Free Republic

Venue: Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, Stamford, CT Dates: December 11, 12, 13 More info: http://patrickmadrid.blogspot.com/2009/11/ill-be-speaking-in-stamford-ct-december.html

You apologize for what Rush says. You publicly grovel for some sign somebody you didn't know was carrying at a demonstration. You tell us no Republican will vote for Pelosi's monstrosity. You tell us that Rep Cao is the "face of Republican future." You support a Marxist for NY23. I'm a Conservative who votes for Republicans and donates to them. Apologize to ME.

From website: "Top Thinkers of The Early Church" "Many people who know a lot about the Bible know little about what happened right after the time of the Bible, after Jesus and His apostles. This is the period of time from A.D. 100 to A.D. 500. Few Christians are aware that the very greatest of all thinkers, scholars, and leaders of this time were found on the continent of Africa. The five individuals selected [and discussed below] all lived in North Africa."

What did the Christians cherish from the pagan traditions, and what did they change? How Christians elevated culture What did the Christians cherish from the pagan traditions, and what did they change? They raised the status of women. It's dogma in our public schools today that women in ancient times were oppressed, because women had no voting rights, women had not the same opportunities as men, and so forth. You will be mocked if you deny that this spells oppression. If you're a college professor and you deny it, get ready for the stake. But the charges are anachronistic and...

We believe in Marx, Freud,and Darwin We believe everything is OK as long as you don’t hurt anyone to the best of your definition of hurt, and to the best of your knowledge. We believe in sex before, during, and after marriage. We believe in the therapy of sin. We believe that adultery is fun. We believe that sodomy’s OK. We believe that taboos are taboo. We believe that everything’s getting better despite evidence to the contrary. The evidence must be investigated And you can prove anything with evidence. We believe there’s something in horoscopes UFO’s and bent spoons. Jesus...

Speakers List:Edward Feser, Ph.D. Msgr. Stuart W. Swetland, S.T.D. Héctor Antonio Molina Benjamin Wiker, Ph.D. Dawn Eden Ken Hensley Patrick Madrid Who: Some of today’s top Catholic leaders, gathered together to help the Church build a culture of life. What: A very special 3-day Catholic conference on answering atheism and the culture of doubt. Where: Belmont Abbey College campus, 15 minutes from downtown Charlotte, NC. When: Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 12, 2009. Schedule: The conference begins at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 10, and ends at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 12.

In the Beginning was Information: Aspects of Information as Found in the Bible (Ch 14) by Dr. Werner Gitt 14.1 God as Sender—Man as Recipient The five aspects of information—statistics, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and apobetics—were discussed in chapter 4, and it was stated that all five are indispensable for both the sender and the recipient. It is highly instructive to view the Bible in this way...

You Tube's Local Pstor is back at it. His newest clip had me laughing out loud at the song choice... Thanks to Morningstar madness we will soon see Todd and his new, young wife on a platform near you. ...

The debate about who created evil is an important one since atheists and skeptics use the existence of evil in their arguments against theism. It is incumbent upon all Christians to understand what the Scriptures say about the God they worship and the existence of evil in the world. If God created everything, and if evil is in the world, does it follow that God created evil? We are told as Christians to believe what the Bible says. Even the popular children's song, “Jesus Loves Me”, has in its lyrics, “Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells...

Just so you know, Bart Ehrman says he's not the anti-Christ. Bart Ehrman says most of the New Testament is a forgery but it's still an important body of work. Bart Ehrman says most of the New Testament is a forgery but it's still an important body of work. He says he's not trying to destroy your faith. He's not trying to bash the Bible. And, though his mother no longer talks to him about religion, Ehrman says some of his best friends are Christian. Ehrman, a best-selling author and a professor of religious studies at the University of North...

Now a Creationist CMI Ph.D. scientist and author explains to an outside website what turned him to biblical creation How does someone with an essentially secular upbringing and secular education become a staunch supporter of biblical creation? (See also previous Boundless article A Theory of Creation). There was no single reason, but many pieces of evidence that accumulated into an overwhelming case...

The following is a list of arguments against Protestantism which, in our judgment, Catholics should not use, either because they are not true, or because, while they might be true, it is impossible to prove that they are, for a plausible alternative explanation of the data exists. This is certainly not a complete list: it is merely one missive fired for intellectual honesty. Neither is it an infallible list: it is possible that one or more of these arguments might be saved. 1. Do not allege that there are 33,000 Protestant denominations. This tally comes from the 2001 World Christian...

Gospel Dates and Reliability MH from Taiwan writes about Lita Cosner’s article over this year’s Resurrection Weekend, The Resurrection and Genesis, asking about how we know the dates of the New Testament books. The author explains...

A big determinant of your hermeneutics is the people you sit next to in church. Calvin, Barth, Bultmann, and Meredith Kline have all trickled down to you a little, but they don't hold a candle to the influence of Joe, Steve, Liz, and Mary. Hermeneutics, in other words, is mainly taught incarnationally. Nobody knows this, of course. We all think we're just believing what the Bible says. But as the fish is the last to know he is in water (because of the ubiquity of the water), so each church swims in its own soup, that only an outsider can...

This is a great reference source for Bible study and general online reading. Links to all Books and Chapters are on one page which makes this very helpful. Also there are audios of a number of translations. Here are links to some of the more popular and reliable English language translations. 1. New International Version - http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=31 2. New American Standard Bible - http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=49#books 3. New King James - http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=50 4. Amplified Bible - http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=45 5. Holman Christian Standard Bible - http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=77 6. King James Version - http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=9

Currently, the bestselling book on Amazon is Christian . . .

"He [Charles Darwin] was a Christian and yes, he did lose his faith. But he was never an atheist. He engaged in religious debate with friends but confessed to being in a hopeless “muddle”. . .

The search for the pure guiding light of reason, uncontaminated by human passion or metaphysical principles that go beyond all possible evidence, continues, however; and recently, an epidemic rash of books has declared success, at least if success consists of having slain the inveterate enemy of reason, namely religion. The philosophers Daniel Dennett, A. C. Grayling, Michel Onfray, and Sam Harris, biologist Richard Dawkins, and journalist and critic Christopher Hitchens have all written books roundly condemning religion and its works. Evidently, there is a tide in the affairs, if not of men, at least of authors. The thinness of the...

Q: I know that a priest who hears confessions is forbidden to reveal their contents to others. But does that hold if someone admits in the confessional that he’s sexually molesting children? Isn’t the priest breaking the law if he fails to inform the authorities that he knows So-and-so is a child molester?  –PatrickA: This is an extremely good question, since it pits the inviolability of the seal of confession against the need to protect innocent children. Naturally the Church wants to defend both at the same time. So what happens when a priest has to choose between the two?[1]...

On Wednesday, students, staff, and guests gathered at the Empire State Building, the home of The King’s College, for a spirited debate between prolific Slate columnist Christopher Hitchens and pastor/author Douglas Wilson, the founder of New Saint Andrews College. Moderated by World magazine editor Marvin Olasky, the two tangled over the question, “is Christianity good for the world?” After the debate, both Hitchens and Wilson stopped by our conference room for a post-debate interview.

However, there are at least half a dozen non-Christian (that is to say Roman or Jewish) sources that refer to Christian origins. These are sufficient to provide some confirmation of the historical picture that is painted by the Bible. Some of the most important of these sources are: Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, The Babylonian Talmud, Josephus, and the letter of Mara Bar-Serapion.

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 26, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says the priority for the Church today is above all to nourish itself with the Word of God, so as to bring forward the new evangelization.

CHICAGO – These days, Bill Ayers doesn't want to talk about the Weathermen, the Vietnam-era radical group he helped found that carried out bombings at the Pentagon and the Capitol. That doesn't mean the man who has become a political headache for Barack Obama is hiding his past. In fact, all you need to do is stand outside Ayers' office at the University of Illinois in Chicago to be confronted with it. Ayers' connection to the Weather Underground is plastered on his door. A postcard for a documentary on the group shows an old mugshot of Ayers. Nearby is cover...

"Waving the bloody shirt" was the phrase once used to describe the standard demagogic tactic of the late 19th century, when memories of the Civil War were still vivid and loyalists of both parties could be moved to "vote as they shot." As the years passed and the memories faded, the shirt got gorier, the waving more frantic. In 1896 the Democrats chose William Jennings Bryan as their leader, a man who was born in 1860 and had thus missed the Civil War, but who seemed to threaten the consensus politics of the time. In response, Republican campaign masterminds organized...

A number of Islamic associations have put a quick end to their collaboration with a professor -- and trainer of people who are supposed to teach Islam in German high schools -- who has expressed his doubt that Muhammad ever lived. Islam scholar Michael Marx spoke with SPIEGEL ONLINE about what lies behind the debate and the historical person of the Prophet.

ZE08090302 - 2008-09-03Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-23539?l=englishWhy Mary Appears Interview With Mariologist Mark Miravalle (Part 1) By Irene LaganSTEUBENVILLE, Ohio, SEPT. 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Private Marian apparitions serve to remind mankind that God exists, and to provide an opportunity to conduct a "global examination of conscience," according to Mariologist Mark Miravalle.The professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville will be a speaker at the 22nd International Mariological Marian Congress, to begin Thursday in Lourdes. The congresses, held every four years, are sponsored by the Pontifical International Marian Academy. This year's theme is "The Apparitions of the Most Holy Virgin Mary: Between History,...

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself" Mark 12:31 The Faces in the Crowd As I reflect on Catholicism I realize that faces come to mind, not a system, not a monolithic structure, not a demonic institution. I remember people who were very, very nice. To be sure, this is my own personal experience, but it is true nonetheless, and I suspect it reflects the experience of many others. When my elder sister died, they were very kind to me. When I was an unmannerly and disobedient brat at school the Mother Superior attempted to discipline me and show me...

The New York Times ran a feature story on July 6th, 2008 about the discovery of a stone tablet found near the Dead Sea in Jordan that apparently contains some reference to a “Prince of Princes” (ie. The Jewish Messiah) who would be slain and rise from the dead after three days. (Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection”, July 6, 2008) The essence of the article and the opinion of the scholars quoted is that somehow, the credibility of Christianity is at stake, on the grounds that this pre-Christian inscription, also known in scholastic circles as “Gabriel’s Revelation”, robs...

There is a skeptic I have been witnessing to. He has many questions. I offered to answer them all if he took the trouble to write them down. I have included my answers to his questions. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Check out this new site for used Christian books. Creation, apologetics, abortion, theology etc. http://www.remnantbooks.org

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MERIT James Akin I. Words And Word-FightsTwo Catholic doctrines which are phenomenally confusing to Protestants are the Catholic understandings of righteousness and merit. The key reason for this—in fact, virtually the only reason for this—is the different ways in which the two key terms "righteousness" and "merit" are used in the two communities.Often a given theological term may be used in several different technical senses, and when one sense is common in one community and another sense is common in a different community, terrible confusion and hostility can result.For example, it is vitally important to distinguish the...

THE PRIESTHOOD DEBATE James AkinI. Opening RemarksWhen I was an Evangelical, I originally held the same view of the priesthood that my opponent does. I viewed it as a man-made institution which robbed the faithful of their place as God's priests. I even quoted the same verses that my opponent does—the ones about us being a "kingdom of priests" or a "royal priesthood," depending on the translation you are using.But over the course of time, I began to realize that merely quoting those verses did not settle the issue. The Bible has far more to say on the subject.An embarrassment...

Immaculate Heart of Mary's Hermitage Hermits and Solitaries Can one be a hermit without being monastic? In the Christian world the technical designation hermit tends to signify monastically vowed solitary life. The New Code of RC Canon Law for Monastic and Religious reflects this position, and gives local Bishops the possibility of vowing diocesan hermits with no connections to any established religious or monastic order, Per Se.  Per Accidens, anyone who would be a vowed diocesan hermit will at least have to have some minimal recourse to the monastic and eremitic traditions of the Church.      The founders of...

JUSTIFICATION IN CATHOLIC TEACHING James Akin [Note: To understand the Biblical basis of some of the concepts in this paper, such as the fact that salvation is a process, see the paper "Salvation Past, Present, and Future."] The key document giving the Church's teaching on this subject is known as the Decree On Justification from the Council of Trent (1545-1564). This document contains a set of sixteen short, paragraph-long "chapters," followed by a series of canons excommunicating the teachers of false views.The first two chapters deal with fallen man's need for justification and the provision that God has made...

SALVATION PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE James Akin I. "HAVE YOU BEEN SAVED?"This is a question Protestants often pose when they are doing evangelism, but it is a question which takes many people by surprise, including many Catholics. Some people are surprised because they never think about salvation, but Catholics tend to be surprised by it for a different reason. Catholics tend to focus on salvation as a future event, something that has yet to happen. As a result, the Protestant question, "Have you been saved?" can sound presumptuous. But the question sounds very natural to Protestant ears because Evangelicals...

A new advertising campaign for the LDS Church that has been test-marketed in selected areas looks to focus public attention on "Truth Restored" as an answer to life's greatest questions. With the 178th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints set to begin Saturday, church leaders will focus on specific doctrinal issues for church members. But the new ad campaign is designed to reach those who know little or nothing about the faith. Developed by the church in conjunction with Brigham Young University's advertising department, the ads — inside publications such as Time, Newsweek, U.S....

I know many of you have been concerned about Father Corapi and his health. The rumors were indeed true, but thanks to Father Corapi's Weekly wisdom program, (fathercorpi.com), he addressed the whole issue on his health in today's program (March 29th). Realizing most of you aren't subscribers, I will give you the overview. However, should you want to watch it yourself, the quality is excellent and you can buy a month's package for $10. Bottom line, Father Corapi has a parathyroid tumor and will be going back to the Mayo Clinic next week for surgery. It's a very rare (6...

The authors of the books discussed in this year’s survey are senior scholars who have distinguished themselves through many years of teaching and lecturing, original contributions to biblical research and proven ability to communicate their learning to the general public. Their recent publications offer reliable and accessible points of entry to important areas within the biblical field. What do today’s biblical scholars do? What should they do? In The Nature of Biblical Criticism (Westminster John Knox), John Barton, professor of the interpretation of holy Scripture at Oxford University, contends that the main task of biblical criticism is to read texts...

"The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were "critical" of the beliefs of those who are not Christian, WND has learned."..... For example, the ministry addresses the issue of "fads," including a "creeping Eastern mysticism" appearing in some churches, "turning meaningful prayer meetings into mind-emptying rituals called contemplative prayer promising experiences of a spiritual nature." "Feelings have often replaced the solid word of God," the website warns. "Numerous churches have become 'seeker' churches, disposing of the parts of the Gospel message that might...

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod's Board of Communications suddenly pulled the plug today on our friends @ Issues, Etc. Both Rev. Todd Wilkens and his producer Jeff Schwarz, were both let go without advance notice.

People ask me what keeps me going. Why do I continue to write on subjects that so many people resist? For the simple reason that I see progress. When I first did radio interviews on Bible prophecy in the late 1980s, I was bombarded by some pretty nasty callers. I was called a heretic. Some called to ask if I was a Christian. As time went on, the nasty callers faded, and I started to get calls from people who had been questioning the popular system of end-time speculation but did not know there was an alternative position until they...

The Story of Christmasby Abbe Dom Prosper Gueranger By God's design the number 40 is most significant in holy Mother Church's liturgical year, especially in this particular liturgical year. After four weeks of Advent, we follow with 40 days of Christmas called Christmastide, with the main emphasis on the time between the Nativity of our Lord and the Epiphany. This year within four days of the Feast of the Purification, we follow Christmastide with the 40 Days of Lent, then 40 glorious days before Christ's Ascension into Heaven. Alleluia, indeed! "There is scarcely a prayer, or a rite, in...

This new media reality has introduced what I call "conversation stoppers" for Christians. Conversation stoppers are those questions that nearly everyone on the street knows to ask when the sensitive subject of Jesus comes up. They might say, "Well, what about all those other Gospels that never made it into the Bible?" Or, "Don't you know that history is written by the winners, and now that we can hear the losers, we need to revise the Bible's story?" What Christians often do is get angry or talk about the media's attempt to undercut our faith. Neither reaction accomplishes much. The...

Each year at this time, I think about how I would like to remind my unbelieving friends and loved ones of the glorious gospel and hope found in Jesus Christ. Seasons like Christmas give us another great opportunity to make the good news of Jesus known to the whole world, and especially to those closest to us. Sadly however, when Christmas comes and we gather with our unbelieving friends and family, we Christians look into the eyes of our unbelieving friends and family members excitedly telling them of how God has greatly blessed us, and what the true meaning of...

SCIENCE, we are repeatedly told, is the most reliable form of knowledge about the world because it is based on testable hypotheses. Religion, by contrast, is based on faith. The term “doubting Thomas” well illustrates the difference. In science, a healthy skepticism is a professional necessity, whereas in religion, having belief without evidence is regarded as a virtue. The problem with this neat separation into “non-overlapping magisteria,” as Stephen Jay Gould described science and religion, is that science has its own faith-based belief system. All science proceeds on the assumption that nature is ordered in a rational and intelligible way....

From Christianity Today, this fascinating bit of news: While the ballroom sessions of the first day of the Evangelical Theological Society meeting had more attendees, no session was as packed as J.P. Moreland’s “How Evangelicals Became Over-Committed to the Bible and What Can Be Done About It.” While the average breakout session seems to be attended by fewer than 50 people, easily more than 200 packed the room to hear Moreland’s talk, with dozens standing and more listening outside the door. ... “In the actual practices of the Evangelical community in North America, there is an over-commitment to Scripture in...

What's So Great About Christianity?   By Dr. Paul KengorFrontPageMagazine.com | Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Dr. Paul Kengor: Dinesh, I can’t help but begin by tossing you a big softball: I’m impressed by the endorsements for your new book. This is quite an eclectic bunch: Francis Collins of the Human Genome Institute, academic Stanley Fish, the Rev. Robert Schuller, Oxford’s Daniel Robinson, historian Paul Johnson and even Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic magazine. Clearly, you’ve done something right. The title of this book, What’s So Great About Christianity, is a natural follow-up to your earlier work, What’s So...

This article is a part of a collection of essays written recently by Dr. Horton after his interview on 60 Minutes which aired on October 14, 2007. "Name it, claim it"; the "health-and-wealth" or "prosperity gospel" : these are nicknames for a heresy that in many respects is only an extreme version of perhaps the most typical focus of American Christianity today more generally. Basically, God is there for you and your happiness. He has some rules and principles for getting what you want out of life and if you follow them, you can have what you want. Just “declare...

The Reformation Show - 10/27/07 500 hundred years ago a major shift occurred in the worldview of Western Civilization. The Reformation elicited change in theology, philosophy, politics, civics, economics, the sciences, literature, and so much more. Today the Evangelical Churches continue that great tradition expressed in the five 'Solas'. But the question needs to asked, has the Reform movement outstayed its welcome? Is Evangelicalism and the conservative theological interpretations that it holds still a vital position in the Modernist/Post-Modern era? Have the fissures caused by the political and ethnic pressures within Roman Catholic Church now become a tempest in a...

I knew the devil's PR machine was working way overtime the minute I stumbled across a website affiliated with a well-known Protestant denomination. That site – and apparently the local church that spawned it – have as their mission the "re-imagining" of the God of the Bible as a pagan female deity. "To celebrate the feminine persona of God/dess" is the purpose of the site, according to whatever miscreant created it and lent it the appearance of respectability under someone else's 500-year-old denominational name. Hello? 'Scuse me? First of all, what goddess? And what does "re-imagine" mean in regular-people talk?...