Rev. Franklin Graham told a group of conservative pastors that he loves LGBT people enough to warn them they risked falling into the “the flames of hell.”

“I love them enough to care to warn them that if they want to continue living like this, it’s the flames of hell for you,” Graham said Thursday night at the Watchmen on the Wall National Pastor’s Briefing in Washington, D.C.

“Now, if you don’t like that, don’t get mad at me,” Graham said. “I didn’t write the rule book. Almighty God wrote it, and it’s a sin against Him.” He said religious leaders were stifled by political correctness.

“We don’t want to be called a homophobic,” he said, “and I tell people, listen, I’m not afraid of homosexuals, I’m really not — matter of fact, I love them.” Graham, who has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his anti-gay policies, cautioned the pastors not to compromise in their teaching.

“Listen gentlemen — we live in a world where there is so much compromise,” said Graham. “This city that we’re in, that’s all they do is compromise. We cannot go down that road because you and I are going to have to stand before God one day and give an account to Him, and you don’t want Him to say from His lips, ‘You were a coward.’”

He told the pastors should be willing to risk their lives to preach against homosexuality.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/26/franklin-graham-warns-gays-to-change-their-ways-or-its-the-flames-of-hell-for-you/

An atheist group said a Nebraska mayor rudely dismissed their concerns over a possible church-state violation.

Omaha Atheists expressed their concern over a “Faith and Freedom” Memorial Day event Sunday that was sponsored by the city of La Vista, Neb., reported the Friendly Atheist blog.

One of the group’s members, Robert Fuller, said he gave his business card to Mayor Douglas Kindig and asked to speak with him later about his concerns, but the mayor indicated he wasn’t interested.

“Take me to fucking court because I don’t care,” Kindig allegedly told Fuller.

The holiday event, which was held at La Vista Central Park, featured a pancake breakfast, carnival, and Memorial Day service held by the associate pastor of the town’s Bellevue Christian Center.

The religious service was sponsored by the churches of La Vista.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/26/ne-mayor-challenges-atheists-over-faith-based-event-take-me-to-f-cking-court-i-dont-care/

A leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” If Jesus had been a good religious Jew, he would have said, “Be healed,” and just walked away. Instead, he stretched out his hand and touched the leper, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean,” even though he was breaking the specific rules of Leviticus. Two chapters teach that anyone touching a person with leprosy is contaminated.

Jesus certainly was not a “Bible believer,” as we use that term in the post Billy Graham era of American fundamentalist religiosity that’s used as a trade-marked product to sell religion. Jesus didn’t take the Jewish scriptures at face value. In fundamentalist terms, Jesus was a rule-breaking relativist who wasn’t even “saved,” according to evangelical standards. Evangelicals insist that you have to believe very specific interpretations of the Bible to be saved. Jesus didn’t. He undercut the scriptures.

The stories about Jesus that survived the bigots, opportunists and delusional fanatics who wrote the New Testament contain powerful and enlightened truths that would someday prove the undoing of the Church built in his name. Like a futurist vindicated by events as yet undreamed, Jesus’ message of love was far more powerful than the magical thinking of the writers of the book he’s trapped in. In Jesus’ day the institutions of religion, state, misogyny and myth were so deeply ingrained that the ultimate dangerousness of his life example could not be imagined. For example his feminism, probably viewed as an eccentricity in his day, would prove transformational.

Jesus believed in God rather than in a book about God. The message of Jesus’ life is an intervention in and an acceleration of the evolution of empathy. Consider this story from the book of Matthew: “A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”

http://www.alternet.org/why-jesus-would-have-hated-most-modern-day-religion

Magician Penn Jillette, from Penn& Teller, has received death threats for his anti-religious beliefs. He has written books titled God, No! and Every Day is an Atheist Holiday! Penn is, and always has been, outspoken about his beliefs which has caused numerous death threats over the years.

In an interview with Seven magazine, Penn said “I think that 9/11 made a lot of atheists more vocal. A lot of us…Just took that as a sign of how dangerous it was to be quiet at all. I don’t think anybody became an atheist because of that event. But a lot of people who were atheist decided to shut up less about it. But I’ve been an outspoken atheist for 40 years. "

He joked about comparing death threats with Richard Dawkins and South Park creator Trey Parker. Penn continues on with the interview saying the death threats he receives are from mentally ill people, who may also happen to be religious.

He said “And all of a sudden it came to me that we weren’t really talking about religion at all. We were talking about mentally ill people we happen to label in a certain way. And the number are so, so, so small…yeah, once in a while the police are called on someone who’s written something that crosses a line, and that’s sad – and that person could just as easily be an atheist, or anything. You can talk all you want about the violent imagery of religion – but it’s not the violent imagery of religion that’s making people send out death threats. It’s a mental illness."

http://www.goddiscussion.com/115235/penn-jillette-receives-death-threats-because-of-atheist-views/

Imagine a police officer refusing to guard a Sikh temple, give a presentation on safety and crime prevention at a Catholic elementary school, conduct foot patrols in a neighborhood with a large Orthodox Jewish population, or come to the aid of an injured woman wearing a hijab.

As crazy as they may sound, these scenarios are not that far-fetched, given an Oklahoma police officer's recent refusal to serve community members with different religious beliefs.

In 2011, the Islamic Society of Tulsa organized a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to show its gratitude for protection provided after threats to its mosque. As part of its longstanding community-policing initiative, the Tulsa Police Department requested some of its officers to attend, as they had for hundreds of other outreach events hosted by various religious organizations over the years.

One officer – Captain Paul Fields – refused, however, claiming his attendance would pose a "moral dilemma." Even when in uniform, Fields argued, he had a "duty to proselytize" anyone who doesn't share his Christian beliefs. Despite his supervisors' assurances that no one at the event would be required to participate in any religious observations or express or adopt any beliefs, and despite their offers that he send a subordinate in his place, Fields wouldn't follow orders.

https://www.aclu.org/blog/religion-belief-criminal-law-reform/sorry-officer-you-have-duty-protect-and-serve-not

A CATHOLIC couple of Roma origin who were judged unfit to raise two of their sons have failed to block the adoption of the boys by a same sex couple in Kent.

The Slovakian couple argued in a case brought before the High Court in London that their two young children would grow up alienated from their family and community.

In what Mrs Justice Theis described as a “very sad case”, the boys – aged two and four – were put up for adoption because of concerns about the couple’s parenting.

The court heard the boys’ older siblings’ school attendance was poor, that they were left alone and “over-chastised” – the father admitted he had beaten them – and sometimes appeared dirty and unkempt.

The judge had ruled the younger boys should be adopted, for their long-term welfare.

http://freethinker.co.uk/2014/05/24/gay-couple-chosen-to-adopt-children-of-unfit-parents/

Reginald Wayne Miller, the president and founder of Cathedral Bible College, is not allowed to set foot on the college campus in Marion or communicate with any of the school's current or former foreign students as an investigation continues into allegations that Miller threatened to cancel foreign students' visas if they did not work long hours for little pay.

Those terms are part of a $250,000 secured bond that Magistrate Judge Thomas Rogers set for Miller during a detention hearing Friday in federal court. In addition, Miller will be on home detention and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

--snip--

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations filed a criminal complaint against Miller this week saying they have probable cause to charge him with forced labor, a felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for each count. Investigators say Miller forced foreign students to work at the campus and his personal residence for as little as $25 per week. Miller threatened to cancel the students' visas if they complained or didn't comply with his demands, according to an affidavit filed this week.

http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/23/3463855/bond-set-at-250000-for-wayne-miller.html#storylink=cpy