Update on the latest religion news

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TAX SCAMS-MINISTERS

Pastor warns of fake IRS scam

WASHINGTON (AP) β€” A North Carolina pastor says he and other ministers have been contacted by scammers claiming to be from the IRS.

The Rev. Al Cadenhead told the Senate Committee on Aging that an official-sounding call last October accused him of tax fraud that could result in his arrest, liens on his home and property, frozen bank accounts and calls to the media.

Bewildered but intimidated and anxious to avoid embarrassment to his church, Cadenhead said he followed the caller’s instructions to purchase Green Dot Visa cards and transfer thousands of dollars while remaining on the phone.

The pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte said he’s ashamed that he fell for it, and has only gone public to warn others “that the IRS does not do business over the phone and that when calls are received, hang up.”

Sound:

254-a-13-(The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., testifying before the Senate Committee on Aging)-“embarrass my church”-The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, says the scammers claiming to be IRS agents threatened to issue a warrant for his arrest and contact the media. (15 Apr 2015)

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256-a-16-(The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., testifying before the Senate Committee on Aging)-“received, hang up”-The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, says he’s ashamed to have fallen for the scam. ((note length of cut))((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (15 Apr 2015)

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253-a-13-(The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., testifying before the Senate Committee on Aging)-“about the arrest”-The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, says a scammer claiming to be from the IRS said he was accused of tax fraud and had not responded to efforts to contact him. (15 Apr 2015)

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255-a-10-(The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., testifying before the Senate Committee on Aging)-“to hang up”-The Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, says he’s talking about what happened to him to warn others. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (15 Apr 2015)

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252-w-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with the Rev. Al Cadenhead, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.)–A North Carolina pastor says he and other ministers have been contacted by scammers claiming to be from the IRS. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (15 Apr 2015)

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PASTOR KILLED-APPEAL

Man condemned for Arlington pastor slaying loses appeal

HOUSTON (AP) β€” Texas’ top criminal appeals court has upheld the conviction of Steven LaWayne Nelson, who was sent to death row for the beating and suffocation of a young pastor during a robbery at a North Texas church four years ago.

Attorneys for the 28-year-old Nelson contended there were 15 errors at his 2012 trial in Fort Worth for the slaying of the Rev. Clint Dobson, pastor at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, and the near fatal beating of Judy Elliott, the church secretary.

The appeals court Wednesday rejected arguments that evidence wasn’t sufficient to convict him of capital murder and sentence him to death. It also brushed aside arguments that the jury selection and jury instructions were improper and that text message evidence improperly was allowed. The court also rejected constitutional claims raised against the Texas death penalty.

BIBLE-OFFICIAL BOOK

Tennessee House votes to name Bible as official book

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) β€” The state House has passed a bill to make the Bible the official state book of Tennessee, despite opposition from Republican leaders and an attorney general’s opinion that the measure would violate the state and federal constitutions.

The chamber voted 55-38 on Wednesday to approve the measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Jerry Sexton, a former pastor from Bean Station.

Sexton argued that his proposal reflects the Bible’s historical, cultural and economic impact in Tennessee.

But several opponents raised concerns about putting the Bible on par with other state symbols like the official salamander, tree and beverage.

The measure would need to be approved by the Senate before heading to the desk of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who opposes it.

VACCINES-CALIFORNIA

California vaccine bill stalls; will come back next week

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) β€” A California bill that would prevent parents from getting vaccine exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs has stalled in the state Senate.

Some lawmakers worry the legislation could unconstitutionally deprive unvaccinated children of an adequate education by barring them from schools.

Supporters plan to bring back the proposal next week, revising it to address the concern raised in the Senate Education Committee.

The bill has generated intense debates pitting parental and religious rights against public health. It was drafted in the wake of a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in December, sickening more than 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico.

Hundreds of people lined the Capitol halls ahead of the Wednesday morning committee hearing, with about 600 opponents outnumbering roughly 100 supporters.

TURKEY-POPE

EU Parliament OKs resolution to remember “Armenian genocide”

BRUSSELS (AP) β€” The European parliament has approved a resolution commemorating “the centenary of the Armenian genocide.”

The non-binding resolution includes an amendment commending Pope Francis for his statement recognizing the Ottoman-era killing of Armenians as genocide.

Turkey responded to the pope’s words Sunday by recalling its ambassador to the Vatican. On Wednesday, the Turkish prime minister accused Francis of joining “an evil front” that is plotting against Turkey.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as genocide.

Turkey, however, has insisted that the toll has been inflated, and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest, not genocide.

VATICAN-CHILE ABUSE

Pope urged to deal with bishops who fail to protect kids

VATICAN CITY (AP) β€” The issue of holding bishops accountable for failing to protect children from sexual deviants has arrived squarely on Pope Francis’ agenda.

The Vatican said the head of the pope’s sex abuse advisory board, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, urged the pope and his other cardinal advisers to take up bishops’ responsibility to protect children during one of their periodic meetings Wednesday. Four members of the advisory board traveled to Rome over the weekend for an emergency meeting with O’Malley over the appointment of Bishop Juan Barros in Osorno, Chile.

Victims of Chile’s most notorious abuser say Barros witnessed their abuse decades ago and did nothing. They say that makes him unfit to lead a diocese where he’d be responsible for protecting kids.

RELIGIOUS DIVORCE-COERCION

Jury deliberations start in rabbi’s ‘divorce team’ trial

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) β€” Jury deliberations have started in the case of an Orthodox rabbi accused of using brutal tactics to force unwilling Jewish men to divorce their wives.

Closing arguments in the case concluded Wednesday afternoon, and jurors started their discussions shortly before 3 p.m. They deliberated for about 90 minutes, but did not reach a verdict.

Rabbi Mendel Epstein faces charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and attempted kidnapping with his son and two other Orthodox rabbis. Prosecutors say the charges stem from a staged kidnapping in 2013 and three other forced divorces.

Prosecutors say the rabbi’s team used brutal methods and tools, including handcuffs and electric cattle prods, to torture the men into granting divorces.

ISRAEL-ANTI-SEMITISM

Israeli researchers say attacks against Jews spiked in 2014

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) β€” An annual report by Israeli researchers says anti-Semitic incidents surged worldwide in 2014, with violent attacks on Jews ranging from armed assaults to vandalism against synagogues, schools and cemeteries.

The report, released Wednesday at Tel Aviv University, recorded 766 incidents, mostly in Western Europe, compared to 554 in 2013 β€” a 38 percent increase.

The report says the increase was partly linked to last summer’s bloody war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip as well as a general climate of hatred and violence encouraged by the rise of the Islamic State group and its gruesome propaganda.

It says 2014 was the second most violent year for Jews in the past decade. It trailed only 2009, which also saw a spike in anti-Semitism following an Israeli war in Gaza.

ISRAEL-KARDASHIAN CUT

Israeli ultra-Orthodox site cuts Kim Kardashian from photo

JERUSALEM (AP) β€” An Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish news website has cut Kim Kardashian β€” one of the world’s most photographed women β€” from a photo taken of her in Jerusalem this week.

The original photo of Kardashian, her husband, Kanye West, and Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat was altered to put Kardashian behind a restaurant receipt. Kardashian was blurred in another.

Nissim Ben Haim, an editor at the Kikar HaShabbat website, said Wednesday they removed Kardashian because she’s a “pornographic symbol” who contradicts ultra-Orthodox values. In an article chiding Barkat for dining with them at a non-kosher restaurant, Kardashian was referred to as “West’s wife.”

Within the insular Ultra-Orthodox community, pictures of women often aren’t shown out of modesty. In January, an ultra-Orthodox newspaper removed German chancellor Angela Merkel from a photo.

CHINA-TIBET

China accuses Dalai Lama of inciting Tibet self-immolations

BEIJING (AP) β€” China has accused the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader, of inciting self-immolations among Tibetans as desperate protests against Chinese rule.

A government report issued Wednesday says police investigations show such incidents are being “manipulated and instigated” at the highest level by the 79-year-old leader and his supporters. The report says a strategy to encourage Tibetans to burn themselves to death emerged after the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile recommitted itself to non-violence in 2011.

The International Campaign for Tibet says 113 men and 24 women have self-immolated since March 2011, with the latest one last week in a Tibetan part of Sichuan province.

The Dalai Lama has called the deaths sad and ineffective at changing Chinese policy, but urged Beijing to look more closely at the reasons behind them.