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Eddie Long, investor clash over church moneyBishop Eddie Long, the Atlanta pastor who has received massive media attention since four young men accused him of sexual coercion last September, is entangled in a dispute with an entrepreneur over $1 million in investments that Long wants returned to his church members. The week-long dispute has included dueling press statements, an accusation of character assassination and a YouTube video in which Long pleaded with the entrepreneur to show compassion. ![]() Chilean miner Jose Henriquez and his wife after being brought to the surface. Henriquez addressed the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Chilean miner sheds light on underground religious lifeBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor One of the rescued Chilean miners shed new light Thursday on the intense religious and spiritual experiences of many of the miners while trapped underground for 52 days last year, saying that faith was a key part of surviving t he ordeal. "We realized we had only one alternative and that was God himself," said Jose Henriquez in an address to the National Prayer Breakfast on in Washington, speaking to a crowd that included President Barack Obama. "We were different creeds and churches," Henriquez said, speaking in Spanish with simultaneous translation. "So I got them in a circle and made sure everyone could pray in a participatory fashion. And as we prayed we began to know the presence and blessing among us of God in the mine. We were strengthened, our spirits were revived.” Giffords' husband: Maybe good will come from tragedyBy the CNN Wire Staff The husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Thursday that while we may never know why she and 18 other people were shot - six fatally - it could be part of a larger plan and that good may come of it. "What allowed me to be here today is Gabby's condition," Capt. Mark Kelly said Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast. "It continues to improve. Every day she gets a little bit better, and the neurosurgeons and neurologists tell me that that's a great sign. The slope of that curve is very important." Giffords, 40, was among 19 people shot January 8 as she held a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. Among the dead were a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge; 13 others, including Giffords, were injured. Authorities believe Giffords, who was shot in the head, was the primary target. A suspect is facing federal charges. ![]() Pope Benedict XVI and British Prime Minister David Cameron during last September's papal visit to England. U.K. diverted aid money to fund pope visit, lawmakers findBy Sakshi Grover, CNN The British government diverted 1.85 million pounds ($3 million) of foreign aid money to help pay for the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI last year, lawmakers charged Thursday. "How does the papal visit count as aid?" asked the parliamentary committee that oversees Britain's Department for International Development. The committee spotted the diversion of aid money when going over the department's accounts, members said. Pakistani teen jailed for blasphemy, group saysPakistan must immediately drop blasphemy charges against a teenager and let him out of jail, Human Rights Watch said. "Pakistan has set the standard for intolerance when it comes to misusing blasphemy laws, but sending a schoolboy to jail for something he scribbled on an exam paper is truly appalling," Bede Sheppard, senior children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement Wednesday. Police told CNN Tuesday that they had arrested a teenager accused of writing insulting comments about Muslim prophet Mohammed in a school exam. They arrested 17 year-old Sami Ullah in Karachi after receiving a complaint from the local board of education, said Karachi police official Qudrat Shah Lodhi. Read the full story on the teen jailed for blasphemy |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team. ![]() ![]() |
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