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Articles by Peter SMith
Inside a historic Millvale church painted with murals that reflect searing social commentary
MILLVALE, Pa. (AP) — When the scaffolding came down inside the unassuming hilltop church near Pittsburgh, it revealed a raging storm of biblical proportions. A wide-eyed Moses holds the Ten Commandments aloft in righteous fury, ready to shatter the tablets when his followers abandon God for a golden calf. Lightning sizzles and a tornado surges in the background. The late artist Maxo Vanka created the mural in 1941, based on a scene from the Book of Exodus.
Slain pregnant Amish woman had cuts to her head and neck, Pennsylvania police say
By PETER SMITH and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press SPARTANSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Search warrant filings for the Pennsylvania home where a pregnant Amish woman was killed this week say she appeared to have suffered cutting wounds to her neck and head. The body of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler was found in the living room of her home by her husband and a family friend.
Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours
Jehovah's Witnesses are well-known for proselytizing door-to-door and handing out their literature on city streets. Less known to the general public, their adherents have been required for the past century to make regular reports to their congregation's leaders on how many hours they put into such ministry. Those hourly reports were a key metric for a congregation's spiritual vitality and a factor in deciding who rose to leadership.
Doctors give mixed testimony on whether tests show brain damage in the Pittsburgh synagogue killer
PITTSBURGH — (AP) — Jurors considering a death sentence for Pittsburgh synagogue killer Robert Bowers heard mixed testimony from doctors on Tuesday about whether medical scans showed any significant brain damage — a central point of contention in his lawyers' strategy to spare his life.
For Jews, Shapiro's big win is a high note amid antisemitism
PITTSBURGH — (AP) — Josh Shapiro will be taking office as Pennsylvania's next governor in January after running a campaign in which he spoke early and often about his Jewish religious heritage. At a time of rising concern about overt expressions of antisemitism, some observers are seeing a bright spot in his decisive victory, particularly coming in a presidential battleground state in which he was competing with a starkly contrasting opponent who deployed Christian nationalist themes.
The newly elected leaders of a top Southern Baptist Convention committee had all supported a more transparent investigation into allegations the denomination mishandled sex abuse reports and mistreated survivors. They defeated candidates who had opposed that move. Members of the Executive Committee picked Texas pastor Jared Wellman as chair, South Carolina pastor David Sons as vice chair and Pamela Reed, a retired nurse from North Carolina, as secretary during a meeting Monday in Anaheim.
Bobi Gephart hadn’t planned to go to church that Sunday — not to the worship service where the pastor intended to make a confession about the oppressive secret she had carried for so long. But she quickly changed her mind, realizing she couldn’t trust the pastor – the man she says began sexually preying on her as a teenager – to share the whole truth. Gephart hurried to New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana, arriving mid-service, and made sure her story was told.
The victory party took on the feel of an evangelical worship service after Doug Mastriano won Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial primary this month. As a Christian singer led the crowd in song, some raised their arms toward the heavens in praise.
The caretakers of the Tree of Life synagogue intend to transform the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history and expand its mission. Newly released design plans show a revitalized complex housing a sanctuary, museum, memorial and center for fighting antisemitism -- unified symbolically and physically with a dramatic skylight running the length of the structure.
The Rev. John Haluszczak stands in St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. Haluszczak's church recently held a "Souper Bowl" fundraiser, selling homemade soups and pierogies, to help feed the needy in Ukraine.
FILE - Pope Francis delivers the Angelus noon prayer from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.
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FILE - People march in solidarity from Foley Square over the Brooklyn Bridge, concluding their rally against anti-Semitism at Cadman Plaza, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
By Luis Andres Henao Verified, Peter SMith, Peter Smith, David Crary Verified, Peter SMith, Peter Smith
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The Sun News
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