http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/catholicism/ en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:47:55 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417343/posts QuestionDoes James 2 contradict Romans 4? AnswerThe most serious problem these verses pose is the question of what James 2:24 means: "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." Some imagine that this contradicts Paul in Romans 3:28: "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." John Calvin explained this apparent difficulty: It appears certain that [James] is speaking of the manifestation, not of the imputation of righteousness, as if he had said, Those who are justified by faith prove their justification by obedience and good... Bible Bulletin Board http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417343/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:47:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2411487/posts Mormons want you to believe that they are "Christians" and that their church, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints", is just another Christian denomination. Mormons themselves believe that they are Christians and that their church is the only true church. Joseph Smith receiving his vision There is even a move among Mormons to shorten the name of their church to simply "The Church of Jesus Christ."Their founder, Joseph Smith claimed to have been told in a vision regarding the Christian churches that God "forbade me to join with any of them" and "all their creeds were an... Catholic Education Resource Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2411487/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:02:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395772/posts News broke this week that Thomas Tobin, the Catho lic bishop of Providence, RI, had in 2007 asked Rep. Patrick Kennedy to refrain from receiving Communion because of the congressman's support for legalized abortion. The ensuing howls of protest almost universally missed the point. Some Catholic writers charged that Tobin was sowing division within the church and "politicizing" the sacrament. On the pro-choice left, Tobin was flayed for everything from "religious blackmail" to -- inexplicably -- violating the separation of church and state. Perhaps the strangest comment came from former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, who predicted that if pols... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395772/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:01:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395524/posts The BBC has abandoned plans to screen a ballet featuring a deformed Pope who rapes nuns that it had announced as one of the highlights of its Christmas schedule. Last month the corporation said it would televise "In The Spirit Of Diaghilev" from London's Sadler's Wells Dance Theatre as part of a season of ballet programs. The tribute to the Russian impresario comprises four acts, each by a groundbreaking choreographer, with the entire production due to be screened on BBC Four next month. Foxnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395524/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:57:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2377417/posts New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has condemned The New York Times -- blasting the Gray Lady and its columnist Maureen Dowd for what he says are examples of unfair, prejudicial and just downright mean anti-Catholicism. Dolan used his blog last Thursday on the Archdiocese of New York's Web site to rail against the Times a day after the paper refused to print his critique as an op-ed piece. He singled out Dowd -- a poison-penned, Pulitzer winner and former Catholic-school girl -- for "the most combustible," "intemperate and scurrilous" "diatribe" she wrote on Oct. 25, which "rightly never would have... NEW YORK POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2377417/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 15:34:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376518/posts Where is Tom Hanks when you need him? Something sinister is happening in the Catholic Church, at least according to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. And the way she writes about it, it reads like the beginning of a treatment for a Dan Brown extravaganza. Her plot, you see, is just that absurd. Dowd was convinced that Catholic religious sisters were unhappy when she was in the fifth grade, and she remains adamant. She writes: “Nuns were second-class citizens then and — 40 years after feminism utterly changed America — they still are.” I can’t speak for “the formidable... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376518/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:58:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376447/posts This is a brief post scriptum to Part 4, warranted by a series of most interesting comments thereto by a Mr. W. Lindsay Wheeler, and counter arguments by other readers, for whose positive comments I am thankful. It is strange indeed that the Roman Catholic faith still harbors such a high percentage of Antisemites, particularly on the periphery of Europe bracketed by Ireland on one side and Poland on the other. Part of it has to do with the limited teaching of the Bible in Catholic education – at least the kind I know from Europe. Many traditional Catholics have... The Brussels Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376447/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 13:44:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357832/posts Promoting Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore is beating the drum of his Catholicism in a way that he hasn't previously. Check out this clip from Moore's appearance last night on Sean Hannity's TV show. When Hannity suggests possible political labels for Moore, the filmmaker responds: "Christian." Then Moore quizzes the Fox News host, a fellow Catholic, on the last time he's been to mass. Trying to out-church him, Moore implies that Hannity is fibbing about having attended mass last weekend. It's no accident that Moore's new openness about his religious faith is coming now, after the Democratic Party has... US News & World Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357832/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 20:52:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2353095/posts Well, I must say that at least the CCCB is listening to the concerns of lay Catholics. That’s a good sign, indeed. In a statement published today by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishops had this to say about Dr. Gaillardetz’s invitation to speak to them at their Plenary Assembly scheduled for October 19-23 in Cornwall, Ontario: Socon or Bust http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2353095/posts#comment Fri, 2 Oct 2009 03:30:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2341385/posts Today The Cardinal Newman Society published a new, second edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, a free online resource for parents and students seeking a faithful Catholic education. This comprehensive Guide recommends 21 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States plus eight international, online and unique programs based on the strength of their Catholic identity. In addition, the Guide includes several essays to help families better understand the search for a strong Catholic college. The culmination of four years of research and hundreds of interviews, this edition of The Newman Guide builds substantially on the... THE NEWMAN GUIDE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2341385/posts#comment Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:50:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2339018/posts In light of these different foundations, therefore, it is important to point out to our opponents that their very conception of equality is fundamentally different than our own. There is a false assumption that both sides view equality in the same way. As we can see, however, that is not a valid assumption at all. It is no surprise, therefore, to find that there is a divergence of opinion on the issue of women’s ordination. Feminists believe they don’t have equality in the Church because they are denied a function, but this is a distortion of what true equality is.... Socon Or Bust http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2339018/posts#comment Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:29:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2335488/posts The Washington Post’s religion writer Anthony Stevens-Arroyo had a lot of praise for Teddy Kennedy’s funeral Mass but not because of its religious content. Stevens-Arroyo thought that the thing that made the Kennedy funeral “the most Catholic” was the constant allusions to things political. Stevens-Arroyo began his piece asking, “So, did Kennedy's liberal politics interrupt a ritual meant to unite and not divide?” His answer seems to reveal his own liberal politics instead of any understanding of American Catholicism and he certainly comes down on the side of those that saw no reason not to impose political matters on a... Publius Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2335488/posts#comment Wed, 9 Sep 2009 16:10:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2333973/posts Fr. Tom Rosica, the CEO of Salt + Light TV, has posted a scathing, malicious, and bizarre attack on the pro-life community in the Catholic Church on his blog, wildly accusing critics of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s public funeral of “division, destruction, hatred, vitriol, judgment and violence…destroying and killing others“. ... Socon Or Bust http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2333973/posts#comment Mon, 7 Sep 2009 16:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327262/posts There is much truth to the adage that many of our wounds are self inflicted. This has been especially true for the Catholic Church in the United States and the Archdiocese of Boston in particular. Recall that the clergy sex abuse scandal first came to light there because of their egregious nature and the laxity of the then Archbishop Bernard Cardinal Law in handling them. According to statistics the Church is still reeling from the aftershocks. On Wednesday the Church further diminished her credibility when it was announced that a Mass of Christian Burial would be celebrated for Senator Edward... humanevents.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327262/posts#comment Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:28:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326931/posts Time’s Amy Sullivan seems to have a special assignment to try and play up the religiosity of liberal Democrats despite their libertine policy stands, from Barack Obama to Ted Kennedy. On Thursday, Sullivan underlined "Ted Kennedy’s Quiet Catholic Faith." How does that match with his ultraliberal political record on abortion and homosexuality, his perfect 100-percent scores with NARAL or the Human Rights Campaign? Sullivan simply ignores that obvious problem. (HRC’s YouTube channel proudly shows Kennedy suggesting Jesse Helms might be in Hell at a March 2008 dinner. So much for Christian charity.) Kennedy "fully embraced" the Catholic Church, Sullivan claimed:... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326931/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:50:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326897/posts Christianity Without ConvictionbyPaul L. Williams, Ph.D.thelastcrusade.org On Saturday morning, a funeral Mass for Senator Edward “Teddy” Kennedy will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica on the outskirts of Boston. A Kennedy family statement says that the Basilica “took on special meaning as a place of hope and optimism” for the Senator. What kind of hope? What source of optimism? Before Vatican II, a man with Kennedy’s record of cardinal offenses could never expect his corpse to be blessed in a Roman Catholic Church - - let alone a Basilica. In its “Declaration on Procured Abortion, published... The Last Crusade http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326897/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:50:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326871/posts August 28, 2009 Dear Priests, Deacons, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese of Fargo, At this time in our nation’s history, we continually face new challenges as we witness to the Gospel in an ever increasing secularized society. Currently our civil leaders are discussing different proposals to provide greater access to health care in our country. Indeed, the Church has officially manifested her teaching, since Pius XI to Benedict XVI, in the recognition of the great importance of ensuring that all peoples have access to health care. In principle, the Church ought to always promote wider and more complete access... Catholic Diocese of Fargo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326871/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:16:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319883/posts Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments today on remarks made yesterday by Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood: Planned Parenthood is getting restless knowing that its abortion-happy health care reforms are on the skids. Cecile Richards is now accusing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of seeking to make “American women second-class citizens.” And that’s just the danger they are doing at home. Abroad, “their hard-line opposition to women’s rights also endangers millions of women around the globe.” Why they haven’t been locked up, she does not say. Richards was recently summoned to the White House to discuss health... BILL DONOHUE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319883/posts#comment Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:33:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2317949/posts THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY A Roman Catholic Dogma Originating with Heretics and Condemned as Heretical by 2 Popes in the 5th and 6th Centuries. By William Webster The Roman Catholic doctrine of the assumption of Mary teaches that she was assumed body and soul into heaven either without dying or shortly after death. This extraordinary claim was only officially declared to be a dogma of Roman Catholic faith in 1950, though it had been believed by many for hundreds of years. To dispute this doctrine, according to Rome’s teaching, would result in the loss of salvation. The official teaching of... Christian Resources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2317949/posts#comment Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:10:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2317663/posts In pictures: Pilgrimage unites Sri Lankans The church sits on a site where there has been a shrine to the Virgin Mary for hundreds of years. Catholics, both Tamil and Sinhalese, and members of other faiths revere it. BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2317663/posts#comment Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:33:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2310410/posts CatholicsComeHome.org was the brainchild of Arizonan Tom Peterson, who, according to the group’s website “while on a Catholic retreat in 1997… had a profound reversion experience.” Now Peterson speaks at Catholic and pro-life events around the country. Among those serving on his Theological Advisory Board are Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs, Scott Hahn, and Peter Kreeft. Three award-winning videos which have a 2008 copyright have now been made into a CD to share with others. The first, called “Epic,” details the contributions of the Catholic Church over the ages:... California Cathollic Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2310410/posts#comment Fri, 7 Aug 2009 12:26:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2310010/posts Editor: David Schindler, provost/dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family at Catholic University and editor of the quarterly theological review, Communio, took the rare step of writing an editorial in the front of the Spring, 2009 issue, an issue that arrived in subscribers’ mailboxes mid-July.) (1) In its invitation to President Obama, Notre Dame started a controversy it surely could have anticipated would exacerbate divisions among Catholics in America. The controversy was not necessary: it did not come to, but was brought about by, the university. To say that the university went ahead with the... California Cathollic Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2310010/posts#comment Thu, 6 Aug 2009 22:48:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2303350/posts CHURCH FATHERS Protestantism is closer than Catholicism to the beliefs of the Church fathers Many Catholic doctrines were only introduced centuries later and were corruptions Initial reply In fact, the exact opposite is true: the fathers as a whole were much more "Catholic" in their beliefs than they were some kind of primitive "Protestants", and this is amply confirmed by Protestant Church historians themselves. Extensive reply Ten major "distinctively Catholic" doctrines will be supported by documentation (that early Church fathers largely agreed) from the Protestant historians listed below: Bible, Church, and Tradition, not Bible Alone (sola Scriptura) as the... Biblical Evidence for Catholicism http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2303350/posts#comment Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:03:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2297986/posts The morning sun has barely crept above the horizon when 13 beginning seminarians emerge from dormitory rooms and wander into the chapel of their religious compound. "God our Father . . . let not temptation ever quench the fire that your love has kindled within us," they recite from their liturgy books. Inside the Junipero Serra House of Formation, at the base of a rock-strewn mountain 60 miles east of Los Angeles, these men -- the youngest just 19 -- are getting their first taste of the priesthood, devoting themselves to prayer, obedience and celibacy. They are a precious commodity... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2297986/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:01:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2295860/posts Now that was a week: a new social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (“Charity in Truth”), from Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday; a meeting between the pope and Pres. Barack Obama on Friday; heavy-duty polemics on Wednesday and Thursday, largely reflective of the determination of certain Catholic parties in the United States to turn the encyclical into a pontifical endorsement of Obamanomics, Obamacare, etc., in anticipation of the Vatican summit. The high, or low, point in the exchange of counter-battery fire in the blogosphere may have come Thursday, when former Maryland lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend issued a broadside arguing that... National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2295860/posts#comment Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:19:40 GMT