Free Republic

Two events of the last week witness to a significant shift in the times in which we live. The first is a sermon by megachurch Evangelical pastor Andy Stanley that seemed to concede ground to gay partnerships within the Church. The second is a worryingly ambiguous comment from Pope Francis on the possibility of blessing same-sex unions. In his Sunday sermon at North Point Community Church, Stanley responded to criticism that he had held a conference that featured gay-affirming speakers. He stated that North Point continues to teach that marriage is between a man and a woman, but that if...

The island of Manhattan boasts so many soaring towers, that it’s hardly news when a new one shoots up—even if its spire pierces the clouds. That said, now and then, there’s an exception in the form of an ambitious architectural masterpiece, like the west side’s new 90-story Affirmation Tower, a five-tiered, terrazzo-clad skyscraper that, upon closer inspection, appears to be upside down. Developed by Don Peebles, the chief operating officer at the Peebles Corporation, and designed by AD100 architect Sir David Adjaye, Affirmation Tower is as symbolic as it is enormous (1,663 feet tall and two million square feet.) Not...

Twice failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday offered advice on how Republicans and the conservative media, specifically, can “begin the healing and unifying process,” demanding that they state that Joe Biden “was duly elected president in a free and fair election.” “Here’s how elected Republicans and conservative media can begin the healing and unifying process: Accurately state that Joe Biden was duly elected president in a free and fair election,” Clinton said in a Tuesday tweet to her 30 million Twitter followers. “Urge Trump supporters to refrain from further violence. For a start,” she added:

I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, which has the 10th-largest public school district in the nation, but I never focused on our public schools. My kids go to Catholic schools, and that was the center of our universe. I never focused, that is, until I heard that the Fairfax County School Board voted to let boys into the girls’ bathrooms. The vote was 10-1. Was there only one sane person on the Fairfax County School Board? I had to find out. So I began attending school board meetings. And there I saw moms and dads begging the school board to...

When I was a boy, my parents used to enjoy a comedian named Ronnie Graham. One of his jokes was, "The other day a cat came up to me and said, 'How do I get to Carnegie Hall?' and I said 'Practice, man, practice.' This other cat came up to me and said, 'Meow.' He was a real cat." We talk a lot in our movement about spiritual practices. I am a Religious Science Practitioner; the root word of Practitioner is practice. But why do we practice? Ernest Holmes said that a central concept of our movement is "Perfect God,...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

PORTLAND, Ore. - As a lay liturgical minister and a cantor, Wilma Hens was a leader at her Roman Catholic church in Bend for years. But then Bishop Robert F. Vasa of the Diocese of Baker, headquartered in Bend, issued a two-page "affirmation of faith" that he requires all lay ministers and cantors to agree to. Hens said she couldn't accept the document, which repeatedly states "I affirm and believe" the church's teachings opposing abortion, contraception, homosexuality and other issues. So she quit. Publicly. She stood at a microphone at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Bend last month and...

I live in wonder, with the senses of my soul open and perceiving. I see the beautiful colors of my world. I hear the harmonies of the heart in each sound. I feel the Presence everywhere in my life.

Daily Affirmation Sunday, September 14, 2003 First, my prayer allows my good today. Then, my mind rests in prayer over time. Ultimately, I gently build my awareness of the glory of God as me, one simple prayer at a time. -- Connee Chandler, RScP