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From an interview with Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster, published on Vatican Insider: Q. Do you foresee that there could be a change in relation to the question of the divorced and remarried? A. I don’t know. The Church does not change, it develops. By that I mean the doctrine of the Church develops by going out in a different direction. That is to say, it changes in an indirect way. And it could develop in the question of the divorced and remarried. His remarks on Pope Francis as representing "radical change" and how his election "made people...

After this last Sunday's sermon at the church I attend, I got to thinking about something. My pastor has started a series on the book of Philippians, focusing on the joy of the Lord. During one of his points, he spoke of how some people get discouraged and do not think that the Lord cares about them. He referenced Isaiah 40: 26-29 which reads... Isaiah 40:26-29 (NLT) 26 Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable...

Vatican II, "Gaudium et spes" A man and a woman, who by the marriage covenant of conjugal love ‘are no longer two, but one flesh’, render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions. Through this union they experience the meaning of their oneness and attain to it with growing perfection day by day. As a mutual gift of two persons, this intimate union, as well as the good of the children, imposes total fidelity on the spouses and argues for an unbreakable oneness between them.

The United Methodist Church’s division over homosexuality grew heated Friday (Nov. 15), as the denomination’s Council of Bishops called for charging retired Bishop Melvin Talbert with presiding at the Oct. 26 wedding of two men, which the church forbids. The council asked its president, Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, and Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett of the North Alabama Conference, to file a complaint accusing Talbert of undermining the ministry of a colleague and conducting a ceremony to celebrate the wedding of a same-gender couple at Covenant Community United Church of Christ in Center Point, Ala. Talbert, who served as bishop of the San...

On the plane, on the way back from Brazil, the journalist Gianguido Vecchi, of Corriere della Sera asked Pope Francis the following question. “Holy Father, during this visit … you have frequently spoken of mercy. With regard to the reception of the sacraments by the divorced and remarried, is there the possibility of a change in the Church’s discipline?”. That elicited the following response. “This is an issue which frequently comes up. Mercy is something much larger than the one case you raised. I believe that this is the season of mercy. This new era we have entered, and the...

The shock waves are reverberating throughout the Church and around the globe. Pope Francis has insisted that the Church founded by Jesus Christ must focus beyond "small-minded rules" or it may very well "fall like a house of cards." Translation: Doctrinal truths which the world finds offensive must be watered-down or pretty much ignored to accommodate the zeitgeist. Doctrinal truths constitute "small-minded rules"? Dr. Germain Grisez, in a talk entitled "Legalism, Moral Truth and Pastoral Practice" given at a 1990 symposium held in Philadelphia, had this to say: "Theologians and pastors who dissent from received Catholic teaching think they are...

Have head that tomorrow, September 8, parish priests, on order from their dioceses, will give homilies that unabashadly advocate amnesty for illegal aliens, that is, support the Obama administration's policy in this area. Last week's homily was, in my church, a taste of this; the priest worked (snuck?) the subject of immigration and immigrants into the homily. Since I've returned to the faith from a somewhat lapsed status over 4 years ago, I've endeavored not to miss any days of obligation. But I remember way back in 1982 when a priest gave an over-the-top homily supporting the nuclear "freeze" movement....

Are saints who have physically died “dead saints” or are they alive with God?A friend named Leonard Alt got tired of being hammered by anti-Catholic Fundamentalists on this issue so he decided to write this article. I thought you might enjoy it too, so here it goes…Leonard writes: I wrote this note after several days of frustration with people, on Facebook, saying that saints can’t do anything, because they are dead. They seem to be leaving out the fact that the souls live on. ENJOY! Dead and gone? Where is his soul-his person? An antagonist named Warren Ritz asked,...

I belong to an evangelical Christian church. I subscribe to its tenets. Among them, that there is but one true God. That He created man in His image. That man sinned against his Creator and is, therefore, fallen. That God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Yet, there is one doctrine of the church with which I have long struggled: That once someone is “saved,” they are always saved. That if a person but calls upon the name of the...

In the history of Roman Catholic dogma, one can trace an evolution in the theory of tradition. There were two fundamental patristic principles which governed the early Church's approach to dogma. The first was sola Scriptura in which the fathers viewed Scripture as both materially and formally sufficient. It was materially sufficient in that it was the only source of doctrine and truth and the ultimate authority in all doctrinal controversies. It was necessary that every teaching of the Church as it related to doctrine be proven from Scripture. Thomas Aquinas articulated this patristic view when he stated that canonical...

Relaxed and at ease, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller returns a week after his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the Diocese of Regensburg. A series of interviews for journalists are on the agenda for Friday: liberation theology, the SSPX and the situation of divorced and remarried. Minefields for an ecclesiastic, who has moved to third place in the Vatican's ecclesiastical pecking order. Archbishop Mueller, first of all, congratulations on the new job. Since when did you know about your appointment? I definitely knew it on 16 May, when the Holy Father has summoned...

At the April (2012) General Conference of the Mormon Church, Apostle D. Todd Christofferson told the congregation, “…we must admit there has been and still persists some confusion about our doctrine and how it is established. That is the subject I wish to address today.”In his remarks, Apostle Christofferson explained, “The President of the Church may announce or interpret doctrines based on revelations to him (see, for example, D&C 138). Doctrinal expression may also come through the combined council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see, for example, Official Declaration 2)… At the same time it...

Featured Term (selected at random):DOCTRINE Any truth taught by the Church as necessary for acceptance by the faithful. The truth may be either formally revealed (as the Real Presence), or a theological conclusion (as the canonization of a saint), or part of the natural law (as the sinfulness of contraception). In any case, what makes it doctrine is that the Church authority teaches that it is to be believed. this teaching may be done either solemnly in ex cathedra pronouncements or ordinarily in the perennial exercise of the Church's magisterium or teaching authority. Dogmas are those doctrines which the Church...

Mormon scripture: God curses bad races with black skin2 Nephi 5:21"And the Lord had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them." Alma 3: 6"And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which...

We can expect presidential candidate Rick Santorum to continue to come under heavy fire for warning that, "Satan has his sights on the United States of America" and that he is "attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition." We read here that, "The former senator from Pennsylvania warned in 2008 how politics and government are falling to Satan. 'This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what...

Pat Waldron asserts that Mormons are Christians and offers these reasons: First, Mormons call themselves "The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints." Second, Mormon temples contain pictures of Jesus. Third, the Mormon choir will "bring tears to your eyes, if you are a Christian." And, fourth, Mormons are nice people. But these "reasons" are hardly convincing because they deal only with superficial appearances. A more robust analysis reveals that Mormons reject absolutely essential Biblical beliefs that Christians have held for centuries. First, Mormons reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Christians believe that there is one God...

The following is an essay by Robert L. Millet, professor of religion and emeritus dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University.The issue of whether Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are Christian is not a new one, but the current media climate has caused the question to be revisited in both private and public conversations. No matter the circumstances, the underlying question is an important one and a matter whose implications reach well beyond the momentary news cycle.BackgroundsIn the early decades of the 19th century, upstate New York came to be known as the “Burnt Over District” during the second Great Awakening...

1/6/2012 7:29:00 AM Castle Doctrine expands rights of citizens to defend themselves Presumption of belief, no liability for self-defense Richard Moore Investigative Reporter When Gov. Scott Walker was campaigning last year, he proclaimed his support for legislation giving citizens broad new legal protections for defending themselves in their homes against unwanted intruders. The notion is called the Castle Doctrine, and Walker promised he'd sign such a bill into law if he was elected and the Legislature passed it. "Homeowners should take comfort in knowing that their home is truly their castle, which is why I support citizens' rights to protect...

Background and Introduction. The dispensation of Israel began with the Exodus in B.C. 1441 and concluded with the birth of our Lord in 4 B.C. Therefore, most of the Old Testament Canon is devoted to the study of Jewish client nations. There were five Jewish client nations in the dispensation of Israel. The Theocratic Kingdom from the Exodus to the time of Samuel, B.C. 1441 - 1020. The United Kingdom from Saul to Rehoboam.,B.C.1020-926. The Northern Kingdom from Jeroboam to Hoshea, B.C.926-721. The fifth cycle of discipline was administered to the Northern Kingdom by Assyria, commanded by Sargon II....

New laws go into effect for NC, including changes to Castle DoctrineBy: NBC17 Staff Published: December 01, 2011 **SNIP** Under the bill, a person charged with murder, manslaughter, or assault on a pregnant woman will face the same charged for the unborn child. **SNIP** Other laws that went into effect Dec.1: Laura's Law. This toughens sentences on repeat drunk drivers. It's named for 17-year-old Laura Fortenberry who was killed in a crash by a repeat offender. Police will start taking DNA samples from people arrested for an assortment of crimes. It used to only apply to suspects arrested for violent...