Wolrd Religion

The death sentence for former senior AUM Shinrikyo cult member Tomomitsu Niimi has been finalized for his roles in 11 crimes killing 26 people.

Japan's Supreme Court rejected the defendant's objection the top court's earlier ruling.

• Email to a friend • Article Search • Related • View comments • Track comments • •

Queen Antoinette - aka Toni Sloan or Toni Ellsberry - sat at a defense table Tuesday and grimaced every time she heard a statement she didn't like, particularly those containing the words "cult" or "commune."

Her actions irked Assistant Public Defender Maureen Rowland, representing one of Antoinette's co-defendants in a bizarre homicide case that involves the alleged starvation death of a toddler.

• Email to a friend • Article Search • Related • View comments • Track comments • •

Three men accused of killing six Coptic worshipers and a security guard pleaded not guilty on Saturday (Feb. 13) as the Coptic community mourned the loss of yet another victim of apparent anti-Christian violence.

Since his rise to power in 1981, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has avoided classifying any anti-Coptic attack as part of a larger sectarian struggle within the country. His critics however, have long said his policies or lack thereof contribute greatly to the anti-Christian climate within the country.

• Email to a friend • Article Search • Related • View comments • Track comments • •

A nationwide atheist group is asking religious leaders to take Jesus' advice and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's — especially when it comes to taking the federal tax break on their housing.

The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation says the housing exemption gives churches an unfair advantage because they can compensate their leaders with tax-free housing. Other nonprofits, such as the foundation, can't do that. So it's suing the federal government to outlaw the housing allowance.

• Email to a friend • Article Search • Related • View comments • Track comments • •