Free Republic

Rowntree Public School is grooving to a reggae-infused hip-hop beat; Grade 4 boys are breakdancing beside Ms. Boudreau's desk while Grade 1 kids bop tentatively in a room down the hall. From the speakers blasts Michael Franti and Spearhead's uplifting "Obama song": "Building blocks of a new vow/ A million stops and a new route ...""We listen to classical music every day, but this week we're listening to Barack," says fast-talking, fast-walking principal Kyra Kristensen-Irvine, "Mrs. K.I." to the kids.In past years, the 800 students at this Brampton school have studied Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Terry Fox. Now...

Mary Worship Still Alive in Catholicism10/21/2008 - Tur8infan Benedict XVI is reported (link to report) as recently praying to Mary: "We implore you to have pity today on the nations that have gone astray, on all Europe, on the whole world, that they might repent and return to your heart," the text of the prayer reads. This is a prayer that is openly idolatrous. Mankind needs to turn, not to the heart of Mary, but to the Son of Mary, Jesus Christ the Righteous. The true and proper object of worship is God alone. Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus...

In the spring of 1916 Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, had their first encounter with a heavenly messenger. Writing in her memoirs, composed under obedience to the Bishop, Lucia tells of that first meeting. We went on that occasion to my parents' property, which is at the bottom of the Cabeco, facing east. It is called Chousa Velha.About the middle of the morning it began to drizzle and we climbed up the hill, followed by our sheep, in search of a rock that would shelter us. And so it was that we entered for the first time into that blessed place....

Obama's luck token charms Indians —Laurie Goering 8:13 AM CDT, June 29, 2008 NEW DELHI — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, already running ahead of his Republican rival John McCain in international popularity, has won a host of new fans in India since a photo published earlier this month revealed that he carries a tiny brass monkey king among his handful of good-luck charms. In India the charm is presumed to be an image of Hanuman, Hinduism's popular monkey god. So on Tuesday, a delighted Brij Mohan Bhama, a politician associated with India's ruling party and a devotee of Hanuman,...

NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious. Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified. The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms. An hour-long...

It is my opinion that we need to pray for our leaders this election. Many Conservative are disappointed with the selection of Senator John S. McCain. But in one sense, he is the true conservative in values -- he has fought for campaign finance reform -- getting big money out of politics. This should allow the little guy (or gal) more voice in what this country is doing. In some religions, it is part of the church service to pray for the leaders of a country (Ukrainian Catholic, for example). We must pray for our leaders and pray that the...

"...nvolve your congregation in Earth Ministry. Ask them to support us by taking our Membership Challenge, and maybe you will win a special workshop for your congregation. And what better day to support our work by taking a special collection or shared plate offering? These congregational gifts are a significant source of support for our work. The enclosed Celebration resource package gives you all you need to get started. As you celebrate Earth Day 2008, rejoice in the knowledge that you do so in spiritual community committed to the interdependent web of all existence. In Faith, Claudia Kern for the...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) ― Danish police said Tuesday they have arrested three people suspected of plotting to kill one of the 12 cartoonists behind the Prophet Muhammad drawings that sparked a deadly uproar in the Muslim world two years ago. Two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccan origin were arrested in pre-dawn raids in western Denmark, the police intelligence agency said. The Dane was suspected of violating Danish terror laws but likely would be released after questioning as the investigation continues, said Jakob Scharf, the head of the PET intelligence service. The two Tunisians would be expelled from Denmark, he...

When Curtis Williams took the field for the Huskies' 2000 season opener, the University of Washington's media guide described him like this: Senior, strong safety, 5-foot-10, 200 pounds. Named, in 1999, the team's best hitter. Led team in solo tackles. Went to high school in Fresno, Calif., where he was a top recruit. The seventh of eight kids. Pursuing a degree in American ethnic studies. Here's what the media guide didn't say: When Williams played against Idaho, he had a warrant out for his arrest. He'd been arrested every year he was here: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000. He was...

Yoga Cred by: Deborah Lambert, January 29, 2008 Although students at Needham (Mass) High School may have felt a lot less stressed after principal Paul Richards stopped publishing the list of honor roll recipients last year, it seems the relaxation guru was just getting started, according to Michelle Malkin, who noted that his latest idea was for the school to sponsor “in-school yoga classes.” “It’s not that I’m trying to turn the culture upside down,” Richards told the New York Times, explaining that his goal was simply to bring “the culture to a healthier place.” These health concerns not only...

Lesson 34: The First Commandment "Come let us praise the Lord with joy:  let us joyfully sing to God our savior.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  For in His hand are all the ends of the earth:  and the heights of the mountains are His.  For the sea is His, and He made it:  and His hands formed the dry land.  Come let us adore and fall down:  and weep before the Lord that...

Justin Griffin of Columbia started losing his vision as a senior in high school, the same year he professed his faith in the Lord. “My plans for me in high school were to graduate, join the military and become a professional soldier,” he said. “I had no love of God. I had no love of people. “Basically, I was my own God.” A victim of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary disease of the retina of the eye, Griffin said he didn’t view his failing vision as a curse. “When the blindness came, I looked on it as a blessing,” said the...

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Hundreds of people have flocked to a remote village in eastern Nepal to see a "sweating" idol of a Hindu god, a sign of impending turmoil or natural disaster for the devoutly religious nation. Witnesses said that sweat seeped out of the idol of the Bhimeshwor god at a temple in Dolakha, a few hours drive from Kathmandu, during evening prayers at the weekend.

GREENSBORO — Episcopalians meeting in Greensboro this week gave strong preliminary support for a resolution apologizing to gays and lesbians for how they’ve been treated by Christians. The resolution, which is expected to go before the full Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina this morning, would also affirm homosexuals as "children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance and pastoral concern and care of the Church." A similar resolution was passed this past summer by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which has been racked with division since the affirmation...

The defeat of same-sex marriage in referenda across the country earlier this month left some gays gloomy, but those high-profile fights may have obscured changes in Congress that have, for the first time, put the gay community within reach of victory on its legislative agenda. After languishing for 12 years, a bill to ban employment discrimination against homosexuals is likely to be passed by the House and Senate next year and sent on to President Bush, supporters and opponents of the legislation said yesterday.

In the battle over gay rights and same-sex marriage, those who oppose both often cite Biblical passages which, they believe, clearly state that homosexuality is wrong. Trying to rebut this view is a movement led by people who are both gay and Christian who say that the Bible is on their side. "Most people think that the attitude of gay Christians is, 'Who cares what the Bible says?' when in reality, we care deeply what the Bible says," said the Rev. Jeff Miner , pastor of the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church , a gay-friendly congregation in Indianapolis. He led a...

A talking Jesus doll has been turned down by the Marine Reserves' Toys for Tots program. A suburban Los Angeles company offered to donate 4,000 of the foot-tall dolls, which quote Bible verses, for distribution to needy children this holiday season. The battery-powered Jesus is one of several dolls based on Biblical figures and manufactured by one-2-believe, a division of the Valencia-based Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company. The charity balked because of the dolls' religious nature. Vice President Bill Grein of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation says toys are donated to kids based on financial need and the...

Mar 27 2003 - Andrew, Amy and Anna DiMaggio We have heard from so many people world wide about the picture, we still can't believe it. The story about the picture goes like this, my wife took Anna outside to take some pictures of her in her new dress. As she began to take the pictures, the batteries in our digital camera died. They came in and Amy said that they could only get one picture because of the batteries. I told her that we have lots of batteries and replaced them for her while they went back outside....

His [Mohammed's] many and cruel executions, his craftiness in planning and allowing assassinations, his treachery, in his attacks on the unarmed during the sacred months, his insatiable hatred towards Jews and Christians, his raids and highway robberies, distinguish him among the most notorious brigands, and make him a tyrant of no mean degree. His unimaginable cruelty as well as the debauchery of his private life, go to show in him a very great degree of moral degeneracy and height of self-delusion, which are scarcely compatible with the practical wisdom of many of his actions. We find him, after his early...