Free Republic

Proverb 14 (NKJV) The Ways of Life and Death 01 The wise woman builds her house, 00 But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. 02 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, 00 But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. 03 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, 00 But the lips of the wise will preserve them. 04 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; 00 But much increase comes by the strength of an ox. 05 A faithful witness does not lie, 00 But a...

...There were many people who, enthralled by the appealing lifestyle of the Greeks, sought to discard their Jewishness and embrace the new customs: they were the Hellenists, in whose eyes all of the traditional practices were impractically archaic. To perform circumcision or refrain from eating pork could only further the Jewish particularity and distinctiveness, which was what the Hellenists were fleeing from. For them, the solution was to proclaim all of the Jewish customs unbinding and irrelevant... t the other extreme were a group of people led by the Maccabees, whose only concern was defending their heritage. Their indignation was...

Georgetown University health insurance plans are continuing to cover contraception, despite a religious exemption from coverage requirements, following an advocacy campaign led by members of the student group H*yas for Choice. Two rules issued by the administration of President Donald Trump on Oct. 6 rolled back a mandate of the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, which required most employers to cover contraception in employer-provided health insurance plans. The Trump administration’s rollback expanded the list of organizations that can claim religious exemptions to the mandate to include nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies and religious institutions of...

THE RE-CONSECRATION of the altar in the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Peace (Dec. 1, 2017) was a new milestone on the journey back to normalcy in Homs, Syria. For three long years, 2011-2014—the city split between rebels and the Syrian regime—it was the setting for some of the fiercest fighting of the civil war. By the time the government took full control of Homs again, the city was left in ruins. In his emotional homily for the occasion, Melkite Patriarch Youssef Absi said, addressing an audience of more than a thousand: “Many have fallen as martyrs, your homes...

They're doing it again! The same group that recreated the Roman triumphal arch that once welcomed travelers to the Temple of Baal is now honoring another pagan deity. The United Arab Emirates, the Italian mission to the United Nations and the Institute for Digital Archeology have re-created a statue of the goddess Athena which once stood in Palmyra, according to Breaking Israel News. Though Athena was venerated as a goddess of reason, she was also known as "Athena Promachos," a war goddess, and the re-created statue features her holding a spear. The exhibit, titled "The Spirit In the Stone," is...

When it comes to advertising on the D.C. metro, free speech is in for a bumpy ride. In a classic case of viewpoint discrimination, a federal judge is siding with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for turning down ad space to the Catholic Church. WMATA defended the move by saying it bans “religious, political, or advocacy” messages (depending on who’s defining them, apparently, since the Human Rights Campaign still enjoys a prominent space in the subway’s line-up). Even so, the Archdiocese of Washington complains, nothing about their message was overtly spiritual. The scene is three wise men, two...

Proverb 13 (NKJV) Wisdom Loves Righteousness 01 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, 00 But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 02 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, 00 But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence. 03 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, 00 But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. 04 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; 00 But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. 05 A righteous man hates lying, 00 But a wicked man is...

NRL News Today will run two posts today about how much blatantly anti-life and pro-media bias there has been of late in so many stories. That applies not just to the United States which we will discuss in our second of two stories but internationally. Our first post is the latest in a lengthy series of stories we’ve written about how determined the Irish press is to present information about abortion in a manner that screams “false news” in order to introduce permissive abortion in Ireland. The latest came out over the weekend in (where else?), the Irish Times. The...

One signatory accused the Pope and other members of the hierarchy of spreading errorsLeaders of pro-life organisations from across the world have signed a letter accusing Church leaders, including Pope Francis, of undermining their movement through ambiguous statements and actions contrary to Catholic teaching. The letter says that over the past 50 years the pro-life movement has “relied in a particular way on the immutable teaching of the Catholic Church, which affirms the moral law with the greatest clarity.” However, the signatories say that in recent years that teaching has increasingly been replaced by “ambiguity, and even by doctrines directly...

SYDNEY, Australia, December 11, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Christians in Australia who uphold the sanctity of one-man, one-woman marriage are feeling threatened after the country legalized same-sex “marriage” last week. After a volunteer mail-in survey, lawmakers in both houses of Parliament passed a law legalizing homosexual “marriage” last week. But as Pastor Mark Powell put it in The Spectator Australia, “Let it be known that on the December 7, 2017 – the day in Australian Parliamentary history when "love won" – the hate campaign truly began.” Angry, intolerantPowell was referring to a “deluge” of hate mail and social media posts from...

FULL TITLE: Planned Parenthood Uses Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran and Episcopal Labels to Push Fundraising Campaign Trying to claim the moral high ground, the abortion chain Planned Parenthood created a new social media campaign this week to make it look like it receives a lot of religious support. In essence, the abortion group is saying: “Look! We’re a great cause. Religious people support us, and you should, too!” Just ignore the fact that Planned Parenthood is responsible for destroying the lives of about 320,000 unborn babies each year – something most religious people find morally repugnant.That it has been caught...

Chanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings Please note that this page contain the name of God. If you print it out, please treat it with appropriate respect. If you do not have experience reading transliteration please see the Guide to Transliteration. One candle is added to the menorah each night. The first night, you light only the shammus (the one at a different height) and one Chanukkah candle. By the eighth night, you light all of the candles. Candlelighting Procedure Candles should be added to the menorah from right to left (like Hebrew writing). See animation at right. The shammus candle is...

Proverb 12 (NKJV) The House of the Righteous Shall Stand 01 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, 00 But he who hates correction is stupid. 02 A good man obtains favor from the LORD, 00 But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn. 03 A man is not established by wickedness, 00 But the root of the righteous cannot be moved. 04 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, 00 But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. 05 The thoughts of the righteous are right, 00 But the counsels of the wicked are...

The UK Government is expected to endorse new plans for heterosexual civil partnerships that would undermine marriage. Conservative MP Tim Loughton has introduced a Private Members’ Bill to extend the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which currently only applies to homosexual couples. According to media reports, his Bill is expected to receive support from the Government at its second reading in February and has already been endorsed by Education Secretary Justine Greening. ‘Marriage-lite’This weekend it was reported that the Scottish National Party’s national council – the body responsible for policy-making – has also backed calls for heterosexual civil partnerships. Angela Constance,...

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 8, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Three dozen corporations recently banded together to file an amicus brief in which they take a stand against religious liberty in a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case concerns Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, who declined to create a wedding cake for a gay couple because of his religious beliefs. In 2013, a lower court ruled that Phillips violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. The baker was then ordered by the state's civil rights commission to create a wedding cake for a same-sex “marriage” against his will. In 2015, the...

A few months after becoming pastor of Parkway Baptist Church, a 21-year-old Armour D. Stephenson III, or “AD3” as he is affectionately known, sat down with his deacons — almost all men over 40 — and laid out plans for his own version of the great flood. “The entire dynamic of our church was about to change,” AD3 recalls of the fateful 2006 meeting. His first decree: “Stop wearing suits on Sundays.” The congregation’s response? An exodus. Membership dwindled from about 300 to a low of 85. “Any time you’re shifting culture, there’s going to be some casualties,” AD3 says.

FULL TITLE: Principal Who Screamed at Pro-Life Teen: “I Don’t Give a S— What Jesus Says” Says His Life’s Been a Wreck Ever Since Earlier this year and assistant principal at a Pennsylvania high school was caught on video yelling profanities at pro-life teenagers who are holding signs demonstrating against abortion. The teenager, Conner Haines, was part of a Christian group called Project Frontlines that was hosting a “holocaust of abortion” display on the public sidewalks outside the school. The pro-lifers showed photos of aborted babies and other information to help educate the public about abortion. Haines and his sister...

Proverb 11 (NKJV) The Folly of Wickedness01 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, 00 But a just weight is His delight. 02 When pride comes, then comes shame; 00 But with the humble is wisdom. 03 The integrity of the upright will guide them, 00 But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. 04 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, 00 But righteousness delivers from death. 05 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, 00 But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. 06 The righteousness of the upright...

New research has revealed a shocking number of Brits don't know much about the birth of Jesus. The History Channel survey found 20 per cent didn't know Jesus birth was remembered on Christmas Day and one in 20 thought Jesus was born over Easter. Around one in 10 were unable to name Bethlehem as Jesus' place of birth while another 10 per cent were unaware he was born in a stable, despite the prevalence of nativity plays and Christian teaching in schools. A spokesman for the History Channel, which commissioned the research to mark the launch of its new show...

Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl was the principal celebrant of a Dec. 8 Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and to dedicate the National Shrine’s newly completed Trinity Dome Mosaic. “As your faithful people look at the images contained in the Trinity Dome, may they become of one mind with Christ,” Cardinal Wuerl prayed during the dedication of the 89-foot in diameter dome mosaic. In dedicating the dome mosaic, which depicts the Most Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the...