Feds Charge 12 in Amish Beard-cutting Attacks

CLEVELAND (RNS) Federal prosecutors have expanded their case against members of a breakaway Amish sect for their roles in shaving the hair and beards of people considered to be their religious enemies. An indictment issued Tuesday (Dec. 20) in U.S. District Court...

Sexual Abusers Hard to Profile or Predict

(RNS) The grand jury report reads like a textbook profile of child sexual abuse. Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach at Penn State, allegedly bought one boy golf clubs and a computer, took him swimming at a hotel pool, wrestled with him and invited him to...

Update: Church/jail Sentencing Program Under Review

BAY MINETTE, Ala. (RNS) An alternative sentencing plan that would give inmates the choice between time in jail or a year in church will be delayed for several weeks while lawyers review it to make sure there are no legal issues. The American Civil Liberties Union of...

Faith-healing Parents Sentenced to 90 days in Jail

OREGON CITY, Ore. (RNS) Brushing aside pleas for leniency, a county judge on Friday (June 24) sentenced two members of a faith-healing church to 90 days in jail and three years probation for failing to get medical care for their infant daughter. “Your prayers should...