The Hazards of Belief

Nodin

"A snake-handling pastor who appeared on US TV show Snake Salvation has died after being bitten by a rattlesnake.

Jamie Coots was holding the snake at his church in Middlesboro, Kentucky, when he was bitten on the hand, according to fellow preacher Cody Winn.

The Middlesboro Police Department said Coots refused to have medical treatment for the bite.

Coots said last year that he needed the snakes for religious reasons, citing a Bible passage in Mark's gospel.

The handlers' religious conviction is based on a passage in Mark's gospel which reads: "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26224452

....or not, as the case may be.

recedite

^^^ Darwinian selection at its finest.

Moe Szyslak?

Kidchameleon

Ah brilliant OP a big high five to you for pointing this out, great article!!!

Turtwig

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Ah brilliant OP a big high five to you for pointing this out, great article!!!

Are you referring to the article from 2006?

Kidchameleon

Jernal wrote: »

Are you referring to the article from 2006?

Nope

I was referring to the article from the 17th of February 2014. The merge must have caused your confusion.

oscarBravo

I wasn't going to post this because I thought "it's a fictional religion".

Then I thought about what I'd just thought.

robindch

From Kreshatik, about 200m from Maidan, late Monday evening. An orthodox priest blesses a group of right-wing extremists. There were no shortage of priests around in Kiev over the last week or so, though none I saw wore ski-masks.

As I passed, the priest finished his prayers, sang a few words, then the column of irregulars (each one with a small white plastic cross), bowed forward and blessed himself. This particular crew were in tents opposite the City Hall building which had been vacated by protesters the previous evening as part of a prisoner-amnesty deal.

robindch

Words fail.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/baby-burned-alive-chile-child-killed-antichrist-ritual-sacrifice_n_3155893.html

Brian Shanahan

robindch wrote: »

From Kreshatik, about 200m from Maidan, late Monday evening. An orthodox priest blesses a group of right-wing extremists. There were no shortage of priests around in Kiev over the last week or so, though none I saw wore ski-masks.

As I passed, the priest finished his prayers, sang a few words, then the column of irregulars (each one with a small white plastic cross), bowed forward and blessed himself. This particular crew were in tents opposite the City Hall building which had been vacated by protesters the previous evening as part of a prisoner-amnesty deal.

Common motif amongst the religions. They have a deep seated tendency to cosy up to right wing nutjob thugs.

pauldla

robindch wrote: »

From Kreshatik, about 200m from Maidan, late Monday evening. An orthodox priest blesses a group of right-wing extremists. There were no shortage of priests around in Kiev over the last week or so, though none I saw wore ski-masks.

When the bishops blessed the blueshirts in Dun Laoghaire
As they sailed beneath the swastika to Spain.

Some things never change, eh?

TwoShedsJackson

A couple manage to kill the second of their nine children after violating a court order imposed on them in 2009 for not seeking medical help for the first child that died:

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/faithheal-couple-jailed-after-second-child-dies-30025673.html

Gordon

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

A couple manage to kill the second of their nine children after violating a court order imposed on them in 2009 for not seeking medical help for the first child that died:

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/faithheal-couple-jailed-after-second-child-dies-30025673.html

This guy should also be jailed for instilling this murderous religious nutjobbery into their minds.

Their pastor, Nelson Clark, has said the Schaibles lost their sons because of a "spiritual lack" in their lives and insisted they would not seek medical care even if another child appeared near death.

Although, due to the wording of that paragraph, it could be construed that the pastor is relaying what the people believe, not necessarily what the pastor believes, but I'd hazard that he is also being a feeder.

Obliq

robindch wrote: »

Words fail.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/baby-burned-alive-chile-child-killed-antichrist-ritual-sacrifice_n_3155893.html

Horrific. Utterly nauseating.

"Police said Castillo Gaete, the ringleader, was last seen traveling to Peru to buy ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew plant that he used to control the members of the rite."

This last sentence is quite revealing though, considering what I read about this increasingly popular drug in the IT on Sunday.

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/living/Wellbeing/article1373995.ece

Don't even usually (buy the Times, was stuck) read the "Style" section as I object to any mags advising me to buy into changing my face/clothes/weight, but the article caught my attention. Can't read it without a subscription though, but just googling Ayahuasca Ireland interestingly throws up this as a first option:

https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidicke.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D228916&ei=muYFU476E-yv7Aa71YCgBQ&usg=AFQjCNE5Q7hmEON4vOEMOJfc249jwWJwhA&sig2=TOwAFpUAcGIStvvOVaJJuA&bvm=bv.61725948,d.ZGU

David Icke. Need I say more? Anyhow, this "natural high" is one to warn the kiddies away from, that's for sure. :eek:

robindch

robindch wrote: »

From Kreshatik, about 200m from Maidan, late Monday evening.

Last night's truce collapsed this morning and a further 17 people are now reported dead, raising the total dead to around 50. Reports are also coming in of sniper fire around Maidan, though it's unclear at this time whose causing it. With the support of that cold, malevolent bastard Putin, the Ukrainian government is still playing politics while their capital burns and their citizens die.

It's shocking to think I was there less than two days ago amongst a crowd that was at the time -- extreme right-wingers aside -- good humored and cheerful.

For anybody interested in the ongoing catastrophe, the Beeb's page, and there's plenty on twitter.

From here:

robindch

^^^ Apologies for off-topic posting, though I'm sure it's not hard to come up with a convincing reason why the Kiev protests might be a legitimate topic here.

Cabaal

robindch wrote: »

Words fail.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/baby-burned-alive-chile-child-killed-antichrist-ritual-sacrifice_n_3155893.html

But...but...they were proven right.
The end of the world did not come because they stopped the Antichrist!

TwoShedsJackson

Sudan sentences a pregnant woman to a month in jail for being gang-raped but suspends it due to the pregnancy :rolleyes:

The woman was sentenced to a one-month jail term but this was suspended because she is pregnant, her lawyer, Samia al-Hashmi, told the AFP news agency.

She was also fined 5,000 Sudanese pounds ($880; £530).

She had also faced charges of adultery and prostitution, which could have led to a penalty of death by stoning, but these were dropped after she convinced the court she was divorced, reports SIHA.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26286264

Brian Shanahan

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Sudan sentences a pregnant woman to a month in jail for being gang-raped but suspends it due to the pregnancy :rolleyes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26286264

According to the Grauniad she was convicted for "indecent acts", whatever that is. Considering that for to be guilty of a crime you have to be doing the act, I don't understand how the Sudanese courts can't uphold this case without fits of laughter.

Oh, and in other news Arizona brings in an anti-gay law, because religious discrimination should be allowed. Why do right-wing creatards always assume "freedom of and from religion" means "the freedom of a certain religion to discriminate against others"?

robindch

robindch wrote: »

[...] off-topic posting [...]

The Indo published an abbreviated article today. The full article's here:

robindch wrote:

The Lufthansa flight touches down in Borispol Airport on schedule and, as often happens on landing in Eastern Europe, there is scattered applause amongst the passengers. Ninety minutes later, I’m in Kiev’s elegant city center, settling down into a small, comfortable apartment perhaps two hundred yards to the north of Maidan, the center of the ongoing protests against a deeply unpopular Ukrainian government.

In the afterglow of the Orange Revolution ten years previously, a friend of mine and I had visited Kiev. With these latest protests dragging on largely peacefully, I’d decided at short notice about two weeks ago make the journey to see what was happening this time. Unlike it's chillier neighbour to the east, Ukraine and its government welcome visitors and we're still thin enough on the ground that we can be a curiosity, especially anybody with enough local language to get around.

The origins of the protest are complex and rooted in differing views of the role and power of the president and parliament, the future direction and identity of the country, an ongoing, disastrous recession, and – the single issue which triggered these protests – the choice by the president to benefit himself and his oligarch friends by moving closer to Russia and its plentiful supplies of money and energy, at the expense of the option preferred by the electorate, an open relationship with the democracies of the EU. For Ireland, no strangers to heated debates about the EU, it’s worth recalling that there are countries like Ukraine for which the EU is an aspiration and a privilege which marks a strong break with its illiberal and frequently unpleasant past.

The protests center around Maidan, a large city-center square roughly oriented north-south and which crosses Kreshatik, the city’s grand, tree-lined avenue that runs east-west. As with the Orange Revolution, these two places are occupied by protesters camped out in hundreds of makeshift tents. This time, however, the tent city is home to a range of right-wing groups, their members dressed in ski-masks, combat fatigues and body-armour and openly carrying home-made weapons including clubs, bats, metal bars and heavy chain. There were no guns visible and it’s surprising to see how easily people adapt to, and then ignore, the silent menace that’s visible everywhere in the city center. The whole of Maidan and perhaps two-thirds of Kreshatik are cordoned off by barricades between perhaps eight and fifteen feet high made from sand bags and frozen sawdust. Each barricade has a small gate which is guarded by activists night and day.

The police had built their own barricades too, just to the south of Maidan and protecting the Presidential Palace near Institutska Street and the Cabinet Ministers’ building a short distance away on Grushevskovo Street. On Sunday afternoon, I walk up Institutska and come to the junction with Sadova, where three troop transports are parked and guarded by a detachment of perhaps forty riot police. A few minutes later, a group of perhaps twenty women arrive with poster paints and brushes and after one of them argues passionately, but pointlessly, with the police for some minutes, the entire group begins to paint the transports with flowers, smiling faces and hearts. The riot police look on, photograph the women, but lets them get on with it. With the exception of one elderly man, everyone who passed by was vocal and appreciative of the women’s graceful, peaceful action.

Returning back down Institutska later on, a column of perhaps two hundred hooded, armed men gather just beyond the southern barricade and make their way in military fashion to the City Hall where there’s an ongoing confrontation with the authorities. The confrontation is resolved uneasily late on Sunday night and the column eventually vacates the hall. Despite the deterioration in mood though, people keep playing the piano which stands on Kreshatik outside the City Hall.

On Monday, however, the atmosphere changes. With the agreement the previous evening, the president is satisfied he’s made the protesters blink and the Russian government announces that they’ll resume buying Ukrainian government bonds without which the government will go broke. The protesters are deeply annoyed and that evening, preparations are made which I haven't seen before – detachments of armed protesters descend into the metro station beneath Maidan, metal riot shields are fashioned from steel and aluminium plate, somebody places a fire extinguisher beside the City Hall piano, masked protesters become notably twitchy about being photographed, the barricades and gates are guarded with renewed vigour and senior figures patrol everywhere checking defences.

The following morning, Tuesday, is my last in Kiev and it dawns with a fresh breeze and the first sun I’ve seen since arriving. I pack my bags and leave them in the flat while I head down town for a final look around. The news on the street is that the president has blocked a parliamentary vote which would have stripped him of some of his powers. This is one of the central demands of the protestors and it infuriates them still further. I walk up Institutska but find the flower-painted transports from Sunday afternoon now in flames. Several thousand people are crowding the street, ripping up the cobble stones and breaking them into fist-sized chunks which they stack up for the protesters. By this time, events are escalating out of control and protestors are raining cobble stones through the thick, oily smoke down on the riot police beyond. There are tall metal lamp posts up and down each side of the street, and at the base of each one, there stand two or three people banging out a simple, hypnotic boom-boom-bm-bm-bm rythym. Accompanying this is a musical trio playing on the balcony of a ground-floor flat opposite the flaming transports, and their music – guitar, flute and bagpipe – makes the unearthly atmosphere stranger still. The sounds of several loud explosions shake the ground, setting off car alarms all around. And while there is frenetic activity by the rioters at the front stoning the police, and the people behind them pulling up and passing them ammunition, everybody is simply walking up and down the street as though on a Sunday afternoon stroll, or standing around as though hypnotized.

The police respond to the stone-throwers with water cannon and rubber bullets and at least one protester is hit on the other side of the street some yards from where I’m standing. I decide it’s long past time to go and return back down Institutska to see further protesters arriving with tyres for the fire, petrol bombs for the police and tall columns of black smoke rising over Grushevskovo. By the time I get back to Maidan, the first walking wounded are coming in and they’re conveyed with much shouting into the Trades’ Union building . The building was burned down later that evening, with people leaping from its sixth floor roof to escape the flames to be caught in tents on the ground.

I collect my bags and head to the airport, but even just a minute away from Maidan, the city looks as it always does. There’s no sound of shouting or of the banging of the street lamps. No sound of explosions, no wounded, just people going around their usual business, though the taxi-driver spends the entire journey talking excitedly on his mobile.

I check in at the airport where people are staring at the concourse televisions which are now reporting the first deaths. The returning Lufthansa flight is silent and lands in Munich on time. This time, though, there is no applause.

Doctor Strange

File under "Reasons for parenting licences"

A Colorado woman told police that Jesus Christ pulled her two-week-old baby from her arms and laid the child on train tracks, KKTV-TV reported on Tuesday.

31-year-old Jennifer Sloan was accused of attempted first-degree murder following the incident in Pueblo on Feb. 14. KKTV reported at the time that witnesses saw Sloan leave the newborn girl on the tracks, in front of a train that was about to depart.

“I was freaking out,” one witness, Eduardo Fontes, told KKTV. “On the first car, I knocked on their window and was like, ‘Hey man this woman just left her baby. The baby is on the tracks right next to the train.’”


A train conductor notified workers about the child being on the tracks. She was pulled away by two city workers and was not injured. The child is currently in foster care.

Sloan was caught and held by witnesses before police arrived to arrest her. She reportedly stated in court that she wanted to speak without a lawyer.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/18/colorado-woman-jesus-christ-put-my-newborn-baby-on-railroad-tracks/

Cabaal

I guess this is a hazard....after all they are killing their livers

http://www.thejournal.ie/vatican-has-the-highest-wine-consumption-per-capita-1333837-Feb2014/

According to new figures from the Wine Institute show that the Vatican City consumes a massive 74 litres of wine per head every year.

That amounts to about 300 glasses of wine a year.

The intake in the Holy See is almost double that in France or Italy. While some suggest the number is skewed by the use of wine in Catholic mass, Italian press reckons it is more to do with demographics.

Penn

DarBucks wrote: »

File under "Reasons for parenting licences"


http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/18/colorado-woman-jesus-christ-put-my-newborn-baby-on-railroad-tracks/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJGxVeQw3SE

From 12:22

robindch

Oops, Katy Perry is in the firing line for blasphemy.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26359917

BBC wrote:

Katy Perry has been accused by some Muslims of "portraying blasphemy" in the video for her single Dark Horse. The video features the pop star as an Egyptian queen who transforms suitors into sand by disintegrating them. Shazad Iqbal, from Bradford, has started an online petition for it to be removed from YouTube after he spotted one of the suitors wearing a pendant with the Arabic word for God on it.

More than 60,000 people have signed the petition, saying the clip is offensive. Explaining his reasons for starting the petition, Mr Iqbal wrote: "At 01:15 into the video Dark Horse a man is shown being burned, whilst wearing a pendant (also burned) forming the word Allah. "Blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry (who appears to be representing an opposition of God) engulfs the believer and the word God in flames."

He added: "Using the name of God in an irrelevant and distasteful manner would be considered inappropriate by any religion. My only request is to all artists in the music industry: You have wealth, fame and success - please do not use the foundations of other religions in a mockery to carry out your fame."

One of Perry's suitors is disintegrated while wearing a pendant with Allah, the Arabic word for God, on it
As well as the UK, signatories have come from countries including Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, Lebanon and the US. However, some of the 60,000 petitioners have posted spam and offensive messages against the petition.

In a follow-up post, Mr Iqbal said he had not started the campaign "to cause controversy or to cause hate but rather to gain support in having the video removed", and asked those posting comments to "please write thoughtfully". Gregoire Singer from Switzerland wrote: "I'm a tolerant Muslim, but there are limits to ignorance, which here leads to blasphemous acts. It's a matter of respect." Mohamed Maan, from the Netherlands, added: "I am offended as a Muslim. It shows no respect. You can compare the feeling to someone burning a picture of somebody you love dearly."

While Ayesha Akthar, from London, said: " used to like her songs before but now I have deleted them all from my MP3 player and laptop." The Dark Horse video has attracted more than 34 million views since it premiered on YouTube on 20 February. Perry grew up in a devout Christian home, and both of her parents are Pentecostal ministers.

The singer began singing Christian gospel music before launching a pop career. She recently told Marie Claire magazine she does not identify with any particular religion, but feels "a deep connection with God". "I pray all the time—for self-control, for humility. There's a lot of gratitude in it. Just saying 'thank you' sometimes is better than asking for things," she added. Perry's record label and YouTube have yet to respond to BBC requests for a comment on the petition.

FouxDaFaFa

robindch wrote: »

Oops, Katy Perry is in the firing line for blasphemy.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26359917

I had a look at the video to see what all the fuss was about expecting it to be a cheap bid for media attention. The moment in question, I couldn't even make out which necklace they were talking about it happens so quickly.

People are ridiculous.

Edit: Oh, apparently they edited out the precise moment (or the necklace, not sure which) so that explains it...

robindch

A 15-year old girl in North Carolina tries to set up a secular group in her school. But abandons it owing to threats made against her, her family and her friends.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2014/02/after-threats-and-harassment-nc-teen-abandons-atheist-group/

Kelei Wilson wrote:

It saddens us to report that due to the numerous threats and the verbal attacks on Kalei along with the vindictive which-hunt to hurt the reputations of affiliated local groups and our own family, Kalei will not be continuing with the group.

We have contacted GoFundMe and requested they return your generous donations. They have assured us that your funds will show back up in your respective accounts within 3 to 5 days.

Your love and support are priceless and we apologize in letting you down. It was our single goal to support Kalei in her efforts to start the much needed SSA club.

However, we never expected our family and friends to be sought out and demonized. Please know that we recognize the importance of the club but we can not justify our involvement with the risk of our families safety and well being.

Much Love

Brian Shanahan

Brian Shanahan wrote: »

According to the Grauniad she was convicted for "indecent acts", whatever that is. Considering that for to be guilty of a crime you have to be doing the act, I don't understand how the Sudanese courts can't uphold this case without fits of laughter.

Oh, and in other news Arizona brings in an anti-gay law, because religious discrimination should be allowed. Why do right-wing creatards always assume "freedom of and from religion" means "the freedom of a certain religion to discriminate against others"?

It's not an anti gay law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Which I think should be legal. I think they're assholes if they do it, but I think they should have the right.
Then we can boycott them ...
Makes zero business sense anyway. Once they shut down like that bakery, they might cop on.

This is nicer news though
http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Texas-ban-on-gay-marriage-ruled-unconstitutional-5270099.php

recedite

robindch wrote: »

Oops, Katy Perry is in the firing line for blasphemy.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26359917

I am offended by the gross historical inaccuracy of the video; everyone knows Islam wasn't invented until long after the Eqyptian Pharaohs were gone. May almighty Ra strike Katy Perry down :mad:

Bannasidhe

recedite wrote: »

I am offended by the gross historical inaccuracy of the video; everyone knows Islam wasn't invented until long after the Eqyptian Pharaohs were gone. May almighty Ra strike Katy Perry down :mad:

Here Here!!

Would an amulet depicting Horus have been too much to ask for?????

:mad:

Turtwig

bluewolf wrote: »

It's not an anti gay law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Which I think should be legal. I think they're assholes if they do it, but I think they should have the right.
Then we can boycott them ...
Makes zero business sense anyway. Once they shut down like that bakery, they might cop on.

Consumers almost never boycott anything on conscience. All you need to do is examine the modern person's commodities and see how many of them came from worker exploitation or similar. There's also the fact that blatantly stolen goods are resold. It's not that the people buying these goods are callous selfish beings it's that their own lifestyle necessitates that they save money wherever possible. In Estates in England in you actually have people who shoplift food and stuff so they can feed their neighbours! People, in general, whether rich or poor will mostly buy whatever's most convenient. Shopping with conscience generally just achieves the emergence of another niche market. The unethical ones will still remain. Need to emphasise one point, unethical is probably the wrong choice of the word here as there isn't a real clear black or white here, everything is just a shade of grey.

Jernal

Jernal wrote: »

Consumers almost never boycott anything on conscience.

Except when they do
http://www.examiner.com/article/oregon-anti-gay-christian-bakery-shuts-down-after-public-pressure
Things like this are why I have confidence it will work
If people care enough that they think something should be against the law, they'll care enough to boycott

Turtwig

bluewolf wrote: »

Except when they do
http://www.examiner.com/article/oregon-anti-gay-christian-bakery-shuts-down-after-public-pressure
Things like this are why I have confidence it will work
If people care enough that they think something should be against the law, they'll care enough to boycott

I didn't deny that there would be examples to the contrary just that these examples would generally buck the trend. However, in the article linked and what I followed on the bakery at the time it really seemed like an awful place anyway prejudice or no prejudices.:p It may have gone out of business anyway.

the article linked wrote:

yet the public controversy and negative media attention may not be the only reason why the bakery is closing. The Portland Food Examiner reports many local residents are not surprised that Sweet Cakes by Melissa closed because “they had several horrible reviews on Yelp and around the web about their bad service and poor quality cakes in general.”

Hotblack Desiato

robindch wrote: »

A 15-year old girl in North Carolina

Best thing you can say about North Carolina... it's not quite as bad as South Carolina :rolleyes:

bluewolf wrote: »

It's not an anti gay law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Which I think should be legal. I think they're assholes if they do it, but I think they should have the right.
Then we can boycott them ...
Makes zero business sense anyway. Once they shut down like that bakery, they might cop on.

It's not an anti-black law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Uhuh.

If southern USA blacks were waiting on the goodwill of their fellow southern whites to do the right thing, they'd probably still be waiting.

obplayer

bluewolf wrote: »

It's not an anti gay law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Which I think should be legal. I think they're assholes if they do it, but I think they should have the right.
Then we can boycott them ...
Makes zero business sense anyway. Once they shut down like that bakery, they might cop on.

Should it be legal to refuse service because they are black? Or wear a turban? Or speak funny? Where does it end?

Pherekydes

obplayer wrote: »

Should it be legal to refuse service because they are black? Or wear a turban? Or speak funny? Where does it end?

With Libertarianism, there is no end. Just let the market forces sort things out.

See Ninja's post for the riposte to that.

Nodin

"A PRIEST has been arrested by gardai investigating the theft of more than €500,000 from his religious order.

It follows a six-month investigation by a team of detectives into complaints of theft, which allegedly took place over a 13-year period.
The cash was allegedly taken from the order by making false claims for Mass stipends.
Under canon law, a priest is entitled to receive one stipend from the diocese or the order from collections made during the celebration of Mass.
Additional stipends cannot be claimed if the priest celebrates multiple Masses on one day.
However, it is alleged that the 59-year-old suspect lodged several claims on a regular basis and received payments from the authorities."



http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/priest-held-over-500k-theft-from-his-order-30049059.html

recedite

bluewolf wrote: »

It's not an anti gay law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Which I think should be legal.

Private businesses can and do refuse service all the time, but in sneaky ways. They can quote an extra high price, add random surcharges, say they are too busy, can't do it for another 3 months etc... This might not even be for hate reasons, it could be because the work involves too much travel.
But to allow them to openly discriminate against a person because of the client's race/religion/sexual orientation and stand proudly (with the full approval of the law behind them) while doing it would be a mistake.

TwoShedsJackson

Nodin wrote: »

"A PRIEST has been arrested by gardai investigating the theft of more than €500,000 from his religious order.

It follows a six-month investigation by a team of detectives into complaints of theft, which allegedly took place over a 13-year period.
The cash was allegedly taken from the order by making false claims for Mass stipends.
Under canon law, a priest is entitled to receive one stipend from the diocese or the order from collections made during the celebration of Mass.
Additional stipends cannot be claimed if the priest celebrates multiple Masses on one day.
However, it is alleged that the 59-year-old suspect lodged several claims on a regular basis and received payments from the authorities."



http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/priest-held-over-500k-theft-from-his-order-30049059.html

Seems like a prime spot for a 'resting in my account' excuse.

Brian Shanahan

bluewolf wrote: »

It's not an anti gay law, it's a private business can refuse service law. Which I think should be legal. I think they're assholes if they do it, but I think they should have the right.

Yeah when the law makers make it explicit that the point of the law is to discriminate against gays it is most definitely a homophobic piece of legislation.

Oh, and allowing people to discriminate based on their personal dislikes is an anti-human rights legislation. And no, nobody should have that right, to discriminate against others simply because they are too ****ty to ignore their base and evil prejudices.

Brian Shanahan

Brian Shanahan wrote: »

Oh, and allowing people to discriminate based on their personal dislikes is an anti-human rights legislation

I don't think shopping is a human right
or wedding photography
They frequently cited the case of a New Mexico photographer who was sued after refusing to take wedding pictures of a gay couple and said Arizona needs a law to protect people in the state from heavy-handed actions by courts and law enforcement.
I'm not sure how legally forcing a photographer to work for you benefits you or anyone else tbh

jernal wrote:

I didn't deny that there would be examples to the contrary just that these examples would generally buck the trend.

I don't know, seemed a pretty big trend without even the need for consumer boycotts:

Large companies were opposed to the bill and warned that it could damage the state’s economy, among them Apple, American Airlines, Marriott and Delta Airlines. Sports Illustrated reported that the NFL had started to investigate the possibility of moving next season’s Super Bowl away from Arizona. Major League Baseball issued a statement condemning the legislation.

Can look at the other posts later

Whole thing has been vetoed anyway
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/arizona-governor-vetoes-anti-gay-bill

Turtwig

Bluey,

I have no clue in the nay of jimmies what the bill consisted of. My post was directed at the notion that consumers would boycott a business that's behaving unethically.

me wrote:

consumers almost never boycott anything on conscience.

That's the trend I was referring to.

Yeah I just noticed that in the article and thought it was worth a mention!

Turtwig

bluewolf wrote: »

Yeah I just noticed that in the article and thought it was worth a mention!

Ahh ok.
Biscuit?

Jernal

Jernal wrote: »

Ahh ok.
Biscuit?

domino cookie plz :cool:

robindch

robindch wrote: »

A 15-year old girl in North Carolina tries to set up a secular group in her school. But abandons it owing to threats made against her, her family and her friends.

The school denies the report and its lawyer says the entire story is false:

http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_school-club-controversy-15319.shtml

Turtwig

robindch wrote: »

The school denies the report and its lawyer says the entire story is false:

http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_school-club-controversy-15319.shtml

Sympathy type troll?

robindch

Jernal wrote: »

Sympathy type troll?

Hard to know. Both the school and Ms Wilson may have a political interest in portraying themselves as victims. In the absence of any response from Ms Wilson, it's hard to know who's telling the truth, and who isn't. Certainly, the school could have been wiser than to wheel out its lawyer for a routine "Pants on fire!" denouncement.

obplayer

How many times does this kind of thing have to happen?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570376/Seventh-Day-Adventists-religious-beliefs-led-five-month-old-son-dying-rickets-failed-medical-care-jailed.html

Nodin

obplayer wrote: »

How many times does this kind of thing have to happen?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570376/Seventh-Day-Adventists-religious-beliefs-led-five-month-old-son-dying-rickets-failed-medical-care-jailed.html

.....when you have a religion part-founded by a woman who started having visions after being smacked in the head with a rock, it's never going to turn out well, tbh.