http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/current-religion/ en-us Fri, 1 Jan 2010 05:07:11 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418814/posts Was 2009 a Turning Point? December 31st, 2009 by Russell Shaw Was 2009 a turning point for the American bishops, marking a tougher and more realistic approach on their part to the myriad problems, internal and external, besetting the Catholic Church in the United States? It’s too soon for final conclusions, but, on the evidence, history may judge the year just past in exactly those terms.Two episodes in particular suggest as much.One is the remarkable fact that some 80 American bishops, acting on their own, spoke up last spring to protest Notre Dame’s invitation to President Barack Obama to receive... CatholicExchange.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418814/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 05:07:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418682/posts The celebrations have begun already in Sydney, Australia where 1.5 million people participated in massive fireworks displays and festivities. Final preparations are being made in Times Square, New York where authorities are expecting the largest crowd in the history of such New Years gatherings. At midnight, the ball will drop and a massive crowd will welcome a New Year with the sincere hope that it will offer them a new beginning. The experience is nearly universal. Some Nations use different calendars, but the passing of one year to another is marked by a deliberate period of reflection over the past... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418682/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:54:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418675/posts A new -- or is it old? -- manual for Mormons After a decade of going back to Brigham, back to Joseph and back to Wilford, Mormons are going back to basics. Starting Sunday, adult Latter-day Saints will shelve their study of past Mormon prophets and return to fundamentals of their faith as spelled out in a 30-year-old book called Gospel Principles . Twice a month, Mormon men in their priesthood meetings and women in their Relief Society sessions will consider a different chapter in the book, originally published in 1978, which discusses everything from the nature of God... Salt Lake Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418675/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:47:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418646/posts "Why is it that with all of our history we learn little is anything from history? CONSIDER OUR NATION! The people go from CHAINS to spiritual faith; from SPIRITUAL FAITH to courage; from COURAGE to liberty; from LIBERTY to abundance; from ABUNDANCE to selfishness; from SELFISHNESS to complacency(self satisfaction); from COMPLACENTCY to apathy (lack of interest); from APETHY to despondency; from DESPONDECY back again to BONDAGE. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). The Ignorant Fishermen Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418646/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:40:07 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/2418614/posts It is a vision most mainstream Canadian church leaders can only dream of: Sunday mornings in which parishioners dance and sing through three-hour services. Seminaries overflowing and unable to keep up with demand for pastors as the number of the newly baptized rises. The dream is a reality in such places as Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, where there is an explosion in Christianity. In the past decade, this demographic surge has started to spill out of Africa, as well as Asia and Latin America, in the form of missionaries to the West, a trend influencing everything from styles of worship... Holy Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418614/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:42:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418603/posts "I have thrilling news to share with you below but first some seriously bad news: With 10% of our church family out of work due to the recession, our expenses in caring for our community in 2009 rose dramatically while our income stagnated. Still, with wise management, we've stayed close to our budget all year. Then... this last weekend the bottom dropped out. "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 you help make up the difference today and... Radar Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418603/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:22:01 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/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/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/2418539/posts KATHMANDU, Nepal (Compass Direct News) – Disillusioned with Hindu nationalists, the leader of a militant Hindu extremist group told Compass that contact with Christians in prison had led him to repent of bombing a Catholic church here in May 2008. Ram Prasad Mainali, the 37-year-old chief of the Nepal Defense Army (NDA), was arrested on Sept. 5 for exploding a bomb in the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, in the Lalitpur area of Kathmandu on May 23. The explosion killed a teenager and a newly-married woman from India’s Bihar state and injured more than a dozen others. In... The Christian Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418539/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:18:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418528/posts SAN ANTONIO -- Noah's Ark Christian Bookstore sees about one to two Christian items stolen every year. This holiday season, it's seeing three to four items missing from its shelves. "I can see the need people have, they need to buy more but don't have the means to do it," store manager Maria Obregon says. You can't ignore the irony of the situation. The book that read, "Thou shalt not steal" is also one of the most-stolen books in the world. In San Antonio, Bible bandits are on the rise. Local bookstores say it's a problem they see year-round. They... WOAI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418528/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:12:42 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/2418509/posts ctor Sam Elliott claims that the Catholic Church prevented Hollywood from proceeding with the next two film’s in the His Dark Materials trilogy based on Philip Pullman’s books. “The Catholic Church ... lambasted them,” said Elliott. “I think it scared New Line off.” The film...angered Catholics who accused it of promoting atheism. In the book trilogy, set in a series of parallel worlds, heroine Lyra fights the Magisterium, an evil organisation some have interpreted as being based on the Catholic Church. Pullman, 63, told the Western Mail: "If Sam is right then I am very disappointed because it obviously would... The Church Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418509/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:39:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418487/posts Pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of the large Bay Area Church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, abruptly resigned this past weekend. Sheppard who is widely credited for growing the church from 300 members to well over 6,000 resigned due to a "moral crisis" in statement read to the congregation on Sunday. According to sources who were in attendance at the church on Sunday, an associate pastor stood up for the morning announcments and read a letter from Pastor Paul Sheppard to the church. In the letter, Sheppard admitted having an extra marital affair. In addition, he asked forgiveness from his wife,... The Church Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418487/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:16:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418458/posts Behind the locked gates of Our Lady of Tepayac Church in the Home Gardens community, Riverside County Sheriff's Investigators say they found evidence to suggest the unthinkable had occurred. "This is a very evil man who hid behind the good book to take advantage of little boys," said Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Clergyman Anthony Martinez-Garduno was arrested late Tuesday after deputies found evidence to indicate he was selling methamphetamines from his church. Detectives conducting a search warrant also located evidence of possible sex assaults on underage boys who had allegedly been given GHB, the date... NBC Los Angeles http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418458/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:35:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418371/posts Blessed Teresa of Calcutta will be honored with a United States postal stamp in 2010.“With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work,” according to a Postal Service press release. “Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years. Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and... Catholic World News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418371/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:45:04 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/2418246/posts CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING IS SATIRE Last summer, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted  to accept actively homosexual persons as members of their clergy and to condone gays and lesbians living in “lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships.” This has caused a firestorm of controversy in that church body. In response, the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, an independent pan-Lutheran organization that produces a magazine called Lutheran Forum, and a newsletter Forum Letter, published an article titled “Temple Prostitution: A Modest Proposal” by the Associate Editor of Forum Letter, Pastor Peter Speckhard, nephew of the late Father Richard John Neuhaus. I asked for... First Things http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418246/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:56:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418150/posts Peter Lombard [After delivering his primary catechesis in Italian, the Holy Father then addressed the people in several languages. In English, he said:] Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to Peter Lombard, an outstanding theologian of the twelfth century. Peter taught at the celebrated school of Notre Dame, and died as Bishop of Paris. His best-known work, the Sentences, is a collection in four books of patristic texts, carefully selected and ordered for use in the teaching of theology. The Sentences became the standard introduction to theology for... Vatican http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418150/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:43:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418105/posts At 7:41pm est Rush Limbaugh was "was rushed to a Honolulu hospital on Wednesday afternoon with chest pains." We have no idea how serious this is. I'm asking for an immediate prayer, rosery, whatever to help this man. Jesus Christ protect and heal this man. KITV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418105/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:59:33 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/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