The Hazards of Belief

A YouTuber who said that eating a raw vegan diet, drinking juice and praying to God cured her cancer has passed away.

Mari Lopez, one half of the vlogging duo Liz & Mari, succumbed to an aggressive terminal cancer that spread to her blood, liver and lungs.

She was known for posting viral videos about how she was able to cure her stage four diagnosis through faith in God and following a strict diet of raw vegetables.

Today in an interview with babe, Liz Johnson, who made videos with her aunt Mari, doubled down on her beliefs, saying she "completely" stood by what she posted.

Liz & Mari made a YouTube channel to share videos on how to cure cancer

Liz & Mari, whose videos amassed hundreds of thousands of views, regularly posted about how Mari had recovered from a terminal diagnosis through her Christian faith and her discovery of lemon and ginger juice.

They told their followers in no uncertain terms that they could do the same, uploading how-to videos like STAGE 4 CANCER HEALED BY JUICING & RAW VEGAN DIET PART ONE (nearly 300k views, part two had over 400k).

iz & Mari gave recipes for juices that would clean "all the toxins" out of your system, and advised what kind of juicing machines work best. In a video, Mari pointed at one juicer and said: "I recovered from cancer with this machine."

Their videos inspired an outpouring of misguided love from cancer patients and religious viewers who thanked Liz & Mari for sharing their journey. Some fans even said they would encourage their partners to follow a juice diet for their cancer diagnosis.

robindch wrote: »

Pastor experiences multiple highs but some are of the wrong kind.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/03/12/la-pastor-who-put-up-controversial-199-foot-tall-cross-arrested-on-meth-charges/

Bavarian crusade sparks political protest


While thousands of Berliners donned kippas this week in protest against rising anti-Semitism, Bavaria’s conservative state government has embraced the crucifix.

Bavaria’s new state premier, Markus Söder, issued a decree ordering all state ministries and public offices to display a cross in their entrance halls from June 1st.

Then Mr Söder underscored the surprise announcement with a photo opportunity: hanging a brass cross in the hallway of his state chancellery in Munich. But the politician’s public embrace of the cross, as a “symbol of Bavaria’s cultural and historical imprint”, has sparked a backlash.

Political rivals, media critics and even usually sympathetic outlets in Catholic, conservative Bavaria have united in criticising Mr Söder’s move as a cynical manoeuvre before October’s state election.

“Quite literally, nothing is sacred to Markus Söder,” said Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) in Berlin. Green Party co-leader Katrin Göring Eckardt, a Lutheran theologian, accused him of hijacking the cross “for a cheap election stunt” in public.

The Bavarian leader knows, too, his policy is likely to spark a legal challenge at the constitutional court. In the past it has banned crucifixes from public buildings, and schools in Bavaria, citing the constitutional provisions that the state show religious neutrality.

But any hearing, let alone a verdict, will come long after Bavaria’s election in October. “Until then he can present himself as St Sebastian,” joked Die Zeit in a hotly-discussed article on its website.

silverharp wrote: »

did a 5 year old hack his account :pac:


https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/990553785415200773

MINISTER OF STATE John Halligan has criticised what he described as a “petty” move from the Catholic Church after he was prevented from acting as his godson’s sponsor at a confirmation mass yesterday.

The Waterford TD has claimed that the decision was made because of his views on abortion and his atheist stance.

In a statement, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan said that a sponsor must be a “confirmed and practising Catholic” and that guidelines had been circulated to all parishes in the diocese in March this year.

nuac wrote: »

If he professes to be an atheist why should be complain at being excluded from a Christian ceremony?

Also be going public he may have embarrassed the family involved.

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I am an atheist godparent myself (in my case to atheist parents who don't care), but I would have no issues educating a godchild about the Catholic faith. They might learn a few things they wouldn't hear from the parish priest, but that is perhaps as it should be.