SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT-GOD
Texas student says assignment questioned religious beliefs
KATY, Texas (AP) — A suburban Houston junior high school student has complained about an assignment that she says questioned students’ religious beliefs.
Katy school district officials called the writing assignment a mistake, but said they could not confirm allegations the teacher told students to deny the existence of God.
The assignment asked students to say whether something was factual, a commonplace assertion or an opinion. The district says it was intended to encourage critical thinking skills, not question any student’s religious beliefs.
But 12-year-old Jordan Wooley says students were told that God is a myth. She spoke to the district’s board of trustees during its monthly meeting Monday evening.
Wooley said, “I didn’t’ feel like it was fair for my faith and my religion to have anything to do with what I’m learning about in school.”
267-w-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Jordan Wooley, 12-year-old seventh grader)–A suburban Houston junior high school student has complained about an assignment that she says questioned students’ religious beliefs. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (28 Oct 2015)
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259-a-10-(Jordan Wooley, 12-year-old seventh grader, at Monday school board meeting)-“was not real”-Jordan Wooley, a 12-year-old seventh grader, says her teacher gave her an assignment that denied her faith in God. (28 Oct 2015)
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261-a-07-(Jordan Wooley, 12-year-old seventh grader, at Monday school board meeting)-“only a myth”-Jordan Wooley, a 12-year-old seventh grader, says her teacher challenged students to say whether God is a fact, an opinion or a myth. (28 Oct 2015)
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260-a-10-(Jordan Wooley, 12-year-old seventh grader, at Monday school board meeting)-“about in school”-Jordan Wooley, a 12-year-old seventh grader, says she shouldn’t have been given an assignment that denied that God is real. (28 Oct 2015)
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COACH-POSTGAME PRAYER
Satanists: Students invited them to protest coach’s prayers
SEATTLE (AP) — A student leader at a Washington state high school says he invited a self-described group of Satanists to protest a Christian football coach’s postgame prayers.
Bremerton High School senior class President Abe Bartlett says he was one of a few students who invited The Satanic Temple of Seattle to attend today’s game. He called it an effort to get the school district to clarify its policy: While officials last month asked assistant coach Joe Kennedy to stop praying at the 50-yard line, he has continued the practice.
The Satanic Temple wants to hold an invocation on the field. The group says the district, by tolerating Kennedy’s actions, has created a forum for religious expression that should be open to all groups.
Kennedy’s lawyers, who are with the Texas-based Liberty Institute, say allowing Kennedy to pray silently doesn’t create a public forum.
ARAB FEST-CHRISTIANITY
Christian activists win speech case tied to Arab festival
DETROIT (AP) — A federal appeals court says the constitutional free-speech rights of Christian activists were violated when police told them to leave an Arab-American festival in suburban Detroit or be ticketed.
The case arose from a 2012 incident in which members of a group called Bible Believers were pelted with rocks while carrying a pig’s head and telling Dearborn Muslims at the street festival that they would “burn in hell.”
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it must affirm the First Amendment rights of Bible Believers. Judge Eric Clay, writing for the majority, said “the answer to disagreeable speech is not violent retaliation by offended listeners or ratification of the heckler’s veto through threat of arrest by the police.”
The court said deputies made “next to no attempt” to protect Bible Believers or stop the violence.
The case will now return to federal court in Detroit to determine a financial award for the Christian activists.
DETROIT CHURCH SHOOTING
Prosecutors review fatal shooting of man by Detroit pastor
DETROIT (AP) — The fatal shooting of a man by a Detroit pastor inside a storefront church has been turned over to prosecutors.
The Wayne County prosecutor’s office said today that it is reviewing the slaying of 26-year-old Deante Smith in the City of God Church in northwest Detroit. Details of the investigation were not released.
Police have said the pastor shot Smith on Oct. 18 after Smith threatened him with a brick.
Authorities have not publicly identified the pastor, who was questioned and released without charge. Police have said the men knew each other and had problems.
The pastor had previously filed a complaint against Smith with Detroit police.
KENTUCKY GOVERNOR-BEVIN
Cast as dishonest by critics, Bevin holds fast to his faith
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Republican Matt Bevin says he is guided by his Christian faith while his critics cast him as dishonest in his run for Kentucky governor.
Bevin said his faith held his family together following the 2003 death of his 17-year-old daughter in a car accident. That faith is now the basis for his campaign as he airs TV ads identifying himself as a Christian conservative and defending Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs.
Democrats say Bevin has a history of not telling the truth, including denying he has had property tax problems despite paying penalties for late payments. Bevin said he has paid everything he owes and that Democrats take his comments out of context.
CHURCH ABUSE-MINNESOTA
Twin Cities archdiocese seeks reorganization extension
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says it needs more time to file a bankruptcy reorganization plan because of the large number of clergy abuse claims.
Attorneys for the archdiocese plan to ask a bankruptcy judge today for a second extension of a deadline on filing that reorganization plan. They’re hoping the judge will extend the deadline to May 31, 2016. The court earlier approved an extension to Nov. 30.
The Star Tribune reports that a motion before the bankruptcy judge says 717 claims have been filed in the case, including 416 alleging liability for sexual abuse. Claimants had until Aug. 3 to file.
The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in January as the number of claims mounted. A 2013 state law opens a three-year window for older claims of clergy abuse.
WITCH-WARLOCK DISPUTE
Witch wins protective order against warlock in Salem court
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts judge has granted a protective order against a warlock, spelling relief for the Salem witch who accused him of harassment.
The two faced off in court yesterday before a Salem District Court judge, who granted the protective order to witch priestess Lori Sforza. She had accused self-proclaimed warlock Christian Day of harassing her over the phone and on social media over the past three years.
During testimony that at times became heated, Sforza accused Day of making incessant phone calls and humiliating her on Facebook. Day’s lawyer countered that the dispute stems from a onetime business partnership that fell apart. Day and Sforza both run occult shops in Salem.
The pair made headlines in 2011 when they cast spells together to try to heal actor Charlie Sheen, who had called himself a “Vatican assassin warlock” on national television.
Salem, home of the 17th-century witch trials, has a tourism industry built around the occult that reaches fever pitch in October, drawing thousands of visitors.
224-c-06-(Collin Binkley, AP correspondent)-“harassing the witch”-AP correspondent Collin Binkley reports that a woman who calls herself a witch has won a court order against a former business partner. (28 Oct 2015)
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223-c-08-(Collin Binkley, AP correspondent)-“he’s a warlock”-AP correspondent Collin Binkley reports that a Massachusetts town that goes all out for Halloween has had a timely court case. (28 Oct 2015)
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225-c-10-(Collin Binkley, AP correspondent)-“up to Halloween”-AP correspondent Collin Binkley reports that there are a number of self-described witches and warlocks in Salem, Massachusetts. (28 Oct 2015)
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SATANIST-JAIL DEATH
Self-proclaimed Satanist found dead in jail cell in NC
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a self-proclaimed Satanist awaiting trial on charges of killing one man and helping bury another has died.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety said in a statement that 36-year-old Pazuzu Algarad was found unresponsive in his cell at the Central Prison in Raleigh before dawn yesterday. The statement called the death an apparent suicide.
Algarad was awaiting trial on charges of killing one of two men whose skeletal remains were found last year in the backyard of a now-demolished home that he shared with his girlfriend.
Algarad was charged with killing Joshua Fredrick Wetzler in July 2009. News media outlets report that his girlfriend was charged with killing a second man later in 2009 and that Algarad helped her bury the body.
JEWISH SITE SHOOTINGS
Man guilty in purchase of gun used in Jewish site killings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man has pleaded guilty to lying while purchasing one of the shotguns that a white supremacist used in a deadly attack at two Jewish sites in Kansas.
Forty-eight-year-old John Mark Reidle of Aurora admitted this month in a plea deal that he falsely claimed that he was buying the gun for himself on a federal form. Four days later, convicted killer Frazier Glenn Miller opened fire with the gun outside the Jewish Community Center and nearby Village Shalom in Overland Park.
The federal plea agreement says Miller claimed the gun was a present and asked Reidle to fill out the form because he didn’t have any identification with him.
Reidle faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced. No date has been set for the sentencing.
VATICAN-JEWS
Pope urges religious collaboration in marking anniversary
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has marked the 50th anniversary of the turning point in the Catholic Church’s relations with other religions by calling for greater interfaith collaboration in the face of religious extremism.
Francis devoted his usual Wednesday general audience catechism lesson to the importance of the “Nostra Aetate” declaration, which was passed during the Second Vatican Council and revolutionized the church’s relations with Jews in particular. It said Christ’s death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole, recognized the shared spiritual patrimony between Christians and Jews and decried all forms of anti-Semitism.
Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist representatives were in the VIP seats for Pope Francis’ remarks in St. Peter’s Square.
Francis said the rise of terrorism has fomented suspicion and condemnation about religion. He said that while no religion is immune from fundamentalists, the world must look instead at the positive values that religions promote, especially in caring for the poor.
193-a-10-(Dr. Rasoul Raoulipour, Shiite Muslim representatve, at news conference)-“love needs forgiveness”-Shiite Muslim Dr. Rasoul Raoulipour says he agrees with Pope Francis’ emphasis on the good that religions accomplish. (28 Oct 2015)
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192-a-10-(Swami Chidananda Sarawati, Hindu representative, at news conference)-“that religion”-Hindu Swami Chidananda Sarawati says he was inspired by Pope Francis’ message. (28 Oct 2015)
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190-a-11-(Rabbi David Rosen, Jewish representative, at news conference)-“the Jewish people”-Rabbi David Rosen says Christian-Jewish relations were transformed by the document released 50 years ago by Pope John XXIII. (28 Oct 2015)
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126-c-20-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“care for creation”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports that the pope has decried the rise of a misguided extremism. (28 Oct 2015)
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124-c-16-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“religions can create”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports that Pope Francis has marked the 50th anniversary of Vatican II — which was the turning point in the Catholic Church’s relations with other religions — by calling for greater interfaith collaboration in these troubled times. (28 Oct 2015)
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125-c-17-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“betterment of humankind”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports that the pope has called for religions to refocus on social service. (28 Oct 2015)
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MIDEAST-EMBOLDENED ACTIVISTS
Jewish activists step up activities at sensitive holy site
JERUSALEM (AP) — A new Israeli proclamation to uphold a ban on Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site should have dealt a sobering blow to Jews who have spent years fighting for the right to worship at the spot, which is sacred to Muslims as well as Jews. Instead, it has only emboldened them.
The Jewish activists, whose visits to the site are at the center of a current round of violence, are now pledging to step up their attempts to change the decades-old status quo by expanding their presence at the spot where the ancient Jewish Temples once stood and where they hope a third temple will one day be built.
A decade ago, there were only 200 or 300 Jewish visitors annually. Last year, activists say there were about 10,000.
What Jews call the Temple Mount is known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Revered as Islam’s third-holiest spot, it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the iconic gold-topped Dome of the Rock, which is where Muslims believe their prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS
Israel’s Netanyahu slams Arab lawmaker for holy site visit
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister has lashed out at an Arab lawmaker for flouting a directive and visiting the sensitive Jerusalem holy site that is at the heart of the recent round of unrest, as the five-week long outbreak of violence that has plagued the region continued.
The visit by Israeli legislator Basel Ghattas, a Christian Arab, to the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims at the Noble Sanctuary defied instructions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that all ministers and lawmakers — regardless of religion — avoid visiting the holy site during the tense time.
Netanyahu issued a televised statement to condemn Ghattas’ move, adding that police removed him from the site. Ghattas said he does not recognize Netanyahu’s authority.
BOKO HARAM
Nigerian military: Rescues 338 captives in Boko Haram raids
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s military says its troops freed 338 captives, mainly children and women, in raids on Boko Haram camps in northeast Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters says 30 militants of the Islamic extremist group were killed in Tuesday’s attacks on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest.
Nigerian troops have rescued hundreds of Boko Haram captives this year but none of the 219 girls kidnapped from a school in Chibok town. Their mass abduction in April 2014 sparked international outrage against the extremists and Nigeria’s government for failing to rescue them.
The 6-year-old Islamic uprising has killed an estimated 20,000 people and driven 2.3 million from their homes, according to Amnesty International and the United Nations.
Earlier this year, troops from Nigeria and Chad forced Boko Haram out of a large swath of northeastern Nigeria where Boko Haram, which is allied with the Islamic State group, had declared an Islamic caliphate.
132-c-13-(Michelle Faul (mee-SHEHL’ fawl), AP correspondent)-“women and children”-AP correspondent Michelle Faul reports that Nigeria says troops have freed 338 captives in raids on Boko Haram hideouts in northeast Nigeria. (28 Oct 2015)
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133-c-20-(Michelle Faul (mee-SHEHL’ fawl), AP correspondent)-“children very malnourished”-AP correspondent Michelle Faul reports it’s very likely that the hostages freed in the army raids are in poor shape. (28 Oct 2015)
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134-c-12-(Michelle Faul (mee-SHEHL’ fawl), AP correspondent)-“ammunition and money”-AP correspondent Michelle Faul reports that dozens of Boko Haram fighters were killed in the attacks on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest. (28 Oct 2015)
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