Religion Today Daily Headlines - June 12, 2012

Religion Today Daily Headlines - June 12, 2012

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

  • Pastor Creflo Dollar Denies Attacking Daughter
  • California Democrats Pushing for Easier Birth Control Access
  • Military's First-Ever Gay 'Wedding' Performed on Army Base
  • Homosexual Supporters Turn Out for Obama

 

Pastor Creflo Dollar Denies Attacking Daughter

Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar denied from his pulpit punching and choking his 15-year-old daughter, telling his congregation the allegations made in a police report were nothing but "exaggeration and sensationalism," the Associated Press reports. "I will say this emphatically: I should have never been arrested," Dollar said Sunday, his first public appearance since police charged him with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and cruelty to children two days before. "I want you all to hear personally from me that all is well in the Dollar household," he said. "The truth is that a family conversation with our youngest daughter got emotional. And emotions got involved and things escalated from there." Dollar got an enthusiastic ovation from the church before moving on to his sermon. The 50-year-old pastor was arrested around 1 a.m. Friday after his 15-year-old daughter called 911 and said she and her father had an argument when he said she couldn't go to a party. According to the police report, the girl told a deputy her father charged at her, put his hands around her throat, began to punch her and started hitting her with his shoe -- an account corroborated her 19-year-old sister. The deputy noted a scratch on the girl's neck, but Dollar said it had been caused by a skin condition, eczema.

California Democrats Pushing for Easier Birth Control Access

The California Assembly has approved a measure that would allow registered nurses, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners to give women birth control pills, OneNewsNow.com reports. Under the existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, a registered nurse is authorized to dispense drugs or devices upon an order by a licensed physician and surgeon if the nurse is functioning within a specified clinic, but with this bill, patients would no longer have to make a doctor's appointment to get hormonal contraceptives, says Dana Cody of the Life Legal Defense Foundation. "This is 'business as usual,'" said Cody. "Nobody cares about women. It's a carcinogenic under the World Health Organization guidelines, so let's hand it out for free." Democratic assemblywoman Holly Mitchell, who sponsored the bill, said she did so to give women more access to birth control. It passed the Assembly with a vote of 42-26 -- with Democrats favoring the measure -- and now heads to the state Senate.

Military's First-Ever Gay 'Wedding' Performed on Army Base

The Army confirmed in early June that it conducted the military's first-ever homosexual "wedding" at Fort Polk in Louisiana, WORLD News Service reports. According to officials, the ceremony took place in May between two lesbians and was officiated by an Army chaplain. "The liberal social experiment with our military continues," said Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), who represents the Louisiana district that houses Fort Polk. Officially, the Army said it was not a "wedding" but a "same-gender private religious ceremony," but either way, according to Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, "it's a plain violation of the Defense of Marriage Act, which outlaws same-sex 'marriage' in government facilities." That's why Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) called the ceremony "outrageous and illegal." Both Fleming and Akin serve on the House Armed Services Committee.

Homosexual Supporters Turn Out for Obama

More than 600 gay and lesbian backers of Barack Obama turned out for a fundraiser in Los Angeles on June 6, WORLD News Service reports. Among those in attendance were lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres and singer Cher. Though the president's embrace of gay marriage several weeks ago has hurt him in states like North Carolina, it has bolstered his fundraising. The Associated Press reported that Obama and his surrogates raised about $60 million in May, for a total of $510 million, and the Washington Post said that about one in six of President Obama's top campaign "bundlers" is homosexual.

Publication date: June 12, 2012

Religion Today Daily Headlines - June 12, 2012