Religion Today Daily Headlines - September 4, 2012

Religion Today Daily Headlines - September 4, 2012

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

In today's edition:

  • University of Texas Vindicates Sociologist Whose Study Found Trouble with Kids of Gays
  • Court: Tennessee County Can Continue Praying
  • Pakistan: Young Man Tortured by Taliban for His Christian Faith

 

University of Texas Vindicates Sociologist Whose Study Found Trouble with Kids of Gays

The University of Texas at Austin announced Aug. 29 that a sociologist who has been excoriated by some in the media over a study showing that parents’ homosexual relationships can have negative effects on children is innocent of academic misconduct. Dr. Mark Regnerus made headlines in June when the journal Social Science Research published his study, which found children raised by homosexual parents were more likely than those raised by married heterosexual parents to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts, require mental health therapy, identify themselves as homosexual, choose cohabitation; be unfaithful to partners, contract STDs, be sexually molested and have lower income levels, among other things. A gay-activist blogger accused Regnerus of academic fraud, demanding in July that the university release all his research material and emails with fellow sociologists. Administrators conducted an exhaustive pre-investigation to determine whether a more comprehensive one would be necessary, and in an Aug. 24 memorandum, Research Integrity Officer Robert Peterson wrote to administrators: "None of the allegations of scientific misconduct put forth … were substantiated. ... Since no evidence was provided to indicate that the behavior at issue rose to a level of scientific misconduct, no formal investigation is warranted."

Court: Tennessee County Can Continue Praying

A federal district court in Tennessee ruled on August 29 that Hamilton County officials can continue opening their meetings with public prayers as a lawsuit against them proceeds, WORLD News Service reports. The plaintiffs in the case, Thomas Joseph Coleman III and Brandon Raymond Jones, claim the county officials' prayers violate the Constitution, and asked the court to halt the activities pending the outcome of the case. A trial date has not been set.

Pakistan: Young Man Tortured by Taliban for His Christian Faith

Members of the Taliban kidnapped a young low-caste Christian man in Pakistan and held him captive for nine months, Voice of the Martyrs reports. During that time, "Yousef's" captors asked him over and over to deny Christ, but Yousef, 28, never gave in, even after his cousin said he was interested in Islam and was released. At first, the Taliban members accused Yousef of being a foreign spy, and for two months he was beaten every few days. He was also tortured with simulated drowning. His captors finally released he would not yield, so they released him near his hometown near the Afghan border. Barely able to walk, Yousef made his way back to his family and remains "in rough shape," according to reports from a VOM field worker.

Publication date: September 4, 2012

Religion Today Daily Headlines - September 4, 2012