Free Republic

Guess which topic posted on the Washington Post’s “Morning Mix” blog got 2,000 responses within 20 hours? Yep, it was about a government official who balked at having to watch an “LGBT diversity and inclusivity training” video at his workplace, who’s planning on losing his job over it and who has asked his fellow Christians to join him. Anyone who’s applied for any job recently –- particularly in academia – finds oneself having to check certain boxes. I’ve also had to include a statement pledging my troth to diversity, plus give examples the Muslim family I helped sponsor back in...

Archaeologists believe they have found evidence of King David’s footprints in a mysterious two-gated city from 3,000 years ago, mentioned in the Bible’s story of David and Goliath The site is known by its modern name, Khirbet Qeiyafa, in Israel’s Elah Valley. After nearly seven years of excavations, the public can now explore the archaeological findings of Qeiyafa through “In the Valley of David and Goliath,” a new Bible Lands Museum exhibition that opened earlier this week in Jerusalem. The Qeiyafa findings have sparked debate and intrigued historians and archaeologists since they were first revealed. The city was discovered between...

DAY 36 – MARY, COMFORTER OF THE AFFLICTED, PRAY FOR US SUPERIOR IDEAL Among the ways we have just let Coach Vince Lombardi inspire us, let’s focus on the most important one: He went to Mass and received Communion every day of his life. Pope John Paul II said the Holy Eucharist “contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth: Christ Himself.” Precisely during a time when our culture was becoming disconnected from their True Source, Vince Lombardi remained firmly and wholly connected to his. No matter what Lombardi dedicated himself to, he never abandoned his true self as a child of...

Pastor J.D. discusses seven recent developments of profound prophetic significance all of which have the common denominator of increasing wars and threats of war, with Israel as the ultimate target.

Nearly 225 years after the ratification of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the cause of conscience protected by the principles of “no establishment” and “free exercise” may be losing support in the minds and hearts of the American people. Appeals by religious individuals and groups for exemption from government laws and regulations that substantially burden religious practice are increasingly unpopular and controversial. So much so that many in the media have taken to using scare quotes, transforming religious freedom into “religious freedom.” Now the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights appears to be recommending that we make it official:...

Full Title: U.S. Civil Rights Commission: ‘Religious Freedom’ Is Code Word for Racism, Homophobia, and ‘Christian Supremacy’ The Story: Last week the U.S. Civil Rights Commission issued a report that implies religious believers’ support of religious liberty is often motivated more by hate than by adherence to God’s revelation. The Background: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency established by Congress in 1957 whose duties include appraising federal laws and policies with respect to discrimination or denial of equal protection of the laws because of “race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in...

DAY 35 – MARY, REFUGE OF SINNERS, PRAY FOR US CATCH EXCELLENCE The desire to enter the fight is a desire to enter into a genuine training in holiness, pursuing the goal of becoming one of God’s champions. St. Paul put it this way: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a...

From exploding dumpsters to stabbings in "gun-free" malls in Minnesota, from the mess in Syria, to Obama's aspirations to head up the UN, John's breaking news update this week is packed with information that will enlighten, and outrage, thinking individuals everywhere. Want a baby without an egg? Might be possible. Who needs God anyway? Besides, wasn't the earth born with life already present? Want a mess in Syria? Already set. Want to pressure Israel into a false peace? America is working on that too. Gird up your loins, because while you were asleep, the world continued to race without wild...

Liberal Church leaders in Sweden have opposed an initiative aimed at showing support for persecuted Christians. After the murder of French priest Father Jacques Hamel by jihadists in July three Swedish priests started an initiative called Mitt kors (“My cross”) in which Swedish Christians took “selfies” with a cross to show solidarity with persecuted Christians. However, the initiative has been attacked by liberal church leaders apparently concerned that it might offend Muslims! The head of communications for the Church of Sweden even called it “seditious and un-Christian”. The Church of Sweden's attacks on the "My cross" initiative continued until one...

DAY 34 – MARY, HEALTH OF THE SICK, PRAY FOR US THIS DAY WE FIGHT Spiritually speaking, the devil is doing all that he can to catch us isolated and unarmed on the battlefield — no spiritual armor, no spiritual weapons, and no comrades in the heavenly realm to fight alongside of us. In other words, the reason evil is promoted so effectively today is because we’re ignoring God’s offer of supernatural strength and power and ignoring the mightiest of all allied forces: the Communion of Saints. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Enemy-occupied territory — that is what this world is. Christianity...

There has been a recent surge in conversions to Zoroastrianism among Kurds at home and abroad. Andaz Hawezi, chief of the Zoroastrian Temple in Sweden says thousands have joined the faith. In 2011 he was elected to lead the temple. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions to which most Kurds trace their ancestral faith. Hawezi says not all the new converts or followers are Kurds. There are Arabs, Turks, Persian, Swedish, Polish, British and other nationalities. “We hope to come back to Kurdistan. That’s why we named the Temple Kurdish Zoroastrian.” Hawezi says. The Temple in Sweden is...

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — “We Muslims have a lot of problems with our religion, for a lot of reasons,” the words of Sanger Najim, a young man living in Erbil, echo the sentiments of a growing population in the Kurdistan Region who struggle with questions about their faith. Many Muslims are confronted by the violent extremism of the Islamic State (ISIS) and wonder how to reconcile their personal beliefs with the actions of the extremist group. The Kurdish population is approximately 94% nominally Muslim. Recently, however, there have been many reports of Kurds leaving Islam or converting to other religions....

DAY 33 – MARY, MORNING STAR, PRAY FOR US UNITY IN TRUTH Devil’s Tactic #2 – Divide and Conquer The second modern tactic of the devil is actually the very ancient military strategy of “divide and conquer.” This strategy is defined as one that separates a force that would be stronger if united. As we said, the devil is roaming around like a lion that sizes up the herd to find the easiest target. He is also watching to see who is separated from the herd. Large, coordinated forces are difficult to defeat. If the enemy can separate us into...

FEARS are growing for a bishop who has been arrested by Chinese authorities during the regime’s latest crackdown in religion.Bishop Peter Shao Zhu Min was detained by officials who reportedly took him “on a trip” sparking concern he has been transported to a labour camp. The Bishop had recently taken over as the Bishop of Wenzhou following the death of his 89-year-old predecessor. Despite Bishop Shao being recognised by the Vatican, Chinese authorities say he was not approved by the government. The 53-year-old was preparing for his predecessor Bishop Vincent Zhu Weifang’s funeral, which was attended by more than 5,000...

The archdiocese is refusing to disclose reason behind sudden removalPARAMUS, N.J. (ChurchMilitant.com) - Two administrators at a Catholic high school currently engaged in a legal battle with a lesbian teacher have been ousted without explanation. According to the archdiocese of Newark Tuesday, Pres. James P. Vail and Principal Stephanie Macaluso "are on leave from their posts" at Paramus Catholic High School effective immediately. The reasons, archdiocesan spokesman James Goodness stated, are personal, and further details would not be given. Paramus Catholic High School in northeastern New Jersey is presently fighting a lawsuit filed by Kate Drumgoole, an open lesbian fired...

Washington, DC: September 12, 2016. (PCP) Last Friday, September 9, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry introduced a bipartisan resolution confronting the ISIS genocide by calling for the creation of a Nineveh Plain Province in Iraq. He announced that he would be introducing the resolution yesterday at IDC's third annual National Advocacy Day in the Capitol, featuring over 35 Members of Congress. "The re-securitization and revitalization of the Nineveh Plain, allowing the repatriation of those who had to flee" is one next step that must be taken in follow up to the genocide determination made by the United States and the international community,...

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn gave the unexpected warning on Sunday during a special celebration for the Church festival "Holy Name of Mary". According to the Archdiocese of Vienna, the Cardinal said: "Will there be an Islamic conquest of Europe? Many Muslims want that and say: Europe is at its end." He asked God to have mercy on Europe and to show mercy to its people, which he said "are in danger of forfeiting our Christian heritage." Cardinal Schoenborn, who is also the Archbishop of Vienna, explained that people could already feel this loss, "not only economically, but above all, in...

DAY 32 – MARY, GATE OF HEAVEN, PRAY FOR US STATE OF GRACE Devil’s Tactic #1 – Cut us off from our supply lines The first major strategy from the father of lies is actually as old as the Garden of Eden itself. It is simply to convince us we do not need God (Gen. 3:5-6), nor do we need his strength and his power (Eph. 6:10). In modern times, we have witnessed this in the effective campaign of militant secularists who have sought to de-mythologize our faith, a flat out rejection of the supernatural power of God. Once the...

Nizhny Novgorod, September 14, Interfax - A particle of St. Seraphim relics will be conveyed to the crew of the International Space Station. The ceremony will take place in St. Seraphim Diveyevo Monastery on September 16 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, press service of the local diocese reports on Tuesday. The members of the crewed spacecraft Soyuz MS-02, which consists of Sergey Ryzhikov, Andrey Borisenko, Shane Kimbrough (NASA), will deliver the particle to the ISS. After the flight, the particle will be conveyed to the Transfiguration Cathedral in Zvezdny Gorodok, the Moscow Region. As was reported, Ryzhikov is going to...

DAY 31 – MARY, ARK OF THE COVENANT, PRAY FOR US RECON 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 dry wind of...