Update on the latest religion news

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JOHN GLENN-GOD AND EVOLUTION

John Glenn expresses faith in both God and evolution

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β€” Astronaut John Glenn says he sees no contradiction between believing in God and believing in evolution.

In his 1998 shuttle flight, Glenn said from space that “to look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible.”

Now 93 with fading eyesight and hearing, Glenn told The Associated Press in a recent interview that believing in evolution “doesn’t mean it’s less wondrous and it doesn’t mean that there can’t be some power greater than any of us that has been behind and is behind whatever is going on.”

Glenn, a Presbyterian, said he views creation and evolution as complementary. In his words, “I don’t see that I’m any less religious by the fact that I can appreciate the fact that science just records that we change with evolution.”

Glenn cited changes within multiple generations of fruit flies as proof of evolution, but said he considers the existence of “greater power” to be a fact too.

264-a-09-(John Glenn, retired astronaut and U.S. Congressman, in AP interview)-“still fact too”-Astronaut John Glenn says it’s a fact that species evolve over time. (20 May 2015)

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261-a-16-(John Glenn, retired astronaut and U.S. Congressman, in AP interview)-“change with evolution”-Astronaut John Glenn says he believes in both God and evolution. (20 May 2015)

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260-w-31-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with astronaut John Glenn)–Astronaut John Glenn says he sees no contradiction between believing in God and believing in evolution. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (20 May 2015)

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262-a-13-(John Glenn, retired astronaut and U.S. Congressman, in AP interview)-“is going on”-Astronaut John Glenn says science shows that life evolves over time. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (20 May 2015)

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263-a-15-(John Glenn, retired astronaut and U.S. Congressman, in AP interview)-“or the other”-Astronaut John Glenn says he sees no contradiction between creation and evolution. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) Updated: 05/20/2015-06:36:01 PM ET (20 May 2015)

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BIRTH CONTROL-NOTRE DAME

Court won’t exempt Notre Dame from birth control provision

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) β€” A federal appeals court has rejected the University of Notre Dame’s request to temporarily be exempt from a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires the Catholic school’s insurance providers to cover the costs of contraceptives for students and staff.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that an exemption provided by President Barack Obama’s administration allows Notre Dame to avoid directly paying for contraceptives, and therefore doesn’t force the school to violate its religious beliefs. Notre Dame contends that the law forces it to violate Catholic doctrine, which bars most forms of birth control, by becoming conduits to purchasing contraceptives.

The three-judge panel didn’t rule on the merits of the case; it only refused to allow the university to opt out of the provision as its lawsuit makes its way through the courts.

CANNABIS CHURCH

Police fine church member who brought marijuana to park

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) β€” Three members of a Rhode Island church that uses marijuana in its ceremonies have been ticketed for possessing a controlled substance at Roger Williams National Memorial.

The Providence Journal reports that police moved in Tuesday and issued $100 citations after members of the Healing Church lit a glass pipe they referred to as a chalice.

Anne Armstrong, deaconess of the church, says they believe the police action was akin to “storm troopers bursting into a Catholic church while they were distributing Holy Communion.”

Church members have been praying at the memorial this week and have received a permit to hold a service there on Saturday. Jennifer Smith, the site manager for the memorial, says the permit allows members of the church to assemble, but not to violate any laws.

STUDENT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Senators approve bill clarifying student religious rights

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) β€” Nevada lawmakers have approved a measure aimed at strengthening protections for religious practices in school.

Senators voted to approve AB120 in a 19-2 vote on Tuesday. The measure passed the Assembly in April and now goes to Gov. Brian Sandoval for approval.

The bill clarifies religious rights for students but sets restrictions if the practice is used to bully other students or disrupt an educational environment. It also requires school boards to set up a grievance process for students who claim their religious rights have been violated.

Clark County and Washoe County school districts initially opposed the bill but came on board after Republican bill sponsor Assemblyman Jim Wheeler amended the bill to give districts more leeway.

CHURCH FIRES

Alabama man convicted in church burnings released

ALPINE, Ala. (AP) β€” A man convicted of lighting rural churches on fire in 2006 has been released from an Alabama corrections facility.

Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton told Al.com that 29-year-old Benjamin Moseley was released from the Childersburg Community Work Center on Wednesday.

His accomplice, 29-year-old Matthew Cloyd, was released from the Frank Lee Youth Center in late March. A third man, Russell Lee DeBusk Jr., was released early from state prison in 2012.

Authorities have said the men were sentenced in a series of church fires in Bibb, Sumter, Greene and Pickens Counties. Nine churches were torched in all and authorities have said Moseley and Cloyd were college students at the time of the arsons.

CHINA-RELIGION

Chinese leader: Religions must be free of foreign influence

BEIJING (AP) β€” President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) has warned that religions in China must be independent from foreign influence as Beijing asks domestic religious groups to adapt to Chinese society and pledge loyalty to the state.

Xi made the remarks Wednesday at a high-profile meeting seeking to unite non-Communist Party groups and individuals.

China’s atheistic government believes that hostile foreign forces can use religions to infiltrate Chinese society by winning over the population and subverting party rule. It has banned foreign missionary work, refused to acknowledge any appointment by foreign religious entities such as the Vatican, and declared any unregistered religious groups illegal.

Still, religions have spread quickly in the country, which is suffering a crisis in belief as people largely abandon communist values.

VATICAN-CHINA

Pope urges Chinese Catholics to be ‘united’ to church

VATICAN CITY (AP) β€” Pope Francis has urged Catholics in China to be “united to the rock” of the church in Rome.

Francis made the comments Wednesday during his general audience ahead of an important feast day May 24 for Chinese Catholics at the shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai.

He said: “We too will ask Mary to help Catholics in China to be always credible witnesses of this merciful love among their fellow citizens and to live spiritually united to the rock of Peter upon whom the Church is built.”

China severed relations with the Holy See in 1951 when the Communists took over. Worship is officially allowed only in state-authorized churches outside the pope’s authority. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Chinese faithful urging them to unite under his authority.

AUSTRALIA-SEX ABUSE

Vatican finance minister denies Australian bribe allegation

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) β€” Pope Francis’ finance minister has denied an allegation that he offered a bribe to a victim of clergy abuse to protect a pedophile priest.

The allegation against Cardinal George Pell was made under oath on Wednesday at a government-commissioned inquiry into child sex abuse in Australia.

The allegation has dogged the Australian cardinal for years. Inquiry chairman Peter McClellan said he expected his inquiry will make findings about cover-up allegations surrounding Pell. Pell has denied any wrongdoing.

David Ridsdale testified that he told Pell in 1993 about the abuse he had suffered as a child at the hands of his pedophile priest uncle. Ridsdale told the inquiry Pell offered a bribe to keep him quiet.

Pell later denied the allegation in a statement from the Vatican.

VATICAN-NEW MARTYR

Beatification of Romero signals new understanding of martyr

VATICAN CITY (AP) β€” The upcoming beatification of El Salvador Archbishop Oscar Romero is stretching the Catholic Church’s concept of martyrdom.

Traditionally, the church recognizes martyrs as people who were killed for refusing to renounce their faith, often during bouts of anti-Christian persecution. It assumes that the killer acted out of hatred for the person’s belief in Christ, such as the many Christians being killed today in the Mideast at the hands of Islamic extremists.

A martyrdom declaration exempts a candidate for sainthood from the beatification requirement that the Vatican confirm a miracle attributed to his or her intercession. A second miracle is usually needed to be canonized.

Romero was killed in 1980 by right-wing death squads who vehemently opposed his preaching against the repression of the poor by the Salvadoran army.

Pope Francis has decreed that Romero was killed as a martyr out of hatred for the faith rather than for his politics.

VATICAN-CLIMATE

Pope’s No. 2 offers new insights into climate encyclical

VATICAN CITY (AP) β€” Pope Francis’ second in command says a new development model is needed to combat global warming, one that marries economic growth with sustainability.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, said in another prelude to Francis’ environment encyclical that both political and economic commitment will be required to ensure the planet’s health for future generations.

Parolin’s remarks were contained in a message Wednesday to a conference of business and church leaders on how sustainable actions can drive the economic growth needed to lift people out of poverty. It’s a theme that Francis is expected to explore in his encyclical, which is due in the coming weeks.

The conference was organized by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, which aims to promote growth while addressing climate change.

SUBWAY PUSH DEATH

Woman gets 24 years in jail for fatal push in NY subway

NEW YORK (AP) β€” A woman who admitted to shoving a Hindu man off a New York City subway platform to his death in an attack motivated by religious animus has been sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Erika Menendez was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to manslaughter for killing Sunando Sen in December 2012 in Queens.

The 33-year-old Queens woman pushed Sen off a No. 7 train platform. An oncoming train crushed him.

Menendez told police she did it because she has hated Muslims and Hindus since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown called the killing “every subway commuter’s worst nightmare.”