RELIGION HEADLINES

Audio By Carbonatix

(SRN NEWS) – The founder and former pastor of a Texas megachurch has surrendered to Oklahoma authorities on child sexual abuse charges. Robert Morris turned himself in on Monday after being charged last week with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The 63-year-old Morris resigned as pastor of the Gateway Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth suburbs after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s.

Fears have grown within Syria’s Christian community following a wave of sectarian violence. The Media Line reports the deaths of seven Christian civilians. According to a church source, the recent events had been “extremely difficult” and had exacerbated concerns about the future of Christian presence in Syria, as well as that of other religious minorities in the country. Christians in Syria say they feel “isolated.”

Police in Southern California are investigating the desecration of a Hindu temple as a hate crime. The temple was vandalized with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti and has heightened concerns among South Asian groups following a slew of such incidents over the past year. While one Hindu group has suggested that the incident may be linked to Sikh separatists, others warn that such an assumption could endanger and scapegoat Sikhs.

Hungary’s ruling coalition is continuing its crackdown on the country’s LBGTQ+ community. Members this week have passed a bill in parliament that bans the popular Budapest Pride event and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attendees. The Hungarian government portrays itself as a champion of traditional family values and a defender of Christian civilization, while critics have decried its policies as regressive.