http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/apologetics-religion/ en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:00:02 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050761/posts It is no doubt that television is the true American Idol. One commenter on a blog I frequent said it best: if you were to sit down and tally up the amount of time you watch TV and the amount of time you spend in prayer and Bible reading which would be larger? May we step back and assess our lives and realize that idols are everywhere and can so quickly become our god. This video presentation should cause all of us to step back and assess…. soli Deo Gloria http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050761/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:00:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050744/posts This is a powerful little clip from a sermon by Paul Washer. Its not always easy to remember in the middle of loss or continuous physical pain that these things we endure are not only helping to mold us into the man or woman of God, which is our eternal destiny if we be in Christ, but that they are a testimony to God’s Name and Glory: how? by our steadfast faithfulness to Him through it all…and how the world witnesses this. Even chastisement we receive by the hand of God is a ‘witness’ that we ARE a child of... Sola Dei Gloria http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050744/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:20:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050682/posts Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often seek to point out differences between the various accounts which Joseph Smith gave of his First Vision. In defense of their position that the Prophet changed his story over a six year period (1832 to 1838) they claim that the earliest followers of Joseph Smith either didn’t know about the First Vision, or seem to have been confused about it. Comparison to Paul's vision Paul the apostle gave several accounts of his vision of the resurrected Lord while on the road to Damascus. Like Joseph Smith's account of the... Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050682/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:30:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050532/posts When I came into Catholicism, a number of non-Christians and Protestant Christians asked me: “How could a good Christian like you ever become a Catholic?” It was a classic case of the fallacy we’re going to examine in this chapter. The fallacy is called Question-Begging Definition, and it occurs when the person challenging you with a question purposely or inadvertently subtly redefines a key term to make the question sound half reasonable, when in fact the question is fallacious.This article is a series about right reasoning and the way logical and linguistic fallacies confuse communication and often lead us... Catholic Exchange http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050532/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:36:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050477/posts Indulgences, which give Catholics time off Purgatory for good behaviour, are making a comeback under Pope Benedict XVI. In the past year, the Vatican has granted them for World Youth Day, the 150th anniversary of the Virgin Mary's apparition at Lourdes and, most recently, the 2,000th anniversary of St. Paul's birth. The renewed enthusiasm for the controversial practice is being felt here. Ottawa's archbishop, Terrence Prendergast, is encouraging area Catholics to celebrate St. Paul by going for the indulgences; going so far as to issue a press release recently spelling out how to get one. People don't need to apply... The Ottawa Citizen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050477/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:04:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050235/posts We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). “This combat rages fiercely even today, aided and abetted by well-known secret sects, Satanic groups and New Age movements, to mention but a few, and reveals many ugly heads of the hideous anti-God monster: among them are notoriously secularism, which seeks to build a Godless society; spiritual indifference, which is insensitive to transcendental values; and relativism, which is contrary to the permanent tenets of the Gospel. “All... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050235/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:49:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050228/posts For the Christian, the center from which the Divine design proceeds within the fabric of our own lives- and through which we begin to discern the beauty of God’s perfect plan - is the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is the central patch of cloth from which the pattern proceeds. It is also where the pattern returns. However, seeing this pattern requires ongoing conversion. We need the eyes that can only come through living faith. We need the strength to pull ourselves up by grasping the wood. It is only there where we begin to see that the threads all... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050228/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:40:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050159/posts A five minute video with a message of God's sovereignty, good for the soul of the saint - convicting for the soul of the spiritually dead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEadldYHtUk FBC Briar http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050159/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:38:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050128/posts Issue: In the 1500s, Protestant Reformers claimed to have divine guidance in attempting to restore the order, truth and unity of the early Christian Church. Does the Bible and other historical evidence support their claim? Response: No. As the Bible and other historical evidence testify, Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church. While some of the Church’s leaders and practices (not doctrines) were in need of reform in the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation erred in rejecting the visible papal authority that God provided to establish and maintain order, truth and unity in His Church (cf. Jn. 17:20-23). In seeking Christ without His... CUF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050128/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:39:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050032/posts  The RCIA Inquiry Stage In the Catholic Church Thinking about joining the Catholic Church, and feeling a little lost? Here's some detailed, Christ-centered guidance on faith development during the RCIA inquiry stage. The RCIA inquiry stage is the starting place for adults who are thinking about entering the Catholic Church. "Be still, and know that I am God." — Psalm 46:10 In the inquiry stage, you're just finding out about Jesus, Christianity, and the Catholic Church. Talk to people, walk around in our shoes for a bit and get a feel for the place. As an inquirer, you're not yet... BeginningCatholic.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050032/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:30:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050025/posts  A Strong Start in the Faith: The Catholic RCIA Stages Thinking of joining the Roman Catholic Church? The Catholic RCIA stages are a good model of basic faith development. This article provides some detailed guidance for that process. So, you're developing your faith. Great! Is it a little overwhelming? Where to start? Why so many "stages" of initiation? What should I be doing in each stage? How will I know when I'm ready to move forward? This article is your best starting point to answer these questions, and more. I'll provide you with some fundamentals — centered in Christ —... Beginning Catholic.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050025/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:12:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049936/posts NORTH Shore churches are likely to see a wave of new worshippers following the successful World Youth Day.Sister Monica Cavanagh, from the Sisters of St Joseph at North Sydney, said the event had been a wonderful opportunity to talk to people about living a "religious life"."Some of the sisters have been approached by people who are interested in being baptised," Sister Monica said."There are lots of vocational opportunities within the Catholic church such as being a teacher, nurse or working in social welfare."The Sisters have been "kept on their toes" for the past week following Pope Benedict XVI's visit to... North Shore Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049936/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:16:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049778/posts Does Contraception Foster Love? — Part 2 of 6 July 22nd, 2008 by Christopher West We continue a series of reflections on the issue of contraception in light of the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. When Pope Paul VI issued this document on July 25, 1968, it fell like a bomb. Many people wished the issue would just go away. It hasn’t. And it won’t. In fact, it can’t “go away.” This encyclical takes us to the very foundations of human life (humanae vitae).In the last column, we looked at how contraception has played a key role in the cultural... CatholicExchange.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049778/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:16:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049687/posts The Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan today declared that Gene Robinson, the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire, "should resign for the sake of the church." In a press conference at the decennial Lambeth Conference, the Most Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul said that homosexual ordination "is not what is found in the Bible" and that it is "not the norm of the Anglican world." Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049687/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:53:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049536/posts In the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate (NA), “Declaration On The Relation Of The Church To Non-Christian Religions,” birthed from apostate Roman Catholicism we can trace the very rotten root of The Ecumenical Church Of Deceit (ECoD) of postevangelicalism. And this document also spawned the current apostasy festering within evangelicalism as well. For you see it was NA that would open the door for Trappist monk Thomas Merton, one of most highly prized Golden Buddhas of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, to openly pursue his own antibiblical interspiritual “dialogues.” As we point out below he wasn’t alone and, just as previously shown in... Apprising Ministries http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049536/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:50:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049328/posts "THE PURPOSE OF THE AGES." By The Rev. Dr. Bullinger (At the Nottingham Conference, May, 1894. As published in THINGS TO COME – A Journal of Biblical Literature for August, 1894.) The one great and blessed feature of these prophetical conferences is that Christ is the center of them, and Christ the object they bring before us. Their great object is to glorify Christ, and that also is the special work of the Holy Ghost. Christ is the living Word, and we assembled here to learn from the written Word. This Word has many different titles, and each title brings... THINGS TO COME -- A Journal of Biblical Literature http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049328/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:31:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049102/posts Contraception and Cultural Chaos — Part 1 of 6 July 21st, 2008 by Christopher West This July 25th marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most controversial papal documents in history: Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae which reaffirmed the traditional Christian teaching on the immorality of contraception. If you have wrestled with this teaching, believe me, I can relate. Years ago I almost left the Church over it. Forty years of perspective provide an opportunity to take another look. That’s what I’ll be doing in [the next] several columns.You may have noticed above that I said “traditional Christian teaching”... CatholicExchange.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049102/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048876/posts Arch Diocese Says Women Are 'Excommunicating Themselves' BOSTON -- Three Catholic women were ordained as priests in a Back Bay neighborhood church this weekend, despite the Vatican's admonition that the trio would be excommunicated if they did so.VIDEO: Women Priests Ordained In Boston“The women being ordained today have been called and they are following God’s guidance and direction for their lives,” said Dana Reynolds, a woman from California who became a Catholic bishop in a ceremony in Germany three months ago. “They have said ‘yes’ to God.”NewsCenter 5's Rondella Richardson reported that a congregation of Catholic worshippers, both male and... Boston Channel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048876/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:37:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048809/posts From a sermon by Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, priest 1559 - 1619   Preaching is an apostolic duty      There is a spiritual life that we share with the angels of heaven and with the divine spirits, for like them we have been formed in the image and likeness of God. The bread that is necessary for living this life is the grace of the Holy Spirit and the love of God. But grace and love are nothing without faith, since without faith it is impossible to please God. And faith is not conceived unless the word of God is preached.... CatholicRadio.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048809/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:28:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048642/posts Everyone, There is a new political action committee that claims the 25th chapter of Matthew in the Bible as its own. I've posted my thoughts on this to their very own Facebook network. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=17292483021&topic=5751Please have a look and see if you can help provide counterarguments to the blowback that will inevitably result. Thanks for your help. Facebook: Matthew 25 Network, www.Matthew25.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048642/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:37:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048575/posts It is often asserted by Roman Catholic apologists that Protestants must rely on their tradition in order to know which books ought to be included in the Biblical Canon. The argument says that since there is no “inspired table of contents” for the Bible, then we are forced into relying upon tradition to dictate which books belong in the Bible, and which books do not. It was the church of Rome, these apologists alledge, which determined the canon at the Councils of Hippo (393 A.D.) and Carthage (397 A.D.), and it is only due to this, that Protestants know which... Christian Truth.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048575/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:06:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048560/posts p>SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- With the help of St. Augustine, Benedict XVI gave a brief theology lesson on the third person of the Trinity at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. The Holy Spirit "has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity" the Pope told the youth. "A clear understanding of the Spirit almost seems beyond our reach." The Pontiff recalled that as a young boy he learned of the Holy Spirit, but never quite understood the third person of the Trinity until he was a priest... ZNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048560/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:15:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048559/posts Mark Gilbert is the Sydneyanglicans.net correspondent at World Youth Day. This week, the Sydney Anglican minister shares his extraordinary story of what happened to him following the 1986 Papal visit to Sydney. Being Catholic was always very important to me: it was my identity, my culture. Growing up, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel I had a relationship with God, though I was never sure exactly where I stood. I knew God through religious activities: going to Mass, receiving the Sacraments and having spiritual experiences like retreats. If I’d just been away on a retreat I’d... sydneyanglicans.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048559/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:09:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048556/posts SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Although it's not easy to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in one's life, Benedict XVI says one can be certain that the Spirit is the silent and hidden guide toward unity and reconciliation.The Pope said this at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. Giovanni Maria Vian, director de L'Osservatore Romano, said the discourse of the Holy Father was "one of the most beautiful texts of his pontificate." The Pontiff said the words of Christ taken as the theme of World Youth Day 2008 -- "You... ZNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048556/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:59:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048473/posts Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Dominica X Post Pentecosten ~ Tenth Sunday After Pentecost † Missa Cum clamárem ad Dóminum, exaudívit vocem meam ( "When I cried to the Lord He heard my voice" ) 20 July 2008 Anno Dómini "....he that humbleth himself shall be exalted...." "Nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us. I could attend Mass forever, and not be tired. It is not a mere form of words; it is a great action. The greatest action that can be on earth. It is. .... Robert Drobot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048473/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:49:22 GMT