Tag: religion

SATANISTS to volunteer in Florida schools following signing of new law that allows religious personnel to be employed in public schools

Public schools in Florida might soon be swarmed with members of the Satanic Temple as Gov. Ron DeSantis has put the call out for more school counselors following the signing of a state law allowing religious chaplains into public schools amid staffing shortages.

House Bill 931, which came into effect this July, permits outside organizations to provide “additional counseling and support to students.” DeSantis has made it clear that the law is intended as a means to legally reintroduce Christian values into public education.

However, the bill has left the implementation of chaplaincy programs to individual school districts and only requires schools to list a volunteer’s religion “if any.” (Related: Satanic temple in Texas files lawsuit demanding “religious right” to sacrifice babies through abortion.)

The Satanic Temple sees this as an opportunity to challenge the unconstitutional favoritism toward Christianity. Satanic Temple co-founder and spokesperson Lucien Greaves argued that if Christian chaplains are granted access to students, then so should their members, to maintain the separation of church and state.

“You have theocrats pushing further and further, signing unconstitutional bills into law, and they realize there’s no consequence,” Greaves said. “They’re giving everybody the impression that these types of things are legal, this is just the environment we’re living in. And in that way, they’re really numbing people to when these things actually do take effect, or when they are upheld by a corrupt judge who’s just playing partisan politics.”

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MSNBC’s Resident Wacko Joy Reid Goes on Another Unhinged Rant Against White People, Men and Christians

MSNBC’s resident wacko and DEI hire, Joy Reid’s severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) continues to send her into a whirlpool of crazy.

The Gateway Pundit reported that Reid shared a TikTok declaring brazenly she would vote for Joe Biden even if he were in a coma, as long as it meant keeping Donald Trump, whom she referred to as “Hitler,” out of the White House.

“Y’all just tell me who the nominee is, just let me know when you guys are finished fighting amongst yourselves, who I got to vote for to keep Hitler out of the White House. Who I got to vote for to keep Hitler out of the White House,” Reid said.

Unable to keep her crazy off of social media, Reid had another recent breakdown where she went on another rant against Whites, men, and Christians.

“Let’s not be trying to play games with these kinds of small things to pull us into a direction.  All that matters in this election, and I genuinely mean this, all that matters in the election, the only thing that matters in this election, keep Donald Trump and Project 2025 out of power.”

“Keeping that insane ideology of White Christian Nationalism and White Supremacy and White male Chrisitan dominance out of power.”

So Reid suggests rejecting “White male Christian dominance” by voting for Joe Biden, a White male Christian?

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1000-Year-Old Notre Dame Cathedral in Normandy Has ‘Caught Fire’ – Authorities Say Possible ‘Religious Attack’

A 1000-year-old cathedral in the French city of Rouen has caught fire in what authorities say could be a religiously motivated attack.

While details about the blaze are currently scarce, firefighters are currently working to extinguish the fire and reduce the level of damage.

Local television footage initially showed a dark plume of smoke rising from the spire, with onlookers in the streets below watching in horror.

Other images revealed smoke seeping through a gap in the white cover surrounding the scaffolding.

A masterpiece of French medieval Gothic architecture, the cathedral dates back to the 12th century and gained international fame after being repeatedly painted by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet in the 19th century. Between the years of 1876 and 1880 it was the tallest building in the world.

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Jewish ‘cult’ leaders sentenced for kidnap of 2 NY kids, including a child bride, in twisted sex scheme

Leaders of a Jewish fundamentalist cult were sentenced to more than a decade behind bars for kidnapping two kids— including a child bride – then smuggling them into Mexico, prosecutors said.

Three brothers, who are members of the Lev Tahor sect, allegedly forced the girl back into the arms of her adult “husband” in a sickening and sophisticated sex scheme.

Yakov Weingarten, 34; Smiel Weingarten, 28; and Yoil Weingarten, 36; were sentenced Tuesday for snatching the children from their upstate New York home in 2018 after their mother fled Lev Tahor, a group of zealots who practice stomach-churning habits like child marriages, underage sex and family separations, US Attorney Damian Williams said Wednesday.

The brothers — who live in Guatemala — used a variety of disguises, aliases, drop phones, fake travel documents and encrypted apps to pull off the 3 a.m. kidnapping that December day, then smuggle the brother and sister across the border, the feds said.

Local, federal and international authorities launched a massive three-week search that eventually found Yante Teller, 14, and Chaim Teller, 12, and returned them to their mother.

In March, a federal jury convicted the trio of child sexual exploitation and kidnapping charges.

As punishment, US District Judge Nelson Román has sentenced Yakov and Smiel to 14 years in prison, and Yoil to 12 years, the feds said.

“The sentencing of the Weingarten brothers holds them accountable for kidnapping children from their mother in the middle of the night, including for the purpose of coercing a child into a sexual relationship with an adult,” Williams said in a statement.

“This Office will do everything in its power to protect children and use every available tool to investigate and prosecute those who sexually exploit them.”

The twisted saga began in 2017, when Lev Tahor leaders arranged for Yante — then just 12-years-old –to marry an 18-year-old man, the feds said.

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Millionaire televangelist Joel Osteen is roasted over tweet to his followers about the ‘simple things’ in life

The internet is reacting to an especially out-of-touch tweet from millionaire televangelist Joel Osteen – one that insisted people should enjoy the ‘simple things’ in life even if they don’t ‘have a lot of resources.’

The 61-year-old televangelist boasts a net worth of at least $50million, and own two homes in Texas valued at $10.5 million and $2.9 million. The $10.5million manse, found in Houston, comes complete with a pool, pool house, and three elevators.

Onlookers were quick to point out the apparent hypocrisy, along with his profile- status at his Lakewood megachurch where he works as senior pastor. 

The church  receives millions in donations from churchgoers who heed Osteen’s demands for donations during sermons, and operates on an annual budget of around $70million.

On Wednesday, Osteen declared ‘It’s the simple things in life that bring us the most joy,’ and that those who ‘may not have a lot of resources’ are ‘blessed’ as long as they have their health. If you’re able to ‘look at the stars at night’, you’re blessed, he said.

The internet proceeded to roast him relentlessly.

‘If you can look up at those stars from the balcony of your mansion, you’re Joel Osteen,’ one person sarcastically sniped.

‘How anyone could send a dime to this morally bankrupt conman is beyond comprehension,’ someone else said.

‘“You may not have a lot of resources..” multiple mansions, a yacht and sports cars were all purchased off the backs of the suckers he’s referring to,’ the commenter went on.

‘Religion is the greatest con on the planet.’

Another person honed in on how Osteen’s church made headlines a few years ago refusing to open its doors to victims during Hurricane Harvey. 

Only after intense backlash did the preacher finally give way, opening the facility that has a capacity of 16,000 people.

‘Saw Joel Osteen trending and thought he had locked his church doors during a hurricane again,’ that person said.

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Louisiana Parents Sue Over Law Mandating 10 Commandments Displays in Classrooms

Last month, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill mandating that a copy of the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms in Louisiana. The law, House Bill 71, requires that the religious scripture be displayed on a poster or frame sized at least 11 inches by 14 inches and in a “large, easily readable font.” 

Apparently anticipating a First Amendment challenge to the mandatory religious text, lawmakers included several provisions that attempt to strengthen the law against a constitutional challenge. For example, the law prohibits schools from using taxpayer funds to finance the posters, instead directing them to accept private donations.

The law further directs schools to display a context document that describes “the history of the Ten Commandments in American Public Education.” This requirement attempts to undermine the religious nature of the scripture, instead showing how the “historical role of the Ten Commandments accords with our nation’s history and faithfully reflects the understanding of the founders of our nation with respect to the necessity of civic morality to a functional self-government.”

While the text of the law attempts to dodge accusations that it prescribes public schools to display an openly Christian text in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, Louisiana lawmakers openly argued that the law would put religion in Louisiana schools.

“I really believe that we are lacking in direction. A lot of people, their children, are not attending churches or whatever,” Rep. Sylvia Taylor (D–Laplace), a co-author and co-sponsor of the bill, said during a debate over the bill. “So what I’m saying is, we need to do something in the schools to bring people back to where they need to be.” Another sponsor state Rep. Dodie Horton (R–Haughton) said that the bill “seeks to have a display of God’s law in the classroom for children to see what He says is right and what He says is wrong.”

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DHS GIVES FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS AND NONPROFITS $160M

Today, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will distribute $160 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds as a first tranche of additional funding that the Biden-Harris Administration secured to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks. The announcement accompanies DHS’s release of an amended Notice of Funding Opportunity that will now enable qualifying institutions and organizations to apply for these additional NSGP funds. 

The $160 million in additional funds are a portion of the $390 million that were included in the fiscal year 2024 National Security Supplemental, a key priority of the Administration as it continues to intensify its efforts to combat the dramatic increase in hate crimes and other forms of targeted violence against faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations. In total for fiscal year 2024, the Administration has secured $664 million for the NSGP, more than double last year’s $305 million appropriation. Earlier this year, DHS announced $274.5 million in available NGSP funds and intends to make the balance of those funds available later this year. 

“We have seen a dramatic increase in hate crimes and other forms of violence targeted against faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The additional Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding that we are announcing today will provide these institutions and organizations with much-needed resources to strengthen their security and protect their communities from harm.” 

The rise in hate crimes and other forms of targeted violence has increased sharply since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel. In light of the changing threat environment, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program has become a more important resource to faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations to strengthen their security posture. In 2023, over 2,200 faith-based and other nonprofit organizations utilized over $305 million in NSGP funding to purchase security cameras, developing evacuation plans, additional warnings and alert systems, gates and lighting, access control systems, and training programs for staff. 

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Amish Farmer Faces Fines, Prison Time for Refusing to Comply with USDA Regulations

For nearly 30 years, Amos Miller has owned and operated Miller’s Organic Farm, an all-natural Amish farm located in Bird-in-Hand Pennsylvania. Like many Amish farmers, Miller likes to do things the old-fashioned way. He doesn’t use electricity, fertilizer, or gasoline, and he also stays away from modern preservatives.

The farm’s reputation has grown over the years, and it now boasts a private buyers club of approximately 4,000 members. Miller has sold all sorts of food to his buyers, such as organic eggs, raw milk, grass-fed beef and cheese, and fresh produce.

“They use it as a medicine,” Miller said in a 2021 interview. “It’s very healing to the body because it’s raw.”

“They’re good people,” said one of his customers. “Their place is very clean, and their produce is excellent.”

In recent years, however, the farm has found itself in the crosshairs of the US Department of Agriculture because of its failure to comply with federal farming regulations.

It all started in 2016, when two listeriosis illnesses that occured in 2014 were traced back to raw milk sold by Miller’s Organic Farm. Both infected people had to be hospitalized, and one tragically died from the illness.

The USDA has been trying to bring the farm into compliance with federal regulations ever since, but it’s been a long hard series of court battles, in part because Miller has been, by his own admission, less than fully co-operative with the government. Miller is facing fines and jail time for his actions.

The story reached a climax in March of this year when a federal judge ordered Miller to cease and desist all meat sales and authorized armed US marshals to use “reasonable force” to gain access to Miller’s farm so a court expert could inspect it. The expert—accompanied by the armed marshals—took an inventory of all Miller’s meat, and federal inspectors are now returning every few months to make sure he hasn’t sold any of it.

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Israel’s top court rules army must draft ultra-Orthodox Jews

The Israeli High Court ruled on 25 June that male Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) who are eligible for service must be drafted into the military, a decision that threatens the already fragile unity in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. 

The High Court ruling stipulated that in the absence of a law distinguishing Haredi seminary students from other eligible military draftees, mandatory service applies to the ultra-Orthodox just as it does to all other Israeli citizens. 

According to the court, there is no longer any legal basis for the Israeli government to grant blanket exemptions to Haredim students nor to instruct the military not to draft them.

“This is a historic victory for the rule of law and the principle of equality in the burden of military service,” said the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which has been petitioning for the court to rule in favor of ending Haredi exemption from army service.

“We call on the government and the defense minister to implement the decision without delay, to comply with the High Court’s order, and to work immediately to draft yeshiva students,” the statement added. 

Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews of military age have been able to avoid compulsory enlistment into the army for decades by enrolling in yeshivas (religious schools) and obtaining repeated one-year service deferrals until they reach the age of military exemption.

The issue has been a source of great tension in Israel lately, particularly following the start of the war – as many in the government believe that the burden of service falls on all Israelis. Others, namely the leaders of far-right religious parties on which the coalition relies, have been pushing for continued exemptions of the Haredim. The government has for months been attempting to reach a consensus on the matter. 

Opposition leaders from both right-wing and left-wing parties praised the Supreme Court ruling. 

Head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, Avigdor Lieberman, congratulated the court for taking “a significant step on the way to historical change,” noting that the army’s losses from the fighting in Gaza will require more personnel. 

“Congratulations on a just decision of the High Court of Justice. Where there is no government there is justice,” said the leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Yair Golan. 

Benny Gantz, National Unity leader and former war cabinet member, blamed Netanyahu for seeking “solutions for maintaining the coalition” rather than dealing with the severe enlistment crisis Israel currently faces as a result of the war. 

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FBI is investigating a secretive religious sect after child sex abuse allegations spanning decades

Disturbing allegations of child sex abuse within a secretive religious sect of Christianity are being brought to light after several former members came forward to share their stories.

The sect is known as the Two by Twos (2×2) or The Church with No Name, and its ministers – who are called “workers” — travel in pairs from home to home of church members to spread the gospel.

But a recent year-long investigation conducted by ABC News, which aired on the season finale of IMPACT by Nightline, revealed that hundreds of people in the religious organization were sexually abused as children.

The allegations are so widespread that the FBI has started an investigation into the church, it announced in February.

Dozens of alleged victims, from at least 34 states, shared their stories with ABC News. There were claims of abuse that dates back to the 1950s and some victims accused the same person of abuse decades apart.

The outlet also reached out to over 20 former and current leaders, known as “overseers,” but all denied knowing about the widespread abuse.

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