions, overturning a lower court decision that had allowed an unvaccinated student to remain enrolled in an online public school.

In a 2-1 decision, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit found the state’s vaccination requirement does not violate the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom.

The case was brought by Anthony and Krystle Perry on behalf of their daughter, who was enrolled in West Virginia Virtual Academy but was later disenrolled after officials determined she was not fully vaccinated. The parents argued vaccination conflicted with their Christian beliefs and sought a religious exemption, which state law does not provide.

West Virginia is one of a small number of states that do not allow religious exemptions for school vaccine requirements.

A lower court had previously sided with the family and issued an injunction allowing the child to continue attending school while the case proceeded. The appeals court reversed that decision, ruling the parents are unlikely to succeed on their constitutional claim.

Legal experts cited in the case said the ruling does not reflect what they describe as a shifting legal landscape around religious exemptions. They pointed to recent Supreme Court decisions that they say require courts to apply a higher standard, known as “strict scrutiny,” when evaluating such claims.

Keep reading

Noted Theologian Joy Behar of The View: Jesus Didn’t Run Around Saying ‘I’m the Messiah’

Joy Behar of The View just made some comments about Jesus Christ that were so off the wall that even her co-hosts chimed in to point out how wrong she was.

The ladies were complaining about Trump’s recent social media post in which he appeared to be presented in the image of Jesus. Naturally, this gave the cast of The View something to be outraged about, even though some people on the show are clearly not even qualified to discuss the topic.

Maybe Joy should stick to other topics that are easier for her.

NewsBusters reported:

ABC News’s joyless Joy Behar was on a roll Tuesday. Aside from claiming The View wasn’t a group you wanted to pick a fight with (despite them being too cowardly to invite conservatives on the show), the nagging crone suggested that Jesus Christ would be “narcissistic” if he had acknowledged he was the Messiah. She flaunted her profound ignorance because even after she was told that Jesus in fact did say he was the Messiah, she insisted that even the Messiah would be “narcissistic” for saying such.

The conversation was sparked by President Trump’s now-deleted Truth Social post where many argued that he was portrayed like Jesus. In an attempt to argue how un-Christ-like Trump was, Behar falsely claimed Jesus never acknowledged that he was the messiah:

BEHAR: Yeah, but Jesus himself did not run around saying, “I’m the messiah. I’m the messiah.”

FARAH GRIFFIN: Uh, Jesus did kind of say ‘I am the messiah.’

[Crosstalk]

SARA HAINES: That’s exactly what Jesus said, ‘I am the messiah.’

[Laughter]

Keep reading

Prosecutors Open Criminal Investigation into German Christian YouTubers for Criticising Islam

From Apollo News:

The Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating two Christian YouTubers for criticising Muslim antisemitism and Islam in a video. …

Together, Niko and Tino run the Christian YouTube channel Eternal Life, where they post videos in which they talk with people about Jesus and his message. …

In February 2025, the public prosecutor’s office launched an ex officio investigation into Niko over statements in a video from 2024. … The Protestant newspaper Idea was the first to report on the investigation against Niko. Apollo News has now learned that the second YouTuber, Tino, is also under investigation for the same video.

Tino and Niko have taken down the offending video, entitled Islam is not peace (Der Islam ist kein Frieden), but reporters have seen it. Apparently it was posted in the context of the pro-Palestine protests that were unfolding in Hamburg at the time and features Niko editorialising on what he sees as the dangers of Islam. The video claims that “Palestinians are working towards the extermination of the Jews, according to the dictates of the Hadiths”, among them the Hadith proclaiming that “The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them” – a text which indeed is cited in Article 7 of the Hamas Charter. In the video Niko further claims that “hatred of Jews… is a demonic spirit and does not come from God” and that “Islam and the message behind it bring only hatred, power and murder”, concluding that “this religion is not peace, not joy and not life”.

Prosecutors believe these statements may violate Section 166 of the German Criminal Code, which prohibits the “revilement of religious faiths and religious and ideological communities”. Specifically, StGB §166 makes it illegal to publish content that disparages “the religion or ideology of others” or “a church or other religious or ideological community in Germany… in a manner suited to causing a disturbance of the public peace”. That last clause is the most important. I find it very hard to understand how confessional content like this could even potentially rise to the level of incitement. Since Covid, however, German prosecutors have deployed our speech statutes as maximally as possible in the hopes of proscribing all manner of discourse.

This is another in a long series of cases where we find the German state pursuing small-time content creators for posting the most benign things that would have attracted no attention had there been no criminal investigation. The YouTube channel Eternal Life as of today has only about 1,400 subscribers and 17 videos featuring nothing but bog-standard evangelical Christian content. What is more, the offending video had less than 1,000 views before it was removed. Apparently YouTube classified the video as “dangerous” before the prosecutor’s office came knocking, which probably means some internet censorship NGO was responsible for tipping off both prosecutors and the platform.

Keep reading

Nicaragua Bans Several Christian Groups As Persecution Worsens

The government of Nicaragua banned at least 18 Christian groups from operating within the country as persecution from the Latin American nation’s regime worsens.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide said in a report published last month that they were able to identify 15 Protestant groups and 3 Roman Catholic groups stripped of legal status in 2025.

“Affected institutions were schools, religious radio and television outlets, and faith-based charities, including Lutheran World Relief and Food for the Hungry,” the group said.

The Independent Fundamentalist Baptists were also stripped of their legal status.

After revoking legal status, the government has in some cases taken their property.

One religiously affiliated school was allowed to operate for nine months after having its status revoked, with leadership told it would eventually be turned into a state school.

But the premises were instead used as a police station.

Keep reading

Faith Facade: Democrat Talarico Targets Texas Believers

In the wake of President Trump’s decisive second-term victory, the Democratic Party finds itself in full retreat mode. The old playbook, full of shoving Woke extremism, drag queen story hours, and open borders down America’s throat, backfired spectacularly.

So now they’re trying a new tactic: pretending to be one of us. No more rainbow flags and “defund the police” chants in public.

Instead, they’re courting centrists, independents, and – most brazenly – the very heart of the MAGA base: churchgoing white Christians, Baptists, Evangelicals, and everyday folks who still believe in the God of the Bible.

Nowhere is this deception more obvious than in the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race. Texas hasn’t sent a Democrat to statewide office since 1994, yet the party is all-in on James Talarico, their freshly minted nominee for the Class II seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn.

Talarico, a 36-year-old state representative and Presbyterian seminarian, is being sold as a “man of deep faith” – a Lord-begging, Scripture-quoting Texan who supposedly shares the values of Sunday-morning pew-sitters across the Lone Star State. Don’t buy it. This is classic wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing territory, straight out of Matthew 7:15.

Talarico doesn’t hide his church membership. He’s been at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Austin since he was a toddler, and he frames every policy through a distorted Christian lens.

“Love thy neighbor” becomes his justification for open borders and taxpayer-funded abortion. He preaches that Jesus was a “feminist” and twists the Annunciation story to claim Mary’s consent somehow endorses abortion rights.

Keep reading

My coworkers asked about my Christian beliefs. Then I lost my job

I am a sophomore at Boyce College, a Christian university in Louisville, Kentucky. In November 2024, I took a job as a barista at Heine Brothers Coffee to support myself financially and help cover the financial strains that college can bring. It was a great job that fit well with my busy class schedule and assignments. Whether I was putting smiles on customers’ faces or having fun with coworkers, my shifts went by quickly, and I enjoyed the work. I would have never guessed how it would end.

My Christian faith is a core part of who I am. My faith in Christ defines who I am and how I view the world. I am a sinner saved by grace and God has changed my heart. Ever since Christ saved me, I now seek to love others as Christ first loved us. That is my joy in life.

During a shift last October, two coworkers discovered I attend a Christian college and immediately sparked a conversation about my religious beliefs on marriage, sexuality and other sensitive topics. I’ve always been open to answering questions about my faith, so when given this opportunity to share my Christian views, I responded truthfully, respectfully, and only when invited to share.

I believe that everyone is on their own faith journey and I respect people’s right to reach their own conclusions and have their own beliefs. I am always willing to listen to what others believe and share my faith while respecting others’ decisions. I’m always intrigued to learn more about others and get to know people on a deeper level.

Keep reading

Catholic nuns who look after dying patients lash out against New York gender rules which could see them jailed

Catholic nuns who have been looking after dying patients for decades have sued the state of New York over gender laws which could see the carers jailed.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne filed a lawsuit against Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday opposing a bill that requires facilities to assign rooms by gender identity, not biological sex – something the nuns said clashes with their religion. 

Hochul signed the bill into law in November, 2023, which states that long-term care facilities and their staff cannot discriminate against ‘any resident on the basis of a resident’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.’

‘New York’s seniors should be able to live their lives with the dignity and respect they deserve, free from discrimination of every kind,’ Hochul said on the press release at the time. 

‘LGBTQIA+ and HIV-positive seniors are among our most vulnerable populations, and today we are taking steps to ensure that all New Yorkers- regardless of who they are, who they love or their HIV status – find safety and support in places where they need it most. Hate will never have a place in New York.’ 

However, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne claim that the bill forces them to choose between their mission and faith and facing fines, license loss or jail time. 

The group takes patients into their care at the 42-bed Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, New York and ‘provide comfort and nursing care for patients who are poor or suffering from incurable cancer.’

‘We are consecrated religious Sisters and have one mission,’ Mother Marie Edward OP told Fox News. ‘It is to provide comfort and skilled care to persons dying of cancer who cannot afford nursing care.’

‘We do not take insurance or government funds or money from our patients or families. The care is totally free.’

Mother Edward went on to say that their work is supported by ‘the goodness of our benefactors,’ and it hasn’t discriminated against anyone on the basis of race, religion or sex. 

‘We do it because Jesus taught us that, when the least among us are sick, we should care for them, as if they were Christ himself,’ she told the outlet. 

The religious group claims that the law forces them to assign rooms to patients by gender identity and not biological sex, allow expression, relationships and identity practices, and use preferred pronouns. 

It also requires staff training in gender ideology, post a public notice of compliance with the law and allow opposite-sex bathroom access, a press release stated. 

‘We Sisters have taken care of patients from all walks of life, ideologies and faiths. 

‘We treat every patient with dignity and Christian charity. We have never had any complaints. We cannot implement New York’s mandate without violating our Catholic faith.’ 

Keep reading

Tech company launches AI Jesus you can talk to for $2 a minute

A tech company has set up a new platform that allows users to have conversations with an AI avatar of Jesus Christ.

Just Like Me is a tech company that creates AI versions of certain celebrities, experts and personalities. According to the company, these “digital twins” are intended to “provide guidance, mentorship, support and friendship” to users of the site.

Users can pay to have “video calls” with AI versions of personalities such as MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe, deceased political commentator Charlie Kirk, or fictional characters such as Santa Claus.

How the model was trained

The latest personality to be added to the website is an avatar of Jesus Christ. The AI version of Jesus is said to offer words of prayer and encouragement, speak a variety of languages, and recall prior conversations with Just Like Me users.

Just Like Me CEO Chris Breed said their model was trained on both the King James Bible and its understanding of scripture comes from sermons given by various preachers. Visually, the avatar was based on actor Jonathon Roumie’s portrayal of Jesus in the TV show The Chosen.

Just Like Me charges $1.99 per minute to speak to the avatar. Alternatively, a package deal priced at $49.99 gives users 45 minutes with the AI Jesus each month.

Keep reading

Pastor accused of sexually abusing foster child had prior prison sentence commuted by Trump

A South Carolina pastor accused of sexually assaulting a foster child had his prison sentence commuted by President Donald Trump and was on federal probation when the alleged assaults occurred.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) said Rodney Gibson and Kawiana Young were arrested Monday. RCSD noted the two are married.

Both were charged with unlawful conduct with a minor, while Gibson was additionally charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Gibson was also identified as the pastor of Pathway 2 Hope Ministries in Columbia, while Young owns and operates DreamCatcher Child Development Center.

Federal court records obtained by WIS reveal more about Gibson’s prison sentence and his efforts to end his probation early.

Federal court records show Gibson, 50, served more than 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to federal drug and gun charges in 2009. His prison sentence was reduced to 32 years in 2015 and to 17 years in 2017.

Records also show Gibson filed to have his sentence reduced again in June 2020, claiming errors in the sentencing process. Then, in January 2021, Gibson was one of several people whose prison sentences were commuted by President Donald Trump on the final day of his first term. Gibson was released in May that year, but remained under the previously imposed supervision.

Keep reading

Revealed: ALL Members Of Government’s ‘Anti-Muslim Hostility’ Group Have ISLAMIST Links

The UK Labour government’s new definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” – rebranded from “Islamophobia” – is being shaped by a working group where every single member has links to Islamist organisations.

The details are exposed in the Free Speech Union’s latest investigative briefing which highlights ties between the group members and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND), groups that governments since 2009 have refused to engage with due to their extreme views. 

One member, Baroness Gohir, tweeted in support of Hamas in 2014. Another stood for the far-left, Islamist-supporting Respect Party.

As the Free Speech Union states: “In a free society, no religion should enjoy greater protection than others — nor be shielded from legitimate criticism and challenge.”

The FSU adds: “This group was stacked with members already sympathetic to such a definition.” And with the government yet to appoint a new Islamophobia tsar, “there is deep cause for concern.”

Conservative MP Katie Lam put it bluntly in her video response: “The Government’s new ‘anti-Muslim hostility’ definition will make it harder to talk about Islamist extremism, FGM, and the grooming gangs. They’d rather restrict our right to criticise than deal with these problems head-on. It’s putting us all in danger.”

Parliament abolished blasphemy laws in 2008. Yet as the FSU warns: “This Government risks reviving them for Islam alone, via the back door.”

Keep reading