Fort Worth schools CLOSE libraries over sexually explicit books
Some of this stuff is downright p*rnographic, folks!
School is back in session for students in the Fort Worth Independent School District, but campus libraries have been temporarily shuttered to make sure that no sexually explicit or otherwise age-inappropriate material can be accessed by students.
The move comes after three books were discovered in Fort Worth ISD libraries including the pornographic illustrated novel, “Gender Queer,” which, among other things, depicts overt sex acts and even an illustration of a child being sexually abused by an adult.
Copies of “Gender Queer” were reportedly found in both middle and elementary school libraries, shocking parents.
Fox 4 News noted that the content included in the controversial graphic novel and other books that were pulled from the shelves after being highlighted by the social media account Libs of TikTok are too graphic to show on television.
As libraries remain closed until August 25 to ensure the catalogue does not contain sexually explicit material, its review list has grown from three to over 100.
This comes in light of Texas’ recently passed HB 900 which requires schools restrict access to explicit material and obtain written consent from parents accordingly.
A representative for the school district noted that in the past, administrators relied too heavily on what publishers said about how appropriate books were for children.
"The state will require our publishers to provide us with ratings of these books just like if you were going to the movies," she noted. "And we’re hoping that those ratings are consistent from one publisher to the next."
Link: Fort Worth Schools Shut Libraries Down to Review Sexually Explicit Books
A historic Catholic church in Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui appears to have been mostly untouched by the deadly blaze that destroyed the city and claimed nearly 100 lives last week.
Maria Lanakila, or Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, was established in 1846 by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Mary and Jesus and given the building that is miraculously still standing in the 1870s.
While drone footage of Lahaina reveals a city that has been nearly entirely burned to the ground, at least one social media user has shared footage of Maria Lanakila standing, seemingly unscathed by the inferno.
The church serves between 700 and 800 families according to The Blaze, and contains historic artwork rumored to have been gifted by Hawaiian royalty.
"Basically what we know is the fact that all of Lahaina Town has been consumed by fire. It’s all gone. The church, Maria Lanakila [Our Lady of Victory], is still standing,” Msgr. Terrence Watanabe, the pastor of St. Anthony’s, told The Pillar.
Maria Lanakila’s pastor Fr. Fr. Kuriakose Nadooparambil reported that the church’s staff managed to escape the fire to safety.
Sadly, another historic Maui church was engulfed by the flames; the Waiola Church, home to Hawaii’s first Christian cemetery, was destroyed in the flames.
We stand in prayer with all of those impacted by this crippling disaster. Pray for Maui, particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Link: Historic Maui Church Untouched By Devastating Blaze
Tribal Christians in India who have faced an onslaught of violence in recent months are struggling to plan a mass burial for their dead, fearing further attacks and violence.
The Christian Kuki-Zo community in the Indian state of Manipur has postponed a planned mass burial after a request from India’s interior minister, Amit Shah, The Christian Post reported.
The announcement of the mass burial, originally set to take place on August 3, had sparked fresh tension and violence as the planned site for the burial was located in a “buffer zone” between the district where the Kuki-Zo live and a district populated by Hindus.
Postponing the mass burial eased tensions somewhat, but there remain dozens of bodies unclaimed in hospitals in the Hindu-dominated district as some families fear violence, while others have wanted to leave them unburied in protest, the Post noted.
One tribal leader said it could take weeks to bury the dead as transportation of the bodies is arranged.
The conflict between the Meitei Hindus and the Kuki-Zo Christians erupted in May when a court ordered the state to consider extending benefits reserved for the Kuki-Zo to the Meiteis as well as allowing the Hindu tribes to purchase land in Christian areas.
The conflict has escalated into a National Security Crisis.
This comes as India has seen Hindu nationalist rhetoric grow increasingly violent in recent years, with some states moving to enact controversial “conversion laws” that would criminalize evangelism.
Link: Tribal Christians Under Attack in India Struggle to Bury Their Dead
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