Thursday, December 19, 2024

This Week in Religion - Secretive Christian sect under FBI investigation

Lead story

A woman sits at a table looking through a photo book. There are piles of photos on the table around the book. There are several plastic bins on the table beside her.

Editor's note:

A small Christian sect that for decades was little noticed by the outside world has found itself riven by a very public child sexual-abuse scandal. In the past year, news stories and a documentary have focused on the misdeeds of predator preachers in the religious community known as the “Two by Twos,” as well as the leaders who sent them to live with unsuspecting families. Survivors, in an article reported by AP journalist Rebecca Boone, say leaders pressured victims to keep quiet and sometimes failed to make legally required reports to police. The FBI is investigating, and a website, a hotline and social media pages established by victims have documented allegations against more than 900 abusers, with survivors in more than 30 countries. 

A portrait of Holly Meyer, Religion News Editor at The Associated Press.
 

Religion News

As wars rage around them, Armenian Christians in Jerusalem's Old City feel the walls closing in

As the war in Gaza rages, Syria is liberated, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank seethes, Armenian residents of the Old City of Jerusalem fight a different battle. It's a quieter struggle, they say, but no less existential. By Julia Frankel/The Associated Press

Trump's cabinet selections represent an unusual slice of American religious life

Trump's cabinet selection includes everything from pastors to Catholic converts to one nominee who credits their spiritual rebirth to a book by a Swiss psychiatrist. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service

The appearance of a keffiyeh on a Palestinian-made nativity scene at the Vatican caused a stir. So did its sudden disappearance. By Claire Giangravé/Religion News Service

Pennsylvania's Bethlehem: The city founded by Moravians on Christmas Eve keeps its traditions alive

Moravian missionaries named the Pennsylvania city of Bethlehem after the biblical birthplace of Jesus on Christmas Eve in 1741. Nearly 300 years later, Moravians continue celebrating their Christmas season traditions there. By Luis Andres Henao/The Associated Press

Two Mexica dancers in traditional clothing dance in a cloud of incense smoke.

Prayerful, playful, mystical: Some of AP's most compelling religion photos of 2024

Photographs are an essential aspect of how The Associated Press covers religion and spirituality around the world, as evidenced by this gallery. Fittingly, in photographs depicting aspects of faith, it’s often the light that is most riveting. By David Crary/The Associated Press

 

Commentary and Analysis

Charles Schulz's TV special survived the skepticism of network executives to become a holiday classic. By Stephen Lind for The Conversation

ABC’s award-winning show offers a model for how to make room for religious and cultural differences at the holidays. By Kayla Renee Wheeler/Religion News Service

The Hanukkah story centers on rekindling the eternal light in the Temple, a symbol of God's presence. Similarly, the Ner Tamid above the ark in synagogues is never supposed to go out. By Alan Avery-Peck for The Conversation

Francis' vision for a 'synodal' church is one built on trust and relationships − a dance where partners work together. By David M. Lantigua for The Conversation

 
An altar in a Catholic Church with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The altar is surrounded by many bouquets of colorful flowers.

People pray at The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Bernard prior to a Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe procession to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, early Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (RNS photo/Fiona Murphy)

Did a friend or colleague forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.

 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment