Free Republic

A court in Malaysia ruled on Monday that a Catholic newspaper could not refer to God as "Allah," in a case that has spanned three years. The Herald argued in 2009 that the government ban on the use of "Allah" - the Arabic world for God - was unconstitutional. The challenge to the government's decree was upheld by a court that year and the ban was lifted pending a judicial review. The removal sparked a series of attacks on Christian places of worship in an unusual display of religious tension in the multi-faith country. The review, presided over by a...

"Technocracy is nothing new. It hasn’t just come up in the last two decades. It has been around for the last 400 years. Technocracy is a very strange animal, it has many different facets. It has a very colorful history. It’s very difficult to actually define it, however, the main idea behind Technocracy is that it is a political as well as an economic system. As a political system, it is a pure dictatorship, it is a pure totalitarian system. Those who rule in a technocracy are not democratically elected politicians, they are appointed in some way, or they appoint...

The headline of the full-page ad asks, "What Would Jesus Cut?—A budget is a moral document." The text continues, "Our faith tells us that the moral test of a society is how it treats the poor." The ad was produced by Sojourners, a self-described "evangelical" organization whose slogan is "Faith in Action for Social Justice." The ad was signed by Sojourners president Jim Wallis and more than two dozen Religious Left pastors, theologians, and activists. They urge our legislators to ask themselves, "What would Jesus cut?" from the federal budget. How would you answer that question? My answer would...

If you listen carefully, you can hear echoes of the resurrection in the great, epic stories we return to again and again. Those stories lead us to a poi­nt of despair where all seems to be lost, only then to erupt into uncontainable joy as good triumphs over evil. There is a reason these stories resonate with us. In one way or another, they model and mimic the true story of our world. A story of perfection and paradise, corrupted by human sin and wickedness, redeemed by a selfless sacrifice, and restored through a triumphant return. This is the true...

Self-proclaimed Biblical scholar Joseph Atwill has written a book in which he claims that Jesus was fabricated by a little-known group called the Flavians. He also claims he has some sort of “smoking gun” type of “confession” from these ancient people that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they entered into a conspiracy with the Roman government of the time to fabricate a character called Jesus as a “gentle Messiah” figure to wage psychological warfare on, and control, the masses so they would pay Caesar taxes without complaining. He is apparently going to present this evidence at a...

I know the adage goes “let him who is without sin, cast the first stone,” but some people deserve to be written a ticket to damnation…with the greatest sin being utter stupidity. Meet televangelist Rick Joyner (pictured), who recently made headlines for openly praying to God for a military takeover of the U.S. government. While appearing on ”Prophetic Perspective on Current Events,” Joyner claimed that democracy in America has failed and that the nation might not last even to the end of President Barack Obama‘s term. Why not? Well, according to Rev. Crazy Town, America is teetering toward tyranny. You...

Hazelmary and Peter Bull Hazelmary and Peter Bull are taking their case to the U.K. Supreme Court this week. At a time when so many of our Christian leaders are guilty of compromising the gospel before the media, dishonoring the Lord as they try to make God’s Word palatable to the world, it was an older British woman—nearly 70 and the owner of a bed-and-breakfast—who displayed a backbone of steel, a deep and consistent faith, and a theological clarity while being grilled on national TV. Cheers for Hazelmary Bull! Hazelmary and her husband, Peter, already in his 70s, owned and...

Raymond Ibrahim’s new book, Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians, is an essential text — not merely for its thorough and deliberate documentation on the phenomenon of Islamic persecution against Christians from one end of the Muslim world to the other, but primarily for its contribution to our overall understanding of the challenge facing us from Islam. What I mean by this is that Mr. Ibrahim not only collects and collates data, and delivers it in a readable form. But far more importantly, he presents the historical record of Islam’s interaction with Christian communities in such a manner...

(CNN) - As the Supreme Court begins its new term Monday, the devil is not on the docket – but the Evil One apparently is on the mind of Justice Antonin Scalia.New York magazine has published a fascinating new interview with Scalia in which the outspoken jurist tackled a number of topics. But none seemed to surprise Scalia's interviewer, Jennifer Senior, more than his views on Satan.The interview was conducted on September 26, the 27th anniversary of Scalia's swearing-in as a justice on the high court. He is one of a record six Catholic justices on the Supreme Court.After Scalia...

For vast numbers of people, Roman Catholicism is the religion of choice. Rome can be attractive for a wide variety of reasons. The most significant is familial, people born into and persevering in the Roman Church. But other attractions of various sorts can be readily found: theological, philosophical, liturgical, moral, psychological, and historical.Defenders of Protestantism over the centuries have entered the lists, confronting at great length all of Rome's attractions. Understandably, the discussions have often focused particularly on biblical and theological arguments. But historical arguments are of great importance as well. Rome often claims that it represents two thousand years...

The Christians of the first century were rebels with a cause. They weren’t the hair-spray-addicted, religious sponges of pop culture and oppressive governments looking to be ogled by an Oprah-addled crowd or breastfed by some big government tit . Oh, no, senorita. The primitive church was out to change the world. After Jerusalem fell in AD 70, the church, birthed by the Holy Spirit during Rome’s heyday, exploded with growth in Asia Minor — which happened to be Ground Zero for Caesar worship. The punch-drunk citizens of Roman rule thought the various Caesars, their laws, and their government were...

Have you noticed that radical Muslims attack Christians in countries where Christians are in the minority.....and they attack Christians in countries where they are in the majority. Christians living in majority Christian countries, have abandoned Christian minorities in majority Muslim nations, to be slaughtered like dogs. But, guess what? Christians in majority Christian countries are not doing a good job protecting themselves from violent Muslim minorities, either. We are not just talking about massive terror attacks in Madrid, London, New York, etc. But Christians living in majority Christian countries no longer have the right to publicly criticize Islam. Danish cartoonists...

Pope Francis cranked up his charm offensive on the world outside the Vatican on Tuesday, saying in the second widely shared media interview in two weeks that each person “must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them” and calling efforts to convert people to Christianity “solemn nonsense.” The Vatican’s head seemed intent on distancing himself from its power, saying church leaders “have often been narcissists” and “clericalism should not have anything to do with Christianity.” The interview with atheist Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari set off another round of debate about what the pope meant: Was...

Recent happenings in America show that racism is growing to a point where it can turn into fascism. Let us look at three incidents. An Indian-American girl is selected for and wins the Miss America pageant. However, instead of being welcomed, she is subjected to racist slurs and online bigotry. A Sikh professor is attacked by a mob in New York. The Indian candidates in the election in Edison, New Jersey are subjected to a defacing campaign; their posters defaced by dots representing Bindis and swastikas. These are not isolated incidents by some racist fanatics, but show a growing and...

Nine Words that Changed the World             There are nine words that irrevocably changed the course of life on planet Earth, the implications on philosophy, theology, and life are that significant. They are three sentences, each containing three words and each illustrating three aspects of a single man that touched the world in a manner so astounding it still echoes to this day: 1.         “Peace, be still.�             Imagine, for a moment, that you are a seaman, that you have experienced the dangers of the winds and the waves and a man says to these literal forces of nature “peace, be still�… and...

Christians are being singled out and massacred from Pakistan to Syria to the Nairobi shopping mall. Kirsten Powers on the deafening silence from U.S. pews and pulpits. Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. One would think this horror might be consuming the pulpits and pews of American churches. Not so. The silence has been nearly deafening.

Provident Films brings Kirk Cameron back to movie theaters with the follow-up to his record-breaking theatrical event, Monumental. In UNSTOPPABLE, a brand-new visual journal, Kirk takes you on a personal and inspiring journey to better understand the biggest doubt-raiser in faith: Why? Kirk goes back to the beginning—literally—as he investigates the origins of good and evil and how they impact our lives … and our eternities. Reminding us that there is great hope, UNSTOPPABLE creatively asks—and answers—the age-old question: Where is God in the midst of tragedy and suffering? See the Live Event September 24 from Liberty University or the...

CALVINISM’S FALSE DOCTRINE Posted on September 14, 2007 by Cathy “Calvinism” is very popular and many Christians, though they would not identify themselves as Calvinists, may have embraced some of Calvin’s doctrine without realizing it. The doctrine is named after a man named John Calvin, a reformer, who lived in the 1500′s. Calvinism propagates error. Knowledge of error helps us to be discerning when listening to or reading Christian material. If a teacher is a Calvinist, all that they teach will be taught through the lens of Calvinism. The result of this Calvinistic “bent” will be teachings that are dangerously...

In Pakistan, suicide bombers in Peshawar killed 60 Christians in their local church. In Nairobi, gunmen shot 69 (and counting) shoppers at a mall — but freed the ones who could name the Prophet's mother. What these two tragedies have in common is that the killers were Muslim and the victims, Christian. The other similarity will be the response of the West: gentle reproaches followed by… nothing. Being a Christian, in some parts of the world, carries a death sentence. It carries little weight — and attracts a lot of opprobrium — in this part of the world. Having done...

I post this via the above link FWIW. That said, despite the snide comment by that notorious dissembler (that's a LIAR for you libtard trolls!) hitlery klintoon, Putin APPEARS to have been drifting slowly away from his old KGB roots and doing some things in Russia that COULD be interpreted as positive for freedom and Christian values there. Look, we've all been fooled by "leaders" over the years. The most recent example has to be obozo who, with the aid of the US lapdog media and generations of government school indoctrinated, critical thinking impaired idiots, wangled his unvetted, unqualified way...

“I do not want to drive across a bridge designed by an engineer who believed the numbers in structural stress models are relative truths.” – R.C. Sproul I was delighted to speak on Sunday at Faith Christian Center in Arlington, Texas. I joined that community of believers in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the church’s affiliated school, St. Paul’s Preparatory Academy. The topic of my discussion was “How to Raise Christian Children in Today’s Culture.” As I was preparing my remarks it occurred to me that raising children to both love and faithfully serve the Lord and Creator of the...

In recent columns in the mainstream press, columnists have been distorting gleefully the Pope's recent statements to make it appear he's the liberal that will bring the Catholic Church in line with their own agenda. (See: What the Pope really said.) In actuality, Pope Francis is no more likely to approve gay marriage or homosexual activity than any other pope. If the media were less agenda-driven, they would be trying to debunk a miracle that defies explanation and which involves Pope Francis when he was a bishop in Argentina in 1996. For many Christians, Holy Communion is a symbolic...

The Fathers of the Church can help us refine our liturgical worship after 50 years of subjection to sentimental pop music.At the beginning of this 50th anniversary year of Vatican II, Benedict XVI called for a renewed, authentic reading and implementation of the council documents. After suffering through many decades of vulgar, saccharine Church music, it is encouraging to note a rise of musicians who are serious about authentic reform of sacred worship. The recent Sacred Liturgy Conference in Rome was a great success, and there is a spirit of joyful, liturgical rejuvenation among the youth. Today’s composers are considering...

Putin highlighted traditionalism as the center for Russia’s national identity. “Without the values at the core of Christianity and other world religions, without moral norms that have been shaped over millennia, people will inevitably lose their human dignity,” he stated. The president criticized “Euro-Atlantic countries” where “any traditional identity, … including sexual identity, is rejected… There is a policy equating families with many children with same-sex families, belief in God with belief in Satan,” he said. “Any minority’s right to be different must be respected, but the right of the majority must not be questioned,” Putin added. ... President Putin...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- It was a simple tweet from one of Louisville's most influential ministers, but it spoke volumes. Saint Steven's pastor, Kevin Cosby, is speaking out about Rand Paul. "What I appreciate about what Rand Paul said was at least he was trying to provide some answers and solutions," Cosby said. At a community meeting in Louisville, Paul said he's for parental choice of education, job creation and the expungement of records for non-violent felons. "I am in favor of people allowed to get their rights back," Paul said, "the right to vote, the second and fourth amendment...

The majority of Americans are Christians, but we're not treated with respect by the culture, the schools, or by our politicians. "Vengeance" may be the Lord's to dish out, but that doesn't mean Christians have to support the people who are attacking us or meekly stand by when other followers of Christ are denigrated and oppressed for their faith. The habitual wimpiness of so many Christians is particularly grating because when Christians shine a spotlight on these attacks and say, "That's enough," more often than not we win. So, if Christians across the country were consistently willing to speak out...

You may say that there is no discrimination against Christians in America or casually dismiss it because Christians need no protection here because this is allegedly a Christian nation. But there is plenty of such discrimination, as I documented in my book "Persecution" a few years back. During the publicity tour for the book, I had a mini-debate with Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz on CNN, as I recall. Dershowitz, who was very respectful and who is unquestionably quite intelligent, advanced a curious argument that night. If memory serves, he suggested that it is absurd for me to argue that Christians...

Today we have more options for reading the Bible than ever before. While many of us still prefer our leather covers, ribbon markers, and gilded pages, the American Bible Society recently found that 41 percent of Americans read Scripture on the Internet. Twenty-nine percent say they search for Bible verses on their cell phones, and 17 percent say they use their Kindle or iPad. Yet despite all this access, pollster George Gallup has dubbed the United States “a nation of biblical illiterates.” Time magazine says: “Only half of U.S. adults know the title of even one Gospel. Most can’t name...

The Syrian army is battling small groups of rebels who remain in the ancient Christian village of Maaloula. Opposition fighters linked to Al-Qaeda have been in control of the area for almost a week - reportedly looting religious sites and forcing residents to convert to Islam at gunpoint. RT's Maria Finoshina made it to the village following reports that government troops have re-captured it - but found pockets of resistance remain.

Clearly the officials who fined and jailed this Christian were moderates; in Saudi Arabia he would have been executed. Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Morocco: "Moroccan Christian Jailed for 'Shaking the Faith of a Muslim,'" by Joseph DeCaro for Worthy News, September 12: RABAT, MOROCCO (Worthy News)– A Moroccan Christian has been fined and jailed for "shaking the faith of a Muslim." Spreading Christianity is prohibited under Article 220 of the Moroccan Penal Code; the maximum sentence for this offense is three to six months' imprisonment, but in a September hearing, Mohamed el Baldi was convicted and sentenced to...

One of the last and largest Christian populations in the Middle East faces mounting persecution---and begins to flee. In the aftermath of President Mohammed Morsi’s overthrow earlier this summer, Egypt’s Coptic Church has faced an onslaught of persecution. Pro-Morsi supporters vented their anger by burning Christian homes and shops, and when the military staged an August 14 crackdown on protesters, the repercussions for Copts were enormous and tragic: at least 42 churches were assailed, looted, and demolished. Mobs destroyed Christian convents, orphanages, schools, shops, and homes.This is the culmination of several years of rising persecution for the Copts, whose freedoms...

Last week, hell came to the tiny Christian village of Maaloula where they still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. "Rebels of the Free Syrian Army launched an assault aided by a suicide bomber from Jabhat al-Nusra," the al-Qaida-linked Islamic terrorist group, writes the Washington Post. The AP picked up the story: One resident said bearded rebels shouting "God is great!" attacked Christian homes and churches. "They shot and killed people. ... I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street." Maaloula is now a "ghost town." Christians left behind were told, "Either you convert to Islam or...

Well now you're seeing it in Syria... and we're on the other side (same as Bubba's war in Serbia). Perhaps God will forgive us... perhaps not. And while we all know that Vlad is out for Russia and Vladimir Putin mostly, I DO applaud the defense of Christianity coming from anybody at this point: with Copts being slaughtered in Egypt and they/other Christians purged from Syria, Lebanon, and the West Bank... HOW are we not on the right side of this issue? God shed his grace on the United States of America- so what the hell is wrong with us? Add...

Christians must never forget that the centre of their life is Jesus Christ. That was the message of Pope Francis at Mass this morning at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope emphasised that we must overcome the temptation to be “Christians without Jesus” or Christians that seek only devotions, without Jesus. Pope Francis dedicated his whole homily to the centrality of Jesus in the life of the Christian. “Jesus,” he said, “is the centre. Jesus is the Lord. And yet, he maintained, this is not always understood well, “it is not easily understood.” Jesus is not a lord of this...

In his 1835 book Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville noted that for Americans, "equality is their idol." Among such a democratic people, he reports, "there are certain epochs at which the passion they entertain for it swells to the height of fury." They prefer equality in freedom, he noted, but if "they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery." Even barbarism, servitude, and poverty are acceptable offerings to "this irresistible passion." The same-sex marriage debate might have focused on the purpose of sexuality, or the nature of homosexuality, or the etiology of marriage. Instead, the dominant...

Residents of a Christian village in western Syria have taken shelter in a convent as it was bombarded by al Qaeda-linked rebels. The rebel fighters stormed a hotel atop a mountain overlooking Maaloula to carry out the attack, said a nun, speaking on condition of anonymity from a convent in the village. "It's a war. It has been going from 6am in the morning," she said. Some 80 people took refuge in the convent, which houses 13 nuns and 27 orphans. A protest in Damascus against potential US stikes The dawn assault was carried out by rebels from the al...

“They said what they would do, and we did not listen. Then they did what they said they would do.” Sounds frightening, doesn’t it? Who could “they” be? A 1984-like government? A terrorist organization? An alien force? Well, according to the author who wrote those words, the “they” are big bad Christians. Christian Nation by Frederic C. Rich is a new novel which, according to some reviewers, is their worst nightmare, for it details a country in which Christian values are strictly obeyed. From GoodReads.com, “They said what they would do, and we did not listen. Then they did what...

One of the more difficult Biblical themes to understand is the concept of God hardening the hearts and minds of certain human beings. The most memorable case is that of Pharaoh wherein, before sending Moses to him God said he would “harden Pharaoh’s heart� (Ex 4:21). But there are other instances where biblical texts speak of God as hardening the hearts of sinners, even from among his own people.What are we to make of texts like these? How can God, who does no evil, be the source of a sinful mind or heart? Why would God do such a thing...

Few people doubt that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hopes to become president in 2016. Unfortunately for him, he may have just signed away any chance of that. On Monday, Christie signed A3371, a draconian piece of legislation that bars licensed therapists from helping children overcome unwanted same-sex attractions, behavior or identity. This law bans help for minors even when – as is so often the case – those same-sex attractions arise from childhood sexual abuse by the likes of a Jerry Sandusky. This law will prohibit minors and their parents from receiving counseling they desire and will force counselors...

Here are 8 great Christian songs. (The links lead to the corresponding audio via YouTube.) Read "8 Great Christian Songs"

Like the article?  Read the book! INTRODUCTION Naturally, any blog entitled "Catholic in the Ozarks" is going to require a page dedicated to answering basic questions that are common to people in the Ozarks.  Since most people in this part of America (the "Bible Belt") are of Baptist and Pentecostal belief, they often don't have much knowledge of what Catholicism really is, or what Catholics really believe.  They may even be under some false impressions or have misunderstandings. This article is a Question and Answer (Q&A) format designed specifically for people in this area, or anyone else who might...

When the despotic King Herod plotted to kill Jesus by sending his agents to slaughter every boy under the age of 2 in and around Bethlehem, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and escape to Egypt." That, says the Gospel of Matthew, fulfilled what God said through the prophet Hosea: "Out of Egypt I called my son." Now, two millennia later, we may live in a time when Christians must flee for their lives out of Egypt -- not into it. They do not fear being slaughtered by King Herod,...

I'm in the process of transferring here the articles I had on another, older blog which I'm closing down. They are still relevant, showing how things haven't changed at all in the Islamic world but maybe - just maybe - have developed a little bit chez nous. The Guardian article that I quoted from in here might have still made today the same unfounded, false claims that death for apostasy is not part of Islam that it made then. But, while it's becoming more and more obvious every day that the Muslim persecution of Christians throughout the world is the...

Franciscan School looted and classrooms burned to the ground Nuns subjected to abuse as they were paraded through the streets Two Christians killed since government moved against protesters Dozens of churches, homes and businesses owned by Christians attacked A mob marched nuns through the battle-torn streets of Cairo ‘like prisoners of war’ in the latest outrage against Egypt’s Christian minority. Sister Manal, principal of a Franciscan school in suburban Cairo, watched for six hours as a mob looted the building, knocked the cross off the gate and replaced it with a black banner resembling the flag of Al Qaeda. The...

The purging of Grammy Award winner Donnie McClurkin from performing at a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1963 civil rights March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech should serve as yet another wakeup call to Christian black Americans. McClurkin, a black pastor and gospel music superstar, was asked to step down from his featured performance by Washington Mayor Vincent Gray as result of pressure from homosexual activists. McClurkin preaches against the homosexual lifestyle from his pulpit and says he himself departed and was saved from this lifestyle through God's mercy. Political...

If we want to protect and preserve British traditional culture and values, we cannot do it without Christianity. Not only has Christianity been part of them since time immemorial but also they couldn't continue their existence without it. An anecdote. I was in Steyning, in Sussex, in the Downs, not far from the sea. Our car had broken down. It's a beautiful village (or perhaps a small town now) in the South-East of England, the constituency that my party Liberty GB has chosen for the 2014 Euro Elections. Without enrichers in sight - except for one very kind black...

There's a certain page on Facebook people of faith do not “like.” Created in February, the “Virgin Mary Should’ve Aborted” Facebook page originally included this controversial description, presumably speaking from Mary’s perspective: I'm here to explain what really happened in biblical times, since the bible is full of lies. My rapist's offspring has destroyed the planet and brainwashed millions. Rage-quitting is for loose buttholes. Bible-believing Facebook users who are members of the group, “Catholics & Protestants Against FB Religious Discrimination” led the online fight to have the page taken down -- and succeeded. But, they didn’t have long to celebrate....

Christians not only have the right to keep and bear arms, but they have the obligation to do so in the defense of freedom. This is the powerful and provocative thesis of a new book by Tim Baldwin and his father, Chuck Baldwin. In their book, To Keep or Not to Keep, the Baldwins — Tim is a Second Amendment scholar and attorney, while Chuck is a minister and former Constitution Party presidential candidate — argue that “Christians should not give up their guns.” They back up their claim with logic and scripture, a rare combination even among gun-rights advocates....

Unintended Consequences: How the “relevant” church and segregating youth is killing Christianity. I recently spent six-months doing a rotation as a hospital chaplain. One day I received a page (Yes, hospitals actually still use pagers). Chaplains are generally called to the rooms of people who look ill: People gray with kidney disease, or yellow with liver failure, discouraged amputees, nervous cancer patients. In this room, however, was a strikingly attractive 23 year-old young lady sitting up cheerfully in the hospital bed, holding her infant daughter and chatting with family and friends. Confused, I stepped outside and asked her nurse, “Why...

Science is the systematic application of a logico-empiricist method to look at and understand things, and was born in Christian Europe first with the Scholastic philosophy and then with Leonardo da Vinci, Francis Bacon and Galileo Galilei. The necessary foundation for scientific research is the belief in one God that created a universe regulated by immutable laws which can be understood by man exactly because God's mind and man's are similar except in extent. The Christian God is a person. Galileo famously talked about the "book of nature", that scientists try to read, being written by God. This is possible...