Just the facts.

A reckoning is underway in US Catholic Church

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Cardinal Donald Wuerl resigned after being accused of mishandling allegations of abuse against priests. Photo credit Flickr

“In the 16 years between the Boston scandal and the Pennsylvania investigation, only about 30 dioceses around the country had released lists of priests they deemed credibly accused of abuse. Most of those dioceses came clean because they were forced to do so by lawsuits or bankruptcy filings. Some dioceses declined to name any deceased priests, since they could not defend themselves, and some would not identify any clergy members at all.”

(Claudia Lauer – AP)  Over the past four months, Roman Catholic dioceses across the U.S. have released the names of more than 1,000 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children in an unprecedented public reckoning spurred at least in part by a shocking grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania, an Associated Press review has found. Continue reading →

Leading Cause of Death in 2018 Surpasses Cancer, Addiction — and It’s Not Even Close

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“The 41.9 million figure comes from abortion statistics published by the World Health Organization. In 2018, 23 percent of all pregnancies ended in abortion, Breitbart reports, adding that for every 33 live births, 10 children were aborted.”

(Carly Hoilman – Faithwire)  Nearly 42 million human beings were aborted last year, according to Worldometers. Statistics from the independent data collecting site show abortion to be the leading cause of death in 2018, dwarfing other prominent killers like cancer, AIDS, car accidents and suicide, Life News reported. Continue reading →

New York City’s ‘Gender Neutral’ Birth Certificate Option Goes Into Effect

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“The ability to change that mark, to change that F to an X as a way of eschewing the binary systems of male and female, and man and woman, is an essential step towards the breaking down of binary ideological systems, created in order to justify and uphold social, political and economic oppression.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  A law that was passed last year that allows New York City residents to obtain amended birth certificates, including with an “X” for their gender, has officially gone into effect. Continue reading →

Vatican letter undermines US cardinal on abuse

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“DiNardo stunned the bishops when he opened the assembly Nov. 12 by announcing that “at the insistence of the Holy See” the bishops would not be voting on the measures after all. He said the Vatican wanted them to delay a vote until after Pope Francis hosts a global summit in February on preventing sex abuse by priests.”

(Nicole Winfield – AP) The Vatican blocked U.S. bishops from taking measures to address the clergy sex abuse scandal because U.S. church leaders didn’t discuss the legally problematic proposals with the Holy See enough beforehand, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Continue reading →

Boy Scouts Lost 425,000 Boys One Week After ‘Gender Neutral’ Name Change

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One week after the century-old Boy Scouts of America announced its name was becoming “gender fluid,” its single biggest participant announced that it was cutting ties to the Scouts.

(Jay Greenberg – Neon Nettle)  Earlier this month, it was revealed that the Boy Scouts of America, the 108-year-old organization synonymous with traditional American values, is on the verge of bankruptcy.

A report by the Wall Street Journal revealed that a Chicago law firm, Sidley Austin, has been appointed to handle Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Continue reading →

TV Guide Calls Chris Pratt ‘Problematic,’ Says He Doesn’t ‘Think before He Speaks’

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While the actor has apologized in each circumstance, the article paints Pratt as a man with no filter and who seemingly does not “even think before he speaks.” 

(Kayla Koslosky – Christian Headlines)  In the magazine’s “12 Days of Chris-Mas” series, the TV Guide ranked Christian actor Chris Pratt as the “fifth best Chris,” while also noting that his offscreen life is often “problematic.”

In an article titled, “How to Love Chris Pratt Without Hating Yourself,” the TV guide writer Kaitlin Thomas points out all of the reasons she deems the Guardians of the Galaxy actor “problematic” and “divisive”  Continue reading →

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Louisiana Library for Banning Drag Queen Story Time Events

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“Two LaFayette Parish residents who want to host a drag queen event at the library—Matthew Humphrey and Aimee Robinson—have now entered the legal picture, filing suit with the aid of the ACLU of Louisiana in an effort to force officials to allow the events.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against the LaFayette Public Library in Louisiana after officials decided to ban Drag Queen Story Time events as the library had been sued by two other groups for originally planning to host an event on the premises. Continue reading →

House Democrats Are Lining Up Behind What Could Be The Largest Expansion Of Government In Decades

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“This is going to be the New Deal, the Great Society, the moon shot, the civil-rights movement of our generation,” Ocasio-Cortez said at a panel event in early December alongside Sanders, a likely 2020 presidential contender.

(Michael Bastasch – The Daily Caller)  Democrats are increasingly lining up to support a “Green New Deal,” which, while vague on details, could end up being the largest expansion of government in decades. Continue reading →

From Russia probe to sexual-abuse allegations, 9 political scandals that rocked 2018

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From politicians losing their positions over sexual-misconduct allegations to concerns of voter fraud in multiple midterm elections, 2018 was not without its share of political controversies.

Read on for a look at nine of the most notable political scandals of the past year.

Michael Cohen was once a trusted member of the Trump Organization and personal attorney and “fixer” to the president. But by year’s end, the man who once said he would “take a bullet” for President Trump had flipped on his former boss, cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Continue reading →

Netanyahu Failed to Persuade Trump to Reverse Syria Decision

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Photo credit Wikimedia Commons

“The USA is withdrawing its forces from Syria with the claim that IS was the only reason for them being in the country, the disregard for Iranian entrenchment in Syria is dangerous to Israel,” opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni of the Zionist Union tweeted.

(Deborah Danan – Breitbart) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have tried in vain to persuade President Donald Trump to walk back his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, a move that was met with significant “disappointment” in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported.

Israeli political figures have said that the move represents a possible blow to regional security, leaving the Jewish state to single-handedly combat the threat posed by the Iranian presence in the embattled country. Continue reading →

‘Never again’, pope vows end to clergy sex abuse cover-ups

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Urging people with information about misconduct to come forward, he added: “The church asks that people not be silent, but bring it objectively to light, since the greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth.”

(Alex Williams – Premiere)  The Catholic Church shall “never again” cover up sexual abuse perpetrated by its clergy, Pope Francis promised during a Christmas address to Vatican officials on Friday.

Continue reading →

Gay, transgender youth at ‘significantly higher risk’ of suicide than heterosexual peers

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Dr. Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians, told The Christian Post that the study “confirms what no one disputes: Namely, that youth who identify as LGBQT have higher rates of mental illness leading to a greater risk of life-threatening behaviors.”

(Leah MarieAnn Klett – Christian Post)  LGBT youth are at a higher risk of suicide and life-threatening behavior than their heterosexual peers, a new study has found, with transgender teens being the most at risk. Continue reading →

Conservative Firebrands Lose It Over Trump Caving on Border Wall Funding

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Rush Limbaugh: “If the measure passes ‘Trump gets nothing and the Democrats get everything, including control of the House in a few short weeks.  This is textbook. It’s a textbook example of what the drive-by media calls compromise.'”

(Beth Baumann – Townhall)  Conservative pundits are upset with President Donald Trump and the White House caving on border wall funding. Trump previously threatened a government shutdown if he wasn’t given $5 billion to build the wall, although Congress had allocated $1.6 billion.  Continue reading →

‘We are seeing a soft coup’ against POTUS Trump

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Military historian, columnist and author Victor Davis Hanson joined Fox News host Tucker Carlson after Michael Flynn’s court hearing on Tuesday. During the discussion, Hanson called the outrageous stories coming from Trump haters a “soft coup.”  Here’s what he said:

“This Mueller investigation that we have is not in isolation. We had, remember, from the day Trump was elected we were told the election machines were flawed, we were going to sue. And then there was a group, remember we were told about the Electoral College, and we were told we had to overturn the electors. And then we went to the 25th Amendment that Trump was unbalanced. And that didn’t work. And then we went to the emoluments clause, he profited even though his businesses had lost a billion dollars. And then we’ve gone to Mueller. And so there’s a slow motion if you will, I don’t want to be too psychodramatic like MSNBC gets. But there is sort of a slow motion coup to overturn the elections.”

The National Sentinal has the story and the must watch video: Continue reading →

Top 10 Evangelical News Stories of 2018

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The new year ushers in resolutions and a time to start fresh. But the beginning of a new year means the close of another, offering us the chance to look back and reflect on the good, the bad … and the downright absurd.

(Chelsen Vicari – Juicy Ecumenism)  In 2018, we here at the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) published hundreds of articles on everything from the most encouraging news stories affecting Christianity to some of the most concerning. That’s our job, our mission.

Curious, I dug back through the IRD archives to find out what stories specific to the Evangelical Action program resonated most with our readers. Here are our top 10 most-read Evangelical news stories of the year: Continue reading →

11-year-old ‘drag kid’ dances in popular NYC gay club as patrons toss money at him

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Autistic 11 year-old “drag queen” Desmond Napoles – Instagram screenshot via dangerous.com

“Desmond Napoles, who goes by the drag stage name “Desmond Is Amazing,” is barely 11 years old, yet homosexual and mainstream media have thrust him into the spotlight as the face of the growing prepubescent gay/transgender movement.”

(Doug Mainwaring – LifeSiteNews) – Perhaps sensing the horrific optics of the event, LGBT news sites have assiduously avoided reporting that their favorite 11-year-old drag kid “Desmond Is Amazing” danced on stage in a New York gay bar while adult male patrons tossed money his way as if he were a male stripper.

The pre-adolescent boy, dressed in drag to imitate singer Gwen Stefani, pranced around the stage at Brooklyn’s 3 Dollar Bill, an LGBT bar described as “queer owned & operated,” and “Brooklyn’s Premiere Queer Bar & Performance Venue.” Continue reading →

Conservative Christians Want To Stop Kids Meditating At School

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ACLJ view the mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques used in some schools as a danger to children. The organization condemned audio recordings it claims say, “ We’re all connected through nature. And we’re all connected through the universe.”  

(Katherine Hignett – Newsweek)  Conservative Christian watchdog group The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has launched a petition to stop “forced Buddhist meditation” in schools. Continue reading →

Unconstitutional: Federal Judge Strikes Down Obamacare

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“Obamacare was struck down by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents.”

(Matt Vespa – Townhall)  We have breaking news coming from Texas. A federal judge has struck down the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). A group of Republican state attorneys general argued in their lawsuit that the repeal of the tax penalty gutted the argument for ACA legality. Bloomberg has more, with the publication adding that the DOJ tried to argue that the individual mandate, including provisions to keep the premium rates the same among healthy individuals and those with pre-existing conditions, should be struck down, but keep the rest of the law intact. That included Medicaid expansion, the employer mandates, the exchanges, and premium subsides for hospitals.  Continue reading →

Boy Scouts Considers Bankruptcy Amid Sex Abuse Lawsuits

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“The organization has also agreed in recent years to allow gay men and lesbians to serve in leadership roles, which in part prompted the Mormon Church to announce in 2017 that it was withdrawing from the organization’s programs for older boys.”

(James Barrett – Daily Wire)  Boy Scouts of America may be taking a similar approach as USA Gymnastics to mounting legal fees related to sex abuse lawsuits. According to the Wall Street Journal, the over a century-old nonprofit is considering filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Continue reading →

Archaeologists: We’ve located biblical city of Sodom

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The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Flickr)

Archaeologists believe they have found the ancient city of Sodom, whose destruction is described in the Bible. They say it was caused by a meteorite.

(Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News) Archaeologists excavating the Bronze Age city of Tall el-Hammam in Jordan believe it to be the biblical city of Sodom, destroyed some 3,700 years ago.

According to the Bible, God obliterated the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the plain upon which they stood by raining down on them “brimstone and fire.” Continue reading →

College Men Try to Ban Porn From Campus WIFI, Saying ‘Pornography is Prostitution’

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“Although Notre Dame is affiliated with the Catholic Church, attendees of schools including Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania also expressed interest in initiating similar efforts to install porn filters on campus Wi-Fi.”

(Daniel Moritz-Rabson – Newsweek)  College men are attempting to ban pornography on campuses across the country, The Daily Beast reported.

Eighty male students at Notre Dame University wrote an open letter in the school newspaper asking for a porn filter on the school’s Wi-Fi.   Continue reading →

Australian Court Finds Cardinal Pell Guilty of Sexual Abuse

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Photo credit Wikimedia Commons

“All along I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations,  News of these charges strengthens my resolve and the court proceedings now offer me an opportunity to clear my name and then return back to Rome to work.”

(Thomas D. Williams – Breitbart)  A Melbourne court has reportedly convicted the Vatican’s finance chief, Cardinal George Pell, of sexually abusing two choir boys in the 1990s when he was archbishop of Melbourne.

After more than three days of deliberations, the court handed down a guilty verdictTuesday by a unanimous consent of the jury. If the verdict is confirmed, it will be the highest-ranking condemnation of a Church official for a crime of sexual abuse. Continue reading →

Glee Co-Creator Launches Multi-Million-Dollar Plan to Target ‘Anti-LGBT’ Politicians in 2020

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TV producer and LGBTQ activist Ryan Murphy

“Over 20 anti-LGBTQ, right-wing politicians and their horrifying views were gone in a day, Dana Rohrbacher, Mia Love, Jason Lewis, Pete Sessions gone. Bigots, all of them. And they were replaced by allies, new politicians who won’t spread  harmful and wrong rhetoric that can lead a young LGBTQ person to actually believe that they are not good enough or worthy enough to stay on this Earth anymore.”

(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews)  Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of Glee, Nip/Tuck, and Pose, announced at an LGBT event on Dec. 2 that he is launching a multi-million-dollar organization to target “anti-LGBTQ canidates” in the 2020 election, including Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Me.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).  Continue reading →