News Tidbits

Los Angeles Times: On abortion, election delivered mixed messages

Huffington Post: Meet the Newly Empowered Right-wing Radicals 

The Advocate: 6 Outrageous Quotes From I Stand Sunday

Religion News Service: Russell Moore, Rick Warren to join Vatican conference on marriage and family life

The Telegraph: Christian bakery ordered to recant over Bert and Ernie gay marriage cake or face court

Commentary Tidbits

Sketches by Boze: My Heart Breaks for Micah – and Bethany

The Life and Opinions of Kathryn Elizabeth, Person: Malala and Me

Faithfully LGBT: Notre Dame hosts “Gay In Christ” conference promoting gay celibacy 

The New Civil Rights Movement: IRS Ignoring 1600 Pastors Who Admit To Illegally Endorsing Political Candidates

Religion News Service: Is the U.S. military anti-atheist? An interview with Jason Torpy

Washington Post: Pope Francis has conservatives talking schism. But a split is easier said than done

Huffington Post: This Is What Happened When I Tried Banning Conversion Therapy in Minnesota

Prosecutors Drop Murder Charge Against Micah Moore

In late 2012, Bethany Deaton was found dead inside a vehicle in Jackson County, Missouri. Bethany's husband, Tyler Deaton, was the head of a communal religious community that drew controversy and criticism after her death. Micah Moore, a member of the religious community and a roommate of the Deatons, confessed to Bethany's murder. (More here.)

Bethany, Tyler, and Micah all had ties to the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri. IHOP distanced itself from Tyler Deaton's religious community, insisting in a press release that Deaton's group operated independently and expressing alarm at its "secrecy and disturbing religious practices".

Now, a new twist in the case suggests that Micah Moore may not have murdered Bethany. According to the Kansas City Star, Jackson County prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Micah Moore. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker explained that Moore's DNA was not found on the bag on Deaton's body. Furthermore, a handwriting analysis concluded that Deaton had written her suicide note.

Moore's attorneys submitted a motion to exclude Moore's statement, which offers details about Tyler Deaton's religious group, the Deatons' unhappy marriage, and Bethany's struggles with depression. According to the motion, Moore's claim that members of the group sexually assaulted Bethany was not corroborated by evidence, and that no independent evidence indicates that Bethany died as a result of homicide. The motion argues that "without independent evidence that Bethany's death was caused by another person (a homicide), Moore's statements are inadmissible."

Why would Micah Moore confess to killing Bethany Deaton? According to the motion, IHOP hosted a prayer session for members of Tyler's religious community after Bethany Deaton's death. At the Shiloh retreat center, IHOP representatives allegedly told those in attendance that they were afflicted by supernatural forces and needed an exorcism. The chaotic atmosphere of the exorcism preceded Micah Moore's false statements, the motion argues.

"Still overwhelmed with grief, the community also had to cope with the extraction of their leader from their midst at IHOP's insistence. IHOP leadership told Tyler he was no longer able to stay and had sessions for the community at Shiloh, a remote retreat center utilized by IHOP and its affiliates. During an evening session on November 8, 2012, it was made clear to the community that IHOP believed the community was not just a community but a cult and called into question everything they had been doing under Tyler's command. Leaders of the session made it clear that everyone had been hurt and controlled supernaturally and needed an exorcism, though the term exorcism wasn't expressly used. A large group of people, called the Prisoners of Hope - an IHOP affiliated prayer group - prayed for the group. Putting their hands on the cult members, shouting at demons to leave and scream-praying in tongues, soon had many in the group crying and yelling and falling to the floor. In that atmosphere - loud, frenetic, chaotic - all the pent up emotion from their friend's death and from being accused of being a cult - spilled out. In the hours that followed, the men and women would be separated and it would come to light that Tyler had physically intimate relationships with several of the men. Homosexuality is strongly condemned within the church though Tyler had masterfully managed to convince these men that the relationship was one of intimacy, not sexuality. Ultimately it led to an unraveling of others within the group that were equally vulnerable and fragile. And, it led to the completely false statements by Moore relating to Bethany's death. Notwithstanding that Moore told police unequivocally while in custody, after he finally had some sleep, that he did not kill Bethany, murder charges were filed and a full investigation launched into Deaton's death."

IHOP paints a different picture of the events of November 8th. According to the Kansas City Star, IHOP spokesman Nick Syrett denies that an exorcism occurred, saying that the meeting was intended to help members of Deaton's community grieve over Bethany's death.

I find these recent twists baffling. If, as the motion argues, evidence suggests that Micah Moore did not murder Bethany Deaton, what prompted his confession? Was Micah Moore manipulated by religious histrionics, or did other factors trigger his confession? What other details about the case will emerge?

News Tidbits

Politico: Rogue pastors endorse candidates, but IRS looks away

Washington Post: Arizona schools ordered to remove page in biology book with ‘morning after’ pill section

Associated Press: Evangelical college gay rights stand causes uproar

Gay Star News: Anti-gay activists Bill Whatcott, Peter LaBarbera on trial in Canada

Commentary Tidbits

SIECUS: It’s Perfectly Traditional: Christian Right Joined by Common Core Opposition

Right Wing Watch: Alan Robertson Warns That Satan Is Out To Destroy Duck Dynasty

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: LGBT add a bunch of truth to 'I Stand Sunday' event

Lone Star Q: LGBT activists hijack Twitter feed of anti-gay “I Stand Sunday” rally in Houston

Project Q Houston: LGBT activists counter HERO haters with 3 events

New Vision: Of pastors, faith healers, witchdoctors and the ebola epidemic

Religion & Politics: A Theme Park, a Scandal, and the Faded Ruins of a Televangelism Empire

Salon: Sex and the single evangelical: Purity balls, odd daddy roles, and saving it for Jesus Christ

The Inquisitr: Creationists Are Upset Over Pope Francis’ Pro-Evolution Statements

Ebola and Faith Healing

The 2014 Ebola epidemic has claimed thousands of lives in western Africa, with Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea reporting almost 5,000 deaths as of October 29th. Nigeria has also reported 19 laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases and 8 deaths. While medical professionals race to help Africa's Ebola victims, some believers are resorting to faith healing, with tragic consequences.

Pentecostal Christianity, with its belief in spiritual gifts such as healing, is a growing presence in western Africa, and some adherents have responded to the Ebola epidemic with fantastic faith healing claims. Some western evangelists boast of faith healings during their African celebrations, and in doing so, they encourage superstitious beliefs among their followers. As the stories below demonstrate, superstition can have dangerous consequences.

LIBERIA

Friendly Atheist recently drew attention to one Liberian preacher's response to Ebola. According to the Telegraph, Liberian preacher Edward Adjei claims that he can thwart the Ebola epidemic through an exorcism of the presidential palace, three days of prayer, and a ceremonial scattering of Christ's blood in the form of soda pop. Liberia's presidential palace -- "our country's gateway to Heaven" -- has been "desecrated", driving God to turn his back on Liberia and withhold protection from Ebola, Adjei insisted.

In a Telegraph video, Adjei argues that Ebola is a Satanic machination.

"To me, to my best of knowledge and according to what God has revealed to me, Ebola has demonic influence ... Every disease and every sickness that has no cure has demonic influence. It's a Satanic mission to destroy humanity."

Adjei also insists that the presidential mansion must be purged of demons in order to rid the country of Ebola.

"The Lord revealed to me that the mansion needs consecration. We have to consecrate the mansion because it has become a residence of demons."

While Adjei's story is absurd, other faith healing stories emerging from Liberia are more desperate and tragic in tone. The Los Angeles Times recently shared the story of Dorothy Sawer, a "prayer warrior" for Conqueror's Tabernacle Church in Monrovia, Liberia. Sawer, who lives in the poverty-stricken New Kru Town neighborhood, is part of a Pentecostal church that claims to heal diseases through laying of hands. Unfortunately, Ebola can be transmitted through touch (as it lives in bodily fluids such as sweat), and has sickened many pastors and faith healers in Liberia. Even though Ebola had ravaged New Kru Town, Sawer was unafraid.  "I wasn't afraid because I believed God was with me," she told the Los Angeles Times.

Despite Sawer's earnest prayers, Ebola claimed the life of her pastor, Varney Garpou, a tragedy she attributed to God's will. "Maybe some people never had the faith that they could make it and some people lose hope," she said. Sawer and her son later contracted Ebola, and at the medical center where she received care, she watched other patients die of the disease. Sawyer still prays for the afflicted in her role as prayer warrior, but she no longer touches people during her prayer sessions.

SIERRA LEONE

Attempts at faith healing have exacerbated the Ebola epidemic in some regions. For example, AFP reports that a herbalist in Sokoma, Sierra Leone claimed that she could cure Ebola, and that infected persons from Guinea sought her out for treatment. When the herbalist died, her female neighbors contracted Ebola at her funeral and spread the virus over a wide area. AFP notes that Enola's early spread in west Africa may have been due to regional funerary rites, in which relatives touch the dead bodies of their loved ones. The New Yorker explores the case in greater depth here.

NIGERIA

Even though Nigeria was not hit as hard by the Ebola epidemic, the country has no shortage of preachers responding to the Ebola epidemic with faith healing. For example, Nigeria's Daily Post reports that T. B. Joshua, founder of Synagogue Church Of All Nations, shipped 4,000 bottles of holy water to the Sierra Leone government so as to "spiritually fortify" the country against Ebola.

One proponent of faith healing seemed confused about Ebola's history. In a July 26th Facebook entry, Nigerian pastor Ituah Ighodalo claimed that a Christian faith healer named John Lake and and his "Holy Ghost filled team" had stopped an Ebola epidemic in Africa years before. However, Abby Phillip's commentary piece in the Washington Post observes that Ebola first appeared in 1976, decades after John Lake's death. Ighodalo posted a Facebook message the following day, explaining that Lake allegedly healed victims of the bubonic plague, not Ebola.

Nigerian officials fear that faith healing attempts could only make the Ebola outbreak worse. According to the Centre for African Journalists, state officials in Nigeria have warned the public about pastors who claim that they can cure Ebola victims through faith healing. Nigeria's Leadership Newspaper reports that the Lagos State Government has warned faith leaders that churches and faith healing houses could exacerbate the spread of Ebola. Abdulsalami Nasidi of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control urged faith healing houses to report any patients showing Ebola symptoms to the government, so as to stop the spread of the virus. (Hat tip to the Washington Post.)

Fortunately, some African voices are criticizing faith healing and calling for a more enlightened approach to the epidemic. In a commentary piece at Sahara Reporters, Nigerian humanist Leo Igwe condemns faith healers as frauds, mocking them for their impotence in the face of the Ebola epidemic.

"As the governments of West Africa struggle to contain the spread of the Ebola virus, I am wondering where all the men and women of God who claim they can heal the sick and who conduct faith healing sessions in countries across the region are.

Where are all the continent’s miracle workers now that people desperately need healing; where are the anointed men and women of God now governments urgently need to contain the spread of Ebola? Where are all the pastors and preachers who have built their religious and business empires marketing miracle cure claims to gullible, ignorant desperate folks in cities and villages across Africa over the years? Have their miracle stocks suddenly gone dry? Or don’t they have any miracle package that is compatible with Ebola? What are our faith healers doing now? Can’t they singly or jointly take the spiritual battle against Ebola to affected communities and demonstrate to the world that their God is truly a miracle God?"

Igwe urges his fellow Africans to abandon superstitious faith healing in favor of evidence-based medicine.

"This challenge has become necessary if Africa must move forward and if the ongoing deception and exploitation by fake(faith) healers will end. There is no evidence for faith healing at all. Africans spend fortune on faith healing schemes. This challenge has become necessary if African people and their governments must improve the health care system and be able to provide effective responses to outbreak of diseases like the Ebola. Africans need to maximize their limited resources and stop investing and wasting money in useless cure schemes. Africans need to channel their funds into promoting evidence based health care system."

When religious fervor meets desperation, people may seek succor in dangerous superstition. How many Ebola victims sought out futile faith healing instead of medical attention, only to die? How many Ebola victims had no access to medical facilities, and thus sought help from faith healers because no other help was available? The prevalence of faith healers in Africa is entwined with poverty, infrastructure problems, ignorance, and desperation, and the Ebola epidemic has only highlighted this tragic state of affairs. Ebola will be vanquished with education, sanitation, and the efforts of dedicated medical professionals, not superstition, and I hope that impacted countries can secure the resources they need to combat the epidemic.

News Tidbits

Baptist Press: Marriage, homosexuality focus of conference

Religion News Service: Evangelical leader Russell Moore denounces ex-gay therapy

Associated Press: Southern Baptists tell pastors: Hold line on gays

ABC News: Murder Charge Dropped in Prayer Group Death

Kansas City Star: Exorcism preceded confession in 2012 death involving International House of Prayer, defense says

On Top Magazine: Tim Cook's Sexuality Is 'Irrelevant,' Says Tony Perkins As He Threatens To Boycott Apple 

Religion News Service: Mark Driscoll resigns from Mars Hill Church 

The Guardian: Mars Hill church to disband following resignation of lead pastor 

NBC K5: First pastor fired at Mars Hill foresaw fallout

Christian Post: Christian Rocker, 10-Year Mars Hill Member Says Mark Driscoll Resignation Is 'Good News'

E! Online: Duggars Support Pro-Life Political Candidates With "Faith, Family, Freedom" Bus Tour

Deseret News: Group meeting in Salt Lake to plan 2015 World Congress of Families

The Guardian: As Ebola epidemic tightens grip, west Africa turns to religion for succour

Sioux City Journal: Church officials struggle to assist those with mental illness

Windy City Times: Focus on the Family's Glenn Stanton talks bigotry, marriage

Huffington Post: Ron Baity, Baptist Preacher, Claims God Will Send Something Worse Than Ebola As Punishment For Gay Marriage

NECN: Scott Lively on His Biblical-Based Massachusetts Governor's Campaign


 

Commentary Tidbits

Confessions of a Teenage Montanist: The Acquittal of Micah Moore: Two Years Too Late

What Would JT Do? So long, Mars Hill, and thanks for all the fish

The New Republic: Why Did the Ultra-Religious, Anti-Gay President of "God's Harvard" Suddenly Resign?

Salon: The sad, twisted truth about conservative Christianity’s effect on the mind 

Green Eagle: Green Eagle Joins the War on Christians 

Mother Jones: How the Christian Right Is Using Hobby Lobby and "Duck Dynasty" to Take Back America

Salt Lake Tribune: Anti-gay World Congress of Families should not be welcomed here

Inquisitr: Why Do These People Have Red Duct Tape Over Their Mouths? 

The Atlantic: Southern Evangelicals: Dwindling—and Taking the GOP Edge With Them

The Bilerico Project: Sodom: Review of a Russian Anti-Gay Documentary

SPLC Hatewatch: Boykin’s Speech at Civic Breakfast Stirs Controversy in Washington State

Back from Phoenix!

I had to take a short-notice business trip to Phoenix, AZ this week, which is why my blog has been silent. I enjoyed the trip immensely, but it's good to be home. I'll return to regular blogging soon, so stay tuned.

News Tidbits

WGAL 8: Group offers elective Bible class to public schoolchildren

Religion News Service: Christian group to turn former abortion clinic into memorial garden

Michigan State News: Pro-life student group discusses sexual assault as part of We Care Tour

Pew Research Center: Young U.S. Catholics overwhelmingly accepting of homosexuality

WICS Newschannel 20: Illinois: LGBT Community Protests Outside Catholic Church

Huffington Post: Barry A. Hazle Jr., Atheist, Wins Nearly $2 Million In Settlement Over Faith-Based Rehab Program

Des Moines Register: Bus tour backs candidates who oppose 'anti-family policies'

Newsweek: 'Homoerotic' Orthodox Calendar Protests Anti-LGBT Attitudes in Eastern Church

The Advocate: Right Wing Fails to Stop Gender-Inclusive Training in Nebraska Schools

Akron Beacon Journal: Ernest Angley’s Grace Cathedral rocked by accusations (TRIGGER WARNING)