Free Republic

Just back from a Washington gathering of like-minded Christians from various denominations concerned about potential losses of religious liberty, the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land termed an emerging coalition of conservative Catholics and evangelicals "the liberal's nightmare."Southern Baptists’ top spokesman for religious-liberty concerns voiced support May 26 for Catholics across the country gearing up for a “Fortnight for Freedom,” a two-week national campaign of special liturgies, prayer services and other events leading up to the Fourth of July. During his weekly “Richard Land Live” radio broadcast, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission said opposition...

Ah, those nasty Catholics, trying to force their beliefs on others by refusing to let the government make them violate their principles and consciences! Here is the first slice of moldy editorial bread: Thirteen Roman Catholic dioceses and some Catholic-related groups scattered lawsuits across a dozen federal courts last week claiming that President Obama was violating their religious freedom, by including contraceptives in basic health care coverage for female employees. It was a dramatic stunt, full of indignation but built on air.And the other thin slice, in conclusion: This is a clear partisan play. The real threat to religious liberty...

“The Pope and the Vatican should say to Georgetown, ‘You guys get your act together and straighten up and fly right or you can’t hold yourself out as a Catholic institution anymore,’” Francis T. Coleman, Georgetown ’61, told The Cardinal Newman Society. A basketball legend at Georgetown, Coleman, who goes by the name of Tom, has undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown. He coached freshman basketball and served as the first chairman of Georgetown’s Law Alumni Board. Now, the loyal alumnus finds himself advising the campaign led by Exorcist author William Peter Blatty, Georgetown ’50, to get his alma mater...

(CNSNews.com) - Having organized 43 plaintiffs—including the archdioceses of New York and Washington and the University of Notre Dame—to file 12 different lawsuits against the Obama administration last Monday alleging the administration is violating the religious freedom of Catholics, the Catholic bishops of the United States are now preparing Catholics for what may be the most massive campaign of civil disobedience in this country since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and early 1960s. “Some unjust laws impose such injustices on individuals and organizations that disobeying the laws may be justified,” the bishops state in a document developed to...

The counter-attack has begun. You knew it was coming, didn’t you? For weeks now the American bishops have been marching in lockstep unity, completely unanimous in their opposition to the HHS contraceptive mandate. The Catholic hierarchy has been headed into a showdown with President Obama, and not a single bishop had shown any inclination to back away from the fight. But you knew it couldn’t last. And it didn’t. This week Bishop Stephen Blaire became the first prelate to break stride, voicing his misgivings about the confrontation. Oh, Bishop Blaire wasn’t suggesting that the Catholic hierarchy should accede to the...

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, wrote the IRS to complain that independent Baptist pastor Charles Worley’s incendiary remarks that went viral on YouTube violated a federal law that says churches that receive non-profit tax benefits cannot take sides in partisan politics.Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate whether a North Carolina pastor’s sermon suggesting that gays and lesbians should be quarantined and allowed to die off that went viral in YouTube clips violated federal tax law. Barry Lynn, a United Church of Christ...

The U.S. Catholic Church will hold an event this summer called "Fortnight for Freedom" to bring attention to religious freedom issues. The Christian Post has learned that discussions are underway to include evangelical organizations with these events. Evangelical organizations have expressed solidarity with Catholic leaders who oppose the Obama administration's birth control mandate, which, they argue, is a religious freedom issue. In separate interviews, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokesperson for the USCCB, and Galen Carey, vice president for government relations at the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), both confirmed that discussions have taken place on how evangelicals might coordinate...

Cardinal Donald Wuerl is archbishop of Washington.From an early age, Catholics are taught to see God in their neighbor. The Catholic faith finds its fullest expression in a loving act of sacrifice by one stranger for another. Imagine the church’s surprise, then, to be told by the federal government that when a Catholic organization serves its neighbors, it isn’t really practicing its religion. That is the unacceptable principle at the heart of a mandate, issued in February by the Department of Health and Human Services, that requires religious organizations to provide health-care coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilization procedures,...

Yesterday, something very good happened and the University of Notre Dame was part of it. As you are no doubt aware, Notre Dame, the Archdioceses of New York and Washington and 40 other Catholic institutions joined in a lawsuit against the Obama Administration's unconstitutional abridgement of religious liberty via the HHS mandate. Led by Cardinal Dolan, the US Bishops have been rock solid on this issue and they continue to impress. It is immensely gratifying to say that while this steadfast resistance to such infringement might not have been expected from the Bishops just a few short years ago, we...

On Monday, May 21, Cardinal Dolan, President of the USCCB, applauded 43 dioceses, hospitals, schools and church agencies for filing 12 lawsuits around the nation saying the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contraception coverage mandate violates religious freedom. The Boston Archdiocese was not one of those dioceses. St. Anthony of Padua said, “Actions speak louder than words” and the actions of Cardinal O’Malley make it increasingly obvious that our Cardinal is lacking in courage. Here is an excerpt from the AP report on the news: NEW YORK – Roman Catholic dioceses, schools, and other groups sued the Obama...

Freedoms are being restricted with the aid of Catholics who have denied, in practice, any real connection between reason and revelation.“Faith’s recognition of the essential unity of all knowledge provides a bulwark against the alienation and fragmentation which occurs when the use of reason is detached from the pursuit of truth and virtue; and in this sense, Catholic institutions have a specific role to play in helping to overcome the crisis of universities today.”-- Pope Benedict XVI, “Ad Limina Address to U. S. Bishops, May 5, 2012.I.In its editorial occasioned by Georgetown University’s invitation to Kathleen Sebelius—a Catholic, who is...

A Catholic parish in the Diocese of Fall River has become the object of threats of violence, and vandalism, because of a sign posted on church property supporting the traditional definition of marriage. Yesterday, Saint Francis Xavier Parish in the town of Acushnet displayed a message on the church's billboard reading "Two men are friends, not spouses." In an interview this morning with Boston's FOX 25 News, Steve Guillotte, Director of Pastoral Services for Saint Francis Xavier, said the church has received a number of menacing, obscenity laced phone calls, including one threatening to burn the church down. A sign...

Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell has apologized for calling pro-life advocates “Forces of Darkness” after he received significant criticism following his using the term to describe pro-life people at a fundraising event for the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Heartwell defended taxpayer funding for the organization that does more than 25 percent of the abortions nationwide. However, his defense of taxpayer funding for the abortion giant is not what is making waves — instead, a comment about pro-life advocates is upsetting pro-life people. “Yet, every year, the forces of darkness seek to deprive women of the health and education they need...

http://youtu.be/D9vQt6IXXaM

There is much speculation that the proposed accord with Rome and the SSPX will result in two radical factions leaving the SSPX. The two groups are the French faction of the SSPX, noted by their devotion to the ideology of Charles Maurras and represented by Bishop Tissier de Mallerais, and the fascist faction of the SSPX, represented by Bishop Richard Williamson. While this event would have the good result of removing the extremists from the SSPX before its reunification with Rome, I am not certain this will occur. It is very possible that these radicals will come into the established...

Patrick J. Deneen, who is soon to leave his post as Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University, has launched a campaign to obtain Georgetown faculty signatures on a letter asking Georgetown President John J. DeGioia to rescind an invitation to “pro-choice” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak at the Jesuit university on commencement day. Sebelius’s HHS promulgated the mandate that faith-based institutions must provide health insurance policies that cover contraception and abortifacients, regardless of their moral objections to these practices. Calling the invitation to speak on commencement day “one of the greatest honors that a University community can bestow...

Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus won’t be attending graduation exercises at Anna Maria College this year at the behest of college officials, who met with the bishop and asked him to stay home this year. Because of Bishop McManus’s concerns, Anna Maria previously withdrew an invitation to “pro-choice” Catholic Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, to be the 2012 commencement speaker and to receive an honorary degree. But then Anna Maria President Jack Calareso and Sister Yvette Bellerose, chairman of the board of trustees, met briefly last week with the bishop, who has generally been present...

Dangerous or just wacky? Trial starts for Fairbanks militiamen Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/05/08/2457218/dangerous-or-just-wacky-trial.html#storylink=cpy

Rather than rescind its invitation to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak at the graduation ceremony for its Public Policy Institute (GPPI) on May 18, Georgetown University has quietly edited its website announcement of the event and is now attempting to deny that she is a “commencement speaker.” “Secretary Sebelius is not speaking at Georgetown’s commencement. She is speaking at Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s annual student and faculty awards event,” Georgetown spokesman Rachel Pugh said in an email to The Cardinal Newman Society. “Georgetown has 28 ceremonies to honor the achievements of our graduates and our faculty....

torah shiur about the deeper meaning of self-sacrifice.

A Torah shiur on classical Jewish commentary and elucidation of a verse in the King Solomon's Song of Songs. Don't let the Hebrew or Yiddish scare you...he translates everything. Jews--What do you live for?

I'm gobsmacked! Sitting here on a Sunday morning, pulling some reserve duty at AFLOA and listening to the bells at Andrews Chapel One ring out "Sweet Hour of Prayer" across the campus! I wonder how long it'll be before somebody complains and it stops? Or demands the Muslim call to prayer be broadcast 5 times a day and the Chaplain Corps rolls over?

Those who study psychology, psychiatry, and sociology may understand some aspects of the natural man, but when dealing the spiritual man they are empty and void of wisdom. The world’s wisdom is incapable of effectively dealing with the spiritual part of man known and understood only by God. When man has a physical problem, he should perhaps consult a professional familiar with the physical body. When he needs financial investment advice, he should visit a professional financial adviser. When a man is confronted with a spiritual problem, he should consult the word of God and seek counsel from a man...

My thoughts on Mitt Romney and the Trinity

Paul Ryan disavows Rand’s “atheist philosophy”; cites Pope BenedictIn an interview with National Review Online’s Robert Costa, Rep. Paul Ryan denies that he is, as Paul Krugman claimed in the New York Times, “an Ayn Rand devotee,” calling such descriptions of his political philosophy “an urban legend”: “I, like millions of young people in America, read Rand’s novels when I was young. I enjoyed them,” Ryan says. “They spurred an interest in economics, in the Chicago School and Milton Friedman,” a subject he eventually studied as an undergraduate at Miami University in Ohio. “But it’s a big stretch to suggest...

There are five videos by Rabbi Levin on this page asking religious activists not to back Romney. Please go to the link to see them.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Rock Cairn with NO CHRISTIAN CROSS.

Roman Catholic leaders are calling for two weeks of public protests against President Barack Obama's policies as they intensify their argument that the administration is engaged in a war on religion. The days between June 21 and July 4 have been set aside by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops which has sought to end the administration's contraception mandate, among other policies .... The bishops outlined their plan in an April 12 statement signed by Conference general secretary, Msgr. Ronny Jenkins. The statement entitled “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty” was drawn up by the ad hoc committee for religious liberty,...

<p>A prominent advocate for the separation of church and state filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service Thursday, accusing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria of violating federal law by intervening in a political campaign.</p> <p>The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, alleges that a fiery homily by Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky last Sunday effectively urged Catholics to vote against Obama in the 2012 presidential election.</p>

Has the title of this blog post got your attention? Good. Many of this blog’s regular readers and com-boxers could be classified as conservative Catholic, myself included (though I do my best to elude fixed categories). So I hope you will take this to heart, and maybe even take the debate outside the confines of this blog if you feel so moved. I like Bill Donohue. I sympathize with him and his organization, The Catholic League. I share many of their sentiments, including outrage and disgust, whenever the media decides to take another whack at Christianity. So I certainly don’t...

This is a video.

Thursday, April 19, 2012 Catholic Teaching and Healthcare Reform: The Proper Role of GovernmentBy Brian Kopp The following full page ad is being run in newspapers in Altoona, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh PA by our local pro-life group. Anyone who would like to use this for advertisements in their own market is free to use/reproduce the text of this ad:       In adhering to the doctrine of the Church, Catholics must follow specific moral teaching relative to the life issues (i.e. abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, etc.), and Catholic social teachings which include the person, society and the role of...

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria told the 500 men who attended the diocese’s annual men’s march and Mass that “the days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism.” “We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead [must] be Catholics by conviction. In our own families, in our parishes, where we live and where we work--like that very first apostolic generation--we must be bold witnesses to the Lordship of Jesus Christ,” he preached. “We must be a fearless army of Catholic men, ready to give everything we have for the Lord, who gave everything for...

Imagine being born without arms. No arms to wrap around someone, no hands to experience touch, or to hold another hand with. Or what about being born without legs? Having no ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand on two feet. Now put both of those scenarios together: no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that effect your everyday life?

US Bishops: Bloggers play ‘critical role’ in defending the Church by Patrick B. Craine Thu Apr 12 9:06 AM EST Relations between Catholic bloggers and Church officials have at times been quite strained as the new media has developed in the last couple years. Some prelates, clergy, and chancery officials have expressed strong reservations about the Catholic blogosphere, with some even speaking quite derogatorily. Church leaders have been angered by the penchant of many bloggers to call them out on their failures to expound and defend controversial Catholic teachings on moral issues like contraception, homosexuality, and abortion. The difficulties...

Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire? Some things are more important than high gas prices or a faltering economy. They are life, marriage and freedom. This November, Catholics must stand up and protect their sacred rights and duties. Please share this YouTube video with your friends! Test of Fire: Election 2012 Visit www.CC2W.org for more details.

With desperation in their voice, someone asked me what they could do about Islam and I replied by telling them that we must study Islam, educate others about Islam and become Activist by joining Activist and Lobbying groups that stand for not only human rights, but the rights of the individual. I also told them about a real important webpage at WhatYouCanDoAboutIslam.com. That page suggest over 33 things that a non-Muslim can do about Islam. One of the things that are suggested is starting a personal campaign to educate the public using leaflets, flyers, brochures, and booklets. So in preparing...

A powerful video, no matter what your faith

To those who still think that Islam is The Religion of Peace,, or that Islam means peace – I have a challenge. I bet you can’t look at “Islam In The News” for just two weeks and not get highly concerned!!! There are really 4 things that should scare the hell out of you, but my challenge is about keeping up with Islam in the Non- Main-Stream Media News, FOR JUST TWO WEEKS. Those 4 things are… 1. THE ISLAMIC TEXT: The Koran, rightly understood with the help of the Sunnah of Mohammad (the Hadith [sayings of MO], Biographies of...

I am pro-life. I believe Planned Parenthood is responsible for the mass murder of untold millions of pre-born infants. Nevertheless, I find it abhorrent that someone – who presumably shares my pro-life views, who shares my conviction that abortion doctors are doing the work of the devil – bombed a Planned Parenthood clinic this past Sunday in Grand Shute, Wis. The FBI has joined with the local police in Grand Shute to investigate the bombing. According to reports, a homemade explosive device was placed outside a window where it ignited, setting off a small fire inside the clinic. The bomb...

My words are coming they are here for you now ! But will you stand behind my plow ? For the will of The Father is what I would have you do , I in Him and Me in you , There is no struggle for your desire is mine , To please The Father ALL the time \o/ , No rest is needed for I AM your Zeal ! The fullness of the Wheel within The Wheel , So come to The Father and use My eyes to view , My seven spirits that I have given to you...

Undercover detectives in Nashville, Tenn. responded to an advertisement in the adult section of Backpage.com, a website owned and operated by Village Voice Media. They posed as customers and arranged a hook-up at a local hotel. They arrived at a room where two under-age girls were awaiting, ready to perform sex acts for money. The girls weren’t turning tricks on their own. Their pimp, who recruited them from out of state, was waiting for them in the hotel parking lot, where the detectives arrested him on charges of trafficking for sexual servitude. The arrest in the Volunteer State was no...

Update: University spokesman sidesteps issue; pro-abortion professor calls TFP “monsters.” Confirmed: Some pro-abortion internships are funded by ND Gender Studies. The Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame currently lists the following menu option on its webpage: “How to Find a Summer Internship.”  When students click on that option they are sent to a page titled:  “Summer Internship Opportunities,” which provides live links to pro-abortion groups. (Link) Alerted about this fact, over 10,850 students and parents joined TFP Student Action in politely asking Fr. John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, to have the website entries that...

LONDON, March 28, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Increased support by Catholic bishops for pro-life prayer vigils outside British abortion facilities has infuriated pro-abortion forces. Complaining that the vigils are successfully turning women away from abortion, one abortion group has organized a “counter-protest” set for the London vigil this Friday. Recently, Bishop Alan Hopes, an auxiliary bishop of Westminster, announced he would participate personally in the annual 40 Days for Life project. A spokesman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, one of the UK’s busiest abortionists, complained in the Evening Standard that there is “no moral justification” for bishops to get involved...

As his college newspaper grew increasingly leftist, then-student Joseph Koss helped launch a campus newspaper with a conservative perspective. Fast-forward five years through law school, a revival of his faith and a move from the Detroit metro area to the Kenai Peninsula in late 2009, and Koss was struck by the realization that again he’d lost his voice. This time he launched a blog, Defend Us in Battle. “I was never really a writer. I don’t really even consider writing a strongpoint. I’m more of a commentator, trying to send a message,” Koss told the Catholic Anchor. “I’m trained as...

A Canadian judge unleashed a harangue on a pro-life activist as he sentenced her to an added prison term for refusing to stay away from abortion clinics. Mr. Justice S. Ford Clements refused to grant probationary release to Mary Wagner when Wagner declined to promise that she would comply with court orders to avoid abortion clinics. Wagner had already served 88 days in prison for entering a clinic in Toronto to try to dissuade women from going through with abortion plans. ‘Your God’s wrong’: Judge erupts in angry tirade, sends pro-life activist back to jail (LifeSiteNews)

I have given My hand to release ~ And if received will bring great peace ~ But for those offended in flesh and heart , Their release is when they start ~ To let go of what was never theirs ~ ~ Only then can they climb My stairs "8" And stand in the center with Me "8" Surrounded with the Living creatures and the THREE **!!!** The Father ,The Spirit and The Son , For My forgiveness has already been done ! So to carry a burden of offence comes against Me ! Not any one else for I...

George Clooney Credits Christian Aid in Sudan, Tells of Unlikely Alliance with Pat Robertson by Mark Ellis, Faith Issues/Godreports Hollywood actor George Clooney put his body on the line for Sudan when he was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington March 16th. In recent statements he also credited the efforts of Christian aid groups to provide humanitarian aid and relief to those suffering what he described as “war crimes.” On March 14th, Clooney testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stating the Sudanese government was killing its people and blocking aid to the Nuba mountains and other areas. He...

My solace in you is derived from obedience that even in this small act you receive a great blessing ((( ("ME" ) )))"Jesus" So as you listen , follow and obey, We truly are one for you walk in my steps and I light the pathway before you ! Now come and remain well within my voice for I AM ALL of your provision in just this simple thing ! Joshua 5:6-12 New International Version (NIV) 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt...

THE FATHER IS THE COVERING OVER THE CHURCH (BODY) IN JESUS CHRIST Jordans are breaking wide open again , Where ever you go and they call you friend , For it is the love of The Father you carry with you , As my priest in the midst of the Jordans(resistant) I am sending to you , So know I am with you and and you are my ark , Now it is time for us to embark , For you shall be used to reveal the true and faithful way , As you release my words each day ,...