http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/culture-religion/ en-us Sat, 2 Jan 2010 02:20:17 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419294/posts Think back ten years. What pressure was upon you then? Think back fifteen years. What were you doing on that day? jgrantswankjr http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419294/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 02:20:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419104/posts The Vatican has published the names of all the missionaries who died violently in 2009. In all 37 people were killed on active duty, the highest number in the past decade. Among them, is a lay person, 2 seminarians, 2 nuns and 30 priests. One of them could be considered a martyr since it appears he died a victim of a religious hate crime...read more... Examiner.com/Rome Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2419104/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:04:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417676/posts Featured Term (selected at random):CHRISTENDOM The Christian polity insofar as the principles of Christianity governed (and still govern) the laws and civil institutions of nations. Its foundations may be traced to the Jewish traditions of a theocracy, and its history properly began with the liberation of the Church under Constantine. It developed through more than a millennium in most of the countries of Europe and with numerous setbacks remained fairly intact until the Protestant Reformation. In its best days, Christendom represented the corporate Christian social life, and its impact on world civilization through the arts and philosophy, law and the... CatholicReference.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417676/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:01:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418710/posts They forced "their slave" to clean, cook and care for children as well as provide sexual favors upon request. faithfreedom.og http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418710/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 00:42:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418674/posts In this space yesterday, I commented on the 5 most distressing news stories of 2009. Today, as promised, I turn to the five most encouraging news developments: 5. The Vatican investigation of American women’s religious communities. “For many years,” Cardinal Franc Rodé disclosed in November, “this dicastery [the Congregation for Religious] had been listening to concerns expressed by American Catholics—religious, laity, clergy, and hierarchy—about the welfare of religious women and consecrated life in general.” Finally, this year the Vatican took action. In February, the Holy See announced an apostolic visitation of American women’s religious orders. That inquiry is being conducted... catholicculture.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418674/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:46:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418625/posts It's not only a new year and new decade, but 2010 will no doubt prove to be a time of both heroic sacrifice and horrific decadence in the struggle to save our Church and country. With this prediction in mind, and with the determination to fight on the side of the saints, I resolve in 2010, along with my 25th consecutive resolution to become a better husband and father (hopefully this is the year I finally get that one right) to write the book exposing "The Ten Big Lies about The Catholic Church (in America)" in an attempt to enlist... Fighting Irish Thomas http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418625/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:01:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418621/posts KABUL, Afghanistan — It’s an eight-year-old war already, and in spite of a planned surge that promises to bring it to an end, it’s still tough for those who have to be there.Especially at this time of the year — the Christmas Season, including today’s feast of the Epiphany and ending with next Sunday’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord.It’s a time of the year when military chaplains, rare at any time, are perhaps even more important.“Christmas in a combat zone is often lonely,” said U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Timothy Parker, who spent one Christmas deployed in Iraq. But... NC Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418621/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:53:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418601/posts Speaker/Journalist Pamela Geller spoke at the McKinney, TX performance hall for the Collin County Conservative Republicans on November 7, just two days after American Muslim soldier Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, TX. Ms. Geller is the editor and publisher of the Atlas Shrugs website and former associate publisher of the New York Observer ... ... She opened the meeting with video footage from London, telling the audience "Europe is finished and I will tell you why you have to care about this: Because we need Europe ... Ms. Geller proceeds to talk about... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418601/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:08:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418600/posts Speaker/Journalist Pamela Geller spoke at the McKinney, TX performance hall for the Collin County Conservative Republicans on November 7, just two days after American Muslim soldier Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, TX. Ms. Geller is the editor and publisher of the Atlas Shrugs website and former associate publisher of the New York Observer ... ... She opened the meeting with video footage from London, telling the audience "Europe is finished and I will tell you why you have to care about this: Because we need Europe ... Ms. Geller proceeds to talk about... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418600/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:08:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418596/posts THE MANHATTAN DECLARATION and EVANGELICAL CO-BELLIGERENCE ...the ineffectual intersection of politics and faith     “The goal of both the church and the state is to advance the public good.” -Francis Beckwith     The ultimate goal of the church biblically is not the public good, but the glory of God in the proclamation and advancement of His gospel of sola fide. God, not the audience, is sovereign. The “public good” is political speak for tolerance. The gospel, however, does divide; it is a stumbling block, offensive and foolishness for those who are perishing.     Here we go... Camp On This http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418596/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:59:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418525/posts Pastor Rick Warren of the Southern California megachurch Saddleback Church is encouraging his parishioners to donate $900,000 within two days. In an “urgent” letter posted on the church’s web site Wednesday, Warren explained that church expenses went up this year to help care for the financially hurting community while the end-of-year donations are down. Saddleback needs the $900,000 by New Year’s Eve to stay out of debt, the founding pastor stated. “On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive – leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year, unless... The Christian Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418525/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:09:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418464/posts Bryan Cones, the managing editor at U.S. Catholic, is upset that I used the word "fake" to describe Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Two weeks ago, I criticized those organizations for supporting the Senate health-care bill containing abortion funding. At the Huffington Post, Cones calls me out: Hudson appoints himself the arbiter of what is Catholic, and if you support health care reform that in any way might lead to an abortion paid for with public funds, you are not one.Cones stresses his disagreement with me in a lively style: "If he wants to have... Inside Catholic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418464/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:41:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418430/posts POMONA, Calif. | There's no steeple out front, no rows of pews inside, not even so much as a crucifix on display. Still, this cramped little art studio in the middle of what, until not very long ago, was a street with as many broken dreams as it has potholes, is the closest thing to paradise that the Rev. Bill Moore has found. It's the place where the 60-year-old Catholic priest serves God by creating abstract paintings that he sells by the hundreds. No ordinary preacher, the man known as Father Bill throughout Pomona's fledgling arts district long ago... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418430/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418403/posts “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you,says the LORD,thoughts of peace and not of evil,to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me,and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me,when you search for Me with all your heart." ~Jeremiah 29:11-13 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418403/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:34:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418352/posts A CHRISTMAS TRADITION IN ROME: THE STREET CLEANERS NATIVITY SCENEA must-visit presepe or nativity scene is that built by Rome’s Netturbini or street cleaners of AMA, the municipal waste management company. Located just minutes from St. Peter’s Square on a small side street, Via dei Cavalleggeri, this is actually open all year around. Many have called this “the Pope’s presepe” over the years as Pope John Paul visited the AMA manger all but the last two years of his 26-year pontificate. Other visitors have included Pope Benedict XVI, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and a succession of Rome’s mayors and Italian... EWTN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418352/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:27:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418305/posts God’s Son did not disdain to become a baby. Although with the passing of the years he moved from infancy to maturity, and although with the triumph of his passion and resurrection all the actions of humility which he undertook for us were finished, still today’s festival renews for us the holy childhood of Jesus born of the Virgin Mary. In adoring the birth of our Saviour, we find we are celebrating the commencement of our own life, for the birth of Christ is the source of life for Christian folk, and the birthday of the Head is the birthday... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418305/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:52:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418279/posts If we are deciphering biblical prophecy correctly, the AntiChrist will rule the world from his European base, the old Roman Empire geography. Revelation 17 is one of the key passages to consider. In Revelation, the “beast” is regarded as the AntiChrist. The “other beast” is considered the False Prophet. The “dragon” is considered Satan, “that old snake.” MichNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418279/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:22:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418264/posts Many Americans today look out the windows of their self-centered, narcissistic lives and say, “How did we get to this point in our country?” To ask the question is to answer it. Because of our day’s stormy and dreary moral and social climate, people begin to look for scapegoats for all their ills. They rarely start by looking in the mirror. Americans today - more so than at any other time - are mostly oblivious and ignorant of history and the changing philosophies of what brought us to this point. They are stuck in the mire of today’s social climate... The Ignorant Fishermen Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418264/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:48:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418247/posts The history of that human ignorance which calls itself "philosophy", is absolutely identical with the history of fools! If ones were to write the history of folly, he would have to give several chapters to philosophy, and those chapters would be more revealing than any others. Beware of the Babylonian books of the present day! The truth of God is the only treasure for which we seek, and the Scripture is the only field in which we dig for it! If you keep close to the inspired book, you can suffer no harm; you are at the fountain-head of all... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418247/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:57:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418072/posts Jesus informs John that Gentile pagans will have their diabolical way in Jerusalem for the last half (42 months divided by 12 equals three-and-a-half years) of the about-seven year Tribulation period, the latter closing out the Church Age. The Church Age began with the First Coming of Christ. The Church Age will conclude with the Second Coming of Christ. The “trampling” includes the AntiChrist desecrating the next Temple to be constructed as well as laying low by his armies’ might the city of Jerusalem. Allvoices http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418072/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:53:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417965/posts In the 6000+ years of man’s history, the “pinnacle moment” is the Abomination of Desolation, the key event that will occur in the midst of the Tribulation (a terrible seven-year period that will mark the end of this age). It will be the time when the Man of Lawlessness (i.e., The Anti-Christ) will break his covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27) and establish himself as Almighty God (Daniel 11:36-37, 2 Thess. 2:2-4, Rev. 13:14-15). He will demand total, absolute allegiance and worship (Rev. 13:16-18). This master politician of Europe's Socialistic European Community (Daniel 9:26) will rise to power, but it isn't... The Ignorant Fishermen Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417965/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:14:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417911/posts It is mind-boggling to think that our generation alone is uniquely standing on the precipice of time and where no generation has ever stood. We are living in the days spoken of by the ancient prophets. These prophets spoke of the Israelites being gathered back into their own land, in passages such as Ezekiel 37:21: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. This began in 1948. The “dry bones” of Ezekiel 37... CBN News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417911/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:51:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417897/posts The Mormon Media Observer looks back at the year filled with LDS newsmakers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tops the list, based on a newsmaker's frequency in the news as well as the significance of their stories. 1. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada The Senate Majority Leader led the battle to push through health reform in the Senate. News coverage of Reid made a household name and the divisive debate made him out to be both villain and saint. He may still face a tough battle in his home state of Nevada to save his seat. On Christmas The New... Mormon Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417897/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:32:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417824/posts It is alarming to realize the nonchalance on the part of many concerning abortion. But it is not new. A popular newsmagazine quoted one medical opinion: "Abortion is finding its place as a perfectly acceptable and valid health measure. We no longer think of it as a crime." Allvoices http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417824/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:28:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417804/posts Churches that are no longer churches, but condominiums, stores, or mosques. A Catholicism in danger of disappearing. A reportage from Amsterdam with an interview with Cardinal Simonis: "We have to start over from the beginning"ROME, December 30, 2009 – Until half a century ago, Dutch and Flemish Catholicism seemed to be in solid shape, strong in its traditions, active in mission. One of its symbols was Fr. Jozef Damiaan de Veuster (1840-1889), an apostle to the lepers on an island in the Pacific, who was proclaimed a saint by Benedict XVI last October 11. A few days ago, just before... L'Espresso http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417804/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:55:26 GMT