Latest news with #BibleStudy
New York Post
12-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Ohio man competes in triathlon wearing jorts after losing bet — and still trounces the competition
Stiff competition. A young man in Ohio ran, swam and biked a triathlon last weekend in nothing but a tight pair of jorts he was forced into wearing after losing a bet — and still came in second place. James Miller, a first-time triathlete, came to the fifth annual Tri CLE Rock Roll Run triathlon complete with the most uncomfortable outfit anyone could wear while sprinting, swimming and cycling in the hot summer sun. While he wore the Daisy Dukes with pride, it wasn't by choice, according to News 5 Cleveland. Advertisement James Miller competed in a triathlon in jorts after losing a bet made with his friend. Kim Karbon Photography Miller and his friend, Luke Kim, made the fateful bet at a Cleveland Cavaliers game in February to raise the stakes in staying on track with their fitness goals. 'We're like, let's set a goal. Let's actually be accountable to each other and let's actually set out to, you know, be better, right?' Miller told the local outlet. Advertisement The duo decided to make an enticing bet: whoever did the fewest push-ups, pull-ups and shortest wall-sit during an agreed-upon competition judged by their Bible Study friends would have to run the triathlon in denim shorts — all but guaranteeing the loser a painful few hours of chafing. Miller and Kim put their all into training and, eventually, tested their mettle in front of the unflinching judges. Kim came out on top, beating Miller's 5-minute wall-sit and sum-odd 50 push-ups. Miller somehow clinched second place in the triathlon. Kim Karbon Photography Advertisement Miller kept up his end of the bet and even trained for the triathlon in uncomfortable athletic shorts so that running in jean cut-offs the day of would be a little more bearable. Clearly, his training paid off as he cut past a majority of participants and landed in second place overall. At the end of the race, Miller stood proudly beside his supportive friends, beaming in his soaked jorts — and shiny new medal. 'I think it's very easy to look at a challenge like this and [be] like, 'Hey, I'm not going to do this.' But for me, I think that's something that, especially, you know, in our culture, we need to continue to build on,' Miller said of sticking to one's word.
SBS Australia
01-08-2025
- SBS Australia
Don't think you're the type to join a cult? Gloria didn't think she was either
Gloria had been shopping at Melbourne Central on an ordinary morning in 2019 when a man approached her, asking her to do a survey. It seemed like an innocent interaction, but one she would later learn was part of a wider plan that involved manipulative and controlling tactics. "This guy approaches me on the street and he said he was doing a survey for university. He said he was from RMIT and could I help him," the 25-year-old tells SBS News. The man showed Gloria images of three different emojis — a dancing woman, prayer hands and an aeroplane — and asked her to choose one. She chose the prayer hands. Gloria was presented with three emojis by a friendly person who said they were a university student carrying out a survey. Source: SBS News It opened a conversation about Gloria's faith and how she had been raised in a Christian family. When she told him she was not overly religious, he asked about her hobbies, and they started talking about her passion for photography. "He was like: 'Oh, I have a friend, she is a movie director, and she knows everything about photography and videography', and then she also happens to teach the Bible, so that's how he hooked me in," she says. Plans were made for Gloria to attend a Bible study where she could meet this friend. She says she was given a warm welcome and that the group's friendly approach made her more open to learning about its interpretation of the Bible, so she started attending regularly. It went from a two-times-a-week Bible study session, then it became three times a week. Before long, Gloria found herself enmeshed in Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ), a South Korean religious group many consider to be a cult. The church was founded in 1984 by Lee Man-hee and is believed to have more than 200,000 members in South Korea, and more than 30,000 members overseas. Australian universities have issued warnings to their students about Shincheonji including Adelaide University and RMIT in Melbourne. RMIT posted on its website about the "Korean religious sect posing as Bible study", describing it as a scam and cautioning students about its recruitment tactics. "Over time there will be an increased amount of time expected for Church activities, including recruiting more people to the Church," the warning reads. "There will be pressure to not maintain contact with family and friends outside of the Church and keep Church membership a secret. There will be less and less time not scheduled with the Church to fit in study and see family and friends." Such methods are expected to be under the microscope as part of an upcoming inquiry into cults and organised fringe groups in Victoria. The inquiry has been accepting submissions since April, and SBS News understands a number of those are regarding Shincheonji. Four and a half years passed before Gloria started to question the group's tactics, which she now describes as controlling and manipulative. Secrecy and promises Gloria did not think she was the type of person who would join a cult. For the first nine months of her involvement with Shincheonji, she, like other new recruits, did not know the name of the group she was being groomed into. It was revealed to her at a ceremony held around the nine-month mark, in which she and other new members were encouraged to signify their commitment. On its Korean website, the organisation explains that Shincheonji means "new heaven and new Earth". Australian branches of the group connect back to South Korea's Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ), and its Melbourne chapter has been registered as a charity since 2022. Lee is touted by his followers as the 'promised pastor' who will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the 'day of judgement', which he professes will happen within his lifetime. Lee Man-hee is the chair of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, based in South Korea. Source: AAP Gloria says while the group's more dubious motives, including withholding its name, may seem obvious in hindsight, they were harder for her to spot at first. "They share a lot of Christian-related doctrines in the very beginning, but over time they change the teaching slowly, without people even realising," she says. "Once they start getting you on-side, they'll start teaching you a bit more of what they really want to teach you, they take your reaction and if you're strongly against it, they will bring in more traditional Christian topics to gain your trust again before bringing those topics in again." Exclusive to Shincheonji is the belief that Lee is a messenger sent by Jesus and that he has a unique ability to correctly interpret the Book of Revelation. "They are manipulating people, but they just say that is how to bring the person into God," she says. Gloria says when things didn't quite add up, further detail was always promised, but rarely delivered. "I did have a lot of questions, but the teacher would always say: 'Oh, we'll talk about that topic in the next topic', and obviously I'd forget about it by then," she says. Bearing 'fruit' Gloria did not realise at the time, but many of her interactions with people at her Bible study group were controlled and orchestrated in what she now believes was a form of psychological manipulation. More than half of those attending the classes were confirmed members of Shincheonji, but they did not disclose their affiliation at the time. Shincheonji members are referred to as 'leaves' and tasked with recruiting new members — or 'fruits'. The leaves are instructed to learn as much about their potential recruit as possible, including their strengths and weaknesses — information they then use to help bring them into the fold. In a video posted to YouTube in 2022 by the group, a presenter explains that "the leaf is an evangelist who spreads the word of life". Gloria may not have been familiar with the recruitment process when she was targeted as a 'fruit', but she soon learnt how existing members would minimise interactions between new recruits to control narratives. "Each fruit has one to two leaves, sometimes three, but it's pretty rare," she explains. "Imagine that there is a row of seeds, so the fruits will be sitting in the middle while the leaf will be sitting on their right and the left side of the fruit, so that the fruit that's in the middle won't be talking to another fruit on the other side of the seed. "The leaf will always follow the fruit wherever they go inside that classroom to make sure that the fruit doesn't talk to another fruit." Sometimes it could be even creepier, and they follow them to the toilet. The group uses Bible verses to back this figurative theory of growing trees when teaching their members. Within the group, members are referred to as "trees of life" who are meant to spread Shincheonji beliefs or knowledge referred to as the "word of life". Attaining this knowledge is framed as imperative for salvation and used by Shincheonji to separate its followers from the general population, who are believed to have a lack of knowledge. The group emphasises that only those who receive this 'revealed word' will be saved and attain heaven — one of the reasons it is sometimes referred to as a doomsday cult. So followers like Gloria initially feel they are sharing God's true teaching and doing good by bringing more people to the sect. From 'education' to 'indoctrination' Like other members of Shincheonji, Gloria was encouraged not to spend time with her friends outside of the group, as anyone with differing beliefs was framed as being "dead in spirit". "They would say they belong to the dead, you're not supposed to hang out with them so much, because they believe the dead people cannot be together with people who are alive," she says. Members are kept busy by the group, attending Bible study and evangelising others, which they are told will help them serve God and ultimately attain heaven. At the peak of her involvement, Gloria says she was committing 12 hours a day, almost every day, to the group. She would wake up at 5am or 6am each day to get to the first session. "You cannot be late to that 7am meeting. If you are late, you get scolded, you get public humiliation, you get shouted at in front of all the other members," she says. Gloria says members would tolerate this behaviour, believing the teachings that had been drilled into them. At the time, she felt she was showing her commitment to her faith, by taking part in what she calls "educations". Today, she calls it "indoctrination". Renee Spencer, a therapist who specialises in providing counselling to those who have experienced coercive control, describes this as "dictating daily tasks". "If you've got someone who is busy all day, then they don't have time to stop and question things, especially when you couple that with other behaviours such as controlling information," she says. Turning her back on the cult After two years, Gloria started to feel unhappy in the group. When she tried to express her feelings, she says she was encouraged to suppress them and continue on with the group. "I was feeling pressured, they encourage inside the group that you can't share any negative feelings, any negative comments or anything like that. They say that if you show it, then you're not overcoming yourself," she says. She started noticing things going on behind the scenes that made her uneasy, and started thinking more critically about how Shincheonji operates. "I noticed how members were not being treated well," Gloria says. "I started to see how, when members who had been there for three or four years, who started to get sick from working so much for SCJ, and then they had to take time off, they weren't cared for." Those people were made to feel like they were just thrown out like trash, like they no longer served a purpose. She says that's when her faith in the group's teachings began to falter. "[I] started to think that if it's the kingdom of God, if it was the place where God is, why are our people not being treated well?" How do you define a cult? Gloria finally left Shincheonji in 2024 after four and a half years. Looking back, she still finds it surprising that she got caught up with the group, but says the lack of knowledge about cults and how to identify them likely contributed to that. "In the world, we don't have that much of an education on [what] does a cult look like," she says. "Because people see being in cults based on what they see in the movies, like an upside-down cross ... but the real cult itself looks like a normal church." In Australia, there is no clear-cut legal definition that separates a cult from other similar religious entities, including 'sects' or 'new religious movements'. However, the Victorian inquiry has said it will focus on "groups that use manipulative or controlling tactics to dominate members". A public hearing last month heard from former members of the Geelong Revival Centre, a Pentecostal doomsday church. Spencer, whose drive to educate people about cults came after her daughter became involved in what is believed to be a cult, has created an evaluation tool to help people to identify cult-like characteristics within groups. Her system assesses groups based on 12 key criteria, from authoritative leadership to "us versus them" mentality, and provides a score to measure whether the group's influence is healthy or harmful and to what extent. The model draws on behaviours identified in the federal government's report on coercive control in domestic and family violence as a basis for the criteria. While Spencer's focus is on education and support, she says the tool could be used by authorities to identify groups using harmful and coercive practices, such as cults and religious sects. The Victorian inquiry will also consider whether the techniques used by these groups amount to criminal coercion. Ella George, the chair of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee, which is overseeing the inquiry, says there is legitimate concern about whether the techniques groups such as Shincheonji are using would "amount to coercion that should be criminalised". NSW and Queensland have recently criminalised coercive control through specific legislation; however, this is limited to domestic relationships. Former federal attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, in his response to a petition mentioning Shincheonji and calling for the government to legislate against coercive control by any organisation, has said this is "a matter for individual state and territory governments". National principles on coercive control, which were created in collaboration with the federal government to establish "a shared national understanding of coercive control", are also specific to family and domestic violence contexts. Inquiry's public hearings to begin Gloria expects Shincheonji to come under the spotlight as part of the upcoming inquiry. She set up a support group for ex-members of Shincheonji in Australia last year, which has brought her in contact with about 70 former members in Melbourne and around a dozen each in Canberra, Sydney and Perth. Gloria says the group's influence extends far beyond Victoria. Gloria hopes the inquiry will force groups such as Shincheonji to be more transparent about their identity and motives from the outset. "That is coercive if you do not tell people what sort of organisation you are from in the beginning when recruiting someone," she says. Members surveying people on the street is just one of the methods Gloria says the group employs to recruit new members. She says the group has many "front groups", the most prominent being one that operates as a charity doing community service work, and that members of Shincheonji are constantly holding social events with different interest groups, using different aliases. SBS News is aware of singing groups, art exhibitions and K-pop-inspired events that have all been used as social gatherings to provide opportunities for group members to ingratiate themselves with new and potential recruits. Gloria says members may use such events to 'love-bomb' recruits — meaning to shower them with praise and form close connections with them. Love-bombing is one of the more commonly known tactics used by cults to recruit members, which the inquiry has suggested it will investigate via its submissions. Gloria says while she did not realise it at the time, the Shincheonji 'leaves' used this technique on her when she was introduced to the group by overwhelming her with affection, praise and attention to create emotional bonds. SBS News contacted Shincheonji's Melbourne chapter for comment but did not receive a response. Public hearings as part of the Victorian inquiry began last week, with a final report due no later than 30 September 2026.
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Bible Study With Lisa Whittle
Best-selling author and beloved bible teacher Lisa Whittle knows all too well the worries women mull over about their bodies. She shares her new Bible study, 'Body and Soul: A Biblical Look at the Whole Person God Created You to Be,' which can help women overcome their insecurities. She explores 'whole body theology,' offering a holistic approach to body image, and encourages women to come together to support the bodies God has given them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Faith amid the fury - how Lion king Itoje keeps his peace
Maro Itoje's head has been in Moussa's hands for more than a behind the barber's chair, Moussa has seen Itoje mature from a much-hyped teenager to a three-time 30-year-old British and Irish captain for the first time, one of Itoje's final appointments before departing for Australia is to have his mane trimmed."It has been a while," says Itoje of his and Moussa's relationship."It is going to be a challenge on tour."You always have to have some trust - a bit of a leap of faith - when you walk into a new barber's chair. Especially in Australia, where I don't think they are too used to Afro-Caribbean hair!"Faith, and contingency plans, will be a theme for Itoje over the next five asked about how religion fitted into his tactics, former Labour spin guru Alastair Campbell famously said "we don't do God".Itoje, who was introduced to Campbell by England team manager Richard Hill as a youngster and remains in touch, definitely his unveiling as Lions captain in May, he revealed he had missed Bible study to be he was promoted to England captain in January, his pastor was one of six people he told before the public announcement., externalAsked about the long journey to both posts, Itoje has a simple explanation: "God's timing is always the best time.""In the last two or three years I have made a conscious decision to double down in that regard," he tells BBC Sport."I was probably a lukewarm Christian for a large part of my life. I was probably someone who went to church, but was not really living the principles or values of it that deeply, but I have always been a believer."The humility that I have tried to embody throughout my life definitely comes from knowing that everything I have has been a gift, not by my own doing, but by the guy upstairs."By Itoje's high standards and own admission, that humility wasn't always present on previous Lions has described his 22-year-old self, who won over the Lions fans' sea of red in New Zealand in 2017, as "a little bit brash and a bit naive".This time around, at the very centre of the hype and hoopla, he is determined to keep his calm and routine. "I try to have a daily amount of time that I spend, whether that is reading the Bible or praying, ideally both," he explains."I also try and do Bible study once or twice a week at least."I am going to try and maintain the system I have over in Australia, with Zoom and Whatsapp video calls."Itoje's previous Lions tours have come down to the New Zealand, his team was ahead for only three minutes across three Tests, but came away with a drawn South Africa, four years later, Morne Steyn's kick, two minutes from time in the deciding third encounter, dashed the tourists' margins are small. The emotions are vast. The pressure is a thousand leagues can scramble the composure of the best. But Itoje has his philosophy and his peace."Sport is unpredictable, you don't know how things are going to transpire," he says."Sometimes you can deserve to win and lose, and sometimes you can deserve to lose and win - there is not necessarily rhyme or reason for that."You have to just stay as consistent as possible through your actions and hope, through it all, you end up in the place you are supposed to be."Faith is just one part of a hinterland as wide as the outback. Itoje describes himself as having a "portfolio existence" off the Akoje Gallery, which Itoje founded in 2023, is a prominent part"There is a commercial aspect to it - we want to sell art - but we also want to propel and promote art, particularly African art," he says."It is a massive market and full of talent and we want to help provide opportunities for artists in our care." Last year, the Akoje Gallery funded residencies for seven artists to spend time developing their work at the stately Dumfries House in rural Ayrshire in also set up the Pearl Fund, which helps disadvantaged children in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He has a keen interest in politics. He has a degree in it from SOAS, University of London. He has since earned a Masters degree in business as a teenage travelling reserve for Saracens, he spent a coach trip to Newcastle composing poetry., external More recently he has trodden the catwalk as a April, at a Downing Street reception to mark St George's Day, he was the star turn, giving a speech in which he talked about Englishness and identity."I believe human beings are multi-faceted, we are not a monolith," he said."I am a rugby player, I am an athlete, but that is what I do, not who I am. I have other interests."He finished by jokily making a play for the job of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was standing next to breadth of his interests and the depth of his thought have triggered suspicion in England coach Eddie Jones publicly doubted whether Itoje was captaincy material. Jones claimed Itoje was "very inward-looking" and lacked influence over his politely, but firmly, disagreed. So far, events seem to support the younger clear, calm 80-minute leadership carried England to a second-place finish in this year's Six Saracens, footage of his pep talks - passionate, canny and expletive-free - have been engaging viewing., externalThe Lions are another level. There is more scrutiny, and fewer home he approaches the pinnacle though, Itoje has perhaps, about the hair."I hope not," he smiles when asked about the prospect of accidentally acquiring a mullet down under."That would be quite bad."
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
NFL fans left stunned as new head coach 'introduces controversial religious sessions in training'
New Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has divided opinion among fans after apparently bringing religious sessions to the franchise. Glenn, 52, was hired by the organization in January and has been tasked with getting Gang Green to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. And the former Lions defensive coordinator seems to be leaning on his faith - and encouraging others to do the same - as a picture of a supposed 'Jets Bible study' handout spread on social media. 'The Jets have a Bible study? [Aaron Glenn] I love you,' read the initial X post, which was purportedly taken from the Instagram story of safety Jarius Monroe. 'We need Jesus,' another said of the struggling franchise. 'Lombardi was a devout Catholic so maybe there's something to this,' a third added of the legendary Packers coach. A picture of an apparent handout from 'Jets Bible study' spread on social media Others, however, were not impressed. 'If this is true I might be out on the Jets,' one fan said. 'wtf are they doing in my organization dawg,' a second added. And a third took a shot at the team's owner, Woody Johnson, writing: 'God cant save you from @woodyjohnson4.' The picture, which was posted on X by a Jets fan before being spread by conservative accounts, is said to derive from the Instagram account of Monroe. Monroe's name is written in the corner of the page, while five different sections of the the page are completed. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Jets to confirm whether the picture is legitimate. Glenn, who was a Pro Bowl cornerback with the Jets during his playing days, previously came under fire this offseason when Aaron Rodgers criticized how his exit from the organization was handled. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers slammed Glenn for making him fly from California to New Jersey for an extremely brief conversation where he learned he wasn't wanted. 'I figured that when I flew across country to my dime there would be a conversation (over his future),' Rodgers said. 'The confusing thing to me is I went out there, I meet with the coach, we start talking… he runs out of the room. I'm like 'that's strange.' 'Then he comes back with the GM and I'm like all right. So we sit down and I think we're going to have this long conversation and 20 seconds in and he (Glenn) goes: 'You sure you wanna play football?' And I said 'yes' and he said 'we're going in another direction at quarterback'. Ultimately, the Jets signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40million contract in free agency to see what they can get out of the dual-threat quarterback. Glenn's Jets will begin the regular season on September 7 against the Steelers.
