Free Republic

Even though JOSEPH GOEBBELS was the Reich Minister of propaganda (1933-1945), he often spoke openly about the strategy of the Reich propaganda. He said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the...

Christ could have chosen many ways for us to get to heaven; in His infinite wisdom, he chose the CROSS. Today just about everyone wants a Christianity without the cross. How we react and act before the cross in our lives will determine OUR ETERNAL DESTINY. St. Teresa of Avila said that once you DECIDE TO SUFFER, there is no more suffering. It is the resistance to suffering that cause us to be uncomfortable. St. Therese of the Child Jesus on her death bed with great sufferings, and even the dark night of the spirit, said: “I have reached the...

There is a proverb that says, "Boast not about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1) This points to the unexpected situations or events of life that may alter or end our plans. It helps us to put our lives into proper perspective and consider what is most important. During the "Monday Night Football" game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 2, 2023, millions of viewers watched in dismay and horror as one of the players collapsed on the field and was unresponsive after making a routine tackle. Damar...

Sorry for the shameless vanity but some of you may be able to offer advice for my situation. God designed women to last longer than men, I think, because they are better at carrying on with life after loss of a spouse.My loving wife of 38 years left me almost two months ago and I still have trouble going out by myself for more than short errands. She was a wonderful, sweet and very traditional lady. She was also a solid conservative who once told me she would never, ever vote for a Democrat even if they were better qualified....

THE GREAT SIN OF PRIESTS TODAY is to preach what they believe people want to hear instead of what people need to hear to follow Jesus with the cross and arrive to heaven for all eternity. Priests who do not spend at least one hour in church before the tabernacle, with our Eucharistic Lord each day, very often suffer from loneliness and thus do not want to lose their friends or offend anyone. Thus there are very few priests who have the courage to do as the saints, such as Saint John the Baptist, the “greatest born of women” (Mt...

“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42, 43). As Jesus hung on the cross, dying for the sin of the world, two criminals hung on either side of Him. Condemned for their crimes, they too would die that day. But one of them ultimately recognized who Jesus was. It was that criminal who called Him “Lord”. The Greek word for Lord Is “Kyrios” which is a title given to God, the Messiah. And...

The Bible is replete with passages and information regarding the coming Messianic Kingdom in which Christ and the Church rule and reign for a thousand years upon a restored earth. However, the information about the time beyond that, not so much. Out of the 1,189 chapters in the Bible, only two deal specifically with the subject of our future in eternity (Rev. 20-22). There are, additionally, 37 passages that speak or mention eternal life, three that speak to the eternality of God, and two that speak to the nature of eternity itself. Thus, information about the age to come is...

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.Ecclesiastes 3:11 Don Richardson spent many years in Papua New Guinea. In his research, he investigated many cultures and their religious ceremonies. This book is a result of that investigative work. The first time I read this book was back in 2004, and I still find myself picking it up from time to time. The information inside is well worth the few dollars you may spend.Besides being an...

HELL—With the lifting of CDC guidance regarding masks for vaccinated persons, Satan has released a statement assuring the damned that masks will still be required in all levels of hell. In addition to masks, everyone will be forced to wear glasses that fog up instantly and you can never, ever clean them. Masks will only be of the thick, cloth variety that retains the smell of everything you ate for the past three weeks, and only enough air will get through to stay conscious. “Hell really has very strict standards,” explained the Prince of Darkness. “People come in with these...

Yesterday I was informed by a friend that they lost a close loved one. However he knows that his loved one is with our Lord, because those, like my friend and I, are all promised that if we put our faith in Christ, then to be absent from the world means we are Present with our Lord.So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and...

The single chapter epistle of Jude, the brother of James and thus the half-brother of Jesus, was written between 70 and 80 A.D., and it is quite a charge that false doctrines had permeated the church in such a relatively short time. You will note that both Peter and Jude describe doctrinal deviations that had invaded the body of believers in the churches that had been established. False prophets and false teachers were constantly mentioned in the letters of the Apostle Paul as well. Thus, Jude’s change of purpose of his epistle to that of concern for the ongoing of...

JAG 5000 Writes: The takeaway point of this article is that all human suffering for the Christian will eventually become such a small fraction of our Total Experience that it will be almost non-existent. ____________ Announcment: I will tell you up-front this is going to be a tedious read. You will see why if you keep going. However if you are a Christian, it will make you happy. Especially if you are suffering. Or if someone you LOVE is a Christian who is suffering. Come on. You can do it. Don't quit reading till the end. _________ Let us assume...

In ETERNITY, the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Almighty God is without compromise and saturates its ETERNAL state. When a man or women die in an unregenerate state they do not stop from transgressing against the RIGHTEOUS laws and absolutes of Almighty God. These FOREVER remain imprisoned in an unregenerate, fallen and lawless estate and must be put in a place that consumes their godless and lawless thoughts (Luke 16:19-22, Rom. 7:14-24). They will FOREVER transgress continually because of their unregenerate estate the ETERNAL absolutes and laws of RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVER (Rom. 7:7-24, 25, Rev. 22:8). The purifying holiness of Almighty God's RIGHTEOUS fire...

Law professor Noah Feldman’s cryptic warnings this week about the afterlife – in the context of the House impeachment hearings – qualify as the most bizarre, um, “argument” yet against those who oppose moving forward with efforts to remove President Trump from office. During questioning with the House Judiciary Committee, the Harvard faculty member (a Democrat operative who has on four previous occasions publicly voiced desire for Trump to be impeached) defended his advocacy for the impeachment (and ultimately, removal) of the president by urging all present to think about meeting “Madison and Hamilton” in the afterlife, “ . ....

In a few days, my 81 yo mother will be going to an oral surgeon to have two rotted rear teeth removed. In mid December, my dentist will extract a split tooth of mine. (I'd have it done sooner if not for my commuting schedule and the fact that she is booked solid on the only day of the week I'm available for the next few weeks.)My mom and I are believing Christians (MO Synod Lutherans). Will we Christians get our lost body parts back when God takes us home? Please cite Scripture.I ask this because my belief that we...

Solomon came to a point in his life where he had all the wealth he could possibly want and anything he imagined he could have, yet he was empty. As he reflected on life he saw the cycles and the contrasts. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). When we are young we assume we have many years of life ahead of us. Most people work toward goals...a bigger house, fancier cars, more gadgets. We earn money and then spend it foolishly on things of this world. We have...

“So Much Better Now” Are you Sure? by Jim Elliff     The pain has been excruciating, the hours and weeks arduous. The cost to the spouse and family who love her has been gladly expended, but jobs and daily responsibilities will necessarily decrease the hours for the daily vigil now. Added to it all of this is the treatment cost itself, sending up in smoke years of saving.“Mother is so ill,” they say to concerned friends. “We know it will be such a relief for her when she dies.”What? So much better when she dies? Not if she...

Evidence of Eternity in Our Hearts? by Brian Thomas, M.S. * We tend to think that some core in each person will somehow, somewhere live forever. Sociologists have been attempting to track down the source of this belief but so far have not been able to separate it from exposure to religious teaching. Now, a new research tactic reveals that belief in an eternal life apart from our bodies is hardwired into each of us, inadvertently confirming the Bible’s message. Most studies investigating this question ask adult participants about the afterlife, but this new research asked children about prelife—not-yet-born souls....

If God is Love, why is there Hell? And why is it eternal? In a word there is Hell because of respect. God has made us free and respects that freedom. Our freedom is absolutely necessary if we are to love. Now suppose a young man wanted a young lady to love him. Suppose again he found a magic potion with which to lace her drink. So she drinks and suddenly, presto., she “loves” him! Is it love? No, it’s chemicals. Love, to be love, has to be free. The yes of love is only meaningful if we were free...

Decomposed Chavez body may be too dead to go on eternal display After Hugo Chavez's death last week, government officials revealed that the late Venezuelan leader's body would be embalmed and displayed "for eternity." Just like Han Solo, but with less chance of him waking up again. However, the grisly plans may now not happen at all. According to Russian and German scientists who are experts in the field of embalming (what a job), his body is now a bit too gross and decomposed. "They tell us it’s very difficult because the process should have started earlier," said acting President...