"When it comes to punk and hardcore, a nearly palpable disdain for high-handed theology has long been the party line of the scene.
More than music, these bands are traditionally known to espouse a full-throated rejection of the dogma that many had force-fed to them during their formative years. Even those who weren't raised with religion and therefore dodged the personal indoctrination bullet can't turn a blind eye to Bible-thumpers influencing policies that clamp down on reproductive rights, gut social services, and fan the flames of international conflicts.
Of course, there's been a Christian hardcore scene smashing it out since the late '80s, parading their faith around right in the heart of a community that's built on giving the proverbial middle finger to tradition. And then there's hardline zealots like Vegan Reich, who somehow married the teachings of fundamentalist Islam with hardline fury. These groups have always lingered on the fringes, tolerated rather than embraced.
In the early '90s, a different kind of religious fervor began to snake its way into the scene, gaining a level of acceptance that was without parallel or precedent.
Invoking the serenity and communal ethos of the peace and love flower children of the 1960s, the Hare Krishnas represented a significant cultural and spiritual extension of the hippie movement. Disillusioned by the Western religious traditions they were raised in, these seekers pivoted towards the East in their quest for a form of enlightenment that promised a more profound connection with the divine and an escape from the materialistic trappings of modern society.
Easily identifiable by their distinctive shaved heads and saffron robes, Krishna devotees became a familiar sight in cities across the U.S. and Europe in decades past. They were often seen selling flowers, stickers, and spiritual literature or engaging passersby with their melodic chanting. Although walking a fine line between being labeled a cult and embraced as a legitimate religion, their peaceful, rhythmic voices and acts of kindness echoed the flower-power ethos, appealing to those seeking spirituality beyond the confines of the conventional.
In the 1980s, a unique convergence occurred as groups of straightedge hardcore kids from New York City and surrounding areas began to show an interest in the path towards enlightenment espoused by the movement. This road emphasized self-realization over sensory gratification—a principle that resonated deeply with the willful abstinence from drugs, alcohol, and casual sex that many were already practicing.
Disillusioned by the hedonism and nihilism that often surrounded people in the hardcore scene, the discipline and purpose offered by the Hare Krishna faith provided a means of personal improvement and greater meaning in life.
The origins of the Krishnacore can be traced back to New York hardcore bands like Antidote and Cause For Alarm, whose members were known to frequent Temples and openly utilized Krishna imagery in their visual art. The movement saw its ideas propelled into the wider punk consciousness with the release of Cro-Mags' debut, The Age Of Quarrel. This seminal album drew its title from Vedic scriptures, referencing a time of widespread conflict and sin referred to as the Kali Yuga."
"A businessman pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring with the leader of an offshoot polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border to transport underage girls across state lines, making him the first man to be convicted in what authorities say was a scheme to orchestrate sexual acts involving children.
Moroni Johnson, who faces 10 years to life in prison, acknowledged that he participated in a scheme to transport four girls under the age of 18 for sexual activity. Authorities say the conspiracy between the 53-year-old Johnson and the sect's leader, self-proclaimed prophet Samuel Bateman, occurred over a three-year period ending in September 2022.
Authorities say Bateman had created a sprawling network spanning at least four states as he tried to start an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which historically has been based in the neighboring communities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah. He and his followers practice polygamy, a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. Bateman and his followers believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven."
"Former Ohio priest Michael Zacharias, who is serving life in prison for sexual abuse, has been dismissed from the Catholic Church by the Pope.
According to the Diocese, his case was transmitted to the Holy See, which is the governing body overseeing Vatican City.
The case was sent with the request that the Pope dismiss Zacharias from the clerical state. acharias was sentenced to life in prison last year for sex trafficking minors and adults. He served in multiple parishes, including in Toledo, Fremont, and Findlay."
Japan on Wednesday marked the 29th anniversary of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult's sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 14 people and injured more than 6,000.
At Tokyo Metro Co.'s Kasumigaseki Station, 16 station staff members offered a silent prayer around 8 a.m., close to the time of the attack. Shizue Takahashi, 77, a bereaved family member, visited the station to lay flowers around 10 a.m. "We are not in a situation where we can say the incident is over," she said, calling for efforts to keep the attack from being forgotten.
The attack occurred during the morning rush hour of March 20, 1995. Aum Shinrikyo members released sarin in trains on the three lines of Tokyo Metro's predecessor running through the station, close to the Kasumigaseki district where central government offices are concentrated.
At the station, two senior subway officials died, namely Takahashi's husband, Kazumasa, then 50, and Tsuneo Hishinuma, then 51.
Over the sarin attack and other crimes by Aum Shinrikyo, 13 people were executed in July 2018, including former leader Chizuo Matsumoto, then 63, who went by the name of Shoko Asahara."
