Samuel Smith and World Watch Monitor

Latest

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  May 29, 2020

  Ill. eases worship service restrictions after churches turn to Supreme Court

  Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has eased restrictions on in-person worship services in new coronavirus stay-at-home guidelines after churches appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for relief.

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  May 29, 2020

  Trump signs executive order to punish social media censorship

  President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Thursday urging federal agencies to hold social media companies accountable for censoring political viewpoints despite reported opposition within the White House. 

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  May 28, 2020

  Iranian teen beheaded by father in 'honor killing' sparks international outrage

  The beheading of a 14-year-old girl in Iran by her father after she ran away with an older man who allegedly groomed her has sparked international outrage.

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  May 28, 2020

  20 Christians killed, others injured or missing in Fulani attacks that displaced 20,000

  Armed Fulani herdsmen attacks on farming villages in the Kaduna state of Nigeria have continued as reports suggest that at least 20 people were killed in a series of attacks last week. 

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  May 27, 2020

  Costa Rica becomes first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage

  Costa Rica became the first Central American country to officially legalize same-sex marriage on Tuesday as a 2018 court decision striking down the country’s ban on gay marriage has gone into effect. 

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  May 26, 2020

  Over 100 coronavirus infections traced to evangelical church, German officials say

  Over 100 cases of coronavirus have been traced back to a May 10 evangelical church service in Frankfurt, Germany held after the easing of gathering restrictions, according to government officials.

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  May 26, 2020

  Chicago threatens to temporarily close churches that defy gathering restrictions

  The city of Chicago has threatened to temporarily close at least three churches that continue to violate the governor’s executive order by holding in-person worship services with over 10 people during the early phases of the city’s coronavirus reopening plan. 

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  May 23, 2020

  The Bible Belt is the 'death belt,' Shane Claiborne says

  Christian activist, author and self-proclaimed “recovering redneck” Shane Claiborne said this week that America’s Bible Belt should really be known as the “death belt,” warning that the pro-life ethic should be applied consistently. 

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  May 22, 2020

  Nigerian sentenced to 26 years after forcing Christian teen into Islamic marriage

  A federal court in Nigeria sentenced a man to 26 years in prison after he abducted a Christian teenager from her home and forced her into an Islamic marriage in 2015. 

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  May 22, 2020

  CPS workers arrested, charged for removing kids from parents without court oversight

  Three current and former employees of a child services agency in North Carolina were arrested this week and indicted with over three dozen felony and misdemeanor charges related to its alleged practice of separating children from their families without proper judicial oversight.