Free Republic

James Cash Penney’s words are the embodiment of community minded free enterprise at its best. Penney was born in Hamilton, Missouri, on September 16, 1875. In 1902, he invested $2,000 with the owners of the Golden Rule chain of stores in a one-third partnership in a new Golden Rule store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Wikipedia reports: "He participated in opening two more stores, and when Callahan and Johnson dissolved their partnership in 1907 he purchased full interest in all three stores. By 1912, there were 34 stores in the Rocky Mountain States. In 1913, he moved the company to the Kearns...

Few exist in our nation who are better able — and inexplicably willing — than Keith Olbermanto afford us a portal through which we may view the mindset of your average left-wing digressive on the topic of what is necessary to heal America’s present cultural divide.Last week, Olberman publicly condemned Biden — and even called for his resignation — due to his Administration’s failure over the last year to defend the country from what he called — by way of incredible hyperbole — the “terrorists” who reside amongst us throughout this country, as exemplified by those who entered our nation’s...

A website launched Friday with the backing of technology industry and Hollywood elite urges people worldwide to help craft a framework for harmony between all religions. The Charter for Compassion project on the Internet at www.charterforcompassion.org springs from a "wish" granted this year to religious scholar Karen Armstrong at a premier Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in California. "Tedizens" include Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin along with other Internet icons as well as celebrities such as Forest Whittaker and Cameron Diaz. Wishes granted at TED envision ways to better the world and come with a promise that...

At the end of a meeting with President Donald Trump this fall about the Middle East peace process, attorney Alan Dershowitz turned the conversation to a matter closer to home: The prison sentence of Sholom Rubashkin, the Kosher meatpacking executive then serving a 27-year prison sentence for bank fraud. Rubashkin, whose kosher meat firm AgriProcessors was the subject of a Forward expose in 2006 over the mistreatment of its workers, has been a case célèbre in some circles since his conviction in 2010. Dershowitz is among Rubashkin’s most prominent supporters — and was probably the first to bring the matter...

Why should we care about the fate of unborn children who are at risk of death through abortion? Why do they matter? Many people don’t care. After all, unborn children are small and largely hidden from view. They look (at their earliest stages) different from us. They don’t have the sophisticated cognitive functions that we do. They can’t speak for themselves. Worse, many people feel like (or think they could feel like) they have a self-interest in the destruction of unborn children. Abortion, people think, makes life easier. That’s why it happens. This isn’t a problem unique to the unborn....

Pope Francis delivered a stinging blow to nativist conservatives bent on keeping illegal immigrants and Middle Eastern refugees out of the United States, saying Thursday in a landmark address to Congress that Americans should show compassion to immigrants of all stripes.

A clear trend emerges when President Obama discusses religion. When discussing Islam, it is within the sole context of a “peaceful religion.” When discussing other religions, it is within the context of their once having fostered hatred and violence, as he said at the National Prayer Breakfast and the Summit to Counter Violent Extremism (SCVE).

Barack Obama ended his talk at the National Prayer Breakfast with a quote from the Hadtih (Sahih Muslim): “And, finally, let’s remember that if there is one law that we can all be most certain of that seems to bind people of all faiths, and people who are still finding their way towards faith but have a sense of ethics and morality in them — that one law, that Golden Rule that we should treat one another as we wish to be treated. The Torah says “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” In Islam, there is a Hadith that states: “None...

The idea of practicing virtue to help and respect others is not absent from any part of the world. It is a basic law found everywhere. Therefore, no one has an excuse to not follow it. If we ever expect to have peace in the world, this is certainly where we can begin. The importance of this was well stated by Mohandas Gandhi: "To injure a single human being is to injure those divine powers within us, and thus the harm reaches not only that one human being, but with him the whole world." This makes it clear that whatever...

The teenager that was the last to speak with Trayvon Martin has announced she will move forward with an opportunity presented to her by national radio DJ Tom Joyner. Jeantel, a South Florida high school student and friend of Trayvon Martin who was the last person to speak with Martin, was ostracized by the court of public opinion, her character attacked along with her appearance. The teen, who was thrown into the spotlight then berated for her speech, mannerisms and “lack...

World religions differ greatly in their individual beliefs, practices and traditions. But the one thing that they all share is the Ethic of Reciprocity, or the Golden rule as it is commonly known. Here is a list of several religious traditions’ version of the universal rule. Bahá’í Faith: "Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not." "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." Baha’u'llah "And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Epistle...

LifeSiteNews is reporting that J.C. Penney's is promoting sodomy. See here. The company is running Fathers Day ads featuring two "gay" dads. James Cash Penney's legacy is under assault. He most assuredly would not approve of his chain of department stores being used to advance the sodomite agenda. J.C. Penney's father was a Baptist preacher and farmer who raised his family with strict discipline in the Christian faith. Victor Parachin, writing for Mature Living magazine, notes how, "The influence of Penney's godly parents became evident with the growth of his business. He described his chain as 'The Golden Rule Store,'...

How low, Obama can go... Using the JudeaChristian 'Golden Rule' to promote Gay "marriage"? Mr. Obama on Wednesday cited his Christian faith as a driving force behind the "evolution" of his thinking on gay marriage. "When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated," Mr. Obama told ABC News' Robin Roberts on Wednesday.Washington Times - May 10, 2012 It's also horrific how Chris Mathews today like other lib....

Bill Warner - Center for the Study of Political Islam (interview) "The task ahead is to confront a lot of ignorance, especially in the media." "Since 9/11 we have had intellectual warriors who have studied Political Islam, built websites, blogged and written books. We now know the entire scope of Islamic doctrine and the biggest elements of a repressed and denied history of the dhimmitude, and annihilation of cultures. To repeat, we now know the doctrine and history of Political Islam at a strategic level. We now know the enemy and this is a mark of our success."

In 1995, Mr. T was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma cancer at the age of 43. The disease eventually went into remission. In 2005, after seeing the effects of Hurricane Katrina, Mr. T announced he would never wear his chains again, saying they were "an insult to God", and donated clothing and money to Katrina victims. A reality television show for TV Land, I Pity the Fool is scheduled to premiere October 11, 2006. The announced six-episode series finds him assisting those in need. As of 2006, Mr. T lives in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. He is a born-again Christian....

The most egregious attack is the allegation that Alito is a closet racist because of his membership in the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. The conservative group opposed affirmative-action and lower admission standards in 1984. The organization's newsletter carried articles by contributors, none of whom was Alito. Yet, the Kennedy-Schumer-Durbin-Biden-Leahy cabal is trying to tattoo objectionable articles from that newsletter on Alito's chest. So fierce were the accusations that Mrs. Alito left the hearings with tears streaming down her face after she endured watching the man she knew and loved smeared by a bunch of less-than-honorable men. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham...

I'm pretty sure that the "Golden Rule" originated in the New Testament but I can't find it. Can anyone point me to the verse(s)? Also, am I right in believing that it formed no part of any other religion or ethical system prior to Christianity? Thanks so much!!

"One of our problems is that ethics is never a business issue or a social issue or a political issue. It is always a personal issue." - John C. Maxwell Do you consider yourself an ordinary American, someone who will never face an ethical challenge that could become Page 1 news across the United States? If so, your thinking may have once been shared by Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom, FBI agent Coleen Rowley, and Sherron Watkins of Enron. These three "ordinary" Americans made fateful decisions to do the right thing in the face of apparent wrongdoing. The result: Selection by...

CBS News Mark Strathman reports that before Jessicas death, the family was asked whether Jessica's heart and lungs would like to be redonated.The family refused, and wanted another doctors opinion about keeping her on life support.In North Carolina the familys consent is not needed to take someone off of life support.

I have just posted the article, which I have been working on for the past several days, prompted by the recent vicious turn in Leftwing politics in Europe. It is called The Big Truth, and basically suggests that Conservatives trying to defend their respective traditions in the various nations under attack from the Left--including America--should answer their foes by a simple iteration of basic truths. Comments are invited. Suggested revisions will be carefully considered. William Flax