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Click the link to listen to the following songs, each will make you laugh because they are so absurd, and cry because they do indeed fit so many who proclaim to be Christian. Blest Be The Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me I Surrender Some I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Live Sit Up, Sit Up For Jesus Take My Life and Let Me Be What An Acquaintance We Have In Jesus Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following He's Quite a Bit To Me Oh, How I Like Jesus Fill My Spoon,...

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Protected/Articles/000/000/015/107qgfdl.asp

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police say a man with a rifle has wounded two people at a festival outside a Southern California church. Authorities say the man opened fire a few minutes before 11 a.m. Saturday during a school festival at St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic church in Granada Hills.

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America - the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization - expressed its opposition to the decision of the California State Supreme Court to overturn two laws defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The UOJCA had joined with other traditional groups in filing a legal brief in this case. Nathan J. Diament, director of public policy for the UOJCA stated: The Jewish tradition has always recognized the sanctity and special nature of the institution of marriage, and that only the relationship between a man and a woman can...

Where Do the Dinosaurs Fit? Figuring out when the dinosaurs lived relative to man isn't really so difficult. by Mario Seiglie "I don't believe in the Bible because dinosaurs lived a long time before man ever did."Have you ever heard a statement like that? I certainly have—many times. In fact, this was one of the principal reasons Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, eventually rejected the Bible. Many have followed suit. Most people believe you can't reconcile dinosaurs and the Bible—but they are wrong. This erroneous idea is based on the supposition that either you have to...

Why a Human Utopia Won't Happen by Bill Bradford My children started watching it first. I happened to see it on television occasionally. Then I found myself drawn into this social drama by the endless manifestations of ever-evolving technology. Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, is the popular space-odyssey television adventure in which man in the 25th century is expanding his philosophy and near-utopian coexistence among other, less-sophisticated, inhabitants of the galaxies.It's an idea older than Plato that man can somehow engineer a civilization that brings peace, happiness and prosperity to all who can be persuaded to embrace its philosophy.In...

Reconciliation: A Vital Part of Christ's Message A major theme of Christ's message is reconciliation. But how does reconciliation fit into God's plan for you and me? by Mark Mickelson Jesus Christ began His public ministry by declaring the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the people in Galilee. What He said and did during His 31/2-year ministry was so incredible that it just couldn't be ignored. Jesus called people to repentance and gave them hope. He gave them encouragement and healed their diseases. Even more, He possessed the power to forgive their sins.Christ's countrymen were astonished that He...

Following the California Supreme Court's decision Thursday to overturn a ban on gay marriage there, both the LDS Church and the Catholic Archdiocese in San Francisco released statements about the decision, reiterating their views of marriage and commenting on the court's action. Both churches worked to help outlaw gay marriage in California several years ago. The LDS Church released the following statement: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes that same sex marriage can be an emotional and divisive issue. However, the church teaches that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that...

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

CLICK TO WATHC VIDEO Before the 1800's very little artcifact was discover or known about the Bible. It is a good over view of the History of the world at the time of these events.

On the eve of his first Stateside appearance, the hammers have begun to fall on Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, the retired Sydney auxiliary whose controversial tome on power, sex and abuse in the church has seen the reserved, strait-laced canonist publicly taken to task for "casting doubt" on the teaching of Christ and the authority of the Magisterium. In recent weeks, after Robinson wrote courtesy notes to the bishops of the American dioceses where he'd be appearing simply to inform them of his presence, several of the ordinaries reportedly responded by requesting that he cancel his plans. From Rome, the...

Up Next: watch the promo May 18, 2008 on WGVU-TV West Michigan:#820 Christians in the Courtroom Witnesses place their hand on the Bible before they testify: how would principles from that Bible play out if it were actually opened up and applied? Would prosecutors be arguing for forgiveness? Stephen Bloom, attorney with Irwin & McKnight law firm in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and author of The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues, wonders with host Karen Saupe how empty courtrooms might become. Inner Compass is a television interview show that explores how people make their decisions about ethical, religious, and social justice issues....

COLORADO SPRINGS — An El Paso County District judge ruled Tuesday that the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado and officials of Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish in Colorado Springs must resolve their $17 million property dispute at trial. District Judge Larry E. Schwartz concluded that he cannot make a decision based solely on matters of law because "there is virtually no agreement as to the facts."

Gentleness: The Mark of a Christian Gentleness, so sadly lacking in this world, should be evident in the life of a Christian. What is gentleness, and how can it be a part of your life? by Noel Hornor "I love those dear hearts and gentle people who live in my home town. Because those dear hearts and gentle people will never, ever let you down." The words of this song, written 47 years ago by Bob Hilliard, call to mind a time when the world was (at least in our collective memory) a more neighborly place. Do you sometimes find...

NEW YORK — Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison yesterday in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed. The six men and women, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran, were in their homes Wednesday morning when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching each home, before taking them away.The seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March...

I was truly blessed with a smile when I listened to this song being sung, click and enjoy.

Evangelical Writers Challenged to Avoid Alienating the Unchurched Evangelical writers nearly always alienate non-evangelicals in their works, noted long-time Christian writer and editor Tim McLaughlin. Fri, May. 09, 2008 Posted: 12:04:29 PM EST PORTLAND, Ore. – “I have a bone to pick with you,” a Christian writer told a group of fellow evangelical writers Thursday. Evangelical writers nearly always alienate non-evangelicals in their works, noted long-time Christian writer and editor Tim McLaughlin. While most writers write to impact non-believers, as well as believers, the phrases they use and how they ignore some faith passages are real obstacles to reaching the...

The Lord has given us two different statements on what His voice is like. The first is that it is still and small and whispers. The second statement was given through the Prophet Joseph to Oliver Cowdery before the Church was organized. Oliver Cowdery arrived in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in April 1829. He had traveled from Palmyra to investigate for himself whether the reports he had heard about Joseph and the gold plates were true. The Lord gave him the confirmation he sought (see D&C 6), and then told him that he was immediately to begin assisting Joseph in the translation...

By President Thomas S. Monson.In April 1966, at the Church’s annual general conference, Elder Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a memorable address. He quoted an account written by Samuel T. Whitman titled “Forgotten Wedges.” I too wish to quote from Whitman’s account, followed by examples from my own life. Whitman wrote: “The ice storm [that winter] wasn’t generally destructive. True, a few wires came down, and there was a sudden jump in accidents along the highway. … Normally, the big walnut tree could easily have borne the weight that formed on its spreading...

The archbishop of Kirkuk asks the West to welcome and incorporate those who have been forced to flee, but at the same time to give concrete help to those who have decided to remain. The West must welcome and make room for Iraqi Christians who have left their country, but at the same time it must apply political pressure on United States and the government of Baghdad to allow those who decide to remain in their country to do so in security and with respect. The Christians of Iraq are, in fact, a richness of for the universal Church, and...

DEAR ONES, IF any of you have suffered at all at the hands of Alcoholism in any form via any connection, then you may well know something of the traumas involved between and behind the hubby's words below. I believe that only The Grace of God AND great persistent dogged efforts on the part of all concerned can bring victory in such matters. PLEASE pray with me in behalf of this whole family . . . --that the wife will decide deeply and comprehensively to be done with such an addiction, affliction, oppression . . . --that her family members...

ROME, MAY 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Most journalists covering the Church have a hard time grasping its scope, and its real nature "slips through their fingers," said an organizer of a seminar that aims to give the press tools for reporting on Catholicism.John Wauck explained to ZENIT the difficulties journalists have when they are assigned to report on the Church and he spoke about the seminar he is helping to organize. Wauck is the president of the organizing committee for "The Church Up Close: Covering Catholicism in the Age of Benedict XVI," offered by Rome's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.The...

"Clouds and darkness are round about Him." Psalm 97:2 A man who has not been born of the Spirit of God will tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple. But when you are baptized with the Holy Ghost, you find "clouds and darkness are round about Him." When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first insight into this aspect of things. The only possibility of understanding the teaching of Jesus is by the light of the Spirit of God on the inside. If we have never had the experience of...

May 13 - Homily - Fr Bonaventure: Our Lady of Fatima Our Lady of Fatima speaks of our modern times and the many errors that would be spread. Listen as Fr. Bonaventure outlines the fulfillment of this prophesy in the many modern errors, especially communism, and what is needed for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart. Ave Maria! This is a 31 minute video and it is excellent! http://www.airmaria.com/?sn=080513&vp=1448&prefx=hmly&plyrnb=1&ttl=Homily

Pastor John Hagee sent a letter today [Copy Here] to Catholic League president Bill Donohue that effectively ends the dispute the two men have had. Donohue comments as follows: “After weeks of meeting with various Catholic leaders, and accessing scholarly literature on Catholic-Jewish relations, Pastor John Hagee has demonstrated an improved understanding of the Catholic Church and its history. In his letter to me, Hagee says, ‘I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.’ He specifically cites his emphasis of ‘the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the...

What in heavens is going on with WJMJ? The radio station, heard at 88.9 FM in the Hartford area, is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford but offers air time to programming from other religions. Earlier this month, Protestant leaders were informed that most or all of their programming would be dropped as the station went to a more Catholic format. The Rev. John Gatzak, executive director of the archdiocese's Office of Radio and Television, said last week that the station would become more active in Catholic evangelization. He said it was becoming an affiliate of EWTN Radio,...

Mormonism, like many Protestant churches, began as a restorationist movement, which is to say that it was dedicated to “restoring” everything in the Bible. Joseph Smith, Jr., Mormonism’s founding prophet, felt especially close to the Old Testament, so he believed his mission was to restore Old as well as New Testament traditions such as the authority of prophets, temple rituals, and the ancient Semitic custom of plural marriage. Midwestern Origins According to Mosiah Hancock, whose father, Levi, reportedly performed a plural marriage for the Mormon prophet, the first of these unions occurred in Ohio in 1833 when Joseph married...

HOLYHEAD, Wales — A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday. Arwel Wynne Hughes, 27, attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones — aka Master Jonba Hehol — with a metal crutch, hitting him on the head, prosecutors told Holyhead Magistrates' Court. He also whacked Jones' 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones — known as Master Mormi Hehol — bruising his thigh in the March 25 incident, prosecutors said. The two cousins and Barney Jones' brother, Daniel, set...

The best evidence yet that the drumbeat against public support of pro-abortion Catholic pols at Catholic institutions is having an effect appears in the Boston Globe of all places. The Globe tells us how the personally opposed prevaricators are just not getting the choice commencement invites from Catholic Institutions to which they had shamefully become accustomed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the nation's most powerful Catholics, but this year the only commencement address she gave was at one of the eight campuses of Miami Dade College. Senator John F. Kerry is headlining three commencements this year - the...

A coalition of faith-based groups has joined forces, calling on Congress to pass resolutions in both houses to focus on the Ten Commandments. Bill Murray, son of deceased atheist leader Madelyn Murray O'Hair and chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, is part of the pro-Ten Commandments coalition. "Both of these [resolutions] would authorize a Ten Commandments weekend in order to recognize the Ten Commandments as the foundation of law in this country," Murray explains. "But with Nancy Pelosi in charge of the House and Harry Reid in charge of the Senate, we can't have a voice. We can't get these...

(IsraelNN.com) A new study carried out at Brandeis University finds that as the liberal Jewish community empowers its women, its men appear to be losing interest in their Jewishness. According to a report in JTA, which publishes parts of the study, "outside the Orthodox world, men are becoming less and less engaged in every aspect of Jewish life, from the home to the synagogue to communal organizations. Numerous studies show that fewer boys than girls go to non-Orthodox youth groups, religious schools or summer camps, fewer go into the rabbinate and cantorate, and fewer serve on synagogue or federation committees....

Heavenly Father, you are a merciful God. When we consider our daily lives and how often we fall, slip or miss an opportunity to minister for You, Your unfailing LOVE lifts us up, brushes us off, and sets us back on the path. We come before You humbly, knowing our own weaknesses and failures, thanking you for the greatest sacrifice of all ~ the gift of Your one and only SON. As a parent and a mother, Father, I cannot fathom a LOVE so great as to give up Your only child to save the rest of mankind. Father God,...

Thank you, Pastor Gruen for the opportunity to ask you some questions. 1. Did you ever hear the rumor that you recanted "aberrant practices "? If so what was your reaction?I was more disappointed, than shocked. I was disappointed that Mike Bickle and/or his I-hop staff would willfully, deliberately spread lies and it continues to this day. I receive several e-mails a month asking if I recanted, etc. (See e-mail I received this week in question #7.)2. What were you going through when you wrote your report?I really received tremendous support locally, and was not attacked by other ministers, so...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Latin is online at the Vatican. Without fanfare, the Vatican's www.vatican.va site has made hundreds of papal and other documents available in a new Latin-language section. The Latin area went live May 9. Visitors clicking on "Sancta Sedes" (Latin for "Holy See") are taken to a menu of documents arranged by pontificate or Roman Curia office. Also posted is the complete neo-Vulgate Latin version of the Bible and Latin editions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The papal pages -- "Summi Pontifices"...

There is substantial evidence to show that Joseph Smith was sealed to the wives of other men. This occurred while the men were still legally married to their wives. Sometimes these second marriages even occurred outside the presence of their husbands. Many of the poor guys were on their missions when Joseph Smith married their wives. The most unfortunate men came back from their missions with their wives pregnant. How would you feel if the Prophet asked you for your wife? How would you feel if you came back from a business trip or a mission to find your wife...

“The Atonement at Work,” Ensign, Mar 2008, 39–41 I knew the Lord had a plan for my son, but when he chose a path I wished he hadn’t, I wasn’t sure how he was going to come back. I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1992 in the Netherlands. However, my husband didn’t join and wouldn’t allow our children, Alex and Petra, to be baptized (names have been changed). Even still, the three of us attended church and had regular family home evenings. . . .

But why am I opposed to this 'Healing Revival' so soon after it has been announced? -It is because I already know Todd Bentley's ministry all too well, and this whole thing centers around him.

The main problem with Jeremiah Wright isn't that he's anti-American. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ has lit up the radio and television airwaves with his youtubed comments on conspiracy theories regarding American "state-sponsored terrorism." Almost everyone this week has seen Wright call on God to damn America. Almost everyone has heard his echo of Malcolm X, that the September 11 terrorist attacks on the nation were simply America's "chickens coming home to roost." Wright's comments make for easy discussion fodder because they are shocking, angry, and, frankly, well on the way to delusional....

A couple quick notes from these pages' core competence... Having just seen the Patriarch of the West (OK, the title's currently in abeyance, but still...), a spiritual father of the East is about to roll onto these shores. Next week, the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir begins a weeklong Stateside swing in New York, with subsequent stops in Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington; along the way, the 88 year-old head of the 9 million-member global fold will meet with both UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and (for the second time) President Bush. Among other highlights, Sfeir -- officially "the 76th...

'Might our religion be killing us?' That's what a Baptist minister was asking recently in an editorial in USA Today. Rev. Oliver "Buzz" Thomas writes: Be fruitful and multiply," says the book of Genesis, and Lord knows we have. To the tune of more than 300 million at home and more than 6 billion abroad. But as we go about the heavenly task of multiplying, a poignant question arises: Might our religion be killing us? Insert the deep dark foreboding music. We all remember the Aztecs. Some say their religion, with its penchant for violence and human sacrifice, played a...

Salvatore M. Perrella Rome, May 8, 2008 / 03:33 pm (CNA).- Salvatore M. Perrella, an expert in dogma and Mariology from the Mariunum Pontifical School in Rome, explained this week the criteria used by the Church to determine the legitimacy of Marian apparitions. His explanation comes in the wake of the Church’s approval of the apparitions of Our Lady of Laus in France.In an article for L’Osservatore Romano, Perrella cited Jesuit Father Giandomenico Mucci to explain the difference between a vision and an apparition.  The first is of a spiritual nature, while the second is of a physical one. ...

Calvinism [kal‘-vih-niz’-um] Also, “Reformed theology,” “the Reformed faith,” or “the Reformed tradition.” A theological framework based on the teachings of 16th century French Protestant reformer John Calvin. The emphasis of this system is on the sovereignty of God over all things, with specific reference to soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). Though the distinctives of Calvinist theology may be stated in numerous ways, the best known summary is contained in the “Five points of Calvinism.” These points are: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the Saints.

The Catholic Controversy of the Week (well, the most-prominent one) involves what you see above. That's a Mormon baptismal font, and in a move that sent the religion beat into overdrive -- and threatened to put a damper on the tip-top relations that just saw two top leaders of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints attend an ecumenical prayer gathering with the Pope for the first time -- an early April letter from the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy urged the global church to withhold parish registers from LDS, citing the Mormon practice of posthumous baptisms. The...

At the close of last night's hourlong performance by the China Philharmonic in the Paul VI Hall, B16 offered the following remarks, as released by the Holy See Press Office: Dear Friends! Another high-quality musical performance sees us gathered once again in the Paul VI Audience Hall. For me and for all of us here, it takes on a particular value and meaning. Since it is offered and performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus, it puts us in touch, as it were, with the living reality of the world of China. I thank...

Another online attack by PZ Myers' thuggish fans. They're voting down the positive reviews for an anti-atheism book on Amazon.com: The Delusion of Disbelief: Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of HappinessIf you've got an Amazon account, please mark up the "helpful" rating of the favorable reviews and mark down the rating for negative reviews. Thank you!

An exhibition opening next week at the Museum of the City of New York will trace New York Catholics' growth from a small religious minority to a politically powerful group with a wide range of institutions spanning the five boroughs. "Catholics in New York, 1808-1946" — organized in light of the Archdiocese of New York's bicentennial celebration — makes its debut on May 16. The exhibit is organized around three key themes: the centrality of parish life, the evolution of church-run schools, hospitals, and social welfare organizations, and the rise of Catholics as a major force in city politics. The...

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is granted a personal parish in RomeIt is with great joy that the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter announces the opening of a personal parish in the Diocese of Rome.  The decree of erection of the parish, which is dated Easter day of 2008, states that in conformity with art. 10 of Summorum Pontificum, "and after having received the proposal of the Cardinal Vicar, the Holy Father has established that in the central sector of the Diocese of Rome, in the 1st District, and in a fitting place of worship, namely, the Church of...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Armenia's Orthodox leader on Wednesday used the pulpit of the Vatican to condemn the 1915 killing of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians by Ottoman Turks, saying the whole world should recognise it as a genocide. "We Armenians are a people who have survived genocide, and we know well the value of love, brotherhood, friendship and a secure life," Karekin II said in a public address during Pope Benedict's general audience in St. Peter's Square. "Today, many countries of the world recognise and condemn the genocide committed against the Armenian people by Ottoman Turkey ..." the head of...

An Apostolic Pentecostal is a person that believes in speaking in tongues - glossolalia - as proof that a person has received the Holy Ghost. Pentecostals are people who believe in dramatic demonstrations of the Gifts of the Spirit, such as prophecy or the interpretation of tongues. Pentecostal Oneness believers reject the concept of the Trinity and are convinced salvation relies upon the literal form of baptism; dunking rather than sprinkling and repentance of one's sins. People who are not familiar with Pentecostalism may think that the following descriptions are exaggerated and shocking, however the things depicted in this article...

The Prayer of Jesus echoes in the Church at the beginning of this new missionary age. We need to make it our own: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me."John 17:20-23 ... Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter "Ut Unum Sint" (On the Commitment to Ecumenism, literally "May They Be One") was a monumental contribution to...