Free Republic

It was all sunshine and smiles last night on American Idol, maybe not so much for the judges who witnessed the many, many lemons of Los Angeles, except for two quirky and sweet brothers from the Redlands. Holding up two tickets to Hollywood, Aaron, 27, and Mark Gutierrez, 28, gleefully ran out of the audition room that much closer to becoming the next idol or idols, in this case – but not the blacklisted Bible kind. The extroverts grew up singing in church “from the womb” and are better known for being members of the GB5, a Christian harmony group...

The ELCA has placed their opinion over God’s Word. The denomination's actions and teachings show us that they place their own authority over God’s authority. They have made themselves god and that is idolatry. Not surprisingly this isn’t the only form of idolatry happening in the ELCA. ELCA church Ebenezer Lutheran, otherwise knows as herchurch, in San Francisco posted highlights from their Christ Sophia Mass in 2009 on youtube. Pastor Stacy Boorn opens the service this way, “Welcome to the Christ Sophia mass, the incarnation of she who is all wisdom. . .” At the 2:33 minute mark of the...

By | Published: Jesus told his listeners, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matt. 21:43). For many people, this verse provides the heart of “replacement theology”—the idea that the Christian Church has replaced the old physical nation of Israel as God’s chosen people and priestly nation (1 Pet. 2:9–10, et al). Without requiring the use of the label “replacement,” this is essentially what the verse teaches. It does not mean that Jewish people can never again taste of God’s grace, it simply means that the Old Jewish...

............The Historical Evidence The Roman Catholic Church claims that this doctrine, like all of their other distinctive doctrines, has the “unanimous consent of the Fathers” (contra unanimen consensum Patrum).[10] They argue that what they teach concerning the Immaculate Conception has been the historic belief of the Christian Church since the very beginning. As Ineffabilis Deus puts it, The Catholic Church, directed by the Holy Spirit of God… has ever held as divinely revealed and as contained in the deposit of heavenly revelation this doctrine concerning the original innocence of the august Virgin… and thus has never ceased to explain, to...

Shane Vander Hart just posted an essay on depictions alleging to be of Jesus, asking if they are idolatry. But that is not the only question that should be asked. Another question relates to the ninth commandment: Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. So that I do not have to keep using the words "purported", "alleged" or "supposed" pictures of Jesus, let me say up front that I don't believe there are pictures of Jesus: whether paintings, children's drawings, movies, or statues. We simply have no idea what Jesus looked like. Oh, I suppose we assume he has a...

Those who believe in the finality of death (i.e., that there is no after-life) – they are the ones who advocate suicide and regard it as a matter of personal choice. On the other hand, those who firmly believe in some form of existence after corporeal death – they condemn suicide and judge it to be a major sin. Yet, rationally, the situation should have been reversed: it should have been easier for someone who believed in continuity after death to terminate this phase of existence on the way to the next. Those who faced void, finality, non-existence, vanishing –...

The following commentary is by Riley B. Case, associate executive director of the Confessing Movement Within the United Methodist Church.Dr. Riley B. Case Dr. Case served many years as a pastor and district superintendent in the UMC’s North Indiana Conference (now the Indiana Conference). He has been a delegate to five UM General Conferences. (Links below have been added by MethodistThinker.com.) — Ed.– I was speaking with a fellow pastor several years ago and inquired whether he and his church might be interested in Good News magazine. He replied “no” because people in his congregation were upset enough with...

1. Barack loves me! This I know, For CNN tells me so Muslims all to him belong He is weak and they are strong (Refrain): Yes, Barack Loves Me! Yes, Barack Loves Me! Yes, Barack Loves Me! CNN tells me so. 2. Barack loves me! This I know, as he came from Chicago Let him come take all your cares Rev'rend Wright and William Ayers (Refrain) 3. Barack loves me still today despite rumors he is gay Is Michelle his wife or beard? And you thought "birthers" were weird! (Refrain) 4. Dear Barack, we love you now As to foreign...

RELIGIOUS leaders have used their Easter sermons and messages to condemn the rise of atheism, with Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen describing the philosophy as an "assault on God". A day after Sydney Catholic Archbishop Cardinal George Pell criticised non-believers, Dr Jensen said in his Good Friday sermon at Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral that atheism was a form idolatry. "As we can see by the sheer passion and virulence of the atheist - they seem to hate the Christian God - we are not dealing here with cool philosophy up against faith without a brain," Dr Jensen told worshippers. "Atheism...

It seems that some people in Indonesia aren't so happy about the new statue depicting Barack Obamain their country. Are they disgusted with the false idolatry of a man who's done pretty much nothing? Or are they just mad because they haven't gotten a stimulus check yet?

As Americans, there is a disconnect between our professed regard for liberty and this tendency to seek for ourselves gods among men. On the surface, we love to wrap ourselves in the rhetoric of equality, freedom, and the populist sentiments underlying representative government. On the other, we crave, demand, and ultimately crown royalty. A friend recently told me in reference to President Obama, “The way he speaks, you can just tell he’s intelligent. He’s so intelligent. And you want that in your president, someone intelligent.” The unspoken implication which I find echoed in criticisms of Sarah Palin is we want...

Obama is all about idol worship. He has a slew of idols he bows down to and prays before. Obama believes if an idol is good enough for him, it is also good enough for our entire nation. He is forcing his idols down the throats of all Americans, come hell or high water. God took the Children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Egypt was a nation dedicate to idolatry and was the first Kingdom mentioned in Revelation 17:10. "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet coms." Egypt was...

An Italian scientist says he has reproduced the Shroud of Turin, a feat that he says proves definitively that the linen some Christians revere as Jesus Christ's burial cloth is a medieval fake. The shroud, measuring 14 feet, 4 inches by 3 feet, 7 inches bears the image, eerily reversed like a photographic negative, of a crucified man some believers say is Christ. "We have shown that is possible to reproduce something which has the same characteristics as the Shroud," Luigi Garlaschelli, who is due to illustrate the results at a conference on the para-normal this weekend in northern Italy,...

An important update about the creepy video we posted yesterday. The Burlington Township School District, to which B. Bernice Youngs Elementary School belongs, posted the following Letter to Parents this morning. Dear Burlington Township Families: Today we became aware of a video that was placed on the internet which has been reported in the media. The video is of a class of students singing a song about President Obama. The activity took place during Black History Month in 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country. Our curriculum studies, honors and recognizes...

WASHINGTON -- The White House plans to host a discussion on immigration on Thursday with advocates, faith-based groups, businesses and law enforcement officials. An administration official says that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will lead the discussion. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is not public. Last week President Barack Obama said immigration reform is important but that other priorities such as his health care overhaul and financial regulation are going to come first. Obama said he expects to see draft legislation for an immigration overhaul by the end of the year, with changing the system...

What does it mean to be an idolater? Idolatry may seem like a sin that modern people do not commit. But idolatry is not just bowing down to idols; it is trusting in what one has made, and therefore, in one’s own power as creator or sustainer. If we say we worship God but put our trust in bank accounts, homes, businesses, and organizations, then we are idolaters “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result,...

A shameful reflection on what's considered important in today's world.

One of the prominent and rising archbishops in the Catholic Church is warning against a "spirit of adulation" towards President Obama, who was portrayed repeatedly during his campaign with messianic images. WND reported during the campaign on a website called Obamamessiah which still holds images portraying the president in a "transfiguration" pose, with various haloes around his head, and the cover of a book, "Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope." But in a message at St. Basil's Church in Toronto recently, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput warned against following blindly. "President Obama is a man of intelligence and some...

A parent in the Clark County School District of Las Vegas, Henderson area reported today that his son, who is in 1st grade, came home yesterday saying that he didn't want to go back to school anymore. When asked why, the boy said that during the Pledge of Allegiance the teacher put up a large image of Obama next to the flag. Thinking that the boy might be exaggerating, the man asked his son if he was sure, and suggested that by "large" he might mean an 8x10 photo of the president. The boy apparently said "No, it is a...

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...