Free Republic

If there is a face of anarchy, it’s that of Guy Fawkes. His face is so notorious that it is commonly symbolized, ironically, in the form of an identity-concealing mask. Fawkes was an English Catholic who is immortalized annually on Nov. 5, a date identified by his namesake. Guy Fawkes Day marks his plot in 1605 to eliminate the entire British Parliament in one fell swoop. He was popularized by the 2005 movie “V for Vendetta,” where V, the character based on Fawkes, always wore a smug, musketeer-style mustachioed mask that came to embody his revolutionary persona. As the history...

In these last days before Election Day, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is wading into the presidential race. The Brody File has in its possession a robocall she made aimed at getting conservative faith voters to the polls. She recorded it for the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Listen below for part of that message by clicking here. A portion of the robocall transcription is below. “Our nation is at a crossroads. So please go to the polls and vote for the candidates who share your common-sense values. Urge your friends and family to vote, too. Thank you and God bless...

Economic issues seem to be dominating the 2012 campaign, but a quiet electoral revolution is brewing. The "religious vote" is on the move -- and it's not going leftward. Disgusted by the Democrats' embrace of the abortion industry and the homosexual agenda, plus the reckless spending and the Democrats' initially leaving God and Jerusalem out of the party platform, the rightward march may turn into a stampede on Nov. 6. Building on the Tea Party-fueled GOP tsunami in 2010, "values voter" activists are in hyperdrive. The Rev. Billy Graham, while not endorsing a candidate, is featured in full-page ads urging...

“Remember, remember the fifth of November,” instructs the old nursery rhyme, and offers a useful summary: “Gunpowder, treason and plot.” But we have never been sure quite what, or how, we should be remembering. On 5 November 1605 a small gang of Catholics and minor noblemen plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament, during the State Opening at which King James I would be present. One of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, was caught with the gunpowder before he set it off. The other plotters were soon caught, and all were executed. By government decree, the date was soon declared...

(CNSNews.com) – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), late Friday, filed a formal complaint asking the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to investigate the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for allegedly engaging in prohibited political activity in violation of its nonprofit tax status. The CREW complaint alleges that the nation’s Catholic bishops are “abusing their positions to advocate against the election of President Barack Obama,” and anticipated further actions during this weekend’s sermons. The complaint mentions several bishops -- including Nicholas Di Marzio in New York; David Ricken in Wisconsin; Edward J. Burns in Alaska and Paul Loverde in...

This year’s elections involve an attempt to usurp an authority that belongs properly to God. Vote wisely, therefore, and in the fear of God. This year—more than any time in my memory—our votes in the election are going to be recorded in eternity.

When Dave Hunt and I wrote The Seduction of Christianity more than 25 years ago, the conservative evangelical church was more than pleased that we were addressing some of the erroneous teachings and practices of the Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, particularly those that promoted the unbiblical prosperity and healing doctrines. Yet that enthusiasm was short-lived when many such readers got to chapters 12 and 13. Why? Those chapters addressed the biblical problems with psychological counseling in the church, a phenomenon that had installed itself within evangelical Christianity in a major way. That was more than a quarter of a century...

Remember, Remember Published Monday, November 5, 2012 A.D. | By Donald R. McClarey The idiotic anti-Catholic celebration of Guy Fawkes Day , observed each November fifth, was effectively ended in America during the Revolution, in large part due to George Washington.  Here is his order on November 5, 1775:As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope–He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see...

Back when I was in my Anglican interim, I loved commemorating Guy Fawkes Day. A haunting little historical nursery rhyme, bonfires, the burning of effigies, and children in raggedy clothes with ash-blackened faces accosting householders, begging A penny for the Guy!—what’s not to love? I had a vague notion of the historical events behind the festivities, and knew that Shakespeare had referenced them in his haunted (and contemporaneous) masterpiece, Macbeth. Mostly, though, what I knew about Guy Fawkes day was that some bad guy named Guy had tried to blow up the English Parliament, but the plot was foiled and...

The adoption agency Catholic Care has lost its five year fight to reserve its services for heterosexual couples only, in a landmark court ruling. The adoption agency based in Leeds, had taken its case to the Upper Tribunal in order to win the right to maintain charitable status while being permitted to refuse to place children with same-sex couples, in accordance with the charity’s Catholic ethos. However, they were defeated today as the Charity Commission argued that the charity’s stance is “divisive, capricious and arbitrary” and undermined the dignity of homosexual couples whose parenting abilities are “beyond question”. The tribunal...

A new zeitgeist is capturing business people, academics and political players from both the Left and Right, looking for an ethical alternative for our time. Their inspiration? Catholic teaching. In many ways these are difficult times for the Catholic Church. Congregations in England are still in decline, child abuse scandals around the world have cast a long shadow and in many areas of policy - from euthanasia to gay marriage - the church's fixed positions make it sound outdated and out of touch. Yet in the last couple of months I have received some intriguing invitations from Catholic friends: one...

Internet evangelist Bill Keller is on a mission to convince Christians to reject both Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney. Rather than selecting either of the main candidates, Keller is challenging believers to choose Jesus Christ for president — literally. As of July 2012, he claimed to have already convinced nearly 200,000 Christians to write in the savior’s name, rather than select any of the men officially running for the presidency. Now, just four months later, Keller’s pool of supporters has increased monumentally to more than 1.6 million. While this may seem like a number that is...

AS bonfires and fireworks light up the night sky over the next few days, many people enjoying the spectacle may not realise how close West Oxfordshire’s link is to the events Bonfire Night recalls. Chastleton House, near Chipping Norton, used to be owned by the leading figure behind the ill-fated plot to blow up Parliament, Robert Catesby. Although Guy Fawkes, the man caught in Parliament’s cellars with the barrels of gunpowder, is remembered each year – and effigies of him burned on bonfires – it was actually Catesby who led the 1605 plan. Catesby was a devout Catholic who grew...

St. Petersburg, November 2, Interfax - A resident of St. Petersburg has been detained after trying to attach an imitation of an improvised explosive device and a pig's head to the gate of the main city mosque, the Federal Security Service (FSB) department for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region said. "The detainee is Vladimir Smirnov, born in 1988. The man has a record of criminal convictions, including for violent crimes, the incitement of hatred or enmity, and involvement in illegal circulation of arms, ammunition and explosive devices," it said. Smirnov has been handed over to police to make a...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem A New Journey…The Names of God in The Scriptures My Light and my Salvation (Adonai ori veyish'i)Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)

I’ve generally stayed quiet during this election season, but as the election draws near and I’m seeing posts saying that voting for Romney is a step backwards for the country…I am going to speak why I’m not supporting reelecting Obama—probably different than what you’re hearing. I honestly fear for the future of my job if he is reelected. His moves against the Catholic Church with the contraception mandate frustrate me—for my Church, as well as for me personally. You may or may not know that I have not prescribed or referred for contraception, abortion or sterilization for 16 years. That...

Trust His Timing Today's Scripture “My times are in Your hand...” (Psalm 31:15, NASB) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria One thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t always work on our time table. In fact, He rarely does. But, in a single moment, God can change your life! All throughout scripture, we see examples of how God was working behind the scenes and instantly turned things around for His people. Scripture tells us He is the same yesterday, today and forever which means if He did it for them, He can instantly turn things around for you, too!...

Partakers of His Suffering ". . . but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings . . ." —1 Peter 4:13 If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised by what comes your way. You say, “Oh, I can’t deal with that person.” Why...

Pray For the Salvation of America My fellow Freepers, It is a very serious time in our nation's history and our future looks very uncertain and every day the news is full of stories that cause us to fear as it looks like we are teetering towards the edge of a cliff. It is quite obvious to even the casual observer that our great country is under a tremendous spiritual assault by the forces of darkness and hell that is causing great distress to many across this land and in other free nations. This is largely our own fault as...

An influential paper with the Orthodox Jewish Community in New York, the Jewish Star, strongly endorsed Mitt Romney for president today. The editorial was titled, "The New Jewicide," and clearly delineated why Barack Obama is dangerous for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. As the writer stated: Obama’s bad positions on Israel and terrorism during his first term will only worsen in a second when he would no longer need financial support from major Jewish donors and electoral support from Jewish voters. Just like he told Russian President Mevedev Obama will have more flexibility in a second term...