700-Year-Old Evangelist Church Burns In Translyvania:

The steeple of Evangelist church in the city of Bistrita in Romania's Transylvania region burns after fire broke out in the 700-year-old building.

The fire was in an area where the church was being restored. No word yet on the cause but the damage is pretty major.

John McCain Steps Away From Controversial Pastor John Hagee:

(CNN) — In the face of mounting controversy over headline-grabbing statements from Pastor John Hagee, CNN has learned presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has decided to reject his endorsement.

The Huffington Post had published a recording of Hagee saying that Adolf Hitler had been fulfilling God’s will by hastening the desire of Jews to return to Israel in accordance with biblical prophecy.

“Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well,” McCain said in a statement to CNN Thursday.

He added that his relationship with Hagee did not compare with Obama’s lengthy association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. “I have said I do not believe Senator Obama shares Reverend Wright's extreme views. But let me also be clear, Reverend Hagee was not and is not my pastor or spiritual advisor, and I did not attend his church for twenty years. I have denounced statements he made immediately upon learning of them, as I do again today,” said McCain.

Any comparisons between the Hagee endorsement and the lifetime relationship between Senator Obama and Reverend Jeremiah Wright are outlandish. The media has chased this story and pushed it, however irrelevant it is, until now. If anything, it proves that there are religious extremists on all sides but John Hagee isn't the lifelong pal to McCain that Jeremiah Wright was to Obama.

Hillary Clinton Supporter James Manning Needs Some Attention:

"Now, this trinity of hell. The father, the Reverend Doctor Jeremiah Wright. The son, the Senator Barack Hussein Obama. And the whore girl, Oprah Winfrey. These three now, they are looking to be the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State."

The left has been doing their best to give John McCain an Obama-like pastor problem with little or no success but no one is calling on Hillary Clinton to denounce the words of Reverend James Manning.

Liberal Paper 'Mother Jones' Tries To 'Wright' John McCain:

During a 2005 sermon, a fundamentalist pastor whom Senator John McCain has praised and campaigned with, called Islam "the greatest religious enemy of our civilization and the world," claiming that the historic mission of America is to see "this false religion destroyed." In this taped sermon currently sold by his megachurch, the Reverend Rod Parsley reiterates and amplifies harsh and derogatory comments about Islam he made in his book, Silent No More, published the same year he delivered these remarks. Meanwhile, McCain has stuck to his stance of not criticizing Parsley, an important political ally in a crucial swing state.

The entire hit-piece was penned by David Corn and lacks any perspective whatsoever. The circulation of Mother Jones is less than 250k and my guess is most of those folks use it to check their oil or clean up spills. That said, I can't blame Corn for his pathetic attempt at a 'gotcha' here, he needs the attention. Problem is, this isn't Reverend Wright. Hell, this isn't even McCain's Reverend. Reverend Parsley supports John McCain, not the other way around.

Are Reverend Parsley's comments out of line? Yes. But they are no more out of line than comments made by strident Obama and Clinton supporters that neither one of those candidates have distanced themselves from. The fact is, Parsley isn't relevant. He's not claiming the United States infected black people. He's not saying that the United States deserved the September 11th attacks. He's not Reverend Wright. Additionally, what he's saying on a grand scale is being taken out of context. Nice try Corn, back to the drawing board.

Officials: 31 Of 53 Girls From Sect Ranch Have Been Pregnant:

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Texas child welfare officials say more than half the teen girls swept into state custody from a polygamist sect's ranch have been pregnant.

Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar says 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were living on the ranch in Eldorado. Of that group, 31 already have children or are pregnant.

State officials took custody of all 463 children at the Yearning For Zion Ranch more than three weeks ago after a raid prompted by calls to a domestic violence hotline.

They neglected to mention this stat during their appearance on Larry King Live. It's a pretty damning revelation that more than 50% of these teenagers are or have been pregnant.

The Re-Writing History Tour Continues At The NAACP Dinner:



[Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] - If You Can Stomach The Rest.

The Re-Writing Of Reverend Wright's History Continues:

DALLAS — The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the embattled pastor of presidential candidate Barack Obama, gave a 45-minute sermon on Sunday that included a reference to his “public crucifixion” for past comments from the pulpit.

Wright received a standing ovation from the 4,000 worshippers at Friendship-West Baptist Church, The Dallas Morning News reported on its Web site.

During the first of two Sunday sermons he was expected to deliver, Wright wove a gospel message with commentary about social justice. He told the congregation to lean on God and stand up for themselves.

Security was tight, and no media cameras were allowed inside the church, the newspaper reported.

This is insane. If you caught the radio show last night you already know half of the story. The Reverend Wright emerged from the shadows for his first interview since the uproar over his controversial comments. He chose PBS and the Bill Moyers show to begin a mission to rewrite history. Moyers insinuated that Obama's reverend had been 'publicly crucified' because of his comments. Well, apparently the reverend liked this comment so much that he's running with it in his sermons.

I'm not buying the hype.

What you said, Reverend Wright, was disturbing to say the least. The American public distanced themselves, as did Barrack Obama, from those outlandish statements. They were not only inflammatory and outrageous, they had no factual base. Regardless, you were in no way 'crucified' for your lies and, as a pastor yourself, you should take offense to comments such as this. So while the NAACP and the National Press Club attendees today and tomorrow pretend that all is forgiven, I can't forgive and forget.

The American government never infected black citizens with AIDS. The American government did not orchestrate or invite the September 11 attacks. The average white American is not the hateful racist you paint them out to be. It is you, Reverend Wright, who seeks to divide this country by color. It is you who seeks to misinform your many followers. You may have your congregation fooled but I can see through your sly smile and eased rhetoric.

What do you think folks? Will Reverend Wright rewrite history?

Pope Benedict Makes His Way To Ground Zero In New York:

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI prayed at New York's Ground Zero on Sunday, asking God to bring healing and strength to grieving families, and direction for people "consumed with hatred."

"We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here -- the heroic first-responders, our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001," the pontiff said.

I guess you could call this the pinnacle moment of Pope Watch 2008.

Jewish Man With Full Beard And Black Hat Yanked Off Flight:

NEW YORK - A passenger who left his seat to pray in the back of a plane before it took off, ignoring flight attendants' orders to return, was removed by an airport security guard, a witness and the airline said.

The Orthodox Jewish man, who wore a full beard, a black hat and a long black coat, stood near the lavatories and began saying his prayers while the United Airlines jet was being boarded at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday night, fellow passenger Ori Brafman said.

When flight attendants urged the man, who was carrying a religious book, to take his seat, he ignored them, Brafman said. Two friends, who were seated, tried to tell the attendants that the man couldn't stop until his prayers were over in about 2 minutes, he said.

I can't differentiate between incidents like this and the infamous 'flying Imams' case. I'm sorry, but if I'm on an airplane, I don't want disturbances like this to occur. If the airline industry kowtows to every bizarre religions or spiritual pre-flight ritual, we'd all be frightened and annoyed. It's completely natural to be put off or frightened by someone off in their own world praying and looking, to say the least, out of the norm. What do you think? Should people be allowed to pray openly on airplanes?

416 Children, 400+ Lawyers, Can The Court System Handle This?:

SAN ANGELO, Texas - A court hearing to decide the fate of the 416 children swept up in a raid on a West Texas polygamist sect descended into farce Thursday, with hundreds of lawyers in two packed buildings shouting objections and the judge struggling to maintain order.

The case — clearly one of the biggest, most convoluted child-custody hearings in U.S. history — presented an extraordinary spectacle: big-city lawyers in suits and mothers in 19th-century, pioneer-style dresses, all packed into a courtroom and a nearby auditorium connected by video.

At issue was an attempt by the state of Texas to strip the parents of custody and place the children in foster homes because of evidence they were being physically and sexually abused by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon splinter group suspected of forcing underage girls into marriage with older men.

It looks like the entire hearing was a waste of time. I know we shouldn't rush to judgement in these early phases of the trial but it doesn't look good. I honestly wonder if the state got in over it's head here. How do you maintain order with more than 400 lawyers objecting to everything under the sun? They need to break this entire case up into groups of ten or less. That way, it would be much easier to keep the proceedings on track. I'll keep an eye on this but I can already see the entire case descending into chaos. Which, strangely enough, is exactly what the polygamists want to happen.

48,000+ Gather In Washington To Hear The Pontiff Speak:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI praised America as a land of opportunity and hope Thursday as he celebrated the first public Mass of his U.S. pilgrimage, but he lamented that the nation's promise fell short for Indians and blacks.

But, he said, hope for the future "is very much a part of the American character."

Tens of thousands of worshippers filled Washington Nationals stadium on a clear spring day and cheered Benedict as he arrived in a white popemobile, standing in the back and waving.

Pope Benedict says "Americans have always been a people of hope."

WASHINGTON — With a blend of the religious and secular, a fife and drum band and a soprano singing the Lord’s Prayer, President Bush welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the White House Wednesday morning, telling the pontiff that Americans “need your message that all of life is sacred.”

Some 13,500 people, including senators and other Washington celebrities, crowded the South Lawn for the historic arrival ceremony, conducted under clear, cloudless skies.

The 81-year-old pontiff, who celebrates his birthday on Wednesday, was greeted by the peal of trumpets and a 21-gun salute, and treated to a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by the crowd.

[Full Text Of Pope's Speech] [Guest List And Evening Menu]

Here Is A 10 Minute Preview Of Ben Stein's Movie 'Expelled':



This looks like an interesting movie. People are already going nuts about 'Expelled' and it doesn't hit theaters until Friday. The Orlando Sentinel gave the film '1 Star' and called it 'a cynical attempt to sucker Christian conservatives into thinking they're losing the 'intelligent design' debate because of academic 'prejudice.' If the critics are this lathered up already, Stein must be doing something right. Ben Stein is scheduled to join us on The News Junkie Radio Show this Saturday from 6-9PM on News Radio 1290 WJNO.

Bush Twin Jenna Holds Down Her Black Skirt In The Breeze:



Boy, that was a close call! It looks like the Pope brought one hell of a breeze with him. You don't think he arranged that, do you?

The Pope Has Just Landed In The United States Of America:

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI is in the United States. Benedict arrived Tuesday on his first papal journey to the U.S. He was greeted off the plane by President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and their daughter, Jenna. The pope waved as he came off the plane and shook hands with the president and his family. Students from a Catholic school squealed at the sight of the pope.

On the flight to the United States from Rome, Benedict addressed the most painful issue for the Roman Catholic Church in America—clergy sex abuse. The U.S. church has paid out $2 billion in abuse costs since 1950.

The pope said he is "deeply ashamed" of the problem and vowed to keep pedophiles out of the priesthood.

Staged or not, the reception at the airport was amazing to watch.

The Pope Is On His Way To America As I Type This:



We posted a lot of sexy content on the blog yesterday. From Marilyn Monroe's sex tape to Ann Coulter naked in a cartoon and Angela Merkel's breasts, there was plenty of skin on The News Junkie. Today we'll counter the skin with some Pope coverage. Don't worry, we're not going all Pope-Watch-2008 on you and if the sexy stories are out there, I'm all over them. With that said, here comes Pope Benedict!

Actor Jason Beghe is the first celebrity Scientologist to sit down and publicly talk about his experiences after leaving the group. Beghe has been on CSI, Everwood, Veronica Mars and several other television shows as well as many major motion pictures.

OK, so I've never heard of Jason Beghe either but it's interesting to see some defectors among the celebrities involved in Scientology.

Brace Yourself For The Controversy That Is To Follow...:

Lionsgate has revealed the theatrical teaser poster for Larry Charles’ upcoming sure-to-be-contoversial documentary Religulous, which follows Bill Maher on a around the world journey to prove just how ridiculous organized religion can be. I saw a bunch of footage from this doc at Toronto last September, and it’s shocking, laugh out loud funny, and appalling. One thing is for sure, it will get people talking. I love the new tagline “Heaven help us.” but preferred the film festival poster where Maher’s head appeared on a slice of burnt toast. You can check out the poster in High Resolution on Cinematical. Religulous hits theaters on June 20th 2008.

The review above is from Slash Film. They have my attention...

Student Sues School After Getting a Zero for Religious Drawing:

MADISON, Wis. — A Tomah High School student has filed a federal lawsuit alleging his art teacher censored his drawing because it featured a cross and a biblical reference.

The lawsuit alleges other students were allowed to draw "demonic" images and asks a judge to declare a class policy prohibiting religion in art unconstitutional.

Another teacher, at the same school, refused to accept a cross he turned in for a metal working class project. So 'demonic' artwork is OK and Christian artwork is not? Where's the ACLU on this one?