Source: MANDEL NGAN / Staff / Getty At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. on Thursday, President Trump said the U.S must “build a culture ” that will cherish the “dignity and sanctity of human life.” Related: Huggy Lowdown: Trump’s Hour Long Infomercial For His Wall Trumps remarks come after many states have passed or are looking to pass legislation that will loosen restrictions for third party abortions . This is something that President Trump is strongly against. Related: Trump Reopens Government For Three Weeks [VIDEO] Trump also went on to quote the bible when he said, “as the Lord says in Jeremiah, ‘before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.’” He urges the American people to “choose greatness”
Pastor Donald Lee Reynolds was a pastor at High Plains Ministry in North Dakota. According to a police report, Reynolds stole nearly $35,000 from his congregation over a 14-year-period. Now he’s facing a decade in prison for his actions. According to the Grand Folks Herald , “A criminal complaint filed in late October alleges he stole $34,668. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Bishop Terry Brandt of the Eastern North Dakota Synod in Fargo confirmed the document refers to funds allegedly stolen from the High Plains Ministry, a congregation of six churches in northeast North Dakota that consolidated in 2004.” He had been a pastor with the High Plains Ministry since it was formed. It oversees Lutheran churches in Edmore, Nekoma, Adams, Lawton, Fairdale and Doyon, North Dakota. He resigned as High Plains Ministry pastor when he was confronted with the allegations last June. RELATED: Fake Pastor Caught Carrying Drug-Filled Bible Into Jail RELATED: New Orleans Pastor Convicted Of Cheating Hurricane Katrina Victim Out Of Road Home Money
Derick Dillard has already made it clear. He doesn’t like gay men or gay women or transgender individuals or really anyone with a set of beliefs different than his. But might the former TLC personality actually be a fan of .. child molesters?!? Dillard himself was forced to answer this question late last week after it was posed to him by a user of social media. We know Derick has gotten himself into lots of scalding hot water in the past for his controversial (read: wrong and bigoted) views, but how did this possibly come up?!? Well… It all started when Dillard posted a quote from the Bible that reads: “Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.’ (Proverbs 21:10).” Sort of random, right? But not if you’re familiar with Dillard’s background, as one astute commenter pointed out. “So in other words, he hates people who bully teens online and call gay families a ‘travesty’ yet have no problem with child molesters,” this person wrote. When another inquired, asked the disgraced ex-reality star for a response, Derick simply replied: “Not true.” And this may very well be accurate. Dillard may, indeed, take issue with child molesters. (Which would mean he ought to take issue with brother-in-law Josh Duggar.) But here’s the thing: When your reputation is such that people legitimately believe you may be defending child molsters online, it may be time to reevaluate pretty much everything about your life. Not that we expect this from Dillard any time soon. This is someone who was dismissed by TLC due to his string of homophobic comments over the years and who has called out transgender teen Jazz Jennings on multiple occasions. He once referred to her gender reassignement surgery as child abuse . He also said the following about Nate & Jeremiah by Design stars Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent after they welcomed a son into the world. What a travesty of family . It’s sad how blatant the liberal agenda is, such that it both highlights and celebrates a lifestyle so degrading to children on public television as if it should be normal. Weird, right? Why would anyone possibly think someone such as Derick Dillard would be okay with child molesters? After all, he’s such an upstanding citizen who always stands up for the oppressed and the marginalized. We’re just kidding. This guy totally sucks. View Slideshow: Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard Net Worth: Are They REALLY Broke?!
Sinead O’Connor has been a controversial figure for a few decades, now. She has recently converted to Islam and goes by Shuhada’ Davitt, but that is not the source of his latest controversy The issue is a tweet in which she says that she never wants to “spend time with white people” ever again. “I’m terribly sorry,” Sinead’s tweet begins. She continues: “What I’m about to say is something so racist I never thought my soul could ever feel it.” “But truly I never wanna spend time with white people again,” she writes. That is such a head-scratcher, but she does offer a strange definition of “white people.” In parentheses, she writes: “(if that’s what non-muslims are called).” We don’t claim to be experts in theology, but that word would probably be kafir , not “white people.” “Not for one moment, for any reason,” Sinead makes clear. “They are disgusting.” Regardless of her religious adherence, Sinead O’Connor is very, very white. Converting does not change that, and she’s hardly the only white Muslim — which makes her statement so much stranger. Unfortunately, that was only one tweet of many. Sinead followed up her controversial tweet: “Interesting to see if Twitter bans this when it allows people like Trump and Milbank spew the satanic filth upon even my country,” she wrote. Twitter has not, as of Wednesday afternoon, done anything of the sort to her tweet. On top of that, the 51-year-old folk singer seemed eager to get into heated religious discourse. “How come so called christian and jewish theologians,” her question begins. She interrupts herself to claim: “(the christian theologians being atheists and satanists actually in practice, though they know it not).” Sinead continues: “never talk about the smashing of their enemies babies heads on rocks which in all over their psalms?” What she means to ask is why don’t members of other Abrahamic faiths who claim that Islam is violent because of the Qur’an when their own holy books have similar content. She then promptly answers her own question. “BTW if one IS an intelligent theologian and has taken the journey,” she tweets. “One would know there is no more talk of ancient violence in the Q’ran as the Tanukh, the Bible, or The sodding Mahabarata,” she writes. The Tanakh (which stands for Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim) is the holy book of the Jewish people, known as the Old Testament in Christianity. The Mahabharata is one of the oldest Sanskrit texts of India, and describes the Bharata dynasty. “And,” she concludes. “Its ALL EQUALLY IRELLEVANT TO OUR TIMES.” Which makes one wonder why she brought up old-timey scriptural violence in the first place. So, there are a few obvious things to unpackage. Her tweet isn’t racist , exactly, it’s just hostile, prejudiced, argumentative, and deeply confused. She is a white woman, in terms of what that term actually means. If she’d said that she didn’t want to hang out with non-Muslims ever again, that would be prejudiced and obnoxious. But remember that she has been making impulsive and sometimes offensive statements for decades. Just one year ago, Sinead O’Connor recorded a disturbing video in which she shared that she was suicidal. She probably converted in the hopes that it will bring her peace, but lashed out online because she cannot help herself. Sinead O’Connor has been an outspoken critic of organized religion for a very long time. Unfortunately, her confrontational approach is sometimes off-putting, even to those who share her views. At the end of her Twitter rant, she did at least acknowledge how bizarre her social media messages have been. “Final word,” she wrote. “If its ‘Crazy’ to care. Then by all means, spank my ass and call me Fruity loops : )” We hope that she is getting whatever help and support she needs in this time. Perhaps her newly found religious community can help. View Slideshow: 27 Celebrities Who Suffer From Mental Illness
Image via Getty Therapy For Black Girls Founded To Support Mental Health In Our Community Joy Harden Bradford wants to help Black women and girls have the very best mental health care available. Her Atlanta-based organization, Therapy For Black Girls, has set out to make that possible. According to her interview with HuffPost Bradford says that her path to becoming a therapist came naturally as she has always been the shoulder that her friends cry on. She also stated that she wanted Black women to feel comfortable and not intimidated by the gravitas of a “doctor”. Joy also credits another outstanding group of Black women for inspiring her company: Therapy for Black Girls started when I watched the BET Awards Show called “Black Girls Rock.” The energy in the room ― even when watching it on TV ― is amazing. After, I thought, “How could I create something that had that sort of energy, but related to mental health?” The name came to me, and I jumped on GoDaddy and bought the domain, and it’s sort of taken off from there. Therapy for Black Girls has allowed me to connect to the things I love the most: black women, mental health, and pop culture. It’s become a perfect mix of all the things I love. Joy also wants Black women to find more pragmatic approaches to wellness outside of thumping the bible and screaming “hallelujah” at church: Also, because of the strong ties around spirituality and religion in this culture, there’s been some pushback. There’s this idea that you can just “pray it away,” or that mental illness means you don’t have a strong enough relationship with God. Of course we know that’s not true, but you have to be sensitive to that fact that people are coming in with these kinds of beliefs. So you can’t just say, “Oh no, that’s stupid.” You have to really work with them and help them understand that both things can be true, and how they can make some changes in their lives. Between Facebook and Instagram the message about Therapy for Black Girls is reaching 32,000 people with access to 715 therapists across the country. This thing is for real and the work being done to strengthen our community is even realer.
We turned up in NYC and made it hot in Miami, now VH1 is taking us back to Atlanta. Season seven of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta has returned and so have some familiar franchise faces. Old story lines will be revisted as we fnally find out if Kirk fathered Jasmine’s baby. Stevie faces jail time over his child support drama. And while JOseline is MIA, Stevie’s seemed to have found a new artist’s career to toy with. Tommie’s family issues reach new heights while Erica Mena joins the crew and Mimi Faust continues to beef with her old friend, who she may or may not had a relationship with. Just the jam-packed drama we like. Watch the super trailer above. RELATED STORIES: Joseline Hernandez Shades ‘LHHATL’: The Show Will Crumble Without Me ‘LHHNYS8’ Reunion Recap: Safaree And MariahLynn Had A Thing Going On In A Bath Tub
T here is one thing Ben Carson has proven in over a year of being the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He is a complete failure. Just last week, he told The New York Times that his position at HUD is harder than brain surgery, “There are more complexities here than in brain surgery.” Now, Carson claims the bible is inspiring to do the terrible things he is doing at HUD — like attempting to kick low-income people off of housing. The “unapologetic” Christian told CBN.com , “There’s a verse in the Bible, Proverbs 29:18, that says, ‘without a vision the people perish,’ and I look around and see a lot of people who just are not thriving.” He also added, “Our new definition of success is not how many people we get in these programs, but how many people we get out of them in a self-sufficient, powerful way so that they become a driving force right here in our own country.” Carson must think because he quotes the bible his words suddenly have compassion — no. His actions prove he is heartless when it comes to low-income people. What is his version of getting people “out” of programs like HUD? One would be a work requirement of 32 hours per week or you are kicked out on the street. The problem with these requirements? As Diane Yentel , the president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said “Work requirements don’t lead to stable employment or a path out of poverty. Cutting housing benefits won’t create the jobs and opportunities needed to lift families out of poverty.” In addition, how are low-income people expected to gain access to these jobs when Carson has been blocking an Obama-era rule , (supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2018), which allowed low-income people to afford housing in areas with better schools and access to jobs? Of course people want to work. Despite what Carson babbles, people aren’t “ too comfortable ” in poverty. If there are little to no jobs in your area — that aren’t a starvation wage — how are you supposed to survive? Furthermore, what if someone can’t find a 32-hour a week job, only a 20-hour a week job? Is that not enough for Carson’s bible quotes? Carson needs to stop using his faith for his polices and beliefs that are far from Christ-like. If he is such an “unapologetic” Christian, how could he stand by a man who is in a scandal with a porn star named Stormy Daniels ? SEE ALSO: One Step Forward, 10 Steps Back: San Francisco’s First Black Woman Mayor Unseated By Rich White Man Jada Speaks Out For Mo’Nique And The Comedian Has More Thoughts On Amy Schumer’s Success
It’s been almost three years since the world learned that Josh Duggar molested five young girls , four of whom were his sisters. Initially, it looked as though the scandal would bring an end to the Duggars’ wildly lucrative media empire, especially after Josh was caught cheating on his wife using an online account he created solely for that purpose. In that time, the rest of Josh’s family has gone to great pains to distance themselves from the disgraced former lobbyist. He rarely appears on any of his siblings’ social media pages, and the Duggars have gone to such great lengths to keep Josh off their popular reality show that he was once digitally erased from a scene in Counting On . These days, Josh works on a used car lot owned by his father, and while he’s still invited to family functions, sources say he’s mostly cut off from his siblings and parents. Along with his wife and five children, Josh lives in a separate town, attends a separate church, and has little involvement in the day-to-day lives of his more famous family members. Josh’s parents helped him to avoid criminal prosecution, but there’s a modicum of comfort in knowing he has at least paid some small price for his deplorable actions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that Josh’s exile had led him to change his ways. In a recent discussion on Reddit, one verified user described himself thusly: “I live in Springdale and my uncle and aunt go to the same home church as the Duggars. They’ve attended my church multiple times and I’ve hung out with them at family camps and home school retreats a lot. “There seems to be a huge misconception that they’re insane (I grew up around this so my definition is probably different than yours) but if you have any questions I can try to clear anything up to the best of my ability.” He encouraged other users to ask him questions about the Duggars’ lifestyle and not surprisingly, it wasn’t long before the conversation turned to Josh. Asked if the family seems happy despite the tumultuous events of the past three years, the Springdale resident had this to say: “Honestly, yes, the only one who seems like she’s miserable is Anna. And as someone who has met Josh multiple times, he’s not someone who seems like he’d be a whole lot of fun to be married too.” He elaborated: “[Josh] just stares at every girl he meets like she is an object for him to do something with.” “Most of the Duggar boys are very respectful and are good at keeping their eyes up — Josh never has been, and I know he was reprimanded a lot for his wandering eyes as a kid,” the source adds. Obviously, it’s disturbing to think that Josh’s parents may have ignored early warning signs of potentially deviant behavior. But it’s even more disturbing to think the father of five may not have changed his ways. Sadly, with the wall of secrecy the Duggars have built up around themselves, it seems extremely unlikely that any further misconduct from Josh would ever become public knowledge. Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most famous family. View Slideshow: Josh Duggar Sex Scandal Timeline: How His Family’s Empire Crumbled
Source: izusek / Getty There were a ton of good movies this year, Marshall, Justice League, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Mother, a movie which was a metaphor for the bible. That’s creative. I didn’t even mention Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, It or Split a few other movies I loved this year. Despite all the great moments at the theater, none of those movies made my top 10 list for 2017. After a lot of hard decisions and debates here are my top movies of the year. 10. Wonder Woman Let me start by saying I think Justice League was a solid win for Warner Bros. The MVP award should go to Patty Jenkins and Wonder Woman. This film was a great reset for the DCEU to start racking up wins. Gal Gadot is phenomenal.
The Dillards have gone and done it again! And by “it,” of course we mean make offensive, horrific statements like it’s totally normal and not at all a problem. It’s like they’re making a career out of being awful, which is convenient, considering that Derick caused the family their sweet, sweet reality show gig with his bizarre habit of making bigoted remarks about a teenage girl . In addition to Derick’s continued harassment of Jazz Jennings, he’s been making hateful comments about the transgender community in general. He’s also still begging Duggar fans for money , and then there’s more general weirdness, like the way he tried to announce that he hadn’t been fired from Counting On a month after the news broke that he had in fact been fired. It’s all bad. Very bad. And with this new update he and Jill shared on their blog … well, they’re not making things better. The blog was a little update on their family, just in time for Christmas. They opened things up with “We have had the privilege over the last few months to have many interactions with international students and their families!” If you’re familiar with these people, you can probably tell where this is going already. They wrote that they helped their church organize a “Thanksgiving dinner in an American home” event where different families welcomed a student from the University of Arkansas into their homes — the students were from “mostly Muslim families.” “One of the Ph.D students from an Arab country brought her husband and child,” they recounted. “Her husband seems very open to the gospel and even said if they were going to be in the area he would’ve loved to visit our church!’ “We are praying for him as Derick and others continue to befriend him that God will save his soul.” But Derick isn’t the only one working on converting the Muslim masses — “Jill and the boys have been able to be part of a weekly Arab ladies English class, with Muslim ladies from several different countries.” “Every week the ladies meet at a friend’s home where they learn to make an American dish, eat together, then read a Bible story and discuss the English language.” Sounds super. Their adventures aren’t over yet though — they also wrote that while shopping on Black Friday, they “saw a couple ladies wearing burkas, so Jill stopped to ask them where they were from and invited them to the Bible study.” “They came that week, and one of the ladies brought some traditional tea and treats to share. When asked if they had ever read a story from the Bible, both ladies said they had not.” “We are praying that they will return to more Bible studies.” As always, Jill promoted the blog post on her Instagram, and judging by the comments, the post was not well received. “Wonderful,” one person commented. “I’m sure you’ve welcomed your new Muslim friends to share the Quran with you.” “That comment about the Muslim families seems like more of a ‘look we are accepting people please donate ‘ comment than a comment about loving everyone and accepting people from different faiths,” another speculated. “People don’t need to be saved,” a commenter explained, “they need their beliefs to be respected. Approaching people while they are living their daily lives to try to convert them is deeply wrong.” “Respect is a two way thing, Jill, and asking someone who is wearing a burka about the Bible is not respect and showing understanding, it’s moral imperialism.” Someone called it “disgusting” that they “can’t just do a nice thing for people,” they “have to use it as an opportunity to convert them,” and another person told them “No one needs to be ‘saved’ but you two.” And those are all very, very valid points. View Slideshow: Derick Dillard Firing Prompts Applause, Outrage: Read the Responses! How about this: in 2018, why don’t we just promise to do a little better, OK, Dillards? Just a little bit? It would be hard to do any worse, that’s for sure.
