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CHICAGO – A new study to be published in Christianity Today magazine exposes a dangerous wave of church subculture that has built enormous momentum over the past decade. Hazing, which until now has been almost entirely associated with college fraternities and sororities, has made its way into our churches as a method of initiating would-be small group members and filtering out those too weak to join. While most colleges have squelched hazing in recent years, a new surge in small group hazing—resulting in at least two fatalities—is causing some pastors to follow suit and ban the practice altogether. “This has...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Portland, Oregon, this is Sarah. It's great to have you on the EIB Network. Hi. CALLER: (silence) RUSH: Sarah, hello? Testing, one, two, three. CALLER: (static) RUSH: Are you there? CALLER: Hello? RUSH: This is not Sarah. Let's move on to somebody -- CALLER: Yes, I'm here. RUSH: Oh, you are Sarah? CALLER: Yes. RUSH: What were you doing? CALLER: I'm sorry, I was on the phone -- on my cell phone with my son. But okay I'm off the phone with him, and, um, I'm with you. RUSH: Well, how do you know I was trying...

Herman Cain indicated today that he does not agree with Newt Gingrich’s position on immigration. “The way I would deal with those that are already here, which has been my stated position: empower the states to deal with the illegals that are already here, not some, big, grandiose, national one size fit-all. I believe that the states should be empowered to deal with the illegals that are already here,” Cain said CNN’s State of the Union this morning. In response to whether that meant the states could allow illegal immigrants to “be put on a path toward legalization and toward...

I guess that makes me a Scientologist, because I’ve posted repeatedly that Palin holds a special position because there is no one — not even George W. Bush — who has been the subject of the Democratic, mainstream media and left-blogosphere smear machine to the extent Palin has. So yes, I do take it personally when conservatives lash out at Palin not because of her policy positions or what she’s done or not done in her career, but with personal invective. It’s not religion, its a cold hard understanding of what is to come, and how those who call Palin...

I just hope that in November 2012 we will elect Sarah Palin as President!

I really like Glenn Beck. Though I have never met him in person, I have often watched his television programs and thought it would be so nice to have that kind of a guy as a friend. I imagine that he is far too busy and way too inaccessible for that to become a reality, but I do genuinely like the man. He is insightful, articulate, funny, and seems to want some great things for his family and our nation. I do think that sometimes he has one or two conspiracy theories that may not be fully justified - we...

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney and his strategists expected his Mormon faith to fade as an issue for fundamentalist Christians during his first presidential campaign. This time around, should he choose to run again, they have doubts. ...But even as the national Republican establishment warms to Romney as never before, the former candidate and his closest aides now believe a group of voters will always be off-limits because of his religion. SNIP In Iowa, three-fifths of caucus-goers considered themselves “born-again or evangelical Christian,’’ according to a survey, taken for a media consortium as voters entered the caucuses. SNIP More than one-third...

"...G. Vance Smith, a committed Mormon, now leads the Society. Vance Smith is systematically removing people from leadership positions within the John Birch Society and replacing them with Mormons. One gathers that Smith does not feel that he is accountable to the membership concerning his reasons for the replacement of longtime leadership. There seems to be no accountability factor. Longtime Birchers are leaving the Society en masse. There seems to be a major concern that the Society is fast becoming a puppet for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One document that I received suggests that Smith's course...

Glenn repeated some of the prayer, it kind of sounds like the Lords prayer only to Obama, to be released to the internet in 15 minutes ... It's a group of community organizers praying to him as if he were God.

The Home Secretary has banned two extremist anti-gay preachers from entering Britain, a move that follows a decision to refuse entry to Geert Wilders, the Dutch anti-Muslim MP. Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, who belong to the US Westboro Baptist Church, were planning to come to the UK to protest outside a performance of a youth play called The Laramie Project, which recounts the death of gay university student Matthew Shepard who was killed in Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. It was due to be performed at Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, Hampshire, tomorrow. The pair have been...

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The day after FLDS mothers celebrated an appeals court decision ordering the return of their children, child welfare officials went to the Texas Supreme Court to prevent it. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services asked the Supreme Court to stay the 3rd Court of Appeals order and keep the children where they are, in foster facilities, until the high court considers its arguments. Attorneys argued the more than 450 children will "suffer irreparable harm" if the appellate court order is followed and says the children "will be at risk of sexual and emotional abuse"...

SAN ANGELO, Texas - A state appellate court has ruled that child welfare officials had no right to seize more than 400 children living at a polygamist sect's ranch. The Third Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that the grounds for removing the children were "legally and factually insufficient" under Texas law. They did not immediately order the return of the children. Child welfare officials removed the children on the grounds that the sect pushed underage girls into marriage and sex and trained boys to become future perpetrators. The appellate court ruled the chaotic hearing held last month did not...

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Pamela Jeffs Jessop's eyes sparkled and she smiled as she walked out of the Tom Green County Courthouse Friday. "I love to be with my children," she said meekly. The 18-year-old has secured a few more rights over her newborn baby than other members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church have over their children, her attorneys said Friday.

Vandalism at Westboro Baptist Church Friday November 2 2007 9:44 TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Topeka police are investigating vandalism at the Westboro Baptist Church, known for its protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. Police said graffiti spray-painted on the church read, "God hates intolerance'' and "God hates the Phelps,'' an apparent reference to the church's belief that God is punishing the United States for its support of homosexuals. The vandalism was discovered on the day after a Baltimore jury awarded 11 million dollars to the father of a fallen Marine who sued the church over its protest...

MR. WALLACE: So, Congressman Paul, and I’d like you to take 30 seconds to answer this, you’re basically saying that we should take our marching orders from al Qaeda? If they want us off the Arabian Peninsula, we should leave? (Laughter.) REP. PAUL: No! (Cheers, applause.) I’m saying — (laughter) — I’m saying we should take our marching orders from our Constitution. We should not go to war — (cheers, applause) — we should not go to war without a declaration. We should not go to war when it’s an aggressive war. This is an aggressive invasion. We’ve committed the...

Recently when Fox TV anchor Chris Wallace attempted to plumb the depths of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's Mormon beliefs, the prospective candidate grew restless, as he often does when pressed about religion. Then he parried with a line worthy of Jack Kennedy:     "America has a political religion . . . people who are elected . . . [take] an oath to abide by a nation of laws and the Constitution, above all others." Amen.     Romney should sharpen that sound bite and stay on message. Like it or not, questions about Mormonisms will hound him wherever he goes,...

I found the title of this DUmmie THREAD, "Can freepers be deprogrammed?" especially amusing since I just received a personal FreepMail message at the Free Republic from none other than DUmmie Doohickie. In case you don't remember DUmmie Doohickie, he was the author of some of our FAVORITE DUmmie threads called "I BELIEVE" in which he was cheerleading the DUmmie to BEEEELEEEEVE that John Kerry was going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2005. These threads began shortly after the 2004 election and lasted until early Jan. 2005 when Doohickie took an embarrassed exit from DUmmieland but has recently...

Traditionalists Unite Against Blasphemy Remnant Press Release www.remnantnewspaper.com Dear fellow Catholics, I talked with Mr. John Watkins (coordinator for the Latin Mass community at Blessed Sacrament) this morning concerning the awful event planned for Sunday at 4:00 p.m. http://www.kansascitykansan.com/articles/2006/01/04/news/local/news13.txt They (The Latin Mass Community) are asking for our help. They would like us to join them in the spirit of peacefully consoling our Blessed Lord for the abomination that is scheduled for Sunday at 4:00 p.m. and to demonstrate to the Archdiocese that this type of blasphemous "musical performance" is not Catholic and cannot be tolerated in a Catholic place...

CANTON - The Marine Corps Reserve 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines returned home from Iraq to the open arms of grateful family members. Jason and Johel Woodliff had only each other. The brothers say they were not greeted by their family upon their return on Oct. 6, because of religion. The Woodliffs’ parents are devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, who oppose war and military service. Graduates of Washington High School in Massillon, the Woodliffs said they had a strict upbringing based on their parents’ faith, and that the real trouble began when they announced their intentions to become Marines. “When they found out...

'New York - Tom Cruise, who clashed with Today show host Matt Lauer on Friday when Lauer brought up Cruise's earlier criticism of Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants, issued an apology today for his belligerent behavior from Hollywood. According to his publicist, Mr. Cruise failed to take his prescribed dose of Ritalin that morning and, as a result, was "a tiny bit on the edge." "Tom is doing fine now," publicist/sister/fellow Scientologist, Lee Ann Devett explained to reporters. "Between his new bride's constant need for attention and being sprayed in the face with water last week at the London premiere...