http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/religious/ en-us Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:19:30 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393724/posts We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are: 1.the sanctity of human life 2.the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife 3.the rights of conscience and religious liberty. Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393724/posts#comment Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:19:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387936/posts Court turns down student over religious speechThe Associated Press Updated: 11/16/2009 09:51:39 AM MST WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a student who complained that high school officials violated her constitutional rights when they turned off her microphone during her religion-tinged graduation speech. The justices said Monday they will not revive a lawsuit filed by Brittany McComb of Henderson, Nev. challenging the actions of Clark County school officials. A federal appeals court ruled previously ruled against her. During McComb's speech at the Foothill High School graduation in 2006, officials turned off McComb's microphone when the school valedictorian strayed... Denver Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387936/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:50:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2380322/posts Rome, Italy, Nov 6, 2009 / 02:58 pm (CNA).- Speaking to Vatican Radio on Tuesday, Cardinal Franc Rode shed more light on the reasons behind the ongoing apostolic visitation of female U.S. religious orders, saying that a “secularist mentality” and a “feminist spirit” evident in the communities were among the factors leading to the visitation.The apostolic visitation was launched earlier this year with the stated aim of helping strengthen religious communities in the U.S., which are suffering from a sharp decline in vocations.In his Tuesday interview with Vatican Radio, Cardinal Rode said “some criticism arrived from United States and... cna http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2380322/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:44:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2369475/posts LifeSiteNews.com) - A Dominican nun has been seen frequenting an abortion facility in Illinois recently - but not, as one might expect, to pray for an end to abortion or to counsel women seeking abortions, but to volunteer as a clinic escort. Local pro-life activists say that they recognized the escort at the ACU Health Center as Sr. Donna Quinn, a nun outspokenly in favor of legalized abortion, after seeing her photo in a Chicago Tribune article. "I've called her sister several times, and she never responded," local pro-lifer John Bray told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN). "But it's her."  Amy Keane, a pro-life... LifeSite http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2369475/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:05:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2357696/posts Our nation was built on a foundation of strong faith, and in some respects, that hasn’t changed. In fact, 69% of Americans believe in God, 77% pray outside of religious services, and 75% believe it’s a parent’s responsibility to give children a religious upbringing. But even though 45% of respondents called themselves religious, 50% said they rarely or never attend worship services. More than a quarter (27%) of respondents said they don’t practice any kind of religion. As books with titles like God Is Not Great and The God Delusion have climbed the best-seller lists in recent years, sociologists have... Parade http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2357696/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 17:57:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2347303/posts Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the "Star Wars" film saga, fans gather for Star Wars Celebration IV at the L.A. Convention Center downtown. Jasper Manning, 2, assumes the character of Yoda in the company of his father, Chad Manning. (Mel Melcon / LAT) The Force is weak in this one.... First we have Muslims crying foul when not allowed to "cover up"; and now this?! Unbelievable: Tesco has been accused of religious discrimination after the company ordered the founder of a Jedi religion to remove his hood or leave a branch of the supermarket in north Wales. Daniel Jones, founder... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2347303/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:45:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342079/posts U.S. states whose residents have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth, a new study suggests. The relationship could be due to the fact that communities with such religious beliefs (a literal interpretation of the Bible, for instance) may frown upon contraception, researchers say. If that same culture isn't successfully discouraging teen sex, the pregnancy and birth rates rise. Mississippi topped the list for conservative religious beliefs and teen birth rates, according to the study results, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of the journal Reproductive Health. However, the results... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342079/posts#comment Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:55:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2340441/posts Here is a poll question that would like to know what religion we Freepers consider ourselves.What Religion Are You Freeper? I know that most Freepers consider ourselves to be a Christian, but there are many of you Freepers who tend to keep your religion to yourselves and basically stick to the political issues. However, inquiring minds would like to know, and it would only take few seconds to answer the poll question. Gate of The City http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2340441/posts#comment Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:16:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2328507/posts UPDATE: On Aug. 8, Marzieh and Maryam were summoned to an Iranian court and ordered to deny their faith verbally and in a written statement, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Marzieh and Maryam were pressured to recant their faith after the chief interrogator recommended they be charged with apostasy. Praise God, they stood firm and replied, “We love Jesus. We will not deny our faith.” VOM contacts reported the deputy prosecutor, Mr. Haddad, aggressively questioned the women during the court proceedings. Haddad asked them if they regretted becoming Christians. They replied they had no regrets. When Maryam... VOM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2328507/posts#comment Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:10:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2325217/posts . NEVER FORGET . Upon learning of Communist persecution and jailing of prominent Vietnam Mennonite Pastor NGUYEN CONG CHINH of Pleiku, Vietnam... California State Assemblyman VAN TRAN sent a letter to the President of Vietnam asking for Pastor NGUYEN's immediate release from jail. The Assemblyman also sent a letter to our U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam in Hanoi, Vietnam asking for his intervention in this case. And that of the many thousands of TAM TOA Catholics being persecuted in Communist Vietnam as well. A letter-writing campaign was then intiated for others to follow suit. A response letter from U.S. Ambassador MICHAEL... California State Assemblyman VAN TRAN Assembly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2325217/posts#comment Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:41:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2313691/posts A new study of Roman Catholic nuns and priests in the United States shows that an aging, predominantly white generation is being succeeded by a smaller group of more racially and ethnically diverse recruits who are attracted to the religious orders that practice traditional prayer rituals and wear habits.The study found that the graying of American nuns and priests was even more pronounced than many Catholics had realized. Ninety-one percent of nuns and 75 percent of priests are 60 or older, and most of the rest are at least 50.They are the generation defined by the Second Vatican Council, of... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2313691/posts#comment Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:12:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2309157/posts Last week North Korea publically executed a Christian woman for distributing Bibles. According to this report her family,- parents, husband, and three children, were sent to a political prison camp. The day after her execution. North Korea has been ranked #1 for the world's worst abusers of human rights. A new report just out by the International Commission on Religious Freedom names North Korea as one of 13 worst countries of particular concern. Amerisrael http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2309157/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 23:28:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308717/posts his list is based on responses to a Gallup Poll that asked a cross-section of Americans if religion is an “important part” of their lives. 1. Mississippi 85% 2. Alabama 82% 3. South Carolina 80% 4. Tennessee 79% 5. Louisiana 78% 6. Arkansas 78% 7. Georgia 76% 8. North Carolina 76% 9. Oklahoma 75% 10. Kentucky & Texas (tie) 74% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HUMAN EVENTS is the news source President Reagan called his "favorite newspaper" and we still hold high the Reaganesque principles of free enterprise, limited government and, above all, a staunch, unwavering defense of American freedom. Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308717/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 15:51:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301607/posts Some Muslims have refused to use alcohol-based hand gels to combat the spread of swine flu because they claim it is against their religion. Some of those employed by St Albans Council in Hertfordshire have complained about the antibacterial lotion, which is considered a key strategy in containing the virus. Daily Mail UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301607/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:18:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301359/posts Some Muslims have refused to use alcohol-based hand gels to combat the spread of swine flu because they claim it is against their religion. Some of those employed by St Albans Council in Hertfordshire have complained about the antibacterial lotion, which is considered a key strategy in containing the virus. Officials were concerned because the Koran bans Muslims from consuming alcohol, so council chiefs issued them with non-alcohol hand gels, which studies have shown to be less effective Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202192/Muslims-refuse-use-alcohol-based-hand-gels-religious-beliefs.html#ixzz0MNMBGcS7 The Mail on Sunday http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301359/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:28:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2301375/posts African-Americans are the most religiously devout racial group in the nation when it comes to attending services, praying and believing that God exists, according to a recent profile. Compared to the rest of the U.S. population, which is generally considered highly religious, African-Americans engage in religious activities more frequently and express higher levels of religious belief, Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life highlighted in a report released in time for Black History Month. The center's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 on more than 35,000 people, found that 79 percent of African-Americans say religion is very... Christian Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2301375/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:41:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2298404/posts I was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, from Chestnut Hill, Pa. (just outside Philly), and remember tales of the black-habit-wearing nuns heading to Cape May for their summer vacation, where they'd sit on the sand, in habit and veil and everything, and soak up the sun. (One of the sisters who taught me recalled not long ago: "In the evenings, back at the retreat house, you could always tell who had been to the beach. You'd see women in the showers with white bodies and red hands and faces!") Well, the Philadelphia Inquirer has a look at how... Deacon's Bench http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2298404/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:27:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2295957/posts For a decade now, the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) has been bitterly divided over the issue of ordaining openly gay clergy. The matter reached a new intensity this past week when the church's triennial convention ended the ban on gay candidates serving in ordained ministry. After years of protesting ECUSA's liberal policies and doctrines, seceding conservatives have now organized a rival church -- the Anglican Church in North America, or ACNA -- which claims 100,000 believers, compared with two million in ECUSA. This week's dramatic decision is sure to widen the rift even further, causing what church historians might officially... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2295957/posts#comment Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:26:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2269526/posts Obama’s Ex-Preacher: Jews Blocking Me from White House by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (IsraelNN.com) Black anti-Zionist pastor Jeremiah Wright, who once was U.S. President Barack Obama’s personal pastor and officiated at his wedding, blames the Jews from blocking him from even speaking to the president. In an interview with the Virginian Daily Press, Wright stated, "Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office….” The chiefs of staff for the president and for... Arutz Sheva http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2269526/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:33:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2259135/posts http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20090526.htm#head6 Book says young women attracted to orders whose members wear habits DENVER (CNS) -- While the last 40 years have seen an overall drop in the numbers of women entering religious life, a new book released by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious says orders that are more visibly countercultural seem to be flourishing. The council represents the superiors of more than 100 religious communities of sisters whose members wear an identifiable religious habit. A canonically approved organization founded in 1992 to promote religious life in the United States, the council notes that the average age of... Catholic News Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2259135/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 16:39:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2232249/posts I find it shameful that the university allowed the covering of religious symbols that represents its foundation as a institution. They have no regard for what is right? If H. Obama can make you cover the cross, then he can rule you with an iron hand. If you believe this to be nonsense…look to the Germany of the 1930’s. It is here that little by little the cross was eroded into the worship of the state. Is this truly what Georgetown wants to stand for as an elite educational institution? My question is this truly what we are going to... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2232249/posts#comment Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:36:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2209206/posts People with strong religious beliefs appear to want doctors to do everything they can to keep them alive as death approaches, a US study suggests. Researchers followed 345 patients with terminal cancer up until their deaths. Those who regularly prayed were more than three times more likely to receive intensive life-prolonging care than those who relied least on religion. The team's report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It suggests that such care, including resuscitation, may make death more uncomfortable. Just over 30% of those asked agreed with the statement that religion was "the most important... news.bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2209206/posts#comment Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:51:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193987/posts WASHINGTON – Governments that receive donations of Ten Commandments displays and other monuments for public parks are not compelled to take everything they are offered, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The court said that a small religious group, the Summum, cannot force Pleasant Grove City, Utah, to place its granite marker in a park that has been home to a Ten Commandments monument for 38 years. Officials do not violate free speech rights when they reject requests to display monuments, Justice Samuel Alito said in his opinion for the court. "It is hard to imagine how a public park... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193987/posts#comment Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:46:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186051/posts The website of a New York TV network whose aim is to improve American perceptions of Islam was shut down this morning, two days after its founder admitted to the beheading of his wife. And while that irony might bring a momentary smile, another attempt to conceal the facts behind an honor killing right here in America should stir nothing short of outrage. Muzzammil Hassan, CEO of Bridges TV, whose motto is "connecting people through understanding," apparently didn't think Thursday's honor killing -- and make no mistake about what this was -- at the station might somehow blur that message.... AmericanThinker.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186051/posts#comment Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:18:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2176696/posts OP-ED: On Inauguration Day, after it got the United Nations to pass a gag rule on insulting religions, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) told our new president in a New York Times ad that Muslims "have compelling strategic and moral reasons to cooperate and peacefully coexist with the United States in particular, and with the West in general." Many Muslims here and elsewhere want that partnership; but some, jihadists in the name of Islam, disagree violently. In its address to our new president, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (which has permanent status at the United Nations) made... WashingtonTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2176696/posts#comment Mon, 2 Feb 2009 15:43:19 GMT