Update on the latest religion news

BIBLE MUSEUM

Demolition begins to clear ground for Bible Museum

WASHINGTON (AP) — Demolition starts today just off the National Mall in Washington, where a $400 million Museum of the Bible is to be built.

The museum’s president, Cary Summers, says it’s scheduled to open in November of 2017, with separate floors dedicated to the history, impact and narratives of the Bible.

Unlike the nearby Smithsonian museums, the Bible Museum will likely have an admission charge. Summers says it could range from $12 to $15 dollars for adults, and less for children. He says the three main exhibit floors will each cover 55,000 square feet, and there will also be a theater, ballroom, lecture halls and children’s area.

Summers says the Bible Museum won’t seek to convert visitors, but will offer a non-sectarian, academically sound and entertaining overview of the world’s best-selling and most influential book.

Sound:

384-a-04-(Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum, in AP interview)-“in the world”-Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum, says the Bible is important enough to warrent its own museum. ((cut used in wrap)) (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *384 (02/11/15)££ 00:04 "in the world"

383-a-07-(Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum, in AP interview)-“of the Bible (third reference)”-Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum, says its main exhibits will be on three separate floors. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *383 (02/11/15)££ 00:07 "of the Bible (third reference)"

382-a-05-(Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum, in AP interview)-“November of 2017”-Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum, says it will be located just off the National Mall in Washington. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *382 (02/11/15)££ 00:05 "November of 2017"

381-w-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Cary Summers, president of the Bible Museum)–Demolition starts today just off the National Mall in Washington, where a $400 million Museum of the Bible is to be built. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *381 (02/11/15)££ 00:33

BIBLE-OFFICIAL BOOK

GOP lawmaker wants to make Bible official book of Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee lawmaker wants to make the Bible the “official state book.”

Republican state Rep. Jerry Sexton is sponsoring legislation that would add the Bible to the state symbols of Tennessee. It’s unclear whether the proposal would comply with separation of church and state provisions in the federal and state constitutions.

Tennessee’s state symbols already include the tomato as the state fruit, the Tennessee cave salamander as the state amphibian and the square dance as the state folk dance. The state also has several state songs such as “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top.”

Similar proposals to make the Bible the state book failed in Mississippi earlier this month and Louisiana last year. Supporters maintained that they weren’t trying to force religion on anyone.

MIDEAST-ANCIENT TABLETS

Museum says ancient tablets verify Jews’ Babylonian exile

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli museum has mounted an exhibit of ancient clay tablets that it says are the earliest written evidence of the Biblical exile of the Jews in Babylon.

At first glance, the ancient Babylonian tablets on exhibit at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem look like nothing more than pockmarked lumps of clay.

But experts in cuneiform, one of the world’s earliest scripts, say the cracker-sized clay tablets on public display for the first time this month provide the earliest written evidence of the Jewish exile 2,600 years ago.

Archaeologists claim the Islamic State and other militant groups are funding their activities through illegal trafficking of antiquities, and authorities worldwide have been taking action to try to staunch their flow.

But London-based collector David Sofer, who loaned the cuneiform tablet collection to the Bible Lands Museum, says he purchased the tablets in the U.S. in the 1990s from a person who bought a part of the collection in public auctions in the 1970s.

Sound:

386-a-09-(Amanda Weiss, head of the Bible Lands Museum, in AP interview)-“protect these pieces”-Amanda Weiss, head of the Bible Lands Museum, says the clay tablets came from a legitimate source. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *386 (02/11/15)££ 00:09 "protect these pieces"

385-a-12-(Yehuda Kapla, director of education at the Bible Lands Museum, in AP interview)-“in southern Babylonia”-Yehuda Kapla, director of education at the Bible Lands Museum, says the newly displayed clay tablets authenticate the Jews’ Babylonian captivity. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *385 (02/11/15)££ 00:12 "in southern Babylonia"

PAKISTAN-CHRISTIANS IN SHADOWS

Christians huddle in Pakistan slum amid blasphemy cases

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Christian Colony slum on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital is home to many Christians who once lived in other parts of Islamabad, but fled in fear after a string of blasphemy allegations and killings.

Residents say they are always fearful that the city government may push them out and reclaim the land. Most face daily discrimination and eke out a living in low-paying jobs, like street sweeping. Pakistani Christians say they face the constant threat of attacks by Islamic extremists.

Under Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws, anyone convicted of insulting Islam or Muhammad can be sentenced to death. However, some Muslims take the law into their own hands, killing those suspected of blasphemy and attacking Christian neighborhoods. Some blasphemy allegations also have been made to settle personal scores.

GAY RIGHTS-RELIGIOUS RIGHTS

LGBT, religious rights legislation could emerge next week

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gay rights advocates in Utah are more optimistic than ever they can pass a statewide anti-discrimination law this year now that the Mormon church has made a national appeal for such measures.

But nobody is saying exactly how they’ll craft legislation to include expanded protections for religious liberties that the church wants included. Hashing out those important details in a way that both sides can agree on still looms as a major hurdle before the measure becomes law.

Utah legislators on Wednesday said they’ve just started talking and it will be at least a week before a bill or several bills to address the issues may surface.

Lawmakers on both sides say they’re optimistic they’ll strike a deal, but they also acknowledge it’s a delicate balance that they may not reach this year.

GAY CONVERSION-LAWSUIT

New Jersey judge: Gay conversion therapy claims are fraud

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A judge in New Jersey has ruled that claims of gay conversion therapy that describe homosexuality as a curable mental disorder are fraud.

Hudson County Superior Court Judge Peter Bariso Jr. ruled Tuesday in the case involving the group JONAH, which stands for Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, saying such claims are illegal based on the state’s Consumer Fraud Act.

JONAH attorney Charles LiMandri said the group’s use of the word “disorder” was based on its interpretation of Jewish law and not intended to describe homosexuality as a psychological disorder. He said JONAH expects to win when the case goes to trial in June.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed a ban preventing licensed therapists from performing gay conversion therapy for patients under 18 in 2013. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court by two associations and therapists challenging the ban is pending.

Sound:

340-v-30-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–A judge in New Jersey has ruled that claims of gay conversion therapy that describe homosexuality as a curable mental disorder are fraud. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. ((Replaces cut 280)) (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *340 (02/11/15)££ 00:30

280-v-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–A judge in New Jersey has ruled that claims of gay conversion therapy that describe homosexuality as a curable mental disorder are fraud. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *280 (02/11/15)££ 00:34

FIFTY SHADES-ARCHBISHOP

Archbishop: ‘Fifty Shades’ is ‘direct assault’ on marriage

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Roman Catholic archbishop of Cincinnati is criticizing the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie as “a direct assault on Christian marriage.”

The new movie is based on the best-selling erotic novel that includes bondage, dominance and sadomasochism. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr says in a message to priests and on the archdiocese’s Facebook page that the movie is in “direct contrast to the Christian message” about marriage and sexual intimacy.

His statement urges informing people about “the destructive message” of the movie and highlighting “the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and wife in the bond of marriage.”

Author E L James has described “Fifty Shades of Grey” as an erotic “love story.”

THREE KILLED-NORTH CAROLINA

Wife: Slayings of 3 in N. Carolina motivated by parking spat

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — A woman whose husband is accused of shooting three young Muslims at a North Carolina condominium complex says he was motivated by a parking dispute, not the victims’ faith.

A Muslim advocacy group has asked authorities to investigate possible religious bias in Tuesday’s shootings, which some American Muslims viewing the killings as an outgrowth of anti-Muslim sentiment.

But Karen Hicks said Wednesday that the shootings had nothing to do with religion or the victims’ faith. Her husband, 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks, has described himself as a “gun toting” atheist. An attorney for Karen Hicks says Craig Hicks had a concealed weapons permit.

A former roommate of one of the victims says Craig Hicks often complained that the men parked in spaces designated for visitors. That roommate says Hicks came to their door with a gun on his hip and told them not to park there.

Sound:

269-a-13-(Karen Hicks, wife of shooting suspect Craig Hicks, at news conference)-“with the neighbors”-Karen Hicks says the shooting was completely unrelated to race or religion, and she notes that her husband had a running conflict with their neighbors over parking. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *269 (02/11/15)££ 00:13 "with the neighbors"

317-a-15-(Namee (NAH’-mee) Barakat, father of man shot and killed, with reporters)-“than that, unfortunately”-Namee Barakat, whose son, new daughter-in-law and her sister were killed, says he doesn’t believe the triple-killing was just about a parking space. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *317 (02/11/15)££ 00:15 "than that, unfortunately"

319-a-16-(Moheeb Ooda, (OH’-duh), friend of the Barakat family, with reporters)-“good, good citizen”-Family friend Moheeb Ooda says he doesn’t believe that a parking space was the real issue in the triple murder. Updated: 02/11/2015-06:33:12 PM ET (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *319 (02/11/15)££ 00:16 "good, good citizen"

270-a-15-(Rob Maitland, lawyer for Karen Hicks, wife of shooting suspect, at news conference)-“the wrong place”-Attorney Rob Maitland says Craig Hicks snapped over a longstanding parking dispute. (11 Feb 2015)

<<CUT *270 (02/11/15)££ 00:15 "the wrong place"

JEWISH SITE SHOOTINGS

Suspect in Kansas Jewish sites killings gets new lawyer

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A white supremacist accused of killing three people outside Jewish sites in Kansas has been assigned a new attorney in his capital murder case.

The Kansas City Star reports that veteran death penalty defense lawyer Mark Manna of Topeka has been assigned to represent 74-year-old Frazier Glenn Miller Jr.

Miller’s previous attorney withdrew last week, citing a breakdown in communications with Miller, who is accused of fatally shooting three people last April.

Prosecutors say Miller killed 69-year-old William Corporon and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, outside the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, then fatally shot 53-year-old Terri LaManno at the nearby Village Shalom care center.

Miller has said he wanted to kill Jews. None of his victims was Jewish.

BIBLE STUDY-SEX ASSAULT

2 convicted in sex assaults of mentally disabled woman

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — Two New Jersey men have been convicted of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled woman after luring her to a home under the pretense of participating in Bible study, then kicking her out of the home during a snowstorm.

A Union County jury on Wednesday convicted Edward Woodson and Marcal Campbell on aggravated sex assault and sex assault charges. Woodson was also convicted of kidnapping. The 34-year-old Plainfield residents face lengthy prison terms when they’re sentenced March 13.

Prosecutors say the sex assaults occurred at Woodson’s home in January 2011. They said Woodson and Campbell took turns sexually assaulting her in the basement for more than an hour, then kicked her out early the next day with no cellphone, money or any means to get home.

The woman was found several hours later and needed medical attention.

PRISON-RELIGION

Convicted killer says state won’t let him practice religion

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A convicted killer has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state of Connecticut, saying he’s not allowed to practice his religion in prison.

Kevin Harris is serving a life sentence for a 1993 murder in Bristol. He is a member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, an offshoot of the Nation of Islam more commonly known as the Five Percenters.

The group promotes black empowerment, teaching that men of color are Gods.

According to court papers, the state has classified the Nation of Gods and Earths as a “Disruptive Group,” similar to a prison gang.

Karen Martucci, a Correction Department spokeswoman, declined to comment on the department’s reasoning, citing the pending litigation.

The department’s administrative directives allow officials to ban religious practices if they are a safety threat.

SATANIST COLORING BOOK

Orange County bans religious materials in schools

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida school board has voted to ban the distribution of religious or political material at schools after a group wanted to hand out Satanic coloring books.

The Orange County School Board in Orlando approved the new policy Tuesday night. The new policy will allow the passive distribution of some materials but nothing that is religious or political.

The school district has allowed Bibles and materials from an atheist group to be distributed at schools for the past three years. But the school board cut off the distribution of all religious material after a group called The Satanic Temple made a request to pass out the coloring books.

School officials said they wanted to review the policy.

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