Free Republic

An elder at a California megachurch and her father have been charged with the murder and torture of her adopted 11-year-old daughter, whose adoptive father also killed himself in front of the cops on the day that she died. Leticia McCormack, 49, and her father Stanley Tom pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday in Superior Court of California in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon. Stanley's wife Adella Tom - who faces abuse charges - also pleaded not guilty. Brian McCormack, Leticia's husband and a CBP agent, killed himself in front of police before he could be charged....

I’ve already lamented the demise of the once-delightful Column One feature on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. And I feel that I’ve dissected more than my tolerable share of articles by Mitchell Landsberg, the LAT’s recently new scribe on the Godbeat; add to that Mollie’s commentary yesterday on Landsberg’s Vatican coverage. I’ve really tried to show him some grace as he warms up to religion reporting. But it’s been several months and I couldn’t avoid discussing this Column One, “Community service is the religion,” which wastes no time violating a cardinal rule of religion reporting. Here’s...