Virginia passed a bill last week that will allow people to bring guns into places of worship. 

According to the Washington Post, the bill, which passed through Virginia’s state Senate, will reverse a law that was put into place during the colonial era that forbids people from bringing any sort of dangerous weapon into a church service without “good and sufficient reason.” 

While deciding on the bill last week, the Post reports that robust religious debate broke out across party lines. 

Senator Richard H. Black (R) said that allowing church-goers to carry guns will allow them to defend themselves if they are ever under attack. The Senator noted the 2012 mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and the 2015 shooting at a South Carolina African Methodist Episcopal church. Black said of the mass shootings, “It really sent shock waves through all churches.” He continued, “These folks are uniquely vulnerable because they’re lined up in a church pew; exiting the pew is very difficult. It makes them the ultimate target. … Either you cower in place or you fight back.”

While Black argued that this was a necessary step to assure the safety of church-goers, Senator Lionell Spurill, Sr. (D) argued that by allowing guns in church people were failing to have faith in God.

During the debate, Spurill asserted, “Psalm 46 said, ‘God is our refuge and…

A U.S. missionary to indigenous people in Brazil could be charged with genocide after entering the land of an isolated tribe and potentially breaking the law.

Missionary Steve Campbell and his family have worked among the Jamamadí people in Brazil for more than 50 years, but Campbell could be in trouble for entering into the territory of another tribe, the Himarimã, Christianity Today reported. 

The Himarimã are among the last uncontacted tribes and are protected by laws that prevent contact from outside groups. Those laws are intended, in part, to guard the tribe from diseases. 

Campbell is affiliated with Baptist Bible Fellowship International. A church in Maine, Greene Baptist Church, helps support him. 

“If it is configured, in the investigation, that there was interest to make contact [with Himarimã], to use his relationship with other Indians to approach the isolated ones, he can be accused of a crime of genocide by deliberately exposing the safety and life of the Himarimã,” said Bruno Pereira, coordinator of a government body, FUNAI, that protects indigenous tribes.

Campbell has lived in the area since he was a toddler. His parents moved to Brazil as translators through Wycliffe Global Alliance, Christianity Today reported. 

He reportedly entered into Himarimã land while teaching the Jamamadí how to use GPS.

“He is committed to the…

A court has ordered four Planned Parenthood affiliates to answer questions regarding the profits they earned from the procurement and sale of fetal tissue.

According to Life Legal Defense Foundation, Planned Parenthood along with several of its affiliates filed suit against the Center for Medical Progress some three years ago claiming that CMP had lied about Planned Parenthood’s involvement in the sale of organs and tissue from aborted babies. CMP had sent investigators into various Planned Parenthood clinics and events to investigate the organization’s involvement with fetal tissue sale and procurement, where they caught several high-level Planned Parenthood employees on tape discussing the illegal sales.

Planned Parenthood has continuously claimed that CMP altered the video recordings to fit their narrative saying they were “misleadingly edited” to implicate Planned Parenthood in the illegal sale of fetal tissue. The organization stated that they filed the lawsuit to “expose the falsity” of CMP’s videos and to help them “recover millions of dollars in damages for the alleged harm the videos caused,” the Life Legal Defense Foundation writes. 

The videos have since been ruled “not deceptive” by the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, WND reports.

Throughout the course of the lawsuit, investigators have also found more evidence…

A CNBC story touting the cost savings of not having children sparked a major backlash over the weekend, with parents on Facebook and Twitter writing personals testimonies about the blessings of childrearing. 

The story’s original title read, “You can save half a million dollars if you don’t have kids,” although it eventually was changed to a slightly less offensive, “Here’s how much you save when you don’t have kids.”

The story’s arguments reflected the headline. 

“Your friends may tell you having kids has made them happier,” it read. “They’re probably lying. Research shows that parenthood leads to a happiness gap. Maybe that’s because the pleasures of parenthood are outweighed by all the extra responsibilities, housework and, of course, the costs. Maybe that’s why Americans are having fewer children than ever before. Just how much can you expect to save if you don’t have kids?”

The story asserted that in the years between a child’s birth and his or her 18th birthday, parents will spend $467,000. 

“If you don’t have kids, in short, you’ll save a lot of money,” the author, Yoni Blumberg, wrote.

It ended with a nod to the other side of the argument: Childless parents may spend all their money in the nursing home when “there is no around to take care of you.” Still, parents on social media felt the story was over the top…

A Roman Catholic Cathedral was struck by horror and tragedy during Sunday Mass this weekend when two bombs exploded killing at least 20 people and wounding over 100.

According to the Associated Press, congregants stampeded out of the Philippines based Jolo Cathedral following the first explosion. About one minute after the first explosion, military personnel and police officers began to rush into the building when a second bomb, located near the church’s entrance, went off.

According to police reports, at least 20 people were killed in the blasts and 111 people were wounded. Of the 20 fatalities, 15 were civilians and five were military troops. Of those wounded, the AP reports that 17 troops, two police officers, 2 coast guard members and 90 civilians were injured.

The office of President Rodrigo Duterte released a statement following the attack ensuring citizens that no measure would be spared to catch the bomber(s). The statement said, “We will pursue to the ends of the earth the ruthless perpetrators behind this dastardly crime until every killer is brought to justice and put behind bars.” The statement added, “The law will give them no mercy.” 

Since the president released this statement, the ISIS terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack through their Amaq propaganda agency, Fox News reports. 

The Philippines’ Defense Secretary Delfin…