Latest news with #religion
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson returns to the stand to give evidence in week six of marathon court case
00:37 Microsoft Paint and family troubles: Patterson's first day in the witness box revisited The Crown closed its case against accused killer Erin Patterson on the Monday in the sixth week of the marathon murder trial. The defence, led by Colin Mandy SC, called Patterson herself as their first witness. Patterson told the jury about her rocky relationship with estranged husband Simon Patterson after the pair married in 2007. Patterson also said she was an atheist but she became interested in religion after meeting and spending time with Simon. 'I was what you'd probably call a fundamentalist atheist,' she said. Patterson said her attitude to religion changed in early 2005. The jury heard Patterson and Simon had a lot of conversations about religion. Patterson was trying to convert Simon into an atheist 'But things went in reverse and I became a Christian,' she said. She recalled her visit to Korumburra Baptist Church. 'I remember being really excited about it,' she said. Patterson recalled there was a banner on the wall behind where Ian Wilkinson was preaching. 'It said faith, hope and love,' she said. Patterson said Mr Wilkinson gave a sermon about this banner. She had communion and was welcomed to participate in it. 'I had what can basically be described as a spiritual experience,' she said. 'It had been an intellectual experience until then.' Patterson also told the jury she felt there had been a 'bit more space or distance put between' her and husband's parents, Gail and Don Patterson, at the start of 2023. 'We saw each other less,' she said. She said her relationship with Simon since the start of 2023 was 'functional'. Patterson said she only dealt with Simon regarding logistics, church and the kids. 'We didn't relate on friend things, banter,' Patterson said. 'I'd been fighting a never-ending battle of low self-esteem most of my adult life, (I had) put on more weight, could handle exercise less (as I entered middle-age).' Patterson also told the jury she was financially 'comfortable' and planned to have weight loss surgery. The court heard Patterson initially designed her Leongatha home using Microsoft Paint. She said she designed the property with her kids' needs in mind but also decided the home – where the deadly lunch was served – would be her last. 'That I'd grow old there was what I hoped,' she said. Everything you need to know about the Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial so far Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, after allegedly serving them a beef Wellington lunch made with death cap mushrooms. Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch after spending several weeks in an intensive care unit. The court heard Patterson's estranged husband, Simon, was also invited to the gathering at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region, but didn't attend. Witnesses told the jury Patterson ate her serving from a smaller, differently-coloured plate than those of her guests, who ate off four grey plates. Patterson told authorities she bought dried mushrooms from an unnamed Asian store in the Monash area of Melbourne, but health inspectors could find no evidence of this. Victoria's health department said the death cap mushroom poisoning was 'isolated' to Patterson's deadly lunch. Multiple witnesses, including Erin's estranged husband, Heather's husband and other family members, have given emotionally-charged evidence to the jury. Medical staff have told the jury of the painful symptoms the dying lunch guests and Mr Wilkinson suffered. An expert witness told the court that death cap mushrooms were detected in debris taken from a dehydrator Patterson had allegedly dumped at a local tip. Telecommunications expert Dr Matthew Sorell also told the jury Patterson's phone was detected near areas at Outtrim and Loch, in the Gippsland region, where death cap mushrooms had been spotted. Victoria Police Cybercrime Squad senior digital forensics officer Shamen Fox-Henry said he found evidence of a death cap mushroom on data from a computer seized from Patterson's Leongatha home on August 5, 2023. On Friday, Austin Hospital intensive care director Professor Stephen Warrillow told the jury he was at the Melbourne health facility in July 2023 when the poisoned lunch guests were transferred to his care. Professor Warrillow said all patients were given intense treatment and Don received a liver transplant. Ian Wilkinson sat in court and listened as details of how his wife died from death cap poisoning were aired in court. The jury also heard the text exchanges between health department officer Sally Anne Atkinson and Patterson in the days after the deadly lunch as authorities rushed to get answers. On Tuesday, the jury was shown the police interview Patterson took part in shortly after her home was searched on August 5. Detectives seized a manual for a Sunbeam hydrator but Patterson denied in her interview that she had ever owned such an appliance. Patterson also told police she invited her in-laws for lunch because she loved them and they were like real family to her. Homicide Squad detective leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall told the court officers searched for a Samsung Galaxy A23 – known as 'Phone A' – but it was never found. Sen-Constable Eppingstall also said another Samsung Galaxy A23 – known as 'Phone B' – was factory reset multiple times including while police searched Patterson's Leongatha home. He said Phone B was later remotely wiped while it was kept in a secure locker at the Homicide Squad headquarters in Melbourne. The jury also heard Patterson's family had a history of cancer and her daughter had a benign ovarian cancer cyst removed. On Thursday, lead defence barrister Colin Mandy SC suggested to Sen-Constable Eppingstall that a photo taken during the Leongatha police search depicted the mysterious Phone A. Mr Mandy also highlighted other devices he suggested police failed to seize including laptops and a USB stick. Later, the jury heard Facebook messages between Patterson and her online friends in which they discussed Simon, pets and the death of actress Kirstie Alley. The jury also heard Signal messages between Don and Erin in which Don and Gail (pictured) wished Patterson well and also prayed for her health. On Friday, the jury heard more messages between Erin, Don, Gail and Simon. They discussed Patterson's health and Don also offered to help tutor Erin's son. Erin also praised Gail in another message. 'Happy Mother's Day to the best mother-in-law anyone could ever ask for,' Erin wrote. Late on Monday, the Crown led by Dr Nanette Rogers (pictured) closed it's case and Patterson herself entered the witness box. The trial continues.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Preacher arrested for third time over unauthorised sermons in Johor freed on bail
JOHOR BAHRU, May 31 — A religious preacher detained by the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) last Wednesday for allegedly delivering a sermon without authorisation in Pasir Gudang was released the following day on bail. JAINJ director Nasri Md. Ali said the 50-year-old preacher had cooperated fully during his detention. 'He was arrested at 8.30pm on Wednesday and released the next day. He was called in again yesterday and is scheduled to return on July 3 to assist with the ongoing investigation by our enforcement division,' Nasri said when contacted today. Last Thursday he confirmed that the arrest was made with assistance from the Seri Alam District Police under Section 11 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997 for teaching religion without proper credentials. Nasri added that the preacher had previously been detained in 2016 for the same offence and had evaded arrest during a raid in 2020. 'This is the third action taken against him for preaching without credentials. We don't stop anyone from giving sermons, but they must obtain proper authorisation from the Johor Islamic Religious Council, as required in all states,' he said. Earlier, celebrity preacher Ustaz Abdullah Khairi shared a video showing the preacher's arrest in Pasir Gudang. — Bernama
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
A show inside a cathedral featured raw chickens in diapers. The German president was in the audience
This grab taken from video shows performers dancing as they hold raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers, inside Paderborn's cathedral, Germany, Friday May 16, 2025. (RTL via AP) BERLIN — A performance inside a Catholic cathedral in Germany earlier this month that featured raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers onstage — and the country's president and the local archbishop in the audience — has prompted the church and municipal leaders to apologize that the show 'hurt religious feelings.' The show, 'Westphalia Side Story,' was part of a May 15 celebration to mark the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia, a region in northwestern Germany. Video footage shows one woman and two shirtless men singing 'Fleisch ist Fleisch' ('Meat is meat') — apparently spoofing Austrian band Opus' 1984 pop song 'Live is Life' — with scythes and dancing with the dead chickens on a stage in front of Paderborn Cathedral's altar. Performance company bodytalk said in a statement Friday that the show featured work-in-progress excerpts from 'Westphalia Side Story' — which references the American musical 'West Side Story.' The finished show, which will premiere in September, is supposed to be part of the 1,250th anniversary's cultural programming. 'It was not meant to be a spoof at all,' bodytalk cofounder Rolf Baumgart said in an email to The Associated Press. 'As Westphalia is a rural dominated region with a turbulent history our research was focused on that.' The spectacle also prompted an online petition — signed by more than 22,000 people by Friday afternoon — that asks Paderborn Archbishop Udo Bentz for a personal apology, as well as penance. The signers also want him to reconsecrate the cathedral after it was 'desecrated by this performance.' In a statement posted online to the cathedral's website more than a week after the performance, the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe and the church's leadership said that the content of the performance wasn't known to the organizers or the venue. The cathedral, the statement said, is often host to cultural events and has begun an internal review. They also promised to more carefully vet proposed events in the future. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's office didn't immediately return a request for comment on Friday. Article by Stefanie Dazio. Philipp Jenne contributed to this report from Vienna.
WebMD
3 days ago
- General
- WebMD
Faith, God, and Dopamine
During my most severe manic episode, I became fixated on questions of spirituality and religion. I was a frequent visitor to a Buddhist temple near our house, and I began to revisit the Catholic faith of my youth. I even started entertaining thoughts that I might be a prophet or messiah. Interesting, given that I've been an atheist and a skeptic of all things spiritual my entire adult life. In the U.S., it's estimated that 15% to 22% of bipolar individuals with mania experience religious delusions, such as thinking that demons are watching them or that they are Christ reborn, according to a review of studies on the frequency of religious delusions in people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other severe mental disorders in the Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo). Short of delusions, hyperreligiosity can be hard to identify among those actively practicing a faith. Many people turn to the comfort of their faith to help them through trying times, so an uptick in religious thought and activity can be viewed by family, friends, and even mental health providers as a normal response to one's illness. It's only when behavior falls outside of social norms that it becomes concerning. Kanye West is arguably an example of this difficulty playing out against the backdrop of artistry and fame. Kanye's public on-again, off-again approach to medication for treating his bipolar disorder has been linked to erratic behavior. While he has referenced God and Jesus throughout his career, his adoption of the nickname 'Yeezus,' statements about his single 'I Am A God,' and leading of public and private worship services have been alternately interpreted as a 'God complex,' an artistic device, or an evolution of his personal faith. So there I was. An atheist turned dime-store Yeezus. What was going on? A clue lies in reports of patients dealing with a very different type of neurological disorder: Parkinson's disease. People with Parkinson's disease experience a degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in certain prefrontal circuits. Because mania is associated with excess dopamine production in those same circuits, it's compelling to think that dopamine may be the fuel for religiosity in the brain. It also explains why, when my dopamine levels were curbed with antipsychotic medications, my hyperreligiosity was, too.[1] In my Roman Catholic boyhood, I had to choose a confirmation name based on a saint with whom I felt some affinity. I chose Saint Paul because he was smart, stubborn, and hard to win over. He only converted to Christianity after being struck temporarily blind by a bright heavenly light. Something about a saint who was a nonbeliever until God smacked him in the face resonated with me. I don't consider myself anti-religious, and I don't see religion and science as inherently at odds with one another. I think that science can elucidate the physiological mechanisms by which our brains work, regardless of whether you see the hand of God working through those mechanisms or not.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
A show inside a cathedral featured raw chickens in diapers. The German president was in the audience
BERLIN (AP) — A performance inside a Catholic cathedral in Germany earlier this month that featured raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers onstage — and the country's president and the local archbishop in the audience — has prompted the church and municipal leaders to apologize that the show 'hurt religious feelings.' The show, 'Westphalia Side Story,' was part of a May 15 celebration to mark the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia, a region in northwestern Germany. Video footage shows one woman and two shirtless men singing 'Fleisch ist Fleisch' ('Meat is meat') — apparently spoofing Austrian band Opus' 1984 pop song 'Live is Life' — with scythes and dancing with the dead chickens on a stage in front of Paderborn Cathedral's altar. Performance company bodytalk said in a statement Friday that the show featured work-in-progress excerpts from 'Westphalia Side Story' — which references the American musical 'West Side Story.' The finished show, which will premiere in September, is supposed to be part of the 1,250th anniversary's cultural programming. 'It was not meant to be a spoof at all,' bodytalk cofounder Rolf Baumgart said in an email to The Associated Press. 'As Westphalia is a rural dominated region with a turbulent history our research was focused on that.' The spectacle also prompted an online petition — signed by more than 22,000 people by Friday afternoon — that asks Paderborn Archbishop Udo Bentz for a personal apology, as well as penance. The signers also want him to reconsecrate the cathedral after it was 'desecrated by this performance.' In a statement posted online to the cathedral's website more than a week after the performance, the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe and the church's leadership said that the content of the performance wasn't known to the organizers or the venue. The cathedral, the statement said, is often host to cultural events and has begun an internal review. They also promised to more carefully vet proposed events in the future. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's office didn't immediately return a request for comment on Friday. ___ Philipp Jenne contributed to this report from Vienna.
