Free Republic

Back in the 1980s, one of the top-level swimmers in California adopted a rather unusual method of getting himself psyched up for his events. Half an hour before his race, he'd start chanting softly to himself, “I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win.” His chants gradually got louder and louder, and, from the time he entered the ready area until he took his place on the starting block, everyone around him was treated to his constant mantra, “I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win.” The strategy worked to a certain extent. His chanting often threw competitors...

What Brand Makes You Feel Comfortable? The role ofan unexamined prejudice in modern lifeWe all know the categories of prejudice that are discussed, and re-hashed endlessly, in contemporary life: racism, sexism ageism. We have made a secular liturgy of discussing these issues, and, no doubt, some good has come from it. As a tail-end baby-boomer I absorbed the principle, taught very early on, about the dangers of stereotyping. If our generation wasn't going to get anything else right on the ethical/moral front, we were going to end prejudice--at least end the sort of prejudice that was directed against the approved...

WHEN DEMOCRATIC vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden was greeting voters at a Northeast Philadelphia diner recently, he couldn't have expected what he heard when he slid into a corner booth next to Carolyn Bauer. Bauer told a reporter that she'd told Biden she'd never vote for him or his running mate. "It'd be disgusting to get a man named Barack Obama as president of the United States," she said. "No way!" Her view is not unique. During the April 22 primary, a woman emerging from a Newtown, Bucks County, polling place said to a volunteer in an Obama T-shirt, "So you...

Islamism is the Racism of Our Time (Full Translation) by Baron Bodissey Yesterday I posted a translation of brief excerpts from Naser Khader’s op-ed about Islamism. Henrik of Europe News has kindly translated the entire text for us. To recapitulate: Naser Khader is a Danish Muslim who has tirelessly opposed radical Islam in his country, at great risk to himself. The full text of his opinion piece: Islamism is the Racism of Our Time Today marks the seven year anniversary of the attack on World Trade Center in New York. At least 2,986 people lost their lives in the terrorist...

The chair of the Connecticut College history department, Catherine McNicol Stock, has suggested that Sarah Palin is somehow associated with Pacific Northwest hate groups such as Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. Her proof? Well, because Palin lived in areas with low "diversity." I kid you not. Here is the professor's "learned thesis" presented in a Philadelphia Inquirer opinion column melodramatically titled, "Intolerance thrives in Palin's Pacific Northwest" (emphasis mine): Despite her efforts to portray herself as an average, small-town, "folksy" American, Sarah Palin's political views - ardently pro-gun, pro-censorship, antichoice and antigay - make John McCain's conservative credentials pale...

Taking the Time to Act Like Christians by Deal W. Hudson 9/11/08 A few days ago I was asked to speak to a men's group in Atlanta about Catholics in politics. As part of my presentation, I talked about the possibility of greater Catholic and Evangelical cooperation. To illustrate my point, I told the story about the reconciliation earlier this year between Pastor John Hagee and Catholic League President Bill Donohue. I had never spoken in depth about the April meeting at Donohue's office and was surprised to find myself deeply moved in the telling of it. Perhaps it was...

I wasn’t going to talk about presidential politics for a long while, especially since my prediction last year ago of a Giuliani / Hillary Clinton race, with America’s Mayor winning narrowly. Wow, did I miss the mark on that one. Wednesday of this week I got a call from a young woman who said she was a pollster for the Democratic Party of North Carolina. After a little back and forth, I was satisfied that this was a real poll, and I answered her questions. The fact that she didn’t ask any demographic questions at the end raised doubts about...

#1 The media believes in Reproductive Privacy for John Edwards, but not for Sarah Palin #2: Sarah Palin knows how many children she has and with whom (a tip of the hat to FReeper Question Liberal Authority) #3: John Edwards would worry more about his hair at 3:00 AM (a tip of the hat to FReeper bahblahbah) #4: John Edwards thinks he is prettier than Sarah Palin (a tip of the hat to FReeper LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget) #5: Sarah Palin is NOT a lawyer (a tip of the hat to FReeper NonValueAdded) #6 Sarah Palin doesn’t channel dead girls (a tip of...

The Democrats live and die by the ad hominem of racism. http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20016813&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

CBSNews.com: So, Tom Ridge, who's been discussed. You think … Richard Land: That would be a catastrophe. CBSNews.com: Who’s on the list of people mentioned for VP that you think would most excite Southern Baptists and other members of the conservative faith community? Richard Land: Probably Governor Palin of Alaska, because she's a person of strong faith. She just had her fifth child, a Downs Syndrome child. And there's a wonderful quote that she gave about her baby, and the fact that she would never, ever consider having an abortion just because her child had Downs Syndrome. She's strongly pro-life....

Some of you may have been surprised that even after visiting Iraq Obama still talks about our accomplishments there in somewhat disparaging terms. As senator McCain aptly put it: “Senator Obama said that the strategy of the surge would not succeed. He said it was doomed to fail. He said there would be an increase in sectarian violence. He still, to this day, has said that the surge is not succeeding.” http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/mccain-keeps-up-iraq-attack-on-obama/ A very critical linchpin in Obama’s political platform has been his unequivocal opposition to the invasion of Iraq -- pejoratively referred to by the left as “Bush ’s...

July 23, 2008, 12:32 pm Is Anti-Catholicism Dead? By Sewell Chan When Gov. Alfred E. Smith ran for president in 1928, his candidacy was derailed in large part by anti-Catholic prejudice. It has been nearly 48 years since John F. Kennedy became the first (and so far only) Roman Catholic president, but experts say that anti-Catholic sentiment — much of it originating in, or as a response to, immigrants in New York — remains an enduring force in American culture.

Yes, the sad little cracker has met its undignified end, so stop pestering me. The cracker, the koran, and another surprise entry have been violated and are gone. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the details, what little of them there are. I must quickly apologize to all you good Catholics who were hoping to attend Mass, since you can't anymore — I have been told many hundreds of times now that cracker abuse violates your right to practice your religion. I guess you'll have to adapt. Secular humanism is a good alternative, if you aren't already flocking to...

The Islington Council, by trying to force a civil marriage registrar to participate in homosexual domestic partnership ceremonies, perpetrated a "violation" of her dignity and "created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment." In unexpectedly strong language, the Central London Employment Tribunal has ruled that Lillian Ladele, a Christian civil marriage registrar, cannot be forced to act contrary to her conscience in conducting homosexual domestic partnership ceremonies. The panel ruled, "Islington Council rightly considered the importance of the right of the gay community not to be discriminated against but did not consider the right of Miss Ladele as a...

I believe so.Folks, as you know already from my previous post, Paul Zachary Myers, a professor at the University of Minnesota Morris, has pledged to desecrate the Eucharist in public and has solicited help openly to accomplish it. The question now is, is this criminal solicitation and attempted conspiracy to commit a hate crime across state lines? I'm no lawyer, but I can read the statutes.Let us begin with a general definition of a hate crime. The one in the Wikipedia will serve: Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of...

Hold your horses their cowboy! It's not that type of fence ya'll (Yes, I said it. I'm from Texas sue me). Demos are not in support of a fence that'll keep illegal immigrants out of the country, but they are in support of a fence that'll keep undesirables OUT of their convention. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the DNC regarding the fence they have decided to set up outside their Convention arena. The ACLU is claiming that the demos attempts to keep other democrat protesters out is a violation of their 1st amendment right to peacefully gather. This...

This is in response to Jack Engelhard's blog posting "Rev.Wright/Al Campanis: Second Acts for Some..." Jack's point is simple. We are told that we are to take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's remarks such as "God Damn America" and Israel is "white racist" over the past twenty years Barack Hussein Obama has been a member of his church "in context with his achievements". Jack then reviews the fate of Al Campanis, former General Manager of the Dodgers, who after one racist remark was banned [and later died] in disgrace despite the "context" of a lifetime of assisting with breaking Baseball's "color...

While Hillary’s supporters are currently engaged in, at least for now, an attempt to hijack the Democrat presidential nomination away from Barack Obama, or at worse (for them), elect John McCain in November, a new rift is being revealed from within the Republican Party. Some black Republicans are hinting at jumping ship and voting for Barack Obama, not because they are in line with his many election year promises, but it would appear simply because he’s black. “I don't necessarily like his policies; I don't like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Black conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president. That could change this year with Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee. "I don't necessarily like his policies; I don't like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts me to really seriously think about it," Williams said. "I can honestly say I have no idea who I'm going to pull that lever for in November. And to me, that's incredible." Just as Obama has touched black Democratic voters, he has engendered conflicting emotions among...

The vague wording of Section 18 of the Sexual Orientation Regulations of the new Equality Act may enable the Society to confound the contentious rules by simply amending its constitution to refer directly to "married heterosexual couples" rather than its current reference to "couples who wish to adopt." Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said he was in full agreement with the decision to challenge the new government policies. "I fully support the decision of the trustees in their endeavours to continue the valuable work of the Society," the Cardinal said. As LifeSiteNews.com reported last week, other Catholic adoption agencies in Britain have either...

Digg.com and Wikipedia attack truth and promote anti Semitic hatehttp://avideditor.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/diggcom-and-wikipedia-attack-truth-and-promote-anti-semitic-hate/ When searching for something in a search engine wikipedia and digg.com stories are usually the first results. It looks as if anti-Semitic moderators at these two sites are trying to rewrite history with anti-Israeli lies. It is important to do what ever we can in order to prevent jihadi propaganda from brainwashing billions of internet users.

CLEVELAND MAN INCENSED OVER CATHOLICISM TARGETED IN THE MEDIA MAY 2, 2008 Sam Miller, prominent Cleveland businessman - Jewish, not Catholic - is fighting mad about the seemingly concentrated effort by the media to disparage the Catholic Church in the United States. The following are excerpts of a speech by well-known Cleveland businessman Mr. Miller at the City Club of Cleveland, given on Thursday, March 6. Even though of the Jewish faith, Miller has been a staunch supporter of the Cleveland Diocese and Bishop Anthony Pilla. It was published in the May-June issue of the Buckeye Bulletin. Why would newspapers...

Islamic bigotry toward non-Muslims: pundits proclaim that Osama bin Laden''s fanatical followers do not practice `true'' Islam. But what exactly is the difference between `moderate'' and `militant''? http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-1368396_ITM[ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_4_18/ai_82651661 ] Oct 2, 2007 ... Islamic Bigotry http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=FBC2142D-4A38-4B4C-9C0B-4B0AA4CF3822 Arab racism, Islamic bigotry and discriminatory practices are the most divisive issues in the Sudan because they are the major factors in the ... http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article21799 Indonesia: Sucking Up To Islamic BigotsApr 16, 2008 ... Armed Forces of the World: BMD Focus: BrahMos for Israel ... the government goes through the motions of giving in to Islamic bigots. ... http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/indones/articles/20080416.aspx Rousing Muslim bigotry....The Muslim...

Pastor John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, wrote a letter of apology to the Catholic community. ...In so far as some of my past statements regarding the Roman Catholic Church have raised concerns in your community, I am writing in a spirit of respect and reconciliation to clarify my views. Out of a desire to advance greater unity among Catholics and Evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful. After engaging in constructive dialogue with Catholic friends and leaders, I now have an improved...

Pastor John Hagee sent a letter today [Copy Here] to Catholic League president Bill Donohue that effectively ends the dispute the two men have had. Donohue comments as follows: “After weeks of meeting with various Catholic leaders, and accessing scholarly literature on Catholic-Jewish relations, Pastor John Hagee has demonstrated an improved understanding of the Catholic Church and its history. In his letter to me, Hagee says, ‘I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.’ He specifically cites his emphasis of ‘the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the...

"Either relativism is a genuine theory in which a real assertion is made, or else it isn't. But any attempt to assert relativism without relying on just-plain truth [absolute] would inevitably fail, because it would generate an infinite regress. And, of course, any assertion of relativism that does not rely on just-plain truth would be-self defeating. So it looks like any apparent assertion of relativism is either self-defeating or else is not a real assertion, but something more like an empty slogan." (Jubien, Michael. Contemporary Metaphysics. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1997) "The only way the relativist can avoid the painful dilemma...

This weekend, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright made his first comments since his public sermons made national headlines. He came out swinging, once again attacking the United States for racism. He also singled out Fox News for criticism. Speaking Saturday at a eulogy for former appellate Judge R. Eugene Pincham, a member of Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ, Wright blamed the Founding Fathers for the woes of blacks today, claiming they “planted slavery and white supremacy in the DNA of this republic.” Wright cited Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who recently said the country has a “congenital birth defect” owing...

Obama, speaking to a group of supporters in San Francisco, CA. , recently said: "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment...

Obama’s Mentor Wright -- Not “Typical” Racist (vanity) Reverend Wright -- Senator Obama’s avowed mentor -- is not your “typical” racist. He’s an Afro-centric racist! Think “killer” Africanized bees vs. your everyday “typical” honey bee. Both can sting, but the Africanized killers bees are far more likely to attack than typical normal bees. Bees are interesting in that when they sting… they die! Like the strap-a-bomb-on terrorists that kill others by blowing themselves up! Apparently, the Africanized bees are far more likely to become martyrs for the colony than normal bees. Perhaps Africanized bees are more noble than normal bees....

In the 1960's I had a lady friend who loved Robert Redford. So, naturally, I got dragged to all of Redford's movies. I saw "The Candidate" several times. In that film, Mr. McKay (Redford), a "community organizer" like Barack Obama, hatches a slogan, "McKay, The Better Way" to run for office. Ironically, Barack "Barry" Obama has now chosen "The Better Way" as his mantra through February 10th. Well. Obama's slogan has about as much substance as the celluloid version popularized by Robert Redford. Obama is entirely a creation of wealthy contributors and powerful, liberal media interests. So what he does...

Maybe, just maybe, it’s now worth at least asking whether Hillary Clinton might wind up as the Democratic candidate for vice president. When the chatter about a Democratic “dream ticket” began last year, it was easy to dismiss. Either Clinton or Obama would win a clear victory in the primaries and, after what inevitably would be a contentious campaign, each would want as little to do with the other as possible. Clinton, if she emerged victorious, would instead choose some kind of national security graybeard to her political right, a retired general perhaps, or maybe even a Republican. Likewise, Obama...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Barack Obama's speech last week, hastily prepared to extinguish the firestorm over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, won critical praise for style and substance but failed politically. By elevating the question of race in America, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate has deepened the dilemma created by his campaign's success against the party establishment's anointed choice, Hillary Clinton. In rejecting the racist views of his longtime spiritual mentor but not disowning him, Obama has unwittingly enhanced his image as the African-American candidate -- not just a remarkable candidate who happens to be black. That poses a racial dilemma for...

It is a tribute to Hillary Clinton that even though, rationally, political soothsayers think she can no longer win, irrationally, they wonder how she will pull it off. It's impossible to imagine The Terminator, as a former aide calls her, giving up. Unless every circuit is out, she'll regenerate enough to claw her way out of the grave, crawl through the Rezko Memorial Lawn and up Obama's wall, hurl her torso into the house and brutally haunt his dreams. "It's like one of those movies where you think you know the end, but then you watch with your fingers over...

Even though Barack Obama has "moved on" from the messy association that he has recently been forced to explain to man who had been his pastor for 20 years, it is clear - the voters haven't. There are legitimate questions being raised about a relationship that spans a generation and the beliefs of a man who has on multiple dozens of occasions issued some of the most vitriolic, bigoted, racism imaginable in America today. No doubt one of the most infamous video moments recently unearthed was Jeremiah Wright's use of what he cleverly believed to be a cute play on...

Some 50 delegates were reportedly poised to unite behind Barack Obama if he had won by even 1 point in Texas. He lost the popular vote by 100,000 ballots, and now we learn that 100,000 Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton, probably not because of some change in party allegiance but because they thought she would be the easier candidate to beat. This kind of strategic voting often backfires (think Ralph Nader). The Texas crossovers are winners. By helping to prolong the Democratic race, they can claim credit for weakening the eventual nominee, whoever it turns out to be. Obama has...

Mr. Obama’s Philadelphia speech, in spite of its eloquent passages expressing his hope for better racial relations in America, is a mastery example of literary subterfuge, the broadening of the scenery whereby an object of inquiry becomes blurred and lost in the background, or more bluntly, the escaping of a slippery fish from a pond into a lake to hide in a wider expanse of water. His speech is essentially a sophisticated lawyerly defense of Rev Wright’s sin on the basis of self-defense. While Mr. Obama’s understanding on the root causes of America’s racial problems is quite apt, he attempts...

THROW GRANDMA UNDER THE BUSMarch 19, 2008 Obama gave a nice speech, except for everything he said about race. He apparently believes we're not talking enough about race. This is like hearing Britney Spears say we're not talking enough about pop-tarts with substance-abuse problems. By now, the country has spent more time talking about race than John Kerry has talked about Vietnam, John McCain has talked about being a POW, John Edwards has talked about his dead son, and Al Franken has talked about his USO tours. But the "post-racial candidate" thinks we need to talk yet more about race....

Obama gave a nice speech, except for everything he said about race. He apparently believes we're not talking enough about race. This is like hearing Britney Spears say we're not talking enough about pop-tarts with substance-abuse problems. By now, the country has spent more time talking about race than John Kerry has talked about Vietnam, John McCain has talked about being a POW, John Edwards has talked about his dead son, and Al Franken has talked about his USO tours. But the "post-racial candidate" thinks we need to talk yet more about race. How much more? I had had my...

I grew up on the south side of Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s so I have a bit of local interest in Senator Barack Obama’s race for the White House. Obama and his family live in my old neighborhood, Hyde Park. My siblings and I all attended our local public high school – Kenwood Academy. Obama’s wife Michelle went to Whitney Young High School. The city swimming championship was always held there. My older brothers were members of Kenwood’s swim team. Aside from its swimming pool, I never saw much of Whitney Young. It was a magnet school. But...

Those angry video clips of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright bear no resemblance to the message of hope that he was credited with helping to inspire in one of his parishioners, Sen. Barack Obama. Wright's words are outlandish, hateful, ignorant. In this age of YouTube and 24-hour cable news, the release of the videos created a wave of sensation and alarm in the Democratic presidential primary. The Chicago pastor's inflammatory rhetoric included racially charged comments about Hillary Clinton, comparisons of Obama to Jesus, and a characterization of 9/11 as the "chickens coming home to roost." He even suggested blacks should sing...

Some questions: Why did Barack Obama take so long to "reject outright" the harshly critical statements about America made by his minister, Jeremiah Wright, not to mention the praise the same minister lavished on Louis Farrakhan just last November? How is it possible that Obama did not know about these remarks when he is a member of Wright's congregation and so close to the man that he likens him to "an old uncle"? How is it possible that a campaign apparatus that sniffed out Geraldine Ferraro's offensive statement to a local California newspaper (The Daily Breeze, 12th paragraph) did not...

Clarification: The Obama campaign has told members of the press that Senator Obama was not in church on the day cited, July 22, because he had a speech he gave in Miami at 1:30 PM. Our writer, Jim Davis, says he attended several services at Senator Obama's church during the month of July, including July 22. The church holds services three times every Sunday at 7:30 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Central time. While both the early morning and evening service allowed Sen. Obama to attend the service and still give a speech in Miami, Mr. Davis stands by...

A black Chicago church attended by Democrat presidential frontrunner Barack Obama has removed from the "About Us" page of its website an entire section outlining a radical belief system for blacks, WND has learned. Trinity United Church of Christ, which describes itself as "unashamedly black," drew fire last week after inflammatory sermons by its senior pastor were broadcast on cable TV news. Obama responded he was shocked to hear the profane anti-American and anti-white rhetoric delivered by his Rev. Jeremiah Wright and strongly objected to it. While critics say the sermons reflect militantly segregationist views, Obama says they were taken...

Planned Parenthood of Idaho officials apologized Wednesday for what they called an employee's "serious mistake" in encouraging a donation aimed at aborting black babies. They also criticized The Advocate, a right-to-life student magazine at the University of California-Los Angeles, for trying to discredit Planned Parenthood employees in seven states in a series of tape-recorded phone calls last summer. The call to Idaho came in July to Autumn Kersey, vice president of development and marketing for Planned Parenthood of Idaho. On the recording provided by The Advocate, an actor portraying a donor said he wanted his money used to eliminate black...

As Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fight to the death in Pennsylvania, we are in the midst of some exciting political times. Exciting for the political junkie — and already revealing to the discerning voter. Finally, a little of the glimmer is off the once-messianic rose that is Barack Obama. He lost the Texas and Ohio primaries and ever since has looked positively human . . . with a little help, yes, from Saturday Night Live of all places. But it’s far from all laughs. If you’ve heard some of the chilling audio or watched some of the video from...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutch parliament voted unanimously Thursday to outlaw bestiality and pornography involving animals. Sex with animals and the making of animal pornography now will carry a punishment of up to six months in jail under the measure. Current Dutch law forbids bestiality only when animals are found to have been mistreated. Animal pornography is explicitly forbidden in 80 countries and pornographers had lobbied fiercely against a Dutch ban, said lawmaker Harm Evert Waalkens, who introduced the measure. "The Netherlands is now a magnet for perversities and we don't want that," Waalkens said.

The recent criticism of hate speech on campus is entirely appropriate. But we ought to make one exception to this rule: the “religious right,” a retrograde coterie of unattractive common folk who seek to impose their irrational beliefs on the rest of us. These fundamentalists lie awake at night, plotting the imposition of the truths they have received by revelation from God. God has decreed the necessity of prohibiting abortion and gay marriage, lest the land be scourged by His wrath, so the unquestioning hordes of Jesus-freaks flood the polls on election day. The few who are at Yale (here...

In her senior thesis at Princeton, Michelle Obama wrote that her experiences at the Ivy League university made her "far more aware" of race and determined to work for the black community. The 23-year-old school papoer, posted on the web site Politico.com, shows the young Michelle Lavaughn Robinson struggling to feel at home in the university. ...For the thesis, "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Comnmunity," Obama sent out a survey to 400 black alumni, asking them about their racial attitudes before, during and after their stints on campus. Eighty-nine responded to the study, which Obama said "attempts to examine the...

As a response to the Protests of the students and Professors at La Sapienza University who prevented the Holy Father from speaking on faith and reason, Catholic Online invites readers and viewers throughout the world to add their name to a pledge of fidelity, solidarity and prayer which will be delivered to Rome as a sign of global support for Pope Benedict XVI.

Key Tenets of Mormon Faith By The Associated Press – 18 hours ago Key tenets of the Mormon faith: _Nature of God: God once was a mortal who became an eternal being after a great trial. _Jesus Christ: Christ was God's first-born spirit child, his only earthly child and the only perfect mortal. _No Trinity: Mormons reject the idea of the Christian Trinity — God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as one ethereal being. Instead, they believe the three are separate beings joined in a common purpose. _Pre-existence and the afterlife: Before their mortal birth, humans existed in pre-mortality...