Svensk åtalas för att ha förskingrat 35 miljoner från kyrka i New York.

[machine translation]

Swedish Man Charged With Embezzling $35 Million From a Church In New York

A former board member of the Swedish Church in New York, USA, has been charged with embezzling approximately 35 million kronor from the congregation, according to a press release from Letitia James, New York's Attorney General.

The 45–year–old Swedish man is suspected of transferring more than $3.8 million in donations to accounts he controlled. According to prosecutors, the money was used for personal expenses and risky investments.

The crimes are alleged to have taken place from 2018 to the end of 2024, during which time he held a key position both on the church's board and as a financial advisor.

The prosecutor alleges that he exploited that trust to carry out a massive fraud. He is suspected, among other things, of forging financial documents and manipulating accounting records to conceal the thefts.

The indictment comprises a total of 24 counts, and if convicted, he faces a lengthy prison sentence.

Source:  SvT "News"

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In Contrast    🙄👍

Attorney General James Announces Indictment
of Former Board Member For Stealing More Than $3.8 Million from Manhattan Church

Olof Olsson Used Swedish Seamen's Church Donation Money for Personal Expenses, Including Risky Investments

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment of Olof Olsson, 45, of Manhattan for allegedly stealing more than $3.8 million from the Manhattan–based Swedish Church of New York—also known as the Swedish Seamen's Church (the Church)—while he served as a member of the Church's board of directors and as a financial advisor to the Church.

As a licensed securities broker and Church board member, Olsson was responsible for safeguarding the Church's donations and bequests. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Olsson abused his position and funneled the Church's money into bank accounts he controlled, and then spent the funds on risky investments and personal expenses. The 24–count indictment, unsealed in New York County Supreme Court before Judge Althea Drysdale, charges Olsson with stealing at least $3.8 million from the Church over a six–year period.

"When churchgoers donate money, they expect their generous contributions will be used to support their church and its mission," said Attorney General James. "Olof Olsson took advantage of his role as a trusted member of the Swedish Church of New York to steal millions of dollars from his fellow churchgoers. My office will always seek to hold those accountable who take advantage of hard–working, charitable New Yorkers."

Olsson served as a member of the Church's board for seven years from 2016 to 2023. During the same time, Olsson also worked as a licensed securities broker at a financial institution that held the Church's assets, where he was responsible for overseeing and protecting the Church's charitable donations and bequests, which made up a significant portion of the Church's assets.

[…]

The charges against Olsson and the description of such charges are merely allegations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Letitia James

New York State Attorney General

April 16, 2026

www.ag.ny.gov

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Church of Sweden, House of Sweden, Swedish Church of New York, Swedish Seamen's Church of Sweden, State Church of Sweden, Uniting Church in Sweden, et cetera…

A really nice, anonymous, globalist mixture of Organized Religion/Ideology.   👍

As Above   –   So Below

✨    1 1 1 1 – 1 7    ✨

Tvinga inte Svenska kyrkans präster att viga.

[machine translation]

Do Not Force Priests Of the Church of Sweden To Perform Weddings

Today, same-sex couples have the right to be married in their parish, while each individual priest has the freedom to perform the ceremony. This is a good and tolerant arrangement.

Of the more than 12,000 weddings that take place within the Church of Sweden each year, only just over 100—about one percent—are between same–sex couples. Yet to anyone following the public debate, it appears as though same-sex marriage is a major issue—rather than a marginal phenomenon—for the Church of Sweden.

Recently, Sveriges Radio P4 reported that nine of Sweden's 13 bishops do not require priest candidates to be prepared to marry same–sex couples. The news could have been framed differently. What really stands out is that the four bishops in Stockholm, Västerås, Skara, and Karlstad are excluding priest candidates on the basis of traditional Christian beliefs. The bishops should not be conducting such a witch hunt. Priest candidates are also covered by freedom of religion, and the Church of Sweden already has a solution in place whereby a same–sex couple can go to any parish they wish and be certain of being married.

It is the parish priest's responsibility to ensure that a priest is available who is willing to marry same–sex couples. Finding a priest in the parish who is willing to marry same-sex couples is hardly difficult. Anyone who has followed developments in the Church of Sweden knows that many priests are passionate about issues related to challenging social norms and the rights of sexual minorities. Today, those who view marriage as an institution for a man and a woman are in the minority.

But they are free to hold their beliefs in peace, as there is no obligation for every individual priest to perform such weddings. This arrangement creates a balance where the Church of Sweden is one of the world's most progressive Christian churches, while still providing a space for traditional Christians to operate within its framework. It is a very successful solution. The ability for different perspectives to coexist makes the church a role model at a time when much of the public debate is moving in a more intolerant direction, where dissenters are branded as heretics.

A church should be a community of faith, not a community of absolute agreement. So how did the issue of forcing priests to perform same–sex marriages even make it onto the agenda? Well, it's politically motivated. The Social Democrats in the Church Assembly are pushing to exclude priest candidates with a traditional view of the Bible. This party–political logic creates a conflict where one can point to someone and say, "There is the enemy." In this case, it is classic Christians who are being portrayed as homophobes.

But this time, it is the Social Democrats and the small group of bishops who have placed themselves at their disposal who are the intolerant ones. What is unfair is that the Swedish Church's reputation is being tarnished. Just when the Church has actually found a solution that is tolerant and inclusive, politicians come along and start a polarizing debate completely out of the blue. The issue fundamentally concerns what the Church of Sweden wants to be: a broad national church with room for different interpretations of the Bible, or a more ideologically uniform entity where "inclusion" paradoxically leads to the exclusion of traditional Christians? The mandatory marriage ceremony is yet another piece of evidence in the series showing that partisan political interference is harming the Church of Sweden.

Source:  GöteborgsPosten

Social Democrats:  Socialist Democrat Workers' Party
                                         of Sweden

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Organized Religion

Organized Ideology

Organized Religion/Ideology

My Interpretation

Nu kan AI skriva predikan: "Ser stora möjligheter"

[machine translation]

AI Can Now Write Sermons: "I See Great Opportunities"

Ida–Maria Brengesjö is a traveling evangelist within the Equmenia Church. She describes herself as an early adopter and does not hesitate to use AI.

– Why couldn't God use AI to give me ideas4 she asks herself.

AI is increasingly permeating our lives. Even priests and pastors are getting caught up in the development. Some are skeptical of the new—others welcome the opportunity.

– "I use AI as a sounding board, as a conversation partner before the sermon," says Ida–Maria Brengesjö."

She describes AI as a lightning–fast inspirer that provides tips and perspectives.

There Is Resistance

Not everyone is as positive. Oliver Li is a priest in the Forsa–Högs parish near Hudiksvall. Although he is doing research on AI himself, he could never imagine letting AI write his sermons.

– "No, because it's something that happens in the moment between me as a priest and the people sitting in the pews.

The resistance among many priests is not only about the risk of losing presence and contact with the congregation during the service. The very idea that AI should write a text that should be inspired by God—not a machine feels offensive, or even blasphemous.

"AI Cannot Replace God"

Ida–Maria Brengesjö understands this objection, but disagrees.

– "Many priests are probably quite technologically skeptical and think that we risk removing God's leadership in the church. So it's important to think that AI can't replace God—but that it can be a help in the work.

She adds that she herself never lets AI write the final sermon text, it has to be her own words.

Source:  SVT "News"

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All Organized Religion utilizes AI. Why wouldn't they?