Free Republic

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court decision, June 26, interpreting the U.S. Constitution to require all states to license and recognize same-sex “marriage” “is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The full statement follows: Regardless of what a narrow majority of the Supreme Court may declare at this moment in history, the nature of the human person and marriage remains unchanged and unchangeable. Just as Roe v. Wade did not settle the question of abortion over forty years...

"Do you believe God is in complete control of everything - even the situation you face today? Dr. Charles Stanley reminds you in this sermon that understanding God's sovereignty - and acting on its truth - strengthens your faith and calms your fears. Take hold of God's love with My Assurance: God is in Control, Part 1." From Charles Stanley

A new bill protecting the religious liberty of traditional marriage advocates has the support of two leading U.S. bishops. But will the First Amendment Defense Act be enough to stem the rising tide of anti-discrimination lawsuits across the nation?  The First Amendment Defense Act establishes protections – largely regarding federal taxes and benefits – for individuals and organizations who conscientiously believe that marriage is between one man and one woman and that no sexual relations should take place outside this bond. “In a climate of increasing intolerance, these protections are very much needed,” wrote Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco...

A struggling Catholic college in Massachusetts will close its doors next week, raising concerns about the stability of other small, highly tuition-dependent colleges. But a report from The Cardinal Newman Society finds that some small colleges which maintain a strong Catholic identity and promote it to prospective students are doing quite well.Marian Court College in Swampscott, Mass., will close at the end of June due to financial difficulties and low enrollment, reports Adam Wilson, managing editor of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. The tuition-dependent College had about 250 students this year and graduated 67 last month, including...

The Catholic Church in Sydney is sending letters to companies that publicly support same-sex marriage, expressing its "grave concern" about their stance. The Archdiocese of Sydney has targeted some of the 150 businesses that put their names and logos to recent newspaper advertisements supporting gay marriage. The ABC has seen a copy of one letter addressed to the chairman of partners at Maurice Blackburn law firm, Steve Walsh, from the Archdiocese's business manager Michael Digges. "It is... with grave concern that I write to you about the Marriage Equality for Australians campaign," it reads. "You are publically supporting a strategic,...

From pro-choice Methodist Minister John M Swomley: “There is also covert violence in the idea that women should not have sexual intercourse if they don’t want children. An act of sexual intercourse is not an implied contract to have children. While this may be the belief of those who accept the doctrine that every sexual act must be open to procreation, it would be violent for any government to decide that such a sectarian doctrine should be enforced against anyone, Catholic or non-Catholic, who does not accept that teaching.” John M Swomley Compulsory Pregnancy: The War against American Women (Amherst,...

A tech-savvy art historian uses lasers to understand how medieval builders constructed their architectural masterpieces.Thirteen million people visit the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris every year, entering through massive wooden doors at the base of towers as solidly planted as mountains. They stand in front of walls filigreed with stained glass and gaze at a ceiling supported by delicate ribs of stone. If its beauty and magnificence is instantly apparent, so much about Notre Dame is not. To begin with, we don't know who built this cathedral—or how. The bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, commissioned the massive church complex...

As a tall, lanky redhead born and raised in Colorado, 34 year-old Brother David Johnson definitely sticks out in Syria, the Middle Eastern country where he serves with the St. James the Persian Carmelite Monastery in Qara.He originally came as a student to study the language, but decided to stay after he fell in love with the country and felt GodÂ’s call to the religious life there.That love for language and for God would one day save Brother JohnsonÂ’s life. At a recent prayer breakfast in Denver, Brother Johnson recalled the story of Easter Monday, three years ago. He was...

Evangelical leader the Rev. Franklin Graham has responded to critics of his decision to discontinue business with Wells Fargo following the company's TV ad featuring a same-sex couple. The head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse had a column published last week arguing that the boycott was not about Wells Fargo being "gay-friendly." "Indeed, the bank we transferred our accounts to — BB&T based in Winston-Salem, N.C. — is also widely considered gay-friendly. In fact, it may surprise some to learn that I think every business should be gay-friendly," wrote Graham "By that I mean businesses —...

The Washington Post produces a daily tabloid called “Express.” The paper is distributed free, mostly to commuters at Metro stops. It gives one something to read on the train ride downtown. The Washington Post claims express has a daily readership of almost 300,000. Here’s what greeted DC commuters–a paid advertisement from Catholics for Anti-Catholicism Choice–on the second day of the Fortnight for Freedom:Charming. (More here.)Today is the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher. Maybe we can all send them a little request to intercede for our nation and our leaders. And I’m sure the folks at the Washington...

Psalm 86:11,12 Teach me Your Way, O Lord, that I May Walk and Live in Your Truth; Direct and Unite my Heart {Solely, Reverently} to Fear and Honor Your Name. I will Confess and Praise You, O Lord my God, with my Whole (United) Heart; And I will Glorify Your Name Forevermore.

It's amazing how quickly much of society seems ready to change the definition of an age old institution that has been at the core of its growth and development, without so much as a second thought. No societal institution has been as responsible for the growth and development of every individual, and of society as a whole, as has traditional marriage, the bedrock upon which stable children, stable families and flourishing personal and societal growth spring forth. One must also ask whether we would be equally as unquestioning were someone to suggest changing the other age old definition that is...

One of the most interesting ways to read the Bible is through the lens of typology. Typology is where a person or event in the Old Testament foreshadows a greater person or event in the New Testament. The word “typology” comes to us from St. Paul himself, in Romans 5:14, where he referred to Adam as a “type” of Christ. So let’s get started on this most interesting study.Desert WanderingsRemember the story about the Israelites coming up out of the water of the Red Sea and wandering in the desert for 40 years?  They came upon bitter water in...

I'm not usually one to share my blog on FR (I haven't FReeped regularly in a long time), and I wasn't sure if this should be posted in Bloggers or Religion. But I wanted to share my thoughts on the Charleston shooting, how it pertains to media coverage, homosexuality, and Christianity in current events, and what the Bible has to say about persecution in the end-time hour. Drunken with the Blood of the Saints: By Philip Cottraux So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full...

Remember the secretive, liberal, French, Swiss, German meeting of the circle around Card.   Kasper’s proposal at the Gregorian University? They met to strategize about how to use the upcoming Synod, et al.Remember the recent meeting of presidents of African bishops conferences who strongly defended perennial Catholic teaching?Now I see this from NCRegister: Polish and Eastern Bishops Discuss Need to Uphold Catholic Teaching Ahead of SynodROME — During recent meetings which were held separately, both the Polish bishops and the Eastern Catholic bishops from Europe have discussed the family in view of the upcoming synod on the family and are...

Rome (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of Italians gathered in Rome Saturday to demonstrate against gay unions and the teaching of gender theories in schools, as Prime Minister Matteo Renzi tries to push a civil union bill through parliament. Holding aloft banners reading "The family will save the world" and "Let's defend our children", a sea of people crammed into the San Giovanni square near the Italian capital's historic centre to support family values. The square, which can hold an estimated 300,000 people, was overflowing with the young, elderly and parents with toddlers, an AFP photographer said, with many more...

Who is this that approaches like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun…Song of Solomon, 6:10The third tallest statue in the United States bears the image of the Blessed Mother and stands astride the jagged Rocky Mountain Continental Divide 3,000 feet above the city where I grew up. The massive 90-foot tall, sixty-ton steel statue is called Our Lady of the Rockies, overlooking Butte, Montana. For being one of the world’s great engineering marvels, she is a gem that is slowly being discovered. Since she was built in 1985, people from all over the...

God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, “You have done wrong”? Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song. All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar. How great is God – beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. (Job 36:22-26)

Praised by Jesus Christ. Both now and forever. Amen. It will take much time to digest this Encyclical; others will do it much better than this writer. There are nearly 80,000 words of which 21 are the Holy Name of Jesus who shows up for the first time in paragraph 82. I shall remain a member of the Flat Earth Society and hold the belief that man is not responsible for any significant change in climate. An actual scientific past reveals a tropical Greenland and fossils of palms and ferns in Alaska proving that climate changes. I do not deny...

Courtesy of Vox Cantoris, we are alerted to the astonishing end of the encyclical, Laudato Si. I wonder if any paragraph worse than this could have been written by any Pope. The text is below. This is not a draft. It is the official version from the Vatican site. 246. At the conclusion of this lengthy reflection which has been both joyful and troubling, I propose that we offer two prayers. The first we can share with all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator, while in the other we Christians ask for inspiration to take up...