Free Republic

OK, fellow FReepers, I've got a question. I recently purchased a Yugoslav Type 59 SKS. This is the original Yugo SKS, nearly a carbon copy of the Soviet weapon, not the later 59/66 with an integral grenade launcher. It's been around the block many, many times, but it still shoots as good as an SKS can be expected to shoot (which is to say just OK). I am planning on doing a full conservation project with it, because it has lots of nice cartouches and rack numbers. Moreover, it was finished with what appears to be dark brown shoe polish!...

Philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals close to Pope Benedict will gather at his summer palace outside Rome this week for intensive discussions that could herald a fundamental shift in the Vatican's view of evolution. There have been growing signs the Pope is considering aligning his church more closely with the theory of "intelligent design" taught in some US states. Advocates of the theory argue that some features of the universe and nature are so complex that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence. Critics say it is a disguise for creationism.

Despite opposition from some of their colleagues, 86 evangelical Christian leaders have decided to back a major initiative to fight global warming, saying "millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors." Among signers of the statement, which will be released in Washington on Wednesday, are the presidents of 39 evangelical colleges, leaders of aid groups and churches, like the Salvation Army, and pastors of megachurches, including Rick Warren, author of the best seller "The Purpose-Driven Life." "For most of us, until recently this has not been treated as a...

I would greatly appreciate the help of my Religion Forum brothers and sisters with something that is troubling me. I am the minister of Communion in my Protestant, independent bible church. I have recently been approached by members of the children's ministry and asked if I would prepare communion for the upcoming vacation bible school event. Here's my problem. The VBS event is open to the entire community. Although our church offers an open communion to all believers, we are careful to warn both non-believers and Christians harboring sin to abstain based on the teachings of Paul in First Corintians....

In His Words, a Rubric For Unity A couple of years ago, as I sat down to lunch with a friend, he said, "I understand you Presbyterians don't believe in Jesus anymore." ...I responded, "Are you talking about your Jesus or my Jesus?" [snip] He chose John 14:6..."No one comes to the Father but through me." I reminded him of the first part of the verse: "I am the way, and the truth and the life." [snip] "I am the way." "The way" is an Eastern religious practice that some know as Taoism...which predates Jesus by anywhere from three to...

Cardinal McCarrick to Seek Retirement at 75 Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, said yesterday he is interested in retiring when he turns 75 in July. "I'll be writing my [retirement] letter, and I'm certainly open to retirement. I have a thousand things I could do, or at least I think I could do," Cardinal McCarrick told The Washington Times yesterday. His retirement, however, is the pope's decision...[ Click here to finish reading the article.]

Does anyone else here get invitations to join churches in the mail? I get them a lot, and some of them are doozies. Here is a transcript (with color commentary in brackets) of the latest one from a local mega-church which will remain nameless: [The advert is in the form of a brightly colored 5x8 card. The front of the card has humorously distorted [Front of card]"Different.""Different Styles, Different Shapes, Different Colors." [huh?] [Back of card]"Same Needs, Same Search, Same Journey." "At [name of church] you'll find people who want more images of trendy youth and silly-looking adults.] in life...

Hello, fellow GRPL members. Please forgive me for pinging you to this lengthy vanity post. I have a dilemma, and I need the advice of my Christian brothers. My problem is quite simple. My wife and I have attended a small but energetic Bible church for several years. We have many friends there, and the fellowship we feel with everyone there is genuine and Spirit-filled. So what’s the problem? Over time, our beliefs have diverged from that of our church. Some background: When we started attending, I was a “milk-fed” Christian, and my wife was a pretend Christian, believing intellectually,...

"Friday afternoons are usually a good time for me to visit the ill, counsel church members or fine-tune my sermons, but at the end of a workweek earlier this month, I found myself spending several hours assembling a thick stack of documents. Three members of Fairfax Presbyterian Church had lodged a formal complaint against the church's governing board for allegedly mishandling a mortgage refinancing, and I needed to gather materials to mount a defense. I resented the time and effort being eaten up, but I knew that the issue had to be taken seriously. This case was heading down an...