By Travis Gettys
Raw Story (10/9/19)
President Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser Paula White says she was ordered by God to serve the Republican president.
The prosperity gospel pastor explained that she was compelled to serve as chair of Trump’s evangelical advisory board.
“Literally, the God aspect, like, what God told me to do, how I even got involved, because the one thing that I said, I’ll never do politics,” White said. “But when it came down to it, it wasn’t about doing politics, it was about an assignment. To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God, and I won’t do that.” …
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Internet Explodes After Right Wing Evangelical Leader Ralph Reed Commands Christians To ‘render to God and Trump’
By Gabby Orr
Politico (10/9/19)
One of Donald Trump’s most prominent Christian supporters will argue in a book due out before the 2020 general election that American evangelicals “have a moral obligation to enthusiastically back” the president.
The book’s author, Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed, became a loyal foot soldier for Trump immediately after he nabbed the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 — commanding hordes of white evangelical voters from his perch on the candidate’s religious advisory board to trust that the New York businessman would grow the economy, defend religious freedom and dismantle federal protections for abortion, if elected.
According to the book’s description, obtained by POLITICO, the original title for the book was “Render to God and Trump,” a reference to the well-known biblical verse, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” The message from Jesus in Matthew 22, has been used in contemporary politics to justify obedience to government — or in the case of Reed’s book, to Trump.
Regnery Publishing confirmed the book’s existence but said the title is “For God and Country: The Christian case for Trump.” The publisher declined to comment on the reason for the title change.
In his book, Reed will “persuasively” argue evangelicals have a duty to defend the incumbent Republican leader against “the stridently anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and pro-abortion agenda of the progressive left,” according to the description. …
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1,700 Catholic Priests Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Reportedly Living Freely In U.S.
Hundreds of accused priests are now working as teachers, nurses and even counselors for sexual assault survivors.
By Claudia Lauer & Meghan Hoyer
Associated Press (10/4/19)
Nearly 1,700 priests and other clergy members that the Roman Catholic Church considers credibly accused of child sexual abuse are living under the radar with little to no oversight from religious authorities or law enforcement, decades after the first wave of the church abuse scandal roiled U.S. dioceses, an Associated Press investigation has found.
These priests, deacons, monks and lay people now teach middle-school math. They counsel survivors of sexual assault. They work as nurses and volunteer at nonprofits aimed at helping at-risk kids. They live next to playgrounds and day care centers. They foster and care for children.
And in their time since leaving the church, dozens have committed crimes, including sexual assault and possessing child pornography, the AP’s analysis found. …
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Clerics are grooming vulnerable girls in Iraq and offering them for sex, using a controversial religious practice known as “pleasure marriage”
By Nawal al-Maghafi
BBC
Warning: Some readers may find some of these details upsetting
Rusul woke to find herself alone. Her new husband had gone. The marriage had lasted just three hours.
It wasn’t the teenager’s first marriage. It wasn’t even her second, third or fourth. In fact she’s been married too many times for her to count.
Rusul’s harrowing way of life was triggered by an encounter when she was at work.
She would watch as girls not much older than her in tight clothing and bright make-up came in to wait expectantly. Older men would soon come in to pick them up.
“They were such beautiful young girls, I couldn’t understand why any girl would sell herself like this,” she says.
She herself was also vulnerable – estranged from her family and supporting her sister Rula.
But despite her hardships, she had made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t depend on a man for survival. When men sneaked their number into her hand, she always ignored them.
One day, a man came in to her workplace and started chatting to Rusul. They talked about her past, about why she was working, rather than in school, and where she was from. She felt he actually cared.
Life had become increasingly tough for Rusul. Living in Baghdad on her meagre salary was a struggle.
Despite her initial vow to remain independent, she found herself dreaming of a husband – one who would take care of them both.
The man would come to her place of work every day to do what he could to grab her attention. Rusul gradually developed feelings for him.
After just a few weeks, he proposed. He took her to Kadhimiya in Baghdad. As they walked into a religious marriage office, Rusul felt a flutter of excitement.
The ceremony itself was brief – the cleric recited a few words, asked her whether she agreed with the $250 [£200] dowry she would receive and presented her with the contract. Rusul couldn’t read, but even if she could she might not have realised anything was amiss. …
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