RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – The Town of Fairview, Texas says it will fight plans by the Mormon Church to build a massive temple.  The city council rejected the plan in a unanimous vote this week after a four-hour meeting.  A lawsuit is likely to follow.  Fairview has become the latest in a string of communities that say they don’t want giant Mormon temples in residential areas.  Similar battles have taken place in Bakersfield, California, Lone Mountain, Nevada and Cody, Wyoming.  Questions of zoning and religious freedom are going before local courts.

The United Nations has approved a resolution that calls for all Jews to leave Jerusalem’s old city, turning it over to the Palestinians.  The resolution, which has no weight and cannot be enforced, was written by Palestinian activists.  It seeks to have Israel withdraw to its 1949 borders which Israeli officials and independent military analysts agree are not defensible.  U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres supports the resolution and says he will do anything he can to see that it is carried out.  The U.N. Security Council will consider it next.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is barring therapists from helping minors abandon the homosexual lifestyle.  The Democratic governor calls it a necessary step to “protect” children.  Beshear used executive powers to get around the legislature after Republican lawmakers defeated efforts to prohibit the practice via legislation.  The order also makes it illegal to use state or federal funds for conversion therapy. Nearly half of the states and the District of Columbia have prohibited the use of conversion therapy for anyone under the age of 18.

Another attack on a church.  Authorities say a man used construction equipment to damage a sculpture that has stood for 25 years outside St. Louis’ Cathedral Basilica. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the sculpture can be saved.  Police have arrested a 35-year-old suspect whom they say also fired a gunshot into an unoccupied car.  The Angel of Harmony, which stood 14 feet tall, depicted an angel protecting three children of various races.  Its pedestal was inscribed with verses from the Bible.