www.news.bbc.co.uk

American Family Association #homophobia news.bbc.co.uk

Boycott call

Yet one organisation failing to see the funny side is the American Family Association, which issued an action alert to members over the advert urging them to register their disapproval with the firm's US headquarters.

"We suggest you forward this to all your family and friends letting them know of the push for homosexual marriage by Heinz," says the association on its website. "It is the kind of ad which we can expect to see in California as they prepare to vote on homosexual marriage. Homosexual marriage is illegal in England."

Iris Robinson MP/MLA #homophobia news.bbc.co.uk

A gay rights campaigner has rejected a Northern Ireland assembly member's call for homosexuals to seek psychiatric counselling.

David McCartney from the Rainbow Project was responding to comments from Iris Robinson, the DUP MP for Strangford and East Belfast MLA.

Mrs Robinson said with help, gay people could be "turned around".

Mr McCartney said there was "no body of evidence" to support this and asked to meet the MP.

Mrs Robinson made her comments on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show on Friday.

"I have a very lovely psychiatrist who works with me in my offices and his Christian background is that he tries to help homosexuals - trying to turn away from what they are engaged in," she said.

"I'm happy to put any homosexual in touch with this gentleman and I have met people who have turned around and become heterosexuals."

Maulana Ziauddin #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

The teacher of a religious seminary in Pakistan's Punjab province has confessed to torturing a student to death, police say.

Atif, seven, was hung upside down from a ceiling fan by Maulvi Ziauddin for not memorising his Koran lessons, his fellow students told the police.

Afterwards, the teacher beat him up with a baton to stop him from crying, an eyewitness told BBC.

Murderous mob in Kenya #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

'Witches' burnt to death in Kenya

Eleven elderly people accused of being witches have been burned to death by a mob in the west of Kenya, police say.

...

The BBC's Muliro Telewa in the region says the gang had a list of the victims and picked them out individually.

...

Anthony Kibunguchy, the provincial police officer, told the BBC that the eight women and three men were all aged between 80 and 96 years old.

The mob dragged them out of their houses and burned them individually and then set their homes alight, our correspondent says.

Residents have been ambivalent about condemning the attacks because belief in witchcraft is widespread in the area, he says.

...

The victim's families have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives.

Hamid Alsharief #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Why family planning? If it's for saving the live of the mother then it is the responsibility of both husband and wife. Have we exhausted the oxygen, cultivated all the arable land or are we about to exhaust all the resource God gave us? No to family planning. Let us make as many children as God wishes us to make .They are the real joy of this life.

NPD #racist news.bbc.co.uk

The NPD distributed pamphlets suggesting player Patrick Owomoyela, whose father is Nigerian, should not be in the squad, say prosecutors.

The leaflets depicted a white team shirt with the caption: "White. Not just a jersey colour. For a real national team!"

Bishop Joseph Devine #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

A Catholic bishop has claimed gay campaigners are conspiring against Christian traditions.

The Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Devine, made the comments at a lecture in Glasgow.

The bishop said the gay community had aligned itself with minority groups, including Holocaust survivors, to make it appear they were under persecution.

His comments have been condemned by gay rights groups and Holocaust survivor organisations.

At the lecture, at St Aloysius' College on Tuesday, the bishop reportedly said: "We neglect the gay movement at our peril."

He also singled out Oscar-winning actor Sir Ian McKellen, who has been honoured for his services to gay rights, pointing out that Oscar Wilde had been jailed for homosexual acts 100 years ago.

He added that there was a "huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy" taking place, which the Catholic community had missed.

Yahya Atrash #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Palestinians have been flocking to see a lamb which seems to have a birthmark spelling out the Arabic word for God, "Allah", in its coat.

Owner Yahya Atrash, from the West Bank town of Hebron, told Reuters the animal was born on Monday, when militant leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was killed.

He told Reuters the timing was "clear evidence of God's existence"

Pakistan #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Pakistan's attempts to block access to YouTube has been blamed for an almost global blackout of the video website for more than an hour on Sunday.

BBC News has learned that the outage was almost certainly connected to Pakistan Telecom and Asian internet service provider PCCW.

A leading net professional said the global outage was "probably a mistake".

Pakistan ordered internet service providers to block the site because of content deemed offensive to Islam.

Israeli MP Shlomo Benizri #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

An Israeli MP has blamed parliament's tolerance of gays for earthquakes that have rocked the Holy Land recently.

Shlomo Benizri, of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas Party, said the tremors had been caused by lawmaking that gave "legitimacy to sodomy".

...He called on lawmakers to stop "passing legislation on how to encourage homosexual activity in the state of Israel, which anyway brings about earthquakes".

Unnamed father #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

A father has been found guilty of wounding his two children by putting pins through their tongues and lips.

It was alleged the father told the boys he inflicted the injuries because God had his tongue cut off in the Bible.

At the 10-week trial, the jury was told the father would put clothes pegs on the children's lips and tongues.

The court also heard he cut their mouths with scalpel blades.

He was also accused of pressing the tongue of one of the children with sharp pliers until it bled and swelled.

It was alleged he would then stitch up the wounds with a medical kit.

The jury heard the mother of the boys would watch, or turn a blind eye, as their father carried out the attacks at their home.

Greek Orthodox Church v Armenian Apostolic Church #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Members of rival Christian orders have traded blows at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, with four people reported wounded in the fray.

Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests were sweeping up at the church following the Christmas rites of the Western churches earlier in the week.

Reports say some Orthodox faithful encroached on the Armenian section, prompting pitched battles with brooms.

Intense rivalries at the jointly-run church can set off vicious feuds.

The basilica, built over the grotto in the West Bank town that is the reputed birthplace of Jesus Christ is shared by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian religious authorities.

leg snatchers #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Police in southern India are hunting for two men who attacked a Hindu holy man, cut off his right leg and then made off with it.

The 80-year-old holy man, Yanadi Kondaiah, claimed to have healing powers in the leg.

He is now recovering from his ordeal in hospital in the city of Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Local people believed they could be healed of spiritual and physical problems if they touched his leg.

Sudan #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

A British school teacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

[...]

Ms Gibbons' punishment could be up to six months in jail, 40 lashes or a fine.

Mike from Sacramento #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

[The vultures begin to gather over the Saudi gang rape.]

Clearly, in many criminal events there are no clear-cut victims and criminals, quite often both sides are guilty. Saudi law clearly criminalises unchaperoned one-on-one contact, as a public safety measure, designed to prevent the occurrence of exactly this kind of situation. Saudi Arabia must be congratulated for their low crime rate. Scurrilous attacks on the judiciary such as the one committed by the alleged victim are deserving of punishment.

Unnamed Bradford father #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

A religious father put safety pins through the tongues and lips of his two children and slit their mouths with scalpel blades, a court has heard.

The father, from Nigeria, told the boys he inflicted the injuries because God had his tongue cut off in the Bible, a jury at Bradford Crown Court was told.

Gilbert Deya #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

[Shocking story on the BBC website about good ol' fashioned Evangelical child trafficking. Read the whole thing...]

A ministeries advertisement said: "God has blessed us with miracle babies that the world has never seen anything like before. Your donation is very useful to your miracle.

"Please send your donation and expect your miracle. Ten pounds, a hundred pounds, a thousand pounds - make cheques payable to Gilbert Deya Ministry"

Emma Gough #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

[FSTDT Darwin Award?]

A young mother has died after giving birth to twins, amid claims that she had refused a blood transfusion because of her faith. Jehovah's Witness Emma Gough, 22, from Telford, Shropshire, gave birth on 25 October.

The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital said an internal review into the case would take place.

Family friend Terry Lovejoy said: "They are going through an immense amount of turmoil and grief."

He added: "We follow the Bible and abstain from blood and I've got no reason to believe that Emma didn't share those views."

Archbishop Francisco Chimoio #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Condoms are not sure because I know that there are two countries in Europe, they are making condoms with the virus on purpose," he alleged, refusing to name the countries.

They want to finish with the African people. This is the programme. They want to colonise until up to now. If we are not careful we will finish in one century's time.

If we are joking with this sickness we will be finished as soon as possible.

If we want to change the situation to face HIV/Aids it's necessary to have a new mentality, if we don't change mentality we'll be finished quickly.

It means marriage, people being faithful to their wives... (and) young people must be abstaining from sexual relations.

Ibrahim #sexist news.bbc.co.uk

I am from India, but I have been living in Saudi Arabia for 20 years.

I am married and I have daughters. We don't have a driver - I drive them about myself. This works fine and the women in my family do not want to drive.


In the interests of safety and security, I don't want women driving in Saudi Arabia

Women should not be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. If this happens, there will be more crime, accidents and disorder.

There will be more accidents because of the increase in traffic. However, the government is preparing for more traffic by building new roads and new overhead bridges.

If Saudi Arabia allows women to drive, there will have to be more law-enforcement officers in and around the cities.

There would also have to be more night patrols throughout the kingdom. There would also have to be women-only garages and service centres.

It will mean more social problems in the future.

Maybe a few women do want to drive, but this is not really a big issue.

In the interests of safety and security - I don't want women driving in Saudi Arabia.

Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz-ul-Haq #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

[Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz-ul-Haq] was speaking during a session of Pakistan's National Assembly in which it unanimously condemned Britain's award of a knighthood to the author Salman Rushdie and demanded it be withdrawn.

His comments in the Urdu language caused uproar.

"If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Mohammad, his act is justified," he said, according to the translation by the Reuters news agency.

"If Britain doesn't withdraw the award, all Muslim countries should break off diplomatic relations."

Anonymous Islamic militants #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Christians in north-west Pakistan are demanding government protection following threats of bomb attacks if they do not become Muslims.
An unsigned letter received 10 days ago said they had to convert by Thursday.

Militants have been carrying out a sustained campaign to prevent "anti-Islamic" activities in North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Last week they blew up a number of music and video shops in the towns of Charsadda and Tangi.

The Christian community, a tiny minority, received an anonymous letter demanding they convert or face the consequences.

Bill Donohue #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

A New York gallery has angered a US Catholic group with its decision to exhibit a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ.

The six-foot (1.8m) sculpture, entitled "My Sweet Lord", depicts Jesus Christ naked on the cross.

Catholic League head Bill Donohue called it "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever".

Girls of the Jamia Hafsa madrassa #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Students raid Islamabad 'brothel'

Dozens of young women from a religious school in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, have broken into an alleged brothel and kidnapped the owner.
The women, from the nearby Jamia Hafsa madrassa, burst in late on Tuesday, demanding the premises be shut down.

The women say they have a right to end immoral activity under Islamic law.

The BBC's Navdip Dhariwal in Islamabad says it is the first time such bold Taleban-style activity seen elsewhere in Pakistan has occurred in the city.

The Jamia Hafsa school has been at the centre of controversy in recent months.

In February, armed students prevented the authorities from demolishing an illegally constructed mosque and occupied a nearby children's library.

They have also demanded that local video owners close their stores.

Father Efstathios Kollas #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

Worshippers who believe in the 12 gods of ancient Greece are trying to stage a ceremony at the Temple of Zeus in Athens on Sunday...

The president of the Association of Greek Clergymen, Father Efstathios Kollas, has described the followers of the Olympic gods as a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past.

Emeka Ezeuko #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

A Nigerian high court has sentenced a Lagos preacher to death by hanging for setting fire to members of his congregation, killing one woman.
Emeka Ezeuko, better known as Reverend King, was found guilty on one count of murder and five of attempted murder.

In July last year, he accused six members of his Christian Praying Assembly church of sinning by having extra-marital sex.

He poured petrol over them before setting them alight.

Ann Uzor died in hospital from her burns.

Rev King allegedly told members of his congregation that he was Jesus Christ, a claim that gave him the powers to punish sin.

Ann Widdecombe #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

[From a BBC article regarding a woman who was asked to conceal her necklace in order to comply with British Airway's dress code].

Devout Christian and MP, Ann Widdecombe, went further and said the situation was "absolutely crazy" and that Christians were "suffering".

"It's we who are being persecuted," she said.

Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

[After nine Scottish firefighters were disiplined after refusing to hand out fire safety leaflets at the Scottish gay pride festival.]

"They were asked, while in uniform, to hand out leaflets during a demonstration where they had legitimate concerns about being the subject of taunts and jokes, and in which in some cases, their religious sensibilities would have been grossly offended by people dressed as priests and nuns lampooning the Church."

He added: "That the officers concerned are being forced to undergo diversity training is alarming. The duty to obey one's conscience is a higher duty than that of obeying orders."

Ansarullah Mawlafizada #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

"The Prophet Muhammad has said several times that those who convert from Islam should be killed if they refuse to come back," says Ansarullah Mawlafizada, the trial judge.

"Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, kindness and integrity. That is why we have told him if he regrets what he did [converting from Islam to Christianity], then we will forgive him," he told the BBC News website.

Lucy #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

I have been studying Karate for 4 years now it comes as no surprise that this has to do with energy. The whole idea is that you draw upon your inner strength and force "chi" and use it as a powerful weapon. Humans only ever use a fraction of the power they really have!

Kerry Taylor #fundie news.bbc.co.uk

What these people are overlooking is that western science uses 'laws of physics' to determine a probable outcome based on already known equations, which to me seems a bit text-bookish and regurgitative. They aren't taking into account quantum sciences that acknowledge things such as Qi (Chi) energies that exist in every one of us. This Qi energy may be able to be used to perform similar feats with with an amount of effort that would defy our 'laws' of physics.

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