A pastor described by police as charismatic and controlling pleaded guilty Wednesday to numerous counts of child rape and molestation involving five young girls in Kitsap County . Robbin Leeroy Harper, 60, leader of The Church, faces more than 26 years in prison, though prosecutors and his own lawyer have agreed to recommend a 23-year term when Harper is sentenced April 9. "We're happy with this," said Brenda, the mother of one victim, who asked that her last name not be published in order to shield her daughter's identity. "Everybody is relieved. My daughter is happy about it, too." The young woman, now 20, called police last fall to report that Harper had been molesting her since she was 12. He told the pre-teen -- as well as 7- and 8-year-old victims -- that he was showing them pornographic material and teaching them to perform oral sex on him as preparation for marriage, according to court documents. "I'm not really about revenge," said Bre...

By Linda Stanton The re-awakening of atheism in America is going to make for some very interesting times. Leaders of the Christian Right have spent years trying to cast themselves as the voiceless victims in a secular society, but the scapegoating is over. (Want to talk marginalized? How many atheists have there ever been in Congress or the White House?) Nonbelievers know a lot about Christianity and Judaism, most having been raised in religious families. Believers, however, are somewhat less clued-in about atheists. Here are a few simple truths about who they are, and aren’t. Atheists are well-behaved. Atheists seem to play well with others overall. They’re not in the news for getting caught doing things they tell others not to do. Most co-exist peacefully with believing family and friends. They pay taxes. Atheists don’t start wars on behalf of atheism. They do join the military, however, and contrary to the cliché, they are found in foxholes. In fact, there is a lawsuit now against D...

A Decatur pastor faces at least 25 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual battery and child molestation of his 15-year-old foster child, authorities said. DeKalb County prosecutors contend Bishop Frederick Kelley, who headed Greater New Macedonia Church of God in Christ , had a history of child molestation and rape involving family members going back 35 years. Kelley has vehemently proclaimed his innocence. He was in the DeKalb jail Sunday awaiting a sentencing date after a jury found him guilty Friday of two counts of sexual battery and four counts of child molestation. The minimum sentence is 25 years. The jury acquitted him of rape. Kelley was arrested in January 2007 on charges of rape and molestation involving a 15-year-old foster girl in his house. The pastor proclaimed his innocence in a TV news broadcast. The newscast prompted three of his relatives to tell police that he molested or raped them years before, said Peter Boehm, the DeKalb prosecutor who hand...

Some think so! See http://barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ . Here's what an article in the New York Sun had to say: Let us start by saying that hope is good, political involvement is to be applauded, and young people are not all shallow sheep, flocking to the latest hip thing, be it a tattoo, tongue stud, iPod, or, ahem, presidential candidate. Okay, so now I can ask: Is the Obama campaign becoming a cult? It's hard not to sense something a little strange going on, considering the nearly unprecedented swell of love and fervor the man is inspiring. Contributions are pouring in. Endorsements are raining down. Even people are falling down: At six of Mr. Obama's rallies, people have fainted. That's just not what happens with most campaigns. "I would not say that Obama fits the pattern of a cult leader," a religious studies professor at the University of Denver, Carl Raschke, said. "But there is a very cult-like situation: a population longing for absolute...

PROSPEROUS pastor Benny Hinn flew into Brisbane a multimillionaire. He left, 28 hours and three shows later, an estimated $800,000 richer. The Queensland capital was a goldmine for the flamboyant televangelist who left with cash, cheques and the bank account and credit card details of more than 50,000 Australians fans. Some attendees, who travelled from as far away as Hong Kong and Perth , handed over gold earrings and wedding rings instead of cash. An Australian Taxation Office spokeswoman said Pastor Hinn's Australian haul – part of an estimated $110 million donated to the World Healing Centre Church each year – was seen as a "love offering". "The tax office is unable to comment on individual tax matters," the spokeswoman said. "However gifts received by churches aren't usually tax-exempt unless they're given in a personal capacity. It's a very complicated issue." An Australian Customs Service spokeswoman said Pastor Hinn's visa al...

Dr. Winell discusses with Rich Sanchez of "Out in the Open" the shooting attack on New Life Church in Colorado Springs by Matthew Murray . She says many are hurt and angry about religious abuse, because some churches teach toxic ideas and are all about conformity and fear.

Controversial Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake has again urged his followers to pray for the deaths of staff members at Americans United for Separation of Church and State . Last August, Americans United filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service about Drake’s use of church letterhead and a church-based radio program to endorse presidential candidate Mike Huckabee . Federal tax law forbids tax-exempt groups from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office. In a Feb. 5 letter, the IRS notified Drake that his First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park is being investigated. In response, Drake issued a Feb. 14 e-mail and website appeal to followers to engage in “imprecatory prayers” (curses) against Americans United and three of its staff members. Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “We deplore Pastor Drake’s reckless and repugnant antics. Introducing this kind of religious extremism into American life is reprehensible. “We have asked t...

HOUSTON — A youth minister who confessed to the unsolved 1994 killing of a convenience store clerk is being widely forgiven by worshipers at his former church who say they admire his courage to finally surrender to police. Calvin Wayne Inman, 29, remains jailed without bond since being charged Wednesday with capital murder in the stabbing death of a clerk during an alleged plot to steal cash and cigarettes. He was 16 at the time. In the first service Sunday at the 800-member Elim Church since Inman was arrested last week, congregants praised the recently ordained minister as a born-again role model taking responsibility for his sin. "He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24. "I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step." Ordained as a minister in November, Inman's admission broke a cold case for police in suburban Pasadena. He went to authorities on Feb. 5, voluntarily...

In this presidential campaign season, Democrats and Republicans alike have declared their religious faith. They do it, in part, because they believe it wins political points. After all, the latest Harris polls show somewhere between 73 and 80 percent of Americans believe in God. But what about the rest? Agnostics say they just don't know; others say they are firm non-believers. Whichever is the case, non-believers are increasingly outspoken in modern America. By all appearances, the Lows are a tight-knit, loving family. Ron and Alice are devoted parents. Daughters Morgen and Maddy are good students involved in wholesome activities. And there is one other significant fact of their lives: the Lows -- all four them -- are atheists. They say it's the certainty of science as opposed to what they call the "magic" of religion. "I do feel like it's really important the whole world think rationally," Ron Low said. "I think a lot can go wrong when people make...

The Rev. Gregory Clarke , pastor of New Hope Baptist Church , checked in to a federal penitentiary in Atlanta around 8 a.m. Friday morning to begin serving a 21-month sentence for tax fraud. Clarke walked into prison wearing a Crimson Tide jacket and baseball cap. He made the journey on a chartered bus, accompanied by about 50 church members. Other church members and supporters followed in vehicles. A federal jury convicted Clarke in July 2007 on charges he filed false income tax returns for 2000, 2001 and 2002. At trial prosecutors said Clarke underreported $110,000 in earned income and schemes to deceive the government about the money. Clarke has said he was singled out because of his friendship with former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who is serving a prison sentence after he was convicted on seven corruption-related counts by a federal jury in Montgomery in 2006. Here is a video taken before the bus departed for Atlanta. Clarke tells reporters and supporters that he is ready to repo...

The secularization of American public education has bred a nation of devout religious illiterates. By Patrick Grumley and Matt Leighton While it seems to be a growing trend for religious enthusiasts to claim that secular, and even atheist, ideologies are hugging the public square, evangelicalism seems to have more than just outlived the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. To date, Christianity has been the self-proclaimed founder of American morality. More recently however, Jesus and the divinely inspired have found competition at the book store by atheist authors such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins on the subject of morality and divinity. This dichotomy of ideals has fostered the public war between the religious and secular State, much to the amusement of European onlookers. For many elementary schools in Europe, students are taught compulsory religious education. By middle school, students are well aware of the holy books of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and have some understanding...

A former Oral Roberts University accountant revised his lawsuit on Thursday to allege that more than $1 billion annually was funneled through the university, possibly to individual regents. "It appears that many of the former board members were actual participants in the funneling of money through the university for their own eventual personal use, and thus, the foxes were watching the hen house," says former accountant Trent Huddleston's lawsuit. ORU spokesman Jeremy Burton said, "The allegations of inappropriately funneling money through accounts as alleged by the plaintiff have no basis in fact." Huddleston's attorney Gary Richardson said Huddleston had seen the account when he worked at ORU, between July 2006 and October 2007. In the lawsuit, Huddleston claims he was wrongfully fired because ORU, Oral Roberts Ministries and their leaders' fears he would talk about the alleged "'unrestricted' account" and because he regularly questi...

The 31-year-old music director of Bethel AME , a high-profile West Baltimore church, has been accused of rape and child abuse in a case involving a 13-year-old girl who is a member of the congregation, according to city police and church officials. Timothy D. Price III was charged with second-degree rape, assault and child abuse, and multiple sex offense counts, city police said. Since his arrest Wednesday night, Price, who lives in Owings Mills, has been held on $1 million bail at Baltimore's Central Booking and Intake Center, electronic court records show. Price and the girl had sex on three occasions in his car, off church property, between early November and January, police said. Twice the meetings occurred in a West Baltimore alley and once in the parking lot of Druid Hill Park, according to police charging documents. The documents allege that one encounter occurred after Price obtained permission from the girl's mother to bring her home from church Bible study class. Po...

It’s a kid’s paradise! Living Stones Church in Alvin, Texas, makes their summer camp an experience that kids will never forget. “They go home and their parents say, ‘They’re so positive now. They believe they can do anything, and [there's a] change in schoolwork.' It’s just amazing.” -- CBN.com ALVIN — A teacher at a Brazoria County private school has been charged after allegations she had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student in an isolated Friendswood area in December. Jill Lewis, 26, of Dickinson turned herself in to Friendswood police Thursday after she was charged with having an improper relationship between an educator and a student, a second-degree felony. If convicted, Lewis faces up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A press release from Friendswood police announcing the charges did not name the school at which Lewis taught, but a Jill Lewis is shown as the speech, computer and journalism teacher for secondary-level students on the Web site of Liv...

A Midlands church has lost $136,000. One of the people accused of taking it is the man who preaches every Sunday. They're accused of doing one of the most deceptive things a church official could do. Church member Mary Sullivan says, "I was shocked." Investigators think they were stealing money from the church. Lt. Phillip Crawford says, "I think we were all shocked when we first found out." It happened at St. John's United Methodist Church in Lugoff . Pastor Gerald Lord is accused of using a church credit card to rack up a $16,000 bill that included all personal items, all over a two-year period. He'd only been there about three years. Lea Ann O'Quinn, the church's bookkeeper but not a member of the church, is accused of using $120,000 of the church's money. Investigators say she used a church credit card for five years to help pay off her debts, and then used the church funds to pay off the credit card bill. "I had no idea anything li...

DURHAM N.C. , -- At the home Robert Lee Adam Reaves rented in Durham, a Wake County Sheriff's Deputy guards the driveway. Neighbors inquire about Reaves, a pastor charged with murder. "It's very quiet. People talk in passing but there's nothing ever exciting that happens around here," said Reaves' neighbor Scott Nash. But last Wednesday, the body of 21-year-old North Carolina Central University student Latrece Curtis was discovered on an I-540 embankment. Investigators say she died from being hit with a sharp object -- at the hands of Reaves. Monday, Reaves clad not in a pastor's robe, but a Wake County Jail issued jumpsuit, made his first appearance. "Based on the circumstances of this situation, I will issue a 'no bond' at this time, you'll be held without bond," said the judge. Still Reaves is no stranger to being on the other side of the law. He faced a conviction on sex charges while the pastor of a church in South Carolina, ch...

Miami-Dade Police say Pastor Gaston Smith used your tax dollars for his own personal vacations, grant money that was supposed to go to the low-income community he has spent years serving, but Friday a new name that is already involved in scandal came up in the investigation. Officers arrested Smith Thursday night. He's a well respected figure in the Liberty City community, but police say he stole from the very community he has been honored for serving. Smith has received awards and commendations from a number of institutions, including Congress and Miami-Dade County . He is the senior pastor at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Liberty City , and he has spoken out on many social issues in the past. But police say, while he may be well-respected, he is a thief. They have charged him with 2nd degree Grand Theft. The police investigation reported that in July of 2005, Rev. Gaston Smith deposited the grant funds into a Washington Mutual bank account in the name of Friends of...

A Scott County Pastor has been charged with stealing $900 from his church. Pastor Joe Moran, of Stamping Ground Baptist Church , was arraigned this month on theft charges. He pleaded not guilty. Moran tells 27NEWSFIRST the allegations are nothing more than a big misunderstanding. He says he made a mistake when he deposited a check for $900.50 into his personal account. He says the check was written out to him and was sent to his personal address. Some of the 100-member congregation have left the Church and have asked Moran to step down. But he says he did nothing wrong and that he will not be leaving. Moran will be back in Scott County Court on February 21 for a preliminary hearing. STORY LINK

It isn't easy being godless online. For the third time in three years, what may be the largest group of organized atheists in the world is struggling to stay on MySpace, said a Cleveland State University assistant professor who founded the site for nonbelievers. MySpace deleted the 35,000-member "Atheist and Agnostic Group" on Jan. 1, a little more than a month after hackers broke in and renamed the group's site "Jesus Is Love," Bryan Pesta said Wednesday. MySpace has ignored repeated requests to restore the group's site, including an online petition with more than 500 signatures, said Pesta, who was the group's moderator. "These actions send a clear message to the 30 million godless people in America that we are not welcome on MySpace," Pesta said. A MySpace spokeswoman did not return calls seeking comment. Pesta started the group in 2004 as a social networking site "specifically for godless people." Atheists are more likely to ...