Posted on 07/26/2013 7:56:13 PM PDT by marshmallow
Fatima, Harissa, Damascus, Samalut, Assiut, Zeitun and many other places where the Virgin appeared are the destination of incessant pilgrimages from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iran. Pilgrims in search of physical but also spiritual healing; spontaneous and mystical prayer and not the schematic and formal verses of official Islam. The iconoclast Salafists destroy places of pilgrimage every year. But the devotion to Mary is growing, also fueled by the stories of the Koran. The spiritual dialogue between Christians and Muslims is much more promising than cultural, theological or political dialogue.
Beirut (AsiaNews) - Each year millions of Muslims come on pilgrimage to the Catholic Marian shrines. Not only to the major shrines such as Fatima in Portugal or Harissa in Lebanon, but also to Egypt, Syria, Iran. Muslims - especially Muslim women - go to give thanks to the Madonna or great Christian saints, like St. Charbel or St. George.
In the eyes of many Westerners these gestures seem ridiculous or false: they speak of apparitions, of prayers, but then there are massacres, killings, violence in the name of religion!
Like it or not, the religious phenomenon is alive in Latin America, in Africa, in Asia. When you see millions of Hindus go to bathe in the dirty water of the sacred river it may seem like a ridiculous thing. Yet for those who do it is an act of purification, of prayer. The West is tolerant and benevolent towards other religions, but its attitude towards Christians is increasingly hypercritical. The West is not post-Hindu, post-Islam. It is only post-Christian!
The point is that in the West, the supernatural is considered outdated, it is branded as mythology, illusion, instead the West is forever denouncing the difficulties that neither miracles nor pilgrimages can erase.
But in the rest of the world the spiritual.....
(Excerpt) Read more at asianews.it ...
It was in response to this post they you sent me a ping and got all upset, what's so upsetting to you?
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To: narses
I figure a whole lot of the folks who make such statements know full well they're telling outright lies.
They're dedicated to slandering the Catholic Church, starting arguments that give them an opportunity to spew more lies, and in general make sure there are divisions among Christians. Think about it. Look how the pro-life movement grew when non-Catholic folks joined with the Catholics who have been the backbone of the pro-life movement ever since Roe passed. Don't you think there are people dedicated to doing whatever they can to keep Catholic and non-Catholic Christians from joining together on other things as well?
Of course there are and they work very hard to spread lies and division anywhere they know Christians get together on-line and talk about conservative views. When people agree that abortion is murder, that the lowest level of government that can handle a problem should be the level to handle it, and a host of other things, the fifth columnists have to stick to hot button lies about the Catholic Church if they want to keep their enemies, all conservatives, divided and more easily conquered.
Divide and conquer has kept the democrat fascist party in control of both houses of Congress for all but a few of the past eighty years and they don't want their apple cart upset by a bunch of Christians who look at what they have in common. Catholic individuals have banned together and held the fascists feet to the fire over the evil of abortion and the fascists are tired of it.
The democrat fascists can't move on with the rest of their Eugenics program if there's a chance that Christians, Catholic and non-Catholic, unite and fight them like they've fought over abortion. Subverting a great many people in the hierarchy of Catholic and non-Catholic Churches in this country didn't work. Faithful Christians still joined together and fought abortion even if they couldn't get support from their parish, bishop, pastor, or denomination.
So, the democrat fascists are going after Catholics both with regulations they don't need to get through Congress to try and damage the Church infrastructure, and with their ever faithful propaganda machinery repeating the lies they've been using for over a hundred years to slander individuals. Every little democrat useful idiot knows they can help their fascist party bosses by getting Christians to fight among themselves. As an added bonus, they can enjoy watching some easily led people suck up the lies they tell.
Where better for such liars to spread their lies than on FR where people don't bother to participate unless they're conservative and agree with other Conservatives?
52 posted on Saturday, July 27, 2013 14:26:45 by Rashputin
(Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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Defend Thomas Jefferson’s Bible? And denying the Miracles of Christ?
Please do not diss Lourdes without knowing the facts.
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FRiend, did you even read my post? I think I made it clear in my previous post that I do know the facts. Let me spell it out: I have DONE Lourdes, from soup to nuts. I have seen the crutches on the grotto walls of those who have been allegedly healed in its waters, seen the trinkets for sale in the streets of Lourdes, taken home a small bottle of the water, sung “Ave Maria” with the other worshipers, etc. (Okay, I didn’t take a bath.) Frankly, there was something about the entire venue that left me feeling a bit odd.
Despite your somewhat combative post, I am delighted to know your daughter has made a terrific recovery — and I do not doubt the veracity of your story.
Nonetheless, I in no way feel obligated to credit her healing to God or “Mary.” Nor would I ever recommend a Lourdes bath to any sick person whom I genuinely wished to see made whole.
Please pardon me, but, in my view, the entire Lourdes Enterprise (and it IS an enterpri$e) is superstition writ large. It speaks not of Christ other than extremely obliquely, as its primary focus is on an unScriptural “Mary.” One of Satan’s excellent counterfeits: Keep people’s eye off the “ball” (i.e., Christ), and keep them hoping for something via “Mary.”
If you don’t like what we stand for ON FR, you’re always free to post elsewhere. By the way, that’s liberal bunkum you’re spouting about Jefferson. They hate him.
Do you defend Jefferson denying Christ’s miracles ?
Doubt that he did. Jefferson was a Christian.
May I ask you something? Just why is the historical reality of the miracles of chr*st more important than the historical reality of the rest of the bible? Why do the assertions of Genesis mean absolutely nothing to you?
You'll probably just say something cruel in reply, but I simply can't let this pass without asking.
Jefferson as a deist . Prove otherwise
Show where Jefferson believed Christ is God?
Liberal hogwash.
They mean plenty to me typologically
You'll probably just say something cruel in reply, but I simply can't let this pass without asking.
I have nothing cruel to say, the spirit within you is telling you something that is not from me
Prove otherwise ?
I despise American liberalism
Why do some people worry about the Creation when they don’t accept the Creator Jesus Christ and say that Christianity is a fraud?
It was the year that Israel crossed the Red sea with Pharoah in pursuit.
Everything that Yehova wanted his own to obey was in it. It was delivered on Shavuot.
Defend the integrity of Scripture and look where it gets you.
There’s a lot of liberal trash written otherwise, but as far as I’m concerned, Jefferson was a Christian and this nation was founded by Christians on Christian principles. Hope you don’t have too much of problem with that, because I do believe it with all my heart.
Actually your understanding is off alot!
All are born with a sin nature. It comes from their father.
Your mumblings about sin are solely your own, and do not come from Yehova, nor from his word.
Children sin from the moment that they take their first breath.
Or comb it all over the top and swirl it in a circle like Donald Trump :o)
Why do the assertions of Genesis mean absolutely nothing to you?
They mean plenty to me typologically
I knew you'd say something cruel. It seems to be the Catholic stock in trade.
How do you like this assessment of FR?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3047844/posts?page=111#111
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