http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/religion/ en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:28:21 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050285/posts The Chosen “Grandpa Abyssal, what did he mean today at Synagogue, that the Jews are the chosen? Chosen for what? What were we chosen to do?” “Ahh, Chaadrean, that is a long story. We would have to venture far, far out into the future to try to see that clearly. It is too late now. I came up here to tell you that your light was supposed to be off fifteen minutes ago. If your mother sees your light on, there will be trouble…. Now go to sleep!” “But grandpa! Deep religious questions are torturing my mind, they will not... my writing http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050285/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:28:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048546/posts SYDNEY (AFP) - - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged hundreds of thousands of young Catholics to beat back a "spiritual desert" spreading through the modern world as he closed Catholic World Youth Day in Australia. The pope celebrated an open-air mass in Sydney that organisers said drew 400,000 worshippers in the climax of a week of prayer and pop concerts during which the pontiff made a historic apology for child sex abuse by clergy. In his final mass, the pope said the worshippers' youthful energy helped reinvigorate the church and urged them to become "messengers of love" to counter... Yahoo! Singapore/AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048546/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:05:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048282/posts Jesus Christ's epic Sermon on the Mount, with its calls for peacemaking, helping the poor and working for justice, could well be compared to a modern political campaign speech in front of the multitudes in a modern stadium. Now a Gilbert church is launching a Jesus for President campaign and will conduct a two-month effort starting in August - parallel to the U.S. presidential campaign - that emphasizes a familiar issue in the 2008 campaign: change. "Advocating for Change Since 33 A.D." is the secondary theme of the campaign that Pastor Mark Connelly is launching this weekend at Superstition Springs... ARIZONA TRIBUNE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048282/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:50:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047640/posts July 17, 2008 Late last week, I attended a Capitol Hill briefing about an obscure United Nations resolution on "defamation of religions" that some call the "soft jihad." Lined up in front of a hearing room in the Rayburn House Office Building were six panelists including David Harris, a Canadian who was sued for libel in 2004 by the Canadian branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for remarks he made on a radio show. The chief topic of discussion was a U.N. Commission on Human Rights resolution, backed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, that addresses "the... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047640/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:30:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047442/posts A few weeks ago, John McCain met with the Rev. Billy Graham in what was widely seen as an effort to step up his outreach to religious people. And little wonder: The conventional wisdom has decreed that the senator, who is generally reticent about his own faith, needs to do something drastic to shore up his appeal among religious voters. But it is not only Republicans who feel the need to court the "value voter" bloc. Ever since John Kerry's loss in 2004, the Democratic Party has been trying to "broaden the agenda" of religious folks, pushing global warming, Iraq... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047442/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:57:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047091/posts Smoking ban leads to new religion Wednesday 16 July 2008Café owners in the Netherlands are joining religious movement known as the One and Universal Smokers Church of God, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday.‘We stand firmly behind the church’s teachings and that is smoking,’ Cor Busch, owner of the former Lindeboom café in Alkmaar told the paper. ‘Smokers are being discriminated against… but a beer and a cigarette belong together.’ Smoking has been banned in Dutch bars since July 1. Several dozen bars have joined the movement which claims the Dutch constitution and European rules give it legitimacy under the... Dutch News (The Netherlands) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047091/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:42:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046880/posts There is a belief abroad in many conservative circles that the U.S. is "a Christian nation". This belief is found in perhaps its most extreme form in the Mormon doctrine that the Constitution of the United States is a divinely inspired document. Less extreme versions hold that Christian piety was an shaping influence on the thinking and writing of the Founding Fathers, and Christianity therefore has (or ought to have) a privileged position in the political and cultural life of the U.S. The Mormon doctrine is unfalsifiable. But claims about the beliefs and intentions of the Founding Fathers are not,... Armed and Dangerous http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046880/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:49:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2046689/posts What is the measure of a man? Faithfulness and strength... peace in the face of adversity... Joy when there seems to be no good reason. A man's worth is not in what he has or does but in the treasures that lie in his spirit. Not in the friends he chooses, but in the friend he is. Too few men possess anything more than a head of stone and a heart of mush. Too many believe in everything, or nothing at the cost of all. They are: Too often unaccountable… Too blissfully irresponsible… Too utterly inconsistent… What is the measure... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2046689/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:53:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045241/posts Whither The Secular State?Brucelewis.com 20080714 A Christian registrar who refused to carry out gay 'weddings' won a landmark legal battle yesterday. Lillian Ladele, 47, was threatened with the sack [being fired], bullied and 'thrown before the lions' after asking to be excused from conducting civil partnerships for same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs. But yesterday a tribunal agreed that her faith had been ridden roughshod over by equalities-obsessed Islington Council, which had sought to 'trump one set of rights with another'. The groundbreaking decision could lead to firms facing 'conscience claims' from staff who say their own beliefs prevent... brucelewis.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045241/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:41:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045227/posts Catholics consider the consecrated wafer, the Eucharist, among the most sacred objects in the world and believe it becomes the 'Body of Christ' through transubstantiation. Student Government Senator Webster Cook filed the hazing charges with University of Central Florida administrators shortly after he admitted violating church rules by bringing the Eucharist home from Mass on June 29, then holding it hostage for one week in a plastic bag before returning it. Cook said his hazing complaint cited a UCF anti-hazing policy banning the forced consumption of any food in which the initiation or admission into or affiliation with a University... WFTV-TV Orlando, FL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045227/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:11:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2045096/posts Next week's interfaith conference in Madrid, sponsored by the Saudi King, may be inherently limited in scope — but that doesn't diminish its capacity for trouble. Like the debate over Senator Obama's proposal to enter into direct talks with the president of Iran, critics are put in the awkward position of opposing dialogue in favor of conflict. Why, ask proponents of dialogue, should we look a gift horse in the mouth. The danger in interfaith dialogues, as in diplomatic ones, is the price of admission. The thing to watch will be not what is said but what isn't. And whose... NY Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2045096/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:15:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044740/posts Religion – including Christianity and Judaism – is "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." At least that's according to the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens. In the news business, we often cite a nation's current top-selling books – for example, the popularity of anti-Semitic titles in Arab countries – as evidence of the mindset of the people. Well, in the United States of America right now, some of the... worldnetdaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044740/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:56:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2044024/posts Bruce Reyes-Chow "PCUSA" is a "mainline" denomination of 2.3 million members. This is the spirit of the times (zeitgeist): certainly not the Holy Spirit. According to a story from the Catholic News Agency: San Jose, CA., Jul 8, 2008 / 11:57 pm (CNA).- Reaction continues to the decisions of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), which took place between June 21 and June 28. The assembly nullified proscriptions against sexual behavior outside of marriage and called for a vote to delete the church’s constitutional standard requiring fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness. It also... Cor ad cor loquitur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2044024/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:21:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2044002/posts Interesting times we're living in! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2044002/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:46:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043435/posts A Michigan man is suing Zondervan Publishing and Thomas Nelson Publishing, claiming biblical references to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and $10 million from Thomas Nelson, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported. He is representing himself in both claims. Fowler claims the Bible has made him an outcast and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment." "As frivolous as this case may sound, it's an indicator of where the homosexual agenda is headed," said... CitizenLink http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043435/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:54:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043623/posts nearly hemorrhaged when Lil’ Wayne approached the microphone at the 2008 BET Awards saying, “I am nothing without God, baby! I just want to say thank God, thank my family and thank Universal.” What god is he thanking? Does he worship some ancient god named “Misogyny?” There is a serious disconnect in the hip hop community that allows rappers to evoke the name of God in thanks while producing music that celebrates evil. Acton Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043623/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:14:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043621/posts For Americans the Fourth of July marks national independence, but the holiday has become symbolic of a more universal cause: human liberty. The development of human freedom, in theory and in practice, is in large measure the story of Christianity. How we understand the past influences how we live in the present, which is why debates about history can be so rancorous. Whether Christianity is a vehicle of oppression or a force for liberation is a question whose answer has remained contentious for two millennia. For many, Christianity is oppressive. For them, the Christian religion is associated with the Crusades,... Acton Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043621/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:12:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043550/posts Neither faith nor science can answer the most important questions. So why are believers and atheists still bickering? I went to a debate recently in New York between a rabbi and the famous polemicist Christopher Hitchens, on the question "Does God exist?" Hitchens was called on to speak first, and he won the debate with his first two sentences: "I don't know why I have to speak first. He has the burden of proof." The mostly secular ... audience heartily applauded this sally, which was based on the premise -- never challenged by the rabbi -- that science provides an... The American, A Magazine of Ideas http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043550/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:31:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043468/posts " 'Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.' – Matthew 7:15 (NIV) An oppressive and zealous new religion is crusading around the globe, creating multitudes of converts by the day. What makes this newfound cult all the more frightening is that it refuses to outwardly label itself as such, choosing instead to march under the banner of a “noble cause.” This “noble cause” that has garnered so much support, of course, is none other than the Green Movement. Although the tenets of conservation and environmental responsibility are noble to... The Daily Grind http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043468/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:56:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2043429/posts JTA - Religious Jews support U.S. Sen. John McCain for president in much higher numbers than non-religious Jews, a poll found. The 39 percent of U.S. Jews who said religion is important in their daily lives evenly split their support for the presumptive candidates in November -- Arizona's McCain for the Republicans and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democrats -- at 45 percent, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday. more APRPEH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2043429/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:42:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2043396/posts There is a curse upon the White House. God speaks in the Bible about curses and blessings. Those who obey Him, putting Him first, are blessed. Those who disobey Him come under His curse. It is a matter of free will action. Being obedient is a conscious decision to do what God wants. Being disobedient is consciously deciding to go against God. We are accountable for our free will actions. The White House has a curse upon it. It is real. It is powerful. It will not go away until a particular act takes place. The curse came upon the... Magic City Morning Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2043396/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:25:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043207/posts My name is John Wayne Tucker and I am a Republican candidate for U. S. Congress in Missoouri's 3rd Congressional District. As a minister of many years and a retired teacher, I can assure you that I stand for Christian values. Life is a non-negotiable issue with me. I have the endorsement of Missouri Right to Life. Please check my web site for details at http://www.johnwaynetucker.com With your support, I am committed to standing with God and making a difference in America. Please remember the primary August 5th, 2008. Thank you for your support. John Wayne Tucker Committee to Elect John Wayne Tucker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043207/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:42:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043113/posts I. The Basis for the Belief in the Messianic Kingdom Premillennialists have often been criticized for basing their belief in a Millennium entirely on one passage of Scripture, Revelation 20. Because it is found in a book well noted for its high use of symbols, they say it is foolish to take the one thousand years literally. But that is hardly a valid criticism. To begin with, while it is true that the Book of Revelation uses many symbols, it has already been shown that the meaning of all those symbols is explained either within the Book of Revelation itself... Pre-Trib Research Centre http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043113/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 22:25:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2043107/posts Tagline: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." In this segment, Helen's sudden mid-flight outburst about an Islamic passenger makes Carl fear arrest upon landing. Watch segment 10 and comment. Eudaimonia and other pursuits http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2043107/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 22:12:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2042597/posts "Theodicy" Part 1: Carl's Choice "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."Watch and comment on Part 1. (Part 1 introduces Carl, the main antagonist in the story.) Since the death of his fiancée, Carl has become a drop out, heavy drug user and, most recently, a homeless street performer in Washington, D.C. Recovery seems possible after he saves the life of a congressman's relative and gains access to her wealth, but hidden enemies and his own inner turmoil threaten to drag him to new lows. Eudaimonia and other pursuits http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2042597/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 21:32:35 GMT