Wolrd Religion

An Israeli teacher who was arrested Friday on suspicion of abusing her 10-year-old son is a member of a cult which preaches for stern disciplining methods outside the formal education system.

A man who is familiar with the cult said the suspect is known there as "the prophet" and has described the group's leader as "the seculars' Elior Chen -- a reference to a sadistic cult leader currently on trial.

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The Southern Baptist minister who leads Liberty University's seminary made a career as a go-to authority on Islam for the evangelical world, selling thousands of books and touring the country as a former Muslim who discovered Jesus Christ.

Now Ergun Caner is being investigated by the Lynchburg, Va., university — founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell — over allegations that he fabricated or embellished his past.

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