Religion

A North Carolina man is being accused of posing as a pastor to smuggle in drugs with a bible into a state prison, according to police. The Scotland County Detective Division wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that they found James Morman III was pretending to be a pastor to deliver drugs to inmates with Bibles on December 31 at the Scotland County Detention Facility in North Carolina. "Upon investigation, suspicions of an individual smuggling illegal substances was believed to be occurring. It was believed that a male subject, identified as, James A. Morman III, was posing as a "pastor" and using bibles to smuggle said contraband and it's substances into the detention facility," the Scotland County Detective Divison wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. Detectives said that they found Suboxone strips in the Bible brought into the facility by Morman. Morman and inmate Bryson Brown were both arrested, according to authorities. The two were charged with possession of controlled substance … [Read more...] about A North Carolina man was arrested for pretending to be a pastor to smuggle in drugs to a prison

A South Carolina inmate sued the state prisons department with claims that the agency violated his religious freedoms by not allowing him to smoke marijuana or keep dreadlocks. In a federal lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Corrections, James Rose argued that the agency violated his constitutional rights when it refused to give him marijuana "as part of the Rastafarian religious practice." The 41-year-old has been serving a life sentence after his 2013 murder conviction, the Associated Press reported. Rose was a part of the execution-style murder of Leland Shannon Jr., the son of a town council member in Lincolnville, South Carolina. Rose claimed that the agency unlawfully shaved off his dreadlocks in April 2017. He argued that he should be allowed to grow his hair to "unlimited length" as part of his religion. In the lawsuit, Rose said he grew out dreadlocks as part of the Rastafarian religion and asked to be accommodated with marijuana. In response, Rose … [Read more...] about Inmate claims religious freedoms were violated after he was denied marijuana and dreadlocks

The Church of England issued guidance to clergy on how to be "creative and sensitive" as they welcome transgender people into the faith. The church's House of Bishops approved the pastoral guidance document that advises Anglican clergy to address trans individuals by their chosen names, rather than their birth names. The move to welcome more transgender individuals into the church, the BBC reported, comes one year after a general synod in York voted on the need for trans people to be "welcomed and affirmed" by church leaders and its congregations. The church faced protests from African immigrants and LGBT community members to push forward in its efforts to welcome minority members. "The Church of England welcomes and encourages the unconditional affirmation of trans people, equally with all people, within the body of Christ, and rejoices in the diversity of that body into which all Christians have been baptized by one Spirit," the guidance approved by the church reads. The … [Read more...] about Church of England approves transgender clergy guidance for welcoming trans Christians

Parents were left 'outraged' after Muslim school pupils were served banned pork instead of vegetarian sausages after a catering blunder. Ryders Green Primary in West Bromwich said it had demanded an explanation from its supplier over the error, which happened on Thursday last week. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork and the mistake led to a protest outside the school on Friday morning, Birmingham Live reports . A Muslim parent said she was refunded the cost of the meal but was left upset. She said: "I went to pick my daughter up from school on Thursday and the teacher said she needed to speak to me. Read More "I was told there had been a mix-up when my daughter had ordered veggie sausage and mash. She had a look at the sausage and thought it was different to what she normally had. "She took a bite and knew it tasted completely different to what she was used to. I queried it with the teacher who then got in touch with the catering company. "The teacher said … [Read more...] about Fury as Muslim children given pork in lunchtime ‘mix up’ at primary school