Archived Church Stories:
The death of a woman during an exorcism ceremony to lift a "makutu", or traditional curse, is being investigated by police.
Janet Moses, 22, a mother of two, died at her grandmother’s home in Wainuiomata, a working-class suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, while 40 of her relatives looked on, police said.
She is believed to have drowned in an "extensive amount" of water poured from plastic containers during the ceremony in the living room. Officers said when they arrived the house was ankle-deep in water.
Posted on: 2007-11-14 18:19:21
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are eligible for tens of mil lions of dollars in federal grants, according to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen pregnancies.
"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teenagers, the study concluded.
The report, which was based on a review of research into teenager sexual behavior, was being released Wednesday by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
The study found that while abstinence-only efforts appear to have little positive impact, more comprehensive sex education programs were having "positive outcomes" including teenagers "delaying the initiation of sex, reducing the frequency of sex, reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom or contraceptive use."
Posted on: 2007-11-07 20:31:19
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For years, anything produced by KFC had to meet the standards of Colonel Harlan Sanders.
For its new product, the fried chicken chain is seeking a higher endorsement. KFC has asked Pope Benedict XVI to bless the Fish Snacker Sandwich, a Lenten addition to the chain’s Snacker sandwich line.
KFC sent the Pope a letter earlier this month, asking him to bestow a blessing on the sandwich. While the sandwich is being marketed generally, John O’Reilly, chief marketing officer for KFC, said the sandwich should prove especially popular on Friday’s, when Catholics traditionally don’t eat meat in the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday.
Posted on: 2007-10-21 00:30:47
ST. GEORGE, Utah (CNN) -- Polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs was found guilty Tuesday of being an accomplice to rape for using his religious authority to push a 14-year-old girl into a marriage she did not want.
Jeffs stood with his hands folded and didn't appear to react as the verdict was read.
A few feet away, his accuser had tears in her eyes.
"When I was young my mother taught me that evil flourishes when good men do nothing," said Elissa Wall, the prosecution's star witness, who was "placed" by Jeffs in an arranged marriage at 14.
Posted on: 2007-10-14 03:32:14
BBC News Online health staff--
Female genital mutilation is practised in around 30 African countries.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been illegal in the UK since 1985, although there are fears that it is still carried out illegally...
Different communities carry out FGM for different reasons, and it can be performed just after birth right up to when the girl is 18...
Ms Momoh said: "Some communities believe it is a religious obligation, but now we're moving away from that.
Posted on: 2007-10-14 03:27:13
The floods that have devastated swathes of the country are God's judgment on the immorality and greed of modern society, according to senior Church of England bishops.
One diocesan bishop has even claimed that laws that have undermined marriage, including the introduction of pro-gay legislation, have provoked God to act by sending the storms that have left thousands of people homeless.
While those who have been affected by the storms are innocent victims, the bishops argue controversially that the flooding is a result of Western civilisation's decision to ignore biblical teaching.
Posted on: 2007-10-14 03:14:11
Thanks to everyone for being patient. After we did an update to the site, we had an issue where our current host's software was out of date, so we had to move servers.
We are definitely back up and running better than ever.
Posted on: 2007-10-13 19:20:40
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not drive under the influence of alcohol. Thou shall respect speed limits. Thou shall not consider a car an object of personal glorification or use it as a place of sin.
The Vatican took a break from strictly theological matters on Tuesday to issue its own rules of the road, a compendium of do's and don'ts on the moral aspects of driving and motoring.
A 36-page document called "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" contains 10 Commandments covering everything from road rage, respecting pedestrians, keeping a car in good shape and avoiding rude gestures while behind the wheel.
Posted on: 2007-10-07 11:52:33
(CBS) OTISVILLE, N.Y. Inmates at the federal prison camp in Otisville, N.Y., were stunned at what they saw at the chapel library on Memorial Day: Hundreds of books disappeared from the shelves.
The removal of the books is occurring nationwide -- part of a long-delayed post-Sept. 11 federal directive designed to prevent radical religious texts, specifically Islamic ones, from falling into the hands of violent inmates.
Three inmates from Otisville filed a lawsuit over the policy, saying their Constitutional rights were violated. They say all religions were affected -- Islamic prayer books, Christian books, and ancient Jewish texts were among those removed.
Posted on: 2007-10-07 11:49:58
LONDON (AP) - The Church of England accused Sony Corp. (SNE) on Saturday of using an English cathedral as the backdrop to a violent computer game and said it should be withdrawn from shop shelves.
The church said Sony did not ask for permission to use Manchester cathedral and demanded an apology.
The popular new PlayStation 3 game, "Resistance: Fall of Man," shows a virtual shootout between rival gunmen with hundreds of people killed inside the cathedral. Church officials described Sony's alleged use of the building as "sick" and sacrilegious.
Posted on: 2007-10-07 11:47:16
LONDON (AP) - Sony Corp. apologized Friday to the Church of England for a violent computer game that features a bloody shootout inside an Anglican cathedral.
The church had demanded withdrawal of the game "Resistance: Fall of Man," which includes a gunbattle between an American soldier and aliens inside a building that resembles Manchester Cathedral in northwest England.
The cathedral's dean, the Very Rev. Rogers Govender, said he had received a letter from Sony.
"It was not our intention to cause offense by using a representation of Manchester Cathedral in chapter eight of the work," the letter said. "If we have done so, we sincerely apologize."
A Sony spokesman confirmed the letter was genuine and said it included the offer of a meeting between Sony representatives and church officials. Govender said the cathedral would accept the offer. He thanked Sony for the apology, but underlined the church's opposition to violence, "and especially the gun violence seen in this portrayal of the cathedral."
He said the church wanted to discuss its outstanding demands, which include withdrawal of the game and a donation to the church's education department, which works to fight gun violence in Manchester.
Posted on: 2007-10-07 11:51:35
Welcome to the site
Posted on: 2007-09-26 19:23:05
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Sen. Barack Obama told a church convention Saturday that some right- wing evangelical leaders have exploited and politicized religious beliefs in an effort to sow division.
"Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. It got hijacked," the Democratic presidential candidate said in remarks prepared for delivery before the national meeting of the United Church of Christ.
"Part of it's because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us," the Illinois senator said.
Posted on: 2007-09-26 19:14:49
