January 4, 2016::End of the day round-up

Gay Malawian appeals for justice; now he’s in hiding

Friends stopped coming to chat at his place, some sent him messages explaining that they cannot go on chatting with a Satanic; one person went up to throwing a stone at him as he walked by.

“I withdrew, I stayed indoors. My brother heard of the rumours and he told me that as much as he hopes that I will stop being gay, the family cannot disown me but again they cannot support me in my being gay.”

Nobody has ever told his father fearing that his frail heart will topple over. The father however has also heard of the rumours and when he asked Fortune, he flatly denied all in the name of protecting the father from a heart attack.

This is Why She Left the Jehovah’s Witnesses (VIDEO)

‘Christian’ Preachers: God Has Very Good Reason Why We Need Our Private Jets

The prosperity gospel is possibly the most deceptive “gospel” in all of Christianity. It involves preachers telling their parishioners, “Give me money, and God will return it to you ten-fold,” more or less, and people buy it, making these preachers rich. Two such preachers, Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis, used the prosperity gospel along with their god to justify having enough wealth for private jets, and it’s probably as close to the opposite of Christianity as one can get.

First off, Copeland and Duplantis both say that God wants to keep them off of the airlines because of dope-filled air full of demons. Copeland explained how Oral Roberts used to fly airlines, and people would bother him by asking him to pray for them and such. They can’t deal with all of that now. They can’t get to their flocks, to the world, to help God make things right, without their wealth and their private jets. They need their jets for that – it’s what God wants.

Jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi's health deteriorating, wife says

A member of Amnesty International in Canada and a spokeswoman for the Canadian government both said they were unable to confirm the hunger strike.

"Canada remains very concerned by the situation of Mr Badawi and we will continue to call for clemency to be granted in his case," said government spokeswoman Rachna Mishra.

Mr Badawi, who created and managed an online forum, was found guilty in 2014 of breaking Saudi Arabia's technology laws and of insulting Islam. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes.

He received his first 50 lashes in January, prompting strong criticism in Western countries of the kingdom's human rights record.

"I am very worried about him," Ms Haidar said on Thursday. "His health, both physical and mental, is very poor."

She said she last spoke with her husband two weeks ago, and had been kept informed of Mr Badawi's condition by a contact in Saudi Arabia whom she declined to identify.

Cruz tells volunteers: “strap on the full armor of God”

"I want to tell everyone to get ready, strap on the full armor of God, get ready for the attacks that are coming," a hoarse-sounding Cruz told volunteers on a conference call. "Come the month of January we ain’t seen nothing yet."

Louisiana Courthouse Hosts Pro-Christian Signs from Government Agencies

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent separate letters to the Police Jury and Clerk of Court alerting them to the problem and requesting in writing how they plan to fix this in the future:
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There are ample private and church grounds where religious displays may be freely placed. Once the government enters into the religious business, conferring endorsement and preference for one religion over others, it strikes a blow at religious liberty, forcing taxpayers of all faiths and of no religion to support a particular expression of worship. We request a response in writing about the steps you are taking to remedy this violation of the First Amendment.

How Do You Help A Food Stamp Recipient Get A Job?

“I don’t think there’s anybody else in the country who can claim the kind of success we can claim,” Weber told ThinkProgress, “and it’s because we’re approaching things holistically.” That success is striking, according to numbers that Weber’s Fresno Bridge Academy has crunched on the economic impact of the 1,000-plus SNAP recipients who have found jobs through the group. Every dollar spent on the Bridge has returned $22.28 in economic benefits, the group told the Fresno Bee. Weber said in an interview that about $17 of that comes in the form of higher earnings for the family in question, “but $5.50 goes back to the taxpayers” in the form of reduced spending on SNAP and higher income tax collections.

Following Backlash, U.S. Air Force Academy Allows Football Players to Pray on the Field

The Academy reviewed and investigated the complaint, but concluded that players are free to follow their own religious beliefs.

“The United States Air Force Academy will continue to reaffirm to cadets that all Airmen are free to practice the religion of their choice or subscribe to no religious belief at all,” the USAFA said in a statement. “The players may confidently practice their own beliefs without pressure to participate in the practices of others.”

The MRFF released a statement Thursday expressing its discontent.

“By allowing public prayer by the football players in Air Force uniform, command is officially endorsing one religion–Christianity.”