EBOLA-SAMARITAN’S PURSE
Samaritan’s Purse providing Ebola relief supplies
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β A Christian relief organization has sent about 100 tons of supplies to African nations struggling to halt the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
Against the backdrop of a 747 cargo plane and several forklifts loading pallets of materials, the Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, outlined the mission at a news conference at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
He said the battle against Ebola will be won “with God’s help, and with the support of many people in this country and around the world,” but it will take time and international support for nations like Liberia.
In an AP interview, Graham said Samaritan’s Purse would provide protective equipment for families with loved ones who have Ebola so they can be cared for safely at home. Supplies on the plane include buckets for mixing chlorine and plastic covers for people to place in their homes to protect them from coming in contact with bodily fluids.
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ABORTION-COVERAGE-CALIFORNIA
California Catholics challenge abortion order
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) β California’s Catholic leadership has filed a federal civil rights complaint over a state requirement that health insurance cover abortions.
The California Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops and archbishops, sent a letter Tuesday to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It contends that California’s Department of Managed Health Care discriminated against those morally opposed to abortion and requests an investigation.
The complaint is under review, said Rachel Seeger, spokeswoman for the federal agency’s Office for Civil Rights. The state agency didn’t immediately comment.
The Catholic conference is challenging a directive the state managed care agency sent Aug. 22 to seven insurance companies. It said that California’s Constitution and a 1975 state law prohibited them from selling group plans that exclude coverage for legal abortions.
The civil rights complaint contends that the directive targeted Catholic-run institutions.
SCHULLER-GRANDSON-HOUR-OF-POWER
Schuller’s grandson launches new ‘Hour of Power’
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) β The grandson of televangelist Robert H. Schuller will follow in his footsteps with an hour-long religious TV program called “Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller.”
The reformatted program will be similar to the “Hour of Power” show made famous by his grandfather. The first installment will air Sunday.
The younger Schuller has also been named lead pastor of Shepherd’s Grove church, which will continue his grandfather’s vision.
The glass-paned Crystal Cathedral that the elder Schuller founded in California was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in 2010 after Crystal Cathedral Ministries declared bankruptcy. The elder Schuller resigned from the church board in 2012.
The revised TV program will air on TBN, Oxygen and The Church Channel.
SCALIA-COLORADO
Scalia mulls church, state in religious talk
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) β Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says separation of church and state is foundational to American freedom.
In a speech Wednesday at Colorado Christian University, Scalia said acknowledging God in public life is “in the best of American tradition.” But he warned that government must not try to compel religious belief. The conservative Supreme Court justice said religious liberty is essential in a nation with many religions.
Scalia outlined no new positions and made no reference to cases pending before the nation’s highest court. The court could announce as early as this week whether it will consider the constitutionality of state bans on same-sex marriage.
STATE SENATOR-HOLOCAUST COMPARISON
State senator makes Holocaust comparison in speech
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) β A recently elected Texas state senator has compared what he called a “spiritual battle” against religion in the United States to the Holocaust.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports that Charles Perry made the comparison after being sworn in Tuesday following his victory last month in a special election.
In his inaugural speech, Perry said a recent trip to a German concentration camp where thousands of Jews were killed brought to mind what he believes are efforts in the U.S. to pass laws against religion. He said, “Is it not the same than when our government continues to perpetuate laws that lead citizens away from God?”
Perry said that while he’ll work to address the state’s financial needs, his biggest challenge will be the “spiritual battle for the spirit of this nation and the soul of its people.”
OKLAHOMA-WORKPLACE BEHEADING
Beheading suspect ordered held without bond
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) β A man accused of beheading a woman at an Oklahoma food processing plant has been ordered held without bond and wants a Muslim to be named as his court-appointed lawyer.
Alton Nolen is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 54-year-old Colleen Hufford. The 30-year-old is also charged with assault for allegedly attacking another employee before being shot by a plant manager.
In a video arraignment Wednesday, Judge Michael Tupper ordered Nolen held without bond and said the court would appoint an attorney. Nolen said he was Muslim and asked if any Muslim lawyers were available.
Nolen was jailed Wednesday after his release from a hospital.
The FBI is investigating because of the nature of the attack, which followed a series of high-profile videotaped beheadings by Islamic State militants in the Middle East.
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252-c-13-(Sean Murphy, AP correspondent)-“two other employees”-AP correspondent Sean Murphy reports prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against Alton Nolen, the man accused of beheading a woman at an Oklahoma food processing plant. (1 Oct 2014)
< 251-c-09-(Sean Murphy, AP correspondent)-“the victim’s family”-AP correspondent Sean Murphy reports Alton Nolen could face execution for the beheading of a woman at an Oklahoma food processing plant. (1 Oct 2014) < 253-c-14-(Sean Murphy, AP correspondent)-“or more people”-AP correspondent Sean Murphy reports the Cleveland County District Attorney will file paper work to seek the death penalty against a man accused of beheading a woman at an Oklahoma food processing plant. (1 Oct 2014) < 089-a-11-(Greg Mashburn, Cleveland County District Attorney, at news conference Tuesday)-“the federal authorities”-District Attorney Greg Mashburn says the suspect does not face terrorism charges at this time. (1 Oct 2014) < 088-a-04-(Greg Mashburn, Cleveland County District Attorney, at news conference Tuesday)-“in this case”-District Attorney Greg Mashburn says 30-year-old Alton Nolen has been charged with first-degree murder in the beheading of a co-worker last week. (1 Oct 2014) < 091-a-10-(Greg Mashburn, Cleveland County District Attorney, at news conference Tuesday)-“FBI is involved”-District Attorney Greg Mashburn says federal authorities are looking into the suspect’s possible religious motivations. (1 Oct 2014) < 092-a-11-(Greg Mashburn, Cleveland County District Attorney, at news conference Tuesday)-“like white people”-District Attorney Greg Mashburn says Nolen had been suspended over an altercation with one of the women he attacked. (1 Oct 2014) < 090-a-14-(Greg Mashburn, Cleveland County District Attorney, at news conference Tuesday)-“in that way”-District Attorney Greg Mashburn says the FBI is looking into the suspect’s background and motive for beheading co-workers. (1 Oct 2014) < 275-a-14-(Greg Mashburn, Cleveland County District Attorney, at news conference)-“in that way”-District Attorney Greg Mashburn says the FBI is looking into the suspect’s background and motive for beheading co-workers. (30 Sep 2014) < CHILD ABUSE-CHURCH Missouri judges skeptical of child abuse appeal JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) β Missouri Supreme Court judges appear skeptical about an appeal from a Springfield man who was convicted of abusing his 13-year-old son by limiting food and locking him in a church bathroom. The justices heard arguments Wednesday from an attorney for Peter Hansen, who argued there was insufficient evidence to show that Hansen knowingly inflicted cruel and inhumane punishment. Hansen and his family were living at a Seventh-day Adventist church in 2009 when child abuse investigators responded to a hotline call. His attorney argued in court filings that the child’s limited diet stemmed in part from religious beliefs. But judges said during questioning that denying food to children goes beyond merely limiting the types of food they eat. The judges had no probing questions for a state’s attorney defending the convictions. POLYGAMY-CHILD ABUSE SENTENCE Jail time for Idaho polygamous man in abuse case POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) β A member of Warren Jeffs’ polygamous church who oversaw an Idaho home where nine boys were sent on “repentance missions” by their parents has been given jail time on child abuse charges that included locking one teen in a furnace room for two days. Nathan C. Jessop was sentenced to 90 days in jail Tuesday after previously pleading guilty to three counts of misdemeanor injury to a child. KPVI-TV reports that another 360 days in jail were suspended. The 49-year-old Jessop belongs to Warren Jeffs’ Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose members believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. He is the son of high-ranking FLDS member Merril Jessop, who is serving 10 years in a Texas prison for presiding over the marriage of his then-12-year-old daughter to Jeffs. Nathan Jessop told police the boys, ages 12 to 17, also were church members and were sent to him by their parents because they were disobedient. He acknowledged physically disciplining them, saying the boys were hard to handle and had not learned to behave. SAUDI-REMAKING MECCA Saudi overhaul reshapes Islam’s holiest city Mecca MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) β As Muslims from around the world stream into Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage this week, they come to a city undergoing the biggest transformation in its history. Next to Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba, soars the world’s third tallest skyscraper. Hotel towers and malls have been built up to the edge of the Grand Mosque. Critics complain the result is stripping the holy city of its spirituality. They also say it is robbing the hajj of its more than 1,400-year-old message that all Muslims, rich or poor, are equal before God as they perform the rites meant to cleanse them of sin, starting and ending by circling the Kaaba seven times. Saudi officials say the urban renewal is necessary to accommodate hajj pilgrims whose numbers are expected to swell from around 3 million today to nearly 7 million by 2040. Sound: 222-c-20-(Aya Batrawy (AY’-uh buh-TRAH’-wee), AP correspondent)-“more higher-end pilgrims”-AP correspondent Aya Batrawy reports the loss of landmarks and ancient buildings is painful for many to see. (1 Oct 2014) < 221-c-20-(Aya Batrawy (AY’-uh buh-TRAH’-wee), AP correspondent)-“hotels being built”-AP correspondent Aya Batrawy reports shiny new buildings are replacing centuries-old markets, homes and even religious landmarks. (1 Oct 2014) < 223-c-18-(Aya Batrawy (AY’-uh buh-TRAH’-wee), AP correspondent)-“eradicate these sites”-AP correspondent Aya Batrawy reports the move to remake the city gets a thumbs-up from many followers of Islam. (1 Oct 2014) < 220-c-18-(Aya Batrawy (AY’-uh buh-TRAH’-wee), AP correspondent)-“of the city”-AP correspondent Aya Batrawy reports Mecca has been transformed, in the eyes of many, into “Mecca-hattan” by catering to pilgrims who have more money to spend. (1 Oct 2014) < BRAZIL-ELECTION-RELIGION Fight for growing Pentecostal vote in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) β Brazil’s rapid religious transformation is reverberating through the country’s tight presidential race, where abortion and gay marriage have emerged as hot-button issues and Pentecostal televangelists are political power brokers. Socially conservative Pentecostals now comprise more than one-fifth of Brazil’s electorate. That change has the secular-minded incumbent quoting Psalms while her Bible-reading rival has stressed her belief in a secular state to avoid alienating liberal voters ahead of Sunday’s first-round vote. During a recent service at his 6,000-seat Assemblies of God church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s most influential Pentecostal pastor spent half of the service talking about the election, nudging voters to support opposition candidate Marina Silva, who is also a member of the Assemblies of God, by far Brazil’s largest Pentecostal denomination. If Silva makes it to the second round and defeats incumbent Dilma Rousseff in an expected Oct. 26 runoff, she would become the first Pentecostal leader of a country with more Catholics than any other. VATICAN-SHIPWRECK ANNIVERSARY Pope urges Europe to open doors to refugees VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has called for Europe to open its doors to refugees as he marked the anniversary of a deadly migrant shipwreck off Sicily by meeting with survivors and relatives of the victims. Around 370 people, most of them Eritrean and Syrian asylum-seekers, drowned on Oct. 3, 2013 when their smugglers’ boat capsized off the island of Lampedusa. The tragedy jolted the EU and prompted Italy to beef up its sea patrols, which have rescued about 160,000 people this year. On Wednesday, a few dozen relatives of victims and survivors of the shipwreck met with Francis before heading to Lampedusa for commemorative ceremonies. Francis said: “I ask all the men and women of Europe to open the doors of their hearts.”
