POLITICS-DR. BEN CARSON
Retired surgeon mulls politics, seeks God’s will
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Ben Carson says he was looking forward to a relaxing retirement, but now thinks that “perhaps God has a different plan for me.”
The neurosurgeon, who many conservatives are urging to seek the Republican presidential nomination, spoke Wednesday at the National Press Club.
He blamed problems in Veterans Administration hospitals on a lack of accountability in the Obama administration. Carson said it illustrates a biblical proverb that warns “if a ruler hearkens to lies, all his servants are wicked.”
He also criticized what he called “the unaffordable care act,” saying Americans would be better off with health savings accounts they could spend wherever they want.
Asked how he might rally political support, Carson said all that matters is that he has “the support of God.” But he added that he has taken “no steps” toward launching a possible run for president, a job that Carson said he wouldn’t wish on anybody
265-a-05-(Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, speaking at the National Press Club)-“matters to me”-Dr. Ben Carson says he hasn’t considered how he might rally political support for a presidential run. (28 May 2014)
< 267-a-16-(Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, speaking at the National Press Club)-“can do this”-Dr. Ben Carson says the problems at Veteran Administration hospitals reflect a lack of accountability in the Obama adminstration. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (28 May 2014) < 266-a-12-(Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, speaking at the National Press Club)-“anybody, including myself”-Dr. Ben Carson says he hasn’t moved toward launching a run for president. (28 May 2014) < 263-w-31-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon)–A retired neurosurgeon, touted by conservatives as a possible presidential candidate, isn’t ruling it out. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (28 May 2014) < 264-a-16-(Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, speaking at the National Press Club)-“plan for me”-Dr. Ben Carson says he thought he might have a relaxing retirement. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (28 May 2014) < 268-a-15-(Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, speaking at the National Press Club)-“the right people”-Dr. Ben Carson says the Bible’s Queen Esther is an example of a person who God propelled into leadership for his purposes. (28 May 2014) < SOUTHERN BAPTISTS-MEMBERSHIP Southern Baptist membership declines for 7th year NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An annual report says the nation’s largest Protestant denomination saw its membership decline for the seventh straight year in 2013. The report released by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Lifeway Christian Resources puts total membership in the Nashville-based SBC at 15.7 million. That’s down from 15.9 million in 2012, a decrease of a little less than 1 percent. Weekly church attendance decreased more than 2 percent last year. The report also notes a 1.5 percent decrease in the number of baptisms, falling to 310,368. Baptisms are an important measure for the denomination because of its strong commitment to evangelism. The total number of Southern Baptist churches increased slightly in 2013 to 46,125. The report was released on Wednesday, just ahead of the convention’s annual meeting June 10-11 in Baltimore. EQUAL RIGHTS ORDINANCE-HOUSTON Houston approves expanded protections for gays HOUSTON (AP) — Houston leaders have approved expanded anti-bias protections for gay and transgender residents in a measure that critics argued would impede their religious liberties. The Houston City Council voted 11-6 in favor of the ordinance after a public hearing that lasted more than seven hours. It takes effect in 30 days. Mayor Annise Parker, who is gay, said passing the ordinance was the “most personally meaningful thing I will do as mayor.” Those who protested the ordinance, including various local pastors, said it’s unconstitutional and would infringe on their right to speak out against homosexuality. They argued that residents in the nation’s fourth-largest city should be allowed to vote on the issue through a referendum. San Antonio passed a similar measure that was heavily disputed last year MILITARY-RELIGION Military accused of continued religious freedom violations WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of the House Armed Services Committee says the military continues to restrict religious expression despite protections passed by Congress and signed into law. Louisiana Congressman Dr. John Fleming told an audience at the Family Research Council that some “military brass seem determined to shut down religious expression.” He cited the removal of a cadet’s Bible verse at the Air Force Academy, sermons edited or removed from a chaplain’s blog post, and “career reprisals for voicing religious views on marriage or other issues.” On the same day that President Barack Obama spoke at West Point and Vice President Joe Biden spoke at the Air Force Academy, Fleming declared that the troops who defend America’s freedoms need their own rights protected. Sound: 319-a-13-(U.S. Rep. Dr. John Fleming, R-La., speaking at the Family Research Council)-“expressions of faith”-Louisiana Congressman Dr. John Fleming says Americans shouldn’t lose their religious rights when they join the military. (28 May 2014) < 320-a-08-(U.S. Rep. Dr. John Fleming, R-La., speaking at the Family Research Council)-“down religious expression”-Louisiana Congressman Dr. John Fleming says some military officials aren’t complying with laws guaranteeing troops’ religious rights. (28 May 2014) < 323-a-07-(U.S. Rep. Dr. John Fleming, R-La., speaking at the Family Research Council)-“the Air Force”-Louisiana Congressman Dr. John Fleming says one service branch is causing special concern. (28 May 2014) < 321-a-09-(U.S. Rep. Dr. John Fleming, R-La., speaking at the Family Research Council)-“expression of faith”-Louisiana Congressman Dr. John Fleming says some military officials are placing undue restrictions on troops’ religious rights. (28 May 2014) < 322-a-12-(U.S. Rep. Dr. John Fleming, R-La., speaking at the Family Research Council)-“or other issues”-Louisiana Congressman Dr. John Fleming says there have been a number of violations of religious rights in the military. (28 May 2014) < CHICAGO CARDINAL-DEPOSITION Chicago’s Cardinal George to give deposition CHICAGO (AP) — The Archdiocese of Chicago says Cardinal Francis George will give a video-recorded deposition about a former priest who has been convicted of abusing children. Archdiocese spokeswoman Colleen Dolan says the cardinal will answer attorney questions Thursday regarding Daniel McCormack. She called it a “routine part of the court process.” Dolan says the deposition is being done in case George isn’t physically able in the future. George recently had chemotherapy for cancer near his right kidney. McCormack pleaded guilty in 2007. George said after McCormack’s indictment he should have pushed harder for details about the allegations. The cardinal launched an investigation that found church procedures for removing priests were “far from perfect.” McCormack was arrested earlier this month for aggravated criminal sexual abuse in a 2005 case involving a 10-year-old victim. PREACHER’S WIFE SLAIN Ala. preacher not guilty in wife’s shooting death BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A judge has ruled that an Alabama preacher is not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting death of his wife and the wounding of their daughter. Circuit Judge Tommy Nail ruled Wednesday during a non-jury hearing in which a psychologist testified that he and two other experts determined that the Rev. Terry Greer didn’t know what he was doing when he opened fire on Jan. 10, 2013. Dr. Glen King also testified that Greer remains a danger to himself and others. Nail agreed and ordered Greer to be committed to a state mental facility. After shooting his wife Lisa Greer in the family’s church-owned home, authorities have said Terry Greer, former pastor at Gardendale-Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church, stabbed himself eight times in the chest. He was found with a knife protruding from his body when police arrived. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Priest: 30 killed at Central African Rep. church BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — A priest says Muslim rebels stormed a Catholic church compound in the capital of the Central African Republic on Wednesday, killing as many as 30 people in a hail of gunfire and grenades. The attack on the compound at the Church of Fatima, where hundreds of civilians had sought refuge from the violence ravaging Bangui’s streets, is the largest blamed on Muslim fighters since their Seleka coalition was ousted from power nearly five months ago. Wednesday’s attack marked a rare assault on a house of worship, as Catholic churches have served as sanctuaries for both Christian and Muslim civilians since the country erupted in sectarian bloodshed in December. Fears escalated late Wednesday that the new bloodshed would spark reprisal attacks on the city’s few remaining Muslims, most of whom fled the city in a mass exodus earlier this year that the U.N. has described as ethnic cleansing. BRAZIL-MINISTERING TO ADDICTS Brazil preachers minister to addicts RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In Brazilian slums hidden from tourists heading to Rio de Janeiro for the World Cup, preachers head out at night to minister to crack addicts. Rifle-toting police observe from a corner as the evangelical preachers calmly mingle amid the chaotic scene of users seeking a fix. Some of the preachers were once crack addicts themselves. Now they seek to rescue souls from the crack epidemic that’s swept Brazil in recent years. Pastor Celio Ricardo, who leads the team of street preachers, offers them a roof in a makeshift shelter in a nearby neighborhood, a simple structure next to his Love of God evangelical church. He relies on donations and handouts from local supermarkets to feed those he is trying to heal. On a recent day, 25 young men gathered in a circle outside the shelter, lifting their hands to the sky and shouting: “Glory to God! Glory to God!” ISRAEL-VISITING MARONITES Lebanese patriarch embraces exiled militiamen CAPERNAUM, Israel (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic church has celebrated an outdoor Mass in Israel for hundreds of exiled countrymen who are considered traitors by many back home for helping Israel maintain an 18-year occupation of south Lebanon. With the Sea of Galilee as a dramatic backdrop, Cardinal Bechara Rai said Mass in Capernaum Wednesday for the former Lebanese militiamen and their families, who fled Lebanon in 2000 as their Israeli allies withdrew. Some of the faithful said they hope the Lebanese cardinal’s unprecedented pilgrimage to Israel is a signal they may be able to return home someday. For others, return remains a distant possibility. The young already speak better Hebrew than Arabic, while some older exiles, especially those who held senior positions in the former South Lebanon Army militia, would face imprisonment if they returned. INDIA-TIBETAN MONK Tibetan monk escapes after criticizing Beijing DHARMSALA, India (AP) — A Buddhist monk who worked on a 2008 documentary film critical of China’s rule in Tibet says he escaped Chinese police custody and fled to India last week after hiding out for 20 months. Golog Jigme says he was severely beaten during repeated detentions, but managed to undo his leg shackles and escape in 2012. The 44-year-old monk says he survived in the icy Himalayas by begging for food from passing nomads. After his first arrest in 2008, Golog says he was tied to a contraption that twisted his body in a C-shape, adding that while beaten he shouted, “Long live the Dalai Lama.” Golog said he suffered damaged knees, a dislocated shoulder, failing vision and broken ribs. China says Tibet has been part of its territory since the 13th century, and the Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since 1951. But many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of their history, and that the Chinese government wants to exploit Tibet’s resources while crushing their cultural identity.
