Free Republic

'Passion' shakes North Jersey clergy to the core Sunday, February 29, 2004 By JOHN CHADWICK and BRIAN KLADKOSTAFF WRITERS One Catholic priest in Morris County was so appalled by Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ'' that he described the film as "religious barbarism.''But a Protestant minister in Harrington Park was so moved that afterward he drove to a park, where he prayed and sat silently for almost an hour.Meanwhile, a rabbi from River Edge said the movie could bring Jews and Christians closer, despite the film's insistence that it was the Jews who pushed for the execution of...

Gibson's controversial film coincides closely with ancient Jewish writings. According to those who have seen a rough cut, Gibson's film depicts the death of Christ as occurring at the hands of the Romans but at the instigation of Jewish leaders, the priests of the Jerusalem Temple. The Anti-Defamation League charges that this recklessly stirs anti-Jewish hatred and demands that the film be edited to eliminate any suggestion of Jewish deicide.

PRO-LIFE CHALLENGEBiomedical Ethics The Radical Depth and Scope of the Cloning Agenda By Wesley J. Smith Ever since embryonic stem cells were first extracted from human embryos in 1998, biotechnologists, abetted by a compliant media, have promised they would soon lead to miraculous medical cures for degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. First, we were told, all that would be needed were stem cell lines extracted from "surplus" embryos "left over" from in vitro fertilization procedures, a procedure that destroys the embryo. Then, when fears were raised about auto-immune tissue rejection, we were told that what we really...

PRO-LIFE CHALLENGE Federal Legislation Key Facts on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (S. 1019, H.R. 1997)Published by the National Right to Life CommitteeUpdated January 5, 2004For more information on unborn victims of violence (or "fetal homicide" laws), visit the NRLC website at http://www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html.* The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (also known as "Laci and Conner's Law") is a proposed federal law currently under consideration in Congress. This bill, which is supported by President Bush, is sponsored in the Senate by Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) (S. 1019), and in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) (H.R. 1997)....

Liberty Counsel Announces The First National “Day Of Purity”,A Day For Students To Promote Purity In Mind And ActionsORLANDO, FL – Liberty Counsel is pleased to announce a new national project called “The Day of Purity.” On February 13, 2004 those students across the country who strive for sexual purity will have an opportunity to let their voices be heard in opposition to a culture of moral decline. They will be encouraged to distribute flyers explaining the Day of Purity, to sponsor “pure” alternative activities for Valentine’s Day and to wear specially designed t-shirts proclaiming the message of Purity...

TRENTON RALLY FOR LIFE 2004 NEW JERSEY RIGHT TO LIFE INVITES YOU TO JOIN US THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2004 Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court Decision STATE HOUSE STEPS, NJ CAPITOL STATE STREET, TRENTON, NJ 11:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. For more information: (908) 276-6620 or mtasy@njrtl.org DRIVING DIRECTIONS From the East: Take 195 west to Route 29 north (toward Lambertville). Exit right at Memorial Drive. Follow signs for the Capitol Complex and proceed through the light at the end of the ramp. After the light, make a sharp first right and proceed making a semi-circle...

Apology to Muslims and censure of Boykin: Resolution H. Res. 419, introduced by Rep. John Conyers Please write your congressional representative about Resolution H. Res. 419, introduced by Representative John Conyers (D-MI). Click here for the Congress.org link. The language concerning “religiously intolerant remarks” amounts to censorship of Christian, as well as other beliefs. The resolution is a knee-jerk reaction to Lieutenant General William “Jerry” Boykin’s exercise of Free Speech and Freedom of Religion in his own church. Proposing such a bill is the worst kid of appeasement to a group that is aggressively intolerant to non-Muslims around the...

Is this where Jesus bathed? A shopkeeper running a small souvenir business in Nazareth has made a sensational discovery that could dramatically rewrite the history of Christianity. Jonathan Cook reports Wednesday October 22, 2003 The Guardian (UK) Elias Shama's small souvenir shop in Nazareth, the town of Jesus's childhood, barely catches the eye. Tourists usually pass by it on their way to the neighbouring Mary's Well church, claimed by the Greek Orthodox church as the site where the Archangel Gabriel revealed to Mary that she was carrying the son of God. Before the Palestinian intifada erupted three years ago, the...

<p>PLANO, Texas -- Soon after its decision in Lawrence on private sexual acts between consenting adults of the same gender, the Supreme Court this week decided that next year its bucketful of gasoline for the eternal flames of America's "culture wars" will be to decide the constitutionality of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.</p>

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR PRO-LIFE FRIENDS TODAY! + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + As a supporter of Grassfire.net's "Petition for Life", we wanted to encourage you to take part in this weekend's National Life Chain prayer event. This Sunday, October 5, from 2:00-3:00 pm in more than 950 cities across the nation and Canada, tens of thousands of concerned citizens will...

It’s 4:46am September 6. Its a little more than 100 hours from the Second Anniversary of Start the World Trade Center Attack and the subsequent Strike on the Pentagon and the Crash in Pennsylvania. 100 hours seems to be a long time; however, it is barely enough to reflect and remember all those who perished on the ground and in the air. Each one of the victims has a story, a life, that if retold would take more than 100 hours to appreciate the richness of their stay on this earth before it was snatched away. Since 911, there...

Disabled Woman Would Cry 'Help Me,' Caregivers Claim By Jeff Johnson CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief September 03, 2003 (Editor's note: This report contains quoted language and descriptions of alleged multiple instances of denied medical care that some readers may find offensive.) (CNSNews.com) - A federal judge Tuesday refused to stop a Florida court from ordering the removal of a disabled woman's feeding tube at the request of her husband. However, the judge gave the woman's parents ten days to amend their lawsuit against the husband, the hospital caring for the woman and the hospice where she is being kept in...

Judge: Public school teacher can lead Bible club meetings Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - When the Good News Club starts its meetings later this month, Barbara Wigg plans to help out. Wigg, a teacher at Laura B. Anderson Elementary School in Sioux Falls, can teach the after-school Bible class - at least until a court appeal is decided. This summer, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol ruled Wigg should be able to participate in the Good News Club but that the Sioux Falls School District can prevent her from doing so in her own school. Piersol said it is...

Bible given fashion makeover to lure teen girls Alexandra Alter, Religion News Service Published August 30, 2003 REVO30 Where are teenage girls turning for advice about fashion, dating and getting along with their parents? Would you believe, the New Testament? After years of trying to sell Bibles to one of the nation's savviest and most cynical consumer groups, Bible publishers at Thomas Nelson have developed a new way to snare adolescents' interest: turning the sacred book into a magazine. "Revolve," the new Bible for girls between the ages of 12 and 17, offers the complete New Testament in a...

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34265 Tuesday, August 26, 2003 FAITH UNDER FIREChina continues house church crackdown3 remain in custody after raid on Sunday worship meeting Posted: August 26, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Three Christians arrested at a house-church meeting in China have been released by authorities, but another three remain in custody. The arrests – July 13 during a 4 a.m. police raid in Xiaoshan City – were part of a continuing government campaign called "Strike Hard," aimed at cracking down on unauthorized religious groups. Xu...

Kenyan Bishop attacked for opposing US homosexual appointment By Dennis Lumiti A Kenyan Anglican Bishop was yesterday morning attacked in a London street by two Church of England colleagues for opposing the appointment of a homosexual bishop by the US Episcopal Church. The British clerics accused the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) of taking an uncompromising stand over the controversial appointment of Rev Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. The two confronted Bishop Simon Oketch in London where he is attending an international seminar dubbed: "New Wine Conference". The confrontation began with a heated argument over the appointment of...

Some things change, and some things don't. In the summer of 1963, a friend of mine -- she was just 11 at the time -- drove with her family to visit her sister, who had married and moved away to Birmingham, Ala. Stopping for gas in a small Alabama town on a Sunday morning, her father asked where they could find the local Catholic church. The attendant just shrugged and said, "We don't have any of them here." The family finished gassing up, pulled out of the station -- and less than two blocks away, they passed the local Catholic...

Our little 13 month old daughter, one of a set of twins, has been diagnosed with something called Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder that leads to varying degrees of mental retardation accompanied by lack of speech and poor motor coordination. I know there are many Godly believers on this site; I am a born-again Christian. Please help me lift my little girl into the Lord's presence and healing hands.

DEVELOPMENTS - BOOKPROOFS 05/12/03 – 10:03 AMDEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAWTHE LAW OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY"Great families of yesterday we show,And lords whose parents were the Lord knows who."DANIEL DEFOE, THE TRUE-BORN ENGLISHMANpt. 1, l. 374 (1701)."[G]roups that have historically been the target of discrimination cannote expected to wait patiently for the protection of their human dignity and equal rights while governments move toward reform one stepat a time."Vriend v. Alberta, [1998] 1 S.C.R. 493, 559 (Can.) (Iacobucci, J.)."The possibility of divorce renders both marriage partners stricter in their observance of the duties they owe to each other."DENIS DIDEROT, Observations on...

A federal district court judge in Pittsburgh ruled yesterday an educational agency that suspended an employee from her job for wearing a cross pendant violated the woman's constitutional rights in doing so. The American Center for Law and Justice, or ACLJ, the public-interest law firm that filed suit on behalf of the teacher's aide, said the action represents a victory for the First Amendment. "We're delighted that the court acted to protect the constitutional rights of our client," said Vincent McCarthy, Senior Counsel of ACLJ, in a statement. "By granting our motion for a preliminary injunction, the court realized that...

Letters of Recommendation Before you ask me to write you a letter of recommendation for graduate or professional school in the biomedical sciences, there are several criteria that must be met. The request for a letter is best made by making an appointment to discuss the matter with me after considering these three criteria: Criterion 1 You should have earned an "A" from me in at least one semester that you were taught by me. Criterion 2 I should know you fairly well. Merely earning an "A" in a lower-division class that enrolls 500 students does not guarantee that I...

The Google “Gag” Order by Jared Jackson Google.com retaliates against the Christian Courier’s “The Progressively Aggressive ‘Gay’ Movement” article. No better example of aggressive behavior could be cited. Several months ago, we started a teaching campaign using the Google Ad words mechanism. Last week, all of our ads were removed because someone at Google became incensed with our opposition to homosexual conduct. Google Adwords is an advertising program promoted by the Google search engine enterprise (www.google.com). The Google Adwords program allows a client to target content on its web site directly to a select market. It accomplishes this by allowing...

Fundamentalists Losing Favor with PublicFriday, 6 December 2002WASHINGTON -- The American Family Association, a far right lobbying group in Washington, released results from a recent survey that shows mainstream Americans see evangelical Christians as one of the least likeable groups in the country. Small wonder Researchers from the Barna survey asked respondents how they felt about evangelicals, born-again Christians, ministers, and other groups of people in society. According to the survey, evangelicals came in tenth out of eleven, narrowly beating out prostitutes. Below lawyers and just above prostitutes.    Overview of this issue > Far Right - National Strategies Web...

Howard "Happy" Goodwin Dies Gospel music pioneer Howard "Happy" Goodman has died. Officials say he died over the weekend at Vanderbilt Medical Center. He was 81. Goodman performed for 50 years as leader of the Happy Goodman Family, recording 15 number one songs. Funeral services are set for tomorrow here in Nashville. They will begin at 1 p.m. at Christ Church.

VENICE (Reuters) - After last year's attacks on the United States, President Bush ( news - web sites) declared "You're either with us or against us." But film directors exploring the world's reaction to Sept. 11 say things are not that black and white. Almost a year after suicide hijackers killed more than 3,000 people and brought down New York's World Trade Center towers, the Venice Film Festival is abuzz with discussion about "11'09"01 September 11" -- 11 directors' responses to the day America came under attack. Some of the short films have been accused of anti-Americanism, linking U.S. foreign...

Christians have long been criticized for their disunity, for splitting up over theological differences and for disagreeing about the nature of their faith. Now atheists are having their own theological disputes and are trying to excommunicate each other over differences as to the nature of godlessness. The catalyst for this schism is the Godless Americans March on Washington. This event, scheduled for Nov. 2, is designed to emulate other aggrieved groups—from liberal civil-rights advocates to pro-lifers—in putting together a huge crowd to march on the nation's capital to publicize their cause. Godless Americans, inspired by the ruckus raised by the...

13:47 2002-06-29 SERBIAN KOSOVO IS BEING WIPED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH More horrific news is coming from Kosovo; more acts of vandalism took place in that long-suffering land. Orthodox Serbian graveyards were desecrated in the town of Djakovica and Orahovac. Someone destroyed tombstones, leaving their “traces” on them: the symbols of an extremist organization of Albanian guerrillas. Orthodox graveyards in the towns of Siga and Brestovic (near the city of Pec) suffered even more: vandals exhumed the graves and scattered the remains of dead Serbs. The Moscow Patriarchy cited a letter that was written by Bishop Artemy...

President Bush is heading toward a decision to cut off millions of dollars of funds for an international family planning program opposed by abortion foes, according to people familiar with the plans. Bush aides said an announcement is still a couple of weeks away, and they cautioned that no final determination has been made. But administration officials said Bush aides directed State Department officials in recent days to devise a plan to eliminate this year's funding for the program, a United Nations effort meant to keep population growth in check. An adviser to the Bush administration said senior administration officials...

GET THE EMAIL CHAINS ROLLING! Please sign the following petition to set aside the 9th Circuit Court's Ruling declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. SIGN THE PETITIONSET ASIDE THE 9TH CIRCUIT COURT'S RULING The insnaity MUST stop ... we must be the ones to halt it in its tracks. Pass on to all you know. Family, realitves, friends, neighbors, representatives, teachers, students, etc.

DAVID SILVERMAN/GETTY IMAGES Strange Bedfellows: Evangelical Christians have many reasons for supporting Israel and its settlements in the West Bank What do End Time prophecies mean for Israel and Judaism? By NANCY GIBBS Evangelical leaders have declared that support for Israel has moved to the very top of their agenda. Christian groups are spending millions on everything from armored school buses for Israeli children to halogen lights for the army's emergency-rescue service. There are e-mail chains, prayer ministries and grassroots efforts to get the word out that the U.S. must stand united with its ally in the war on...

Apparently Mini-Teacups son has been abducted and the father may not be in a good state of mind, please keep Teacup and Mini Teacup in your prayers.They have registered with the National Missing Persons Database and are setting up a search fund at a local bank.

<p>WASHINGTON — The House and Senate are at odds now that the Senate has agreed to let female soldiers use military hospitals abroad to get abortions.</p> <p>The Senate voted 52-40 to allow women to pay for the procedure themselves, but will have to sort out whether the provision becomes law when negotiators from both chambers meet to reconcile differences in the $393 billion defense bill.</p>

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United States is threatening to stop helping with U.N. peacekeeping operations unless U.S. participants are given immunity from the new international war crimes tribunal. A draft resolution presented by the United States to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday would exempt peacekeepers from prosecution, and U.S. officials say they won't send Americans on such missions unless they receive that protection. Critics see the draft resolution as a U.S. effort to undermine the International Criminal Court, which is opposed by the Bush administration. The international pact creating the court takes effect July 1. Sixty-seven countries have...

The organization American Atheists is protesting a proposal to use a large steel cross found in the rubble of the World Trade Center in a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Describing itself as a "nationwide movement which defends the civil rights of nonbelievers," the group said in a statement yesterday that use of the cross in a government-funded monument "would violate the separation of church and state, be insensitive to those victims who had no religious beliefs and would incredibly pay homage to religion – the prime motivating factor in the faith-based attack of Sept. 11."...

Please read this and send it to your family and friends. The safety of children depends on it. Why? Because Planned Parenthood may be putting them in danger. Life Dynamics, a pro-life group out of Texas, did a study of over 800 Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation clinics. The study had someone pose as a 13 year old girl engaged in an affair with a 22 year old man. The "girl" called Planned Parenthood and NAF clinics nationwide claiming she was carrying a 22 year old man's child, and did not want the state or her parents to know...

Hi Guys [& Gals]. I would like to request prayer for my stepfather. He was shot Friday. He took a 9mm hollowpoint to the lower chest on his right side. The round is either lodged between two vertebrates or it is sitting close to a disk, the Doctors have run two separate CT scans and arent quite sure at this point where exactly the bullet is located. He has been kept in a semi-coma in order to prevent him from moving around. This has brought on Neumonia [sp?] and currently his temperature is at 103. His name is Gary L....

Oh sure, it seems nice outside. But it's not. It's looking downright grim, according to Newsweek magazine. Apocalyptic, even. "There are ominous signs that the Earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production - with serious political consequences for just about every nation on earth," the magazine warned in a cover story. "The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only 10 years from now," the article continues. "The regions destined to feel its impact are the great wheat-producing lands of Canada .... " Uh-oh. Sounds...

Florida, Hillary, And Airports Maybe Them Tourists Just Got Their Towels Wrapped Too Tight The whole curious affair began when Fatima Ali Rezah, a citizen of Algeria, refused to unveil for a driver's license photo in Florida. The clerk, who didn't follow society carefully, thought she was just joking. She wasn't. Her religion, she said, prohibited baring her face. The laws of the United States were irrelevant. The clerk stared at her, puzzled. She was covered head to toe in black cloth and looked, he later told friends, like a large raisin. He was what is nowadays called a good...

We got home last night after being out much of the afternoon, and I received a distressing e-mail: It is with deep sorrow that I must tell you that Rodney O. Lain took his own life yesterday. Irma called my wife this afternoon and informed her of the news. Rodney struggled for several years with depression. Rodney was the brightest, most creative man I have ever met. He was more than just a black guy who taught me what racism does to people. He was my friend. He was my brother. He was such a good friend I never even...

My best friend and her husband will be having the funeral for their TWO DAY old baby girl who died on her own (she was on oxygen)from a serious case of strep, it's a bacterial virus. The doctors did two EEGs and found no brainwaves. I can't imagine what my best friend is going through. She is the nicest, sweetest person and I am so fortunate to have her as friend. Your prayers for my best friend and her family are greatly appreciated. I'm hiding it pretty well, but I'm heartbroken over this. It is so sad and I don't...

Your prayers are needed! Salt Lake City Police may be closing in on the abductor of Elizabeth Smart. Please take a minute to ask God for His divine intervention in saving this child, and pray for His wisdom to be given to everyone involved in the investigation. I urge you to bring this child before the Lord and plead for His mercy upon her. Thank you, everyone.

As the number of priests accused of sex abuse grows, Catholics and Protesants alike are trying to make some sense of the scandal. American Cardinals have refuted any connection between the abuse and the priests' vow of celibacy, but others think differently. Do you think it's time for the Catholic Church to drop the celibacy mandate? Link to Poll

This is the most difficult post I've ever had to write. I've seen a number of people here asking for prayer from other believers. Scripture tells us that this is what we should do in times of crisis; pray one for another. I never thought that I'd be the one having to write a post like this. I need your prayers for myself and my family. Thursday was the worst day of my entire life. My wife and I were expecting our son to be born next week via Caesarean section. It was scheduled for Wednesday the 12th. My wife...

Strangeness is nothing new at ABC, but since when is the name of Jesus a dirty word? Bare butts are okay, foul language of all types is tolerated, but let a talk show host say, "Thank you, Jesus," and its time for the censors to step in! On May 23, this exchange occurred on The View, a daytime talk show: Meredith Vieira: "So yesterday, yesterday if you say this show, you know it was the last day of the weigh-in, the scale is gone." Joy Behar: "Yes, and thank you, thank you, Jesus, is all I have to say! Goodbye...

My three year old son Michael died this morning at 3 a.m. He had been experiencing high fevers for over a month and has been in the hospital again for the last few days. The doctors were unable to determine the cause of his illness and had contacted many others to review the many tests they had run on him. Though he received very good medical care, his little heart just stopped beating and wouldn't start again. I know he is in the arms of Jesus, but I just don't understand why this has happened. Please pray for me, my...

Bleeping 'Jesus' Triggers Public Complaints ABC says it edited the word "Jesus" out of its daytime program "The View" so viewers wouldn't be offended. But for many, it had the opposite effect--drawing the ire of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, some conservative media watchdogs and about 100 letters of complaint. "It is political correctness run amok," said Elizabeth Swasey, spokeswoman for the Media Research Center. The bleeping incident occurred on the May 23 program, when Meredith Vieira noted that the daily weigh-ins of her dieting co-host, Joy Behar, had ended. "Yes, and thank you, thank you, Jesus, is all I...

Please pray for my little girl she has an inoperable tumor on her brain stem, she is not doing well. Thanks in Christ

Your prayers are requested for my sister's 9-month old granddaughter Kshama, who has a brain tumor. Her parents are awaiting notice of the date and time of her surgery.

Prayers needed for my friend's 14-month old great-nephew. Over the weekend, while his mother had her back turned, he managed to pull the cord on a just-filled vaporizer. It poured over him, resulting in burns over 95% of his body (only the right side of his face and neck were spared), plus he received a shock from the electric outlet. He is in critical condition, has had several seizures, and is in great pain despite the morphine. No prognosis for his survival has been given. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

I just recieved this in an e-mail from my nephew."It's 8:12a.m. and we are getting ready to leave to take Vicki to Baptist Hospital. She is having surgery this morning. Don't ask me for what, cuase I'm really not sure."To top it off, Kyle (my nephew) is going to have an angiogram Tuesday at the same hospital.He began having heart problems recently and I understand this is to determine the damage done.I know first hand the power of FReeper prayers and I shamelesly ask all of my FReeper Friends for Prayers for this young couple.