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Pope Benedict XVI lectured on faith and reason at the University of Regensburg in Germany in this Sept. 12, 2006, file photo. A quotation from a Byzantine emperor that the pope used in this talk provoked outrage in the Muslim world. Eight years ago this Friday, Sept. 12, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture at the University of Regensburg in Bavaria in which he seemed to diagnose Islam as a religion inherently flawed by fanaticism. It was an undiplomatic assertion, to say the least — especially coming a day after the 9/11 anniversary — and it sparked an enormous...

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: Whoever lives beneath the cross of Jesus, and has discerned in the cross of Jesus the utter ungodliness of all people and of their own hearts, will find there is no sin that can ever be unfamiliar. Whoever has once been appalled by the horror of their own sin, which nailed Jesus to the cross, will no longer be appalled by even the most serious sin of another Christian; rather they know the human heart from the cross of Jesus. Such persons know how totally lost is the human heart in sin and weakness, how it...

Today ( thirteen years after 9/11), as the global events and the godless out workings of base (corrupt) man continue at a “breakneck” speed, the stage is being set for the horrific events on the horizon called “The Tribulation Period”, or “The Day of the Lord” (Matt. 24:21-22). The entire world - including America - will be absolutely oblivious to the realities and dire consequences of events to unfold during that time. Ever since the civilization of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9), the world has basically lived in a godless delusion of apathy and subjective narcissism. They have willfully rejected the eternal...

Cardinal George: US is adopting ‘official religion’ on homosexuality that is reminiscent of sharia Catholic World News - September 10, 2014 In an archdiocesan newspaper column, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said that American law has “taken upon itself the mantle of a religion and officially told its citizens what they must personally think or what ‘values’ they must personalize in order to deserve to be part of the country.” He writes: Since the biblical vision of what it means to be human tells us that not every friendship or love can be expressed in sexual relations, the Church’s teaching...

Antwerp Bishop Johan Bonny has published a long letter on the upcoming Synod of Bishops urging the assembly to have the courage to bring the Church’s moral teachings more in line with the lived experience of the laity. "The Church must step away from its defensive, antithetical stance and seek anew the path of dialogue" on moral issues, he wrote in the 22-page letter posted on his diocese’s website in five languages. More Read the letter in full "It must dare once again to start with 'life' and then move on to 'teaching'. The Church has nothing to lose in...

Analyzing Cardinal Dolan's version of: "Who am I to judge?" (A hypothetical but useful word-substitution exercise) (Imagine Cardinal Dolan or other prominent Catholic leaders voicing these slightly modified questions)           Cardinal Dolan:   "Who am I to judge whether it's right or wrong to promote or engage in homosexual activities?" Cardinal Dolan:   "Who am I to judge whether it's right or wrong to promote or engage in bisexual activities?" Cardinal Dolan:   "Who am I to judge whether it's right or wrong to promote or engage in adulterous activities?" Cardinal Dolan:   "Who am I to judge whether...

Homosexual activists in New York are pressing organizers of the St. Patrick's Day parade to include more gay-rights groups in the march. Following up on last week's announcement that Out@NBCUniversal would be allowed to enter the 2015 parade, a group called Irish Queers announced on September 9 that it was applying for a place in the parade. "We want to march up Fifth Avenue as an Irish diaspora that has finally joined Ireland in rejecting religion-fueled bigotry," said a spokesman.

Editor’s note: In response to the news that the St. Patrick’s Parade in New York would now accept “gay” groups in the parade and that Cardinal Timothy Dolan would serve as Grand Marshall of the parade, Catholic Citizens of Illinois has sent an open letter to Cardinal Dolan, which is published below. Catholic Citizens of Illinois, 106 Calendar Court, PMB #122, La Grange, IL 60525-2325An Open Letter to Cardinal Timothy DolanSeptember 5, 2014Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York1011 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10022Your Eminence,We were dismayed and discouraged to read that the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York...

A highly intelligent woman, who doesn’t particularly follow ecclesial politics, surprised me the other day. Hearing about Cardinal Dolan’s acceptance of gays marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, she said casually, “there’s going to be a schism in the Church.” An overreaction, to be sure, but she’s far from the only one to be shocked.A priest – steady of judgment – writes to me that since the announcement last week, “I’m meeting a lot of angry people.” The constant challenges to the Church’s teaching authority and countercultural truth-telling produces anger. Real anger. And internal Church weakness – especially in...

The older a person gets, the more they can usually appreciate the incredible potential that exists within every young child. What will they learn? What will they discover? Will they have a family of their own? What will be their greatest highs? What will be their darkest lows? Maybe it’s because most of us realize that we haven’t used our own potential to its fullest extent. The saints are far from perfect, but they are individuals whom the Church holds up as examples of people who truly followed after Christ, lived in God’s grace, and demonstrated heroic virtue. But they...

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 03:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Five members of the College of Cardinals have joint-authored a book defending Church doctrine regarding divorced and remarried Catholics, affirming that it is the most merciful approach. Set to be published in English this October, the book is entitled “Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church.” It offers a response to Cardinal Walter Kasper's call for the Church to open its doors to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the Eucharist. According to publisher Ignatius Press, the book will outline both biblical arguments...

In early April 2014, German author Gabriele Kuby visited the Czech Republic to give a number of public presentations promoting her new book, The Global Sexual Revolution: The Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom, recently translated to Czech. During her visit to Brno, I had a chance to interview Kuby about her book and ask how her Catholic perspective helps her understand one of the most important issues of our time: the continuing sexual revolution that is leading not only to private lifestyle changes but a new legal understanding of sexuality and the family. Kuby warns that the...

Movie : KJB: The Book That Changed the World Of all places, Hulu has this well done, interesting and edifying documentary (with ads) with actor John Rhys-Davies. Describes King James 1 upbringing and and political events, including the Gunpowder Plot and shows historical background and aspects which led to this translation. 1:33 long. Worth watching. Has ads (choose priceline ones)

When pressed for an answer to "Paying tithes was under the Law", some retort that Christians are required to pay tithes because Abraham's paying of tithes to Melchizedek preceded to Law. In reply to that, do the scriptures say in Genesis chapter 14 that Abraham was compelled to pay tithes, or was it rather a free will tithe offering, unlike the compelled tithe that was enacted under the Law? In Deuteronomy 14:26 (NIV), it says that those who attended a particular feast day that they could "...Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented...

Any combat training and tactical planning begins with a process of intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination. Recon (reconnaissance) is a military term used to determine the enemy force’s disposition and intention, gathering information (or intelligence) about an enemy’s composition and capabilities. Dr. Peter Kreeft wrote: “You cannot win a war if you are unwilling to admit we are even at war or you don’t know who your enemy is or you don’t know what strategy your enemy is using.”We have all witnessed how the arid wind of the enemy’s militant secular propaganda campaign has hardened the hearts of so...

It's been all over the Italian media today - the bishop of Imola, Tommaso Ghirelli, writes an editorial for his diocesan paper in which the message is clear: "do-goodism" will bury Italy and Europe. Either Muslims in traditionally Christian countries in Europe behave as "honourable men" and publicly denounce Islamic "persecutions and acts of cruelty," or they should rather be "courageous" enough to own up to their beliefs "and leave our country," because "nobody wants enemies in their own home."

Once upon a time there was a church founded on God’s entering into human history in order to give humanity a path to eternal life and happiness with him. The Savior that God sent, his only-begotten Son, did not write a book but founded a community, a church, upon the witness and ministry of twelve apostles. He sent this church the gift of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of love between Father and Son, the Spirit of the truth that God had revealed about himself and humanity by breaking into the history of human sinfulness. This church, a hierarchical communion,...

In his travel writing, V.S. Naipaul parlays personal encounters, to great effect, into expositions of the underlying cultural forces that impact whole peoples. This has often meant puncturing received multicultural wisdom. Among the Believers, for instance, plumbs the undercurrents of life in Islamic lands, taking the reader well beyond the headlines and into people’s worlds. Though much has changed since 1981 when it appeared, there is still much to absorb from his conversations in four non-Arab nations: Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. (In the 1998 sequel, Beyond Belief, he converses again with some of the same figures).

A fun article in the Washington Post. It always amazes me that there are people 'out there' who want to believe "conservative" is the proper term for loving God so intimately you always strive never be unfaithful to Him. I often wonder if they think cheating on their spouse is just 'liberal'. In any event, it would seem Bill Donohue's credibility has finally imploded. The poor man's ministry has been suffering from the effects of needing the seat at the Bishop's swanky events for quite some time. He had to keep lowering the bar to defend the indefensible. Watching him...