PROOF: Romney Returns: $6.2M in Taxes on $42.6M!

Just hours after debating tax rates during the GOP debate in Florida, Mitt Romney released his tax returns, revealing that he collected $20.9 million in income last year, and $21.7 million the previous year—nearly all of it in profits, dividends, or interest from investments. None came from wages, reports the Washington Post. He estimates he'll pay $3.2 million in federal taxes for a tax rate of 15.4% for last year's income. The previous year, he paid $3 million in taxes at a 13.9% rate. His tax rates are below most American wage earners because his income isn't from wages, notes Reuters.

The Romneys gave away $7 million in charitable contributions the last two years, including $4.1 million to the Mormon church. Romney boasted during the debate that his tax bill is "entirely legal and fair," adding: "I'm proud of the fact that I pay a lot of taxes." Newt Gingrich, who supports a 15% flat tax, quipped during the debate that he wants to bring Americans' tax rate "down" to Romney's. But Romney pointed out that Gingrich wants a 0% tax on capital gains, and that under such a strategy, he would pay "no taxes." Romney has released nearly 550 pages of tax documents, including the 2010 returns for three family trusts and a foundation, after criticism from rivals for failure to bare his income earlier and following a sound trouncing in South Carolina by Gingrich.

BOTTOMS UP: Priest Busted With Pants Down in Adult Theater!

Father Mark Stewart Bullock went from priest at the Church of the Immaculate Conception to creepy guy standing around pants-less in a porn shop, Baltimore cops say. Police say they responded to complaints of indecent exposure and found Bullock, nude from the waist down, inside a movie theater at the store. He has since been removed from duty at his church, the Sun reports. Bullock was on a couch, "his pants completely off," according to a police report; he "was not wearing any underwear and [was] exposing his penis" in a public area. He was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. The Baltimore Archdiocese removed Bullock's "faculties to function as a priest and initiated an investigation to learn more about the incident," reads a letter to parishioners.

LIST: TOP Earning Anti-Gay Pastors!

Fueling Anti-Gay Hate can be pretty profitable: You probably wouldn't think of "religious leader" as a job that would bring in big bucks, and for the most part, you'd be right: Catholic priests make just $25,000 to $30,000 per year, and the average Protestant pastor brings in $40,000. But get a big enough following, and you can certainly live the good life, as the Huffington Post points out in its list of the 10 best-paid pastors in America. Some of the highlights:

• Kenneth Copeland: This televangelist's campus includes a private airstrip and hangar, both of which it needs because the ministry also owns a $17.5 million jet and unspecified "other aircraft." The most recent salary information, from 1995, puts his annual wages at $364,577 and his wife's at $292,593.

• Creflo A. Dollar: Yes, that's his real name—and it fits. As pastor of one of the biggest churches in the US, he drives a Rolls-Royce, flies around in a private jet, and owns one $1 million Atlanta home and another $2.5 million New York City apartment.
• Charles E. Blake: This bishop reportedly makes $900,000 a year and lives in 10,000 square feet of Beverly Hills luxury ... while most of his congregation lives in the poor area of South Central Los Angeles.
• Joel Osteen: He no longer takes his $200,000 salary, but still earns tens of millions from his popular books. He and his wife live in a $10.5 million mansion that is a whopping 17,000 square feet.
• Rick Warren: Like Osteen, he no longer accepts paychecks, but he's also made tens of millions off his books, including A Purpose Driven Life. But, the pastor says, he gives away 91% of his income.

Click for the full list, including one pastor—who was once accused of sexual abuse—who drives a $350,000 Bentley.

HATE-BACKER: Romney's Bain Gave Millions to Mormon Church!

If Mitt Romney does lift the veil on his tax returns, one thing that voters will get a look at is how much he gives to the Mormon church, and the answer might be a lot more than anyone thought. ABC News finds that Bain Capital routinely cuts the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in on its deals, handing the church millions in stock—including, notably, 65,326 shares of Burger King in 2008, worth some $1.9 million. Romney's campaign acknowledges that such transactions were made at Romney's behest, but says that some of the shares may have been donated by other Mormons at Bain.

"Mitt Romney has publicly stated that he regularly tithes to his church," a spokesman said. "Any shares donated by Mitt Romney are personal shares owned by him." Romney has always been known as a major church benefactor; his family charity, the Tyler Foundation, has given more than $4 million to the church in the past 10 years. But that pales before the Bain windfalls, which have included DDi, Domino's, Innophos Holdings, and Marquee Holdings, parent of AMC Theaters.

THUMPING: Singer Fined for Bad-Mouthing the Bible!

A Polish pop singer has been fined for disparaging the Bible. Dorota Rabczewska, who goes by the stage name Doda, said in an interview that she doubted the Bible because "it's hard to believe in something that was written by someone drunk on wine and smoking herbs." She was fined $1,450 for offending religious feelings, reports AP. The case was seen as a test of continuing Catholic influence and freedom of expression in the increasingly secular nation. A court recently let off a death metal performer who tore a Bible during a performance, deeming it artistic expression.

MIS-MATCH: Katy Perry and ... Tim Tebow?

Will Katy Perry rebound from a recovering sexaholic atheist by dating an all-American, Christian quarterback? Yes, she'll be dating Denver Broncos star Tim Tebow if her parents have any say in it: “Katy’s mom firmly believes the best cure for heartache is to quickly fall in love again,” an unnamed source tells OK!

"In her mind, Tebow is the perfect guy for her daughter. He’s handsome, charming, intelligent and, above all, a good Christian.” Perry's conservative Christian parents don't approve of divorce, but are secretly thrilled over her split with British comedian Russell Brand. They've even invited Tebow to speak at their church, another source says. Plus Katy has "mentioned on more than one occasion how much she likes Tim.” As for Tebow, he's keeping quiet about the gossip but tells USA Today that he has no gal because he's "too busy with football and life and … it's hard."

Benedict Arnold: Gay Marriage 'Threatens the Future of Humanity'!

Pope Benedict addressed the diplomatic corps assigned to the Vatican and said that same-sex marriage threatens the future of humanity, Reuters reports: He told diplomats from nearly 180 countries that the education of children needed proper "settings" and that "pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman."

"This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself," he said.

He added:"The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and states; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue."

The Pope last week elevated 22 bishops to cardinals, among them New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, an outspoken opponent of New York's marriage equality law.

NO GO: Chicago Protest Canceled After All!

As of yesterday morning, the Gay Liberation Network still intended to protest Cardinal Francis George, of the Chicago Archdiocese, this afternoon for comparing LGBT rights activists to the KKK, even though the Cardinal had apologized for his remarks. No longer.

Yesterday afternoon, the Network issued a statement which read, in part: Even though the Gay Liberation Network finds the "apology" of Francis George woefully inadequate, we nevertheless agree to call off the protest scheduled for January 8 (Sunday) at Holy Name Cathedral. While taking this action, we highlight our sharp disagreement with some LGBT groups which previously backed the protest and now bubble over with undeserved praise for Cardinal George.

You can read the rest of the Network's statement here.

TOO LATE: Cardinal Apologizes For Comparing Gays To KKK!

Cardinal Francis George, of Chicago, has apologized for comparing LGBTs to the KKK.


Cardinal George later defended his statements, explaining in some detail how "some" modern-day LGBTs really are KKKish. He got some flack for it. A protest was scheduled. And now, in a remarkably self-aware interiew with the Tribune, George says: I am truly sorry for the hurt my remarks have caused, particularly because we all have friends or family members who are gay and lesbian. This has evidently wounded a good number of people. I have family members myself who are gay and lesbian, so it's part of our lives. So I'm sorry for the hurt. ... When I was talking, I was speaking out of fear that I have for the church's liberty and I was reaching for an analogy which was very inappropriate, for which I'm sorry. I didn't realize the impact of what I was saying. ... Sometimes fear is a bad motivation.

ENLIGHTENING: Ted Haggard and Gary Busey on 'Celebrity Wife Swap!

Ted Haggard and Gary Busey swapped wives last night on Celebrity Wife Swap.

After she read Gayle Haggard's book, Ted assured Gary Busey's fiancee Steffanie Sampson that they don't believe gay people are Satan: "No, we've never thought that."

Haggard goes on to tell her that he believes in civil unions.

My opinion of Gayle? Hate-ful Bitch!

SPOILED: 'Gay Nativity' Vandalized in California!

Police have launched a hate crime investigation into vandalism of a "gay nativity" scene outside a California church. The scene at Claremont United Methodist Church featured three wooden light boxes portraying a heterosexual and two homosexual couples holding hands beneath a Star of Bethlehem and the words: "Christ is Born." The gay couples were pushed over, reports the Los Angeles Times. The church has a history of featuring social or political messages in its nativity scenes, but they have never before been vandalized. "Christ's birth in a stable had a lot to do with being marginalized," said the church pastor. "What this church has tried to do through these scenes is say, 'What would that look like today?'"

SPIRIT: Cardinal Compares Gay Rights Movement to KKK?

Gay rights groups in Chicago are criticizing the city's Catholic cardinal for drawing a comparison between the gay rights movement and the Ku Klux Klan, reports the Chicago Tribune. Weighing in on a dispute between a local pastor complaining about the timing of a gay pride parade, Cardinal Francis George told MyFox Chicago he sided with the pastor: "You don't want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism."

Pressed by the interviewer, he didn't walk it back: “The rhetoric of the KKK and the rhetoric of some of the gay liberation people—who is the enemy? The Catholic Church,” he said. A Catholic coalition that works toward LGBT rights called Francis' choice of words "crude" and "further evidence of just how insensitive and out of touch the hierarchy is." A diocesan spokesman said the remarks were taken out of context.

NO DICE: Tebow Will NOT Be Participating in an 'It Gets Better' Video!

Without mentioning the campaign by name, the Denver Broncos have responded to a Change.org petition signed by more than 8,000 people asking them to create an 'It Gets Better' video.

...in a statement to The Huffington Post, Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth gave no indication that the team would be participating anytime soon.

WASTED: Archuleta Tearfully Puts Music Career on Hold to Fulfill Full Time with the Church!

Former American Idol runner-up (and Gay Rumored) David Archuleta broke down on stage last night as he announced that he's putting his music career on hold to devote his life to a full time mission to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

"It's not because somebody told me that I was supposed to do it, not because that I no longer want to do music anymore, but it's because it's the feeling that I felt that I need to do next in my life."

UNHATE: Vatican Threatens Benetton Over Ad Featuring Pope Kissing Imam!

The new Benetton ad campaign has the Vatican furious and they're planning legal action to stop use of an ad featuring Pope Benedict kissing an Imam, Reuters reports: A statement said the Vatican had told its lawyers in Italy and around the world to "take the proper legal measures" to stop the use of the photo, even in the media. It was not clear from the statement if the Vatican intended to sue Benetton directly for damages.

The statement said the ad was "damaging to not only to dignity of the pope and the Catholic Church but also to the feelings of believers."

Said spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Wednesday night: "This is a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation."

Other ads feature Obama kissing Chinese leader Hu Jintao and Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy kissing German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

MISSION: LGBT Mormons Get Together!

As you read this, "hundreds of gay Mormons, their families and friends" are gathered in Salt Lake City, UT, to talk about sexuality at a conference called "Circling The Wagons." According to The Salt Lake Tribune: The purpose of the conference, sponsored by researcher John Dehlin, along with Mormon Stories and Open Stories Foundation, is "to create a space where LGBTQ or SSA individuals and their families and allies can gather to acknowledge, explore and honor shared experiences."

What kinds of folks are these LGBT Mormons? A poll conducted by Utah State University found:... nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the 1,600 respondents had tried to change their orientation, and 86 percent classified church counseling that sought to end their same-sex attraction as not helpful, somewhat harmful or severely harmful.

SAVED: Anita Bryant Wants a Gay Best Friend?

Chad Hodge, a screenwriter working on a film about anti-gay activist Anita Bryant's life, met with Bryant and her husband Charlie Dry, Hodge tells E!'s Marc Malkin: Now 71, Bryant runs a ministry from an office she shares with her husband in Oklahoma City.

"She was panicked to meet me and I was panicked to meet her," said Hodge, who most recently was executive producer of The Playboy Club.

The two eventually warmed to each other. "We talked about everything," Hodge said. "Religion, homosexuality, her life and every detail of her life. I mean, everything! She really opened up to me. It started very standoffish...but then it slowly took a turn and she opened up and cried to me."

Cried?! Hodge smiled, "Turns out she wants a gay best friend just like everyone else."

GO GAY: These Two Kids Should Be Dating, Instead They're in a Horrifying 'Pray Away the Gay' Video!

I came across a new web video from 'White Throne Films' which stars Bobby Blakey, "a High School Pastor with a passion to help young people follow Christ with a love for God and his word" and two kids who reveal they thought they were gay but then found God, and apparently Blakey.

Blakey's now using them to spread his damaging message that kids can "pray away the gay".

Asserts Blakey: "If you don't accept homosexuality, you're not in with what's happening today....In high school classrooms homosexuality is being aggressively promoted."

SO-CALLED EXPERT: People Choose to Be Gay according to Cain!

Herman Cain hit on some hot-button social issues in his interview with Piers Morgan last night, including homosexuality and abortion. In one exchange transcribed by Politico, Cain says that “because of my biblical beliefs” he thinks being gay is “a personal choice,” challenging Morgan to show him scientific evidence to the contrary. Morgan counters that it would be like a gay person telling Cain he chose to be black.

“Piers, Piers,” Cain replies, “This doesn’t wash off. I hate to burst your bubble.” Cain also held forth on abortion, USA Today reports, saying he believed in "abortion under no circumstance." Morgan asked if “no circumstances” included cases of rape and incest, and Cain seemed to imply that it did—but then he added that “it’s not the government’s role to make that decision. … It ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make.” He later added: “I can have an opinion without it being a directive on the nation.” Which, New York points out, means “Cain might actually be pro-choice and not know it.”

HAIL: Susan Sarandon Calls Pope a Nazi!

Actress Susan Sarandon is not a huge fan of the pope. In fact, she called Benedict XVI a Nazi—twice—at a British film festival. She mentioned that she sent the pope a copy of the book Dead Man Walking, then clarified that she sent it to the last pope, "not this Nazi one we have now." The Vatican has admitted Benedict was a member of the Hitler Youth group, but says he was enrolled against his will. "Susan Sarandon's quip about Pope Benedict being a Nazi bespeaks unparalleled ignorance," Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, tells TMZ. "Unlike most others, he not only refused to go to the compulsory meetings, he deserted the Hitler Youth."