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The 10th Annual Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade took place on Thursday in the biblical holy city, and attracted plenty of controversy, with protesters rallying against the event's purported harm to Jerusalem's "sanctity." More than 5,000 gays and lesbians and their supporters gathered in Jerusalem for the parade, the Times of Israel reported. They assembled in the downtown Independence Park before starting their march through the city. "We must work together to strengthen Jerusalem as a modern, open capital and to foster welcoming, inclusive communities across the Jewish world," said American philanthropist Lynn Schusterman, who made the opening remarks. "It is...

While a student at Dallas Seminary a good friend of mine and I went to an IHOP to study for a Hebrew exam. My friend seemed unusually anxious, tender and, admittedly, a bit awkward. At some point during the evening I finally asked him if he was okay. He looked around cautiously, then in a whisper said to me, “I need to tell you something I have never told anyone else before.” “Okay,” I said. “You can tell me anything.” “I’m gay.” With that, I stood up from the table, invited him to stand up, and gave him and a...

...Latter-day Saints believe that in order to attain the best in life and the greatest happiness in this world and for the next, men and women must be married in the temple for time and eternity. Without the sealing ordinances of temple marriage, man cannot achieve a godlike stature or receive a fulness of joy. … ...to enjoy the privileges and advantages...as...husbands and wives, parents and children, the ordinance that authorizes and sanctifies this most beautiful of all relationships is not acceptable if it contains the limitation “until death do you part.” For family relationships and conjugal associations to be...

Catholic News Agency (CNA) Prof. Robert George. Washington D.C., Aug 1, 2012 / 02:03 am (CNA).- Catholic law professor Robert P. George of Princeton University is discouraging pornography use in hotel rooms by calling on hotel CEOs to consider the harm that it causes.   “Pornography is part of a larger phenomenon that’s rooted in the fundamental misunderstanding of sexuality,” he told CNA in a July interview.George recently teamed up with prominent Muslim intellectual Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in writing letters to the CEOs of the five largest hotel chains that offer pornography in their hotel rooms.He explained that the move...

Even many Catholics dismiss Fifty Shades of Grey as harmless entertainment. They couldn’t be more wrong. “Grey is the devil’s favorite color.� How I wish I could take credit for that powerful quote. However, it actually belongs to none other than philosopher, Catholic convert, author, and esteemed professor Dr. Peter Kreeft. A wise listener of mine sent me the Kreeft quote to help summarize the current obsession, and not just among the general public, with the Fifty Shades of Grey book trilogy. The fictional series written by E.L. James focuses on the sado-masochistic relationship between a young woman, Anastasia Steele,...

Liberal remnant of Church sees red “The Cordileone appointment is downright combative” August 2, 2012 78 Comments Bishop Lori The following appeared in the online version of the National Catholic Reporter on July 31.If last week’s elevation of Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, Calif., to archbishop of San Francisco proves anything, it’s that attacking marriage equality puts a man on the fast-track to promotion in the Roman Catholic Church. A quick survey of the hierarchy’s most recent, high-profile appointments reveals a common denominator.The trend became apparent in March, when Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., was given his papal orders...

The ELCA online publication (likely the print magazine also) The Lutheran published another article highlighting some of the actions taken by ELCA synods this year at their synod assemblies. (see Exposing the ELCA’s blog containing The Lutheran’s first report here) Below are the most troubling, pertinent, non-Biblical, disappointing and liberal actions taken by the ELCA’s leadership from my point of view: The Grand Canyon Synod, - “Concluded that the Arizona SB 1070 Immigration Law is inconsistent with collective Christian beliefs and is harmful to the needs of Arizona, exhorting members to advocate for immigration reform that is ‘comprehensive, fair, humane,...

I think there is a strange, new virus going around that gravitates to church leadership that almost requires them to think immorality is normal, acceptable, and almost commendable. Another Fundamentalist pastor has dishonored his family, damaged his church, disgraced his calling, disobeyed the Scriptures, destroyed his reputation, demeaned all Christians, and deflowered (do they still use that term) an unknown number of young girls. The deacon board of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana quickly fired him and agreed to work with the authorities. The disgraced pastor is the son-in-law of former pastor, Dr. Jack Hyles, a deceased friend of...

Thousands and thousands and thousands of people proudly lined up to support Mike Huckabee’s “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day” yesterday. By all accounts, it was a successful campaign, perhaps one of Huckabee’s most memorable actions, a deed that might warrant etching “#ChickFilA” on his tombstone so future Americans will learn of the greatness that occurred on August 1, 2012. Many of yesterday’s appreciators were born again Christians, people who, I can only assume, claim to love God, put their trust in Jesus, and have a desire that all people hear and experience the Good News of Christ. That fact alone changes the...

Caruso began to question the IVF process after being confronted by his parish priest. CHICAGO, August 3, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One former in-vitro fertilization (IVF) expert’s difficult moral journey towards becoming the first of his kind to embrace a new vision of fertility treatment, one in line with his religious faith, began with the intervention of a Catholic priest. Reproductive endocrinologist Anthony Caruso told the Chicago Tribune July 30 that he began to seriously question the IVF business, in which children are picked and chosen according to physical features and frequently aborted in “selective reductions� of multiple pregnancies, after an...

Sent to me on Facebook by a pastor friend of mine.... **************************** Let me begin by saying I absolutely LOVE Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (Gonna go ahead and tell you that Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is THE BEST flavor I’ve EVER had!!) A few years ago I went to Wal Mart (the closest thing to hell I can imagine…that and the DMV), found my favorite flavor and decided to tweet that I was purchasing some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream…and doing so “unleashed the hounds” in a sense. Honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like it, “Christians” began @ replying me...

For those who haven’t been watching, there’s another scandal brewing in the Catholic Church — this time with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the promotion of some very un-Catholic things. The good folks over at Life Site News just uncovered a rather unsettling relationship between CRS and an organization called the CORE Group, but there seems to be more to the story than a simple working relationship. Two weeks ago, Life Site News revealed that CRS gave a $5.3 million grant to a pro-abortion, pro-contraception, and pro-homosexual organization known as CARE. It’s bad enough that CRS has been so rigidly...

If you’re like me, you’re weary of the excessive politicization of nearly everything in American culture. Can’t we just enjoy Oreo cookies without making a statement about gay rights? Or savor a chicken sandwich without fear of being labeled a hater or homophobe? Though I’m weary of our culture’s tendency to politicize everything, I believe this Chick-fil-A boycott has revealed some fault lines in our culture that will lead to increasing pressure upon Christians who uphold the sexual ethic described in the New Testament. Furthermore, in listening to the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, it’s clear to me...

Preamble The statement of the Lutheran churches in Africa on MFHS takes place in the context and background of on-going discussions within the LWF communion of churches officially established in Lund, in 2007. According to the statement of the Africa region LWF preassembly meeting in Abuja in March 2010, the African churches participate in this process for the purpose of (a) strengthening the communion, (b) clarifying the generally shared position of the Lutheran churches in Africa, and (c) also to state clearly that this is not THE pressing issue for the Lutheran communion in Africa region. The Lutheran communion in...

It’s a pitiful statement on the moral condition of our country and world. A book trilogy that promotes, among other things, sadomasochism, pornography and the degradation and sexual objectification of women continues to top the best-seller list. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that the desensitization in our culture is so strong that we can’t recognize pure unadulterated porn when we see it or the fact that so many Christians, including some of my Catholic radio listeners, are among those going ga-ga over E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey.” If you’re not familiar with the trilogy, I will try...

“I’m not Catholic, so this doesn’t apply to me.� Some respond thus to the government’s mandate that employers pay for health insurance that covers contraception, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs. The Health and Human Services Department mandate is part of the 2010 health care reform law, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that this law is an acceptable exercise of Congress’ taxing powers. But Catholics are not saying that paying for contraception is bad for Catholics; they’re saying it’s bad for society, according to Christopher Klofft, assistant professor...

The Rev. Billy Graham has posted a new prayer letter on his website where he addresses the people of the nation and tells them he is very much afraid of the damage that the American lifestyle is doing in the eyes of the Lord. The 93-year-old evangelist begins his letter by recalling an incident a few years ago when his wife, Ruth, who has since passed away, remarked that "If God doesn't punish America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah," referring to the cities in the Old Testament destroyed for the sinful nature of their residents. "I wonder...

Is the Pope picking a fight? I had to wonder that when I heard on Friday about the appointment of Salvatore Cordileone -- one of the nation's most outspoken foes of same-sex marriage -- as archbishop of San Francisco, the gayest city in the country. Cordileone has called same-sex marriage a plot by "the evil one." And as much as anyone, he led the drive for Prop. 8, the ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage, according to a an expose in the East Bay Express. Cordileone thought up the proposition, raised money, and put a compassionate face on the campaign,...

The Pope’s newspaper has criticised the philanthropic contraception initiative launched by the wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, referring back to Nestlé’s “cunning” operation in AfricaL’Osservatore Romano, the Holy See’s official daily newspaper, has taken up arms against Bill Gates and Nestlé. The Pope’s newspaper has launched a tough and clear attack against the two on the front page of this afternoon’s issue: an editorial by Giulia Galeotti on “birth control and disinformation” entitled “The risks of philanthropy”, defines Bill Gates’ wife as being “slightly off the mark and confused” as well as “misinformed”. Melinda Gates announced to the CNN...

FULL TITLE: Self Denial and Evangelical Parenting Are we living routine patterns of self-indulgence to which evangelical Americans have become accustomed? Why would our kids listen to us telling them to pursue purity and godly restraint when we are giving in to shopping addictions, gluttony, love of money, love of pleasure, and other self-indulgent behaviors? We live with an entitlement attitude, bending Scripture’s commands to holiness when they are too uncomfortable or costly. Why are we surprised when our kids sleep around? On the weekend I was talking with a mother of teenaged girls about the statistic that 80% of...

I am a father of five children here on Earth. And three more who, with God's mercy, I hope to meet in Heaven someday. I think about those children sometimes (often). It's not something I talk about often (ever?) but I mourn them. You don't know when grief from something like that will hit. Sometimes it's when someone tells me they're shocked that I have five children. I say, "Yes I have five children." And I secretly think of the three. Sometimes it's random moments when the kids are getting into the van and I think of the seats that...

Here's an interesting viewpoint. The following is a copy of an article written by Spanish writer Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez and published in a Spanish newspaper on Jan. 15 2011. It doesn't take much imagination to extrapolate the message to the rest of Europe — and possibly to the rest of the world. "EUROPEAN LIFE DIED IN AUSCHWITZ" By Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez I walked down the street in Barcelona and suddenly discovered a terrible truth — Europe died in Auschwitz ... We killed six million Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims. In Auschwitz we burned a culture, thought, creativity,...

Four years ago, a Vatican group called "The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" began an assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a member organization founded in 1956 that represents 80 percent of Catholic nuns in the United States. The assessment was designed to take a careful look at whether the nuns were acting in accordance with the teachings of the church. In the assessment, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the leadership conference is undermining Roman Catholic teachings on homosexuality and birth control and promoting "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic...

The year 2018 will mark the 50th, or Golden, anniversary of Humanae Vitae (HV), in which Paul VI restated what had been, until 1930, an unbroken and universal Christian teaching. Today, on HVÂ’s 44th anniversary, the Bellarmine Forum is launching The Campaign for Humanae Vitae. Our goal is to gather a million signatures on our petition conveying to the Holy Father and our bishops our prayerful gratitude, encouragement, and support for their efforts to preach and to defend this vital teaching of the Magisterium.Why now? Consider this: my colleague on the Notre Dame faculty, Professor Gary Gutting, has proclaimed in...

The recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church has prompted a broader discussion of the fate of liberal Christianity. No surprise—the Episcopal Church has been one of the most aggressively liberal influences in American Christianity in the past few years, pushing hard against the traditions of the broader Anglican Communion. In The New York Times, Ross Douthat goes so far as to ask, "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?" But that question necessarily prompts two others: What is Liberal Christianity, and Should it be saved? Liberal Christianity is dying on the vine. Mainline denominations are taking big hits across the board....

Glasgow, Scotland, Jul 25, 2012 / 11:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop-designate Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow could see himself being imprisoned for speaking out in support of the traditional married family. “I could see myself going to jail possibly at some point over the next 15 years, if God spares me, if I speak out,” Archbishop Tartaglia said in an interview with STV News July 24. His comments came just a day before the Scottish government announced it would legislate in favor of same-sex “marriage.” Archbishop Tartaglia warned that the redefinition of marriage will have “enormous implications for religious liberty.” “I...

I really thought there was nothing to say or write about the shootings at the Aurora, Colorado, movie theatre. The prattling, smug, and often unsubstantiated talk filling the airwaves and print pages really added nothing. But then I realized that there is indeed something important to conclude from this tragic episode. And it’s one of the most important things—perhaps the most important of all—to understand about history, civilization, humanity, and society. Human frailty. None of us are perfect. We all have weaknesses and shortcomings. And some have more than others. We see a daily display of jealousy, anger, hatred, ignorance,...

No Building Permits for Opponent of Same-Sex Marriage The Chicago Tribune reports: [Chicago Alderman] Proco “Joe” Moreno announced this week that he will block Chick-fil-A’s effort to build its second Chicago store … following company President Dan Cathy’s remarks last week that he was “guilty as charged” for supporting the biblical definition of marriage as between a man and woman…. The alderman has the ideological support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values,” the mayor said in a statement when asked about Moreno’s decision. “They disrespect our fellow neighbors and residents. This would be a bad investment,...

I was surprised to see Amey Schnabel's article "22 votes for a pastor -- for progress" (July 10), in which she shared what felt like personal information about the workings of her hometown church. She wanted the world to know that 22 people voted yes to calling a partnered gay man to serve as their pastor. [ . . . ] In my 17 years serving ELCA parishes as a lay minister, I both saw the tears and heard the angry words of those who believe, like Schnabel, that they "read deeper into the meaning of what was written in...

Diabolical Disorientation7/24/2012Michael VorisHello everyone and welcome to The Vortex where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed. I’m Michael Voris coming to you from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Following up on our report yesterday about the influx of gay positive males into the Catholic priesthood and episcopacy over the past 50 years or so .. there is more than ample evidence that this is the case. For example .. in 1977.. Christian Brother Gabriel Moran was speaking before the annual conference of Christian Brothers and heavily intimated in his speech that religious communities were the ideal setting for...

Many 19th-century promoters of contraceptives were religious zealots who first attacked marriage, then procreation.Today, Catholic apologetics against contraception and abortion sometimes appear historically naive, as if these issues suddenly fell out of the sky in 1930 with Resolution 15 of the Anglican Lambeth Conference on contraception, or in 1973 with Roe v. Wade. A little information about the early history of contraception and abortion advocacy in America—especially its deepest objectives—might help. The Catholic Church has vast resources to deploy as long as it understands its opponents well. And one important thing it should understand is that many of contraception and...

A group of philosophy graduate students at the University of Notre Dame recently created a petition opposing the university’s lawsuit against the HHS mandate. They even go so far as to say that by accepting the mandate – i.e., giving up Notre Dame’s right to act according to its Catholic mission – the university could better fulfill its Catholic mission. We the undersigned members of the Notre Dame community wish to express our disagreement with the university’s decision to file a lawsuit contesting the Health and Human Services mandate that requires employee health insurance plans to provide no cost birth...

The Vatican has ruled that a Peruvian school no longer has the right to be called a “Catholic” or “Pontifical” university. The Vatican ruling, announced July 21, comes after 22 years of conflict, during which Church officials tried in vain to persuade university administrators to bring their policies and statutes in line with Church mandates. In April, officials at the school failed to meet an April deadline for submitting new statutes acceptable to the Holy See. Upon receiving the official notice from the Vatican, the rector of the school issued a defiant response, saying that the institution would continue to...

....Which brings us to Holmes himself. I don't think Holmes is insane per se. Holmes was able to function in graduate school in a very complex field: neuroscience. He had no criminal history up to this point. People who are insane cannot function in society. Words have meaning - don't let the Marxist media twist words. I think Holmes is demonically possessed, and that we should all expect to see things like this happen with exponentially increased frequency as satan reacquires the formerly consecrated landmasses of Christendom, namely North America and Europe. Holmes engaged in at least two activities which...

Does our flag still wave?

At first glance a reader might think I was writing about the so-called religious right, or maybe even the Muslim push to rule America by its repressive Sharia laws. No, I am writing about liberalism’s 100 years war against the traditional culture of the United States that is as repressive and destructive to the American way of freedom as either of the other two other religious extremes.Not as destructive as liberalism Firstly, I must point out that liberalism is not just the anti-religion but a religion unto itself.The reason I say that is because the basic definition of religion is man...

Joseph Goebbels advised that when telling lies, tell a big one and tell it often. Another approach is to jam so many distortions into so brief a space that they are too hard to refute in as short a period and in keeping with attention spans.Here is an op-ed piece from – to our shame as Catholics – a woman religious, Sr Patricia Miller in the Des Moines Register.She must have an interior landscape like Salvador Dali painting, since she wafts incense at Pres. Obama for his, and the HHS mandate’s respect for the religious liberty of Catholics. n the...

This past January I had the opportunity to attend the pro-life march in Washington DC with some high school kids from Montgomery. It’s a good trip, and I think it’s a worthwhile practice for students and parents to go to it at least once. But that’s not what I want to say about it. I want to tell you what left the deepest impression upon me.I remember seeing a sea of people on those streets of our nation’s capital. These wide avenues packed with thousands upon thousands of people, mostly young people, many carrying signs or banners. Many, many Catholic...

It's hard to deny that homosexual "marriage" appears to be a foregone conclusion in America. This is a frightening prospect not only for those of us who understand marriage to be a testimony of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church, but also for all who value the family and its contribution to the well-being of society and human thriving. And while it's difficult to watch a coordinated, well-funded, well-connected propaganda strategy undermine thousands of years of human history, it's especially disconcerting to witness the use of the civil rights struggle as the vehicle for the strategy.

SALT LAKE CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old girl because he said he received an "impression" to do so, has been placed on probation. Geody Harman, 38, was sentenced to three years probation for unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony, by 3rd District Judge Judith Atherton. Harman was given a sentence of zero to five years in prison, but that sentence was suspended. He was ordered to serve a jail sentence of 240 days, but was given credit for the 240 days he had already served. Harman was originally charged...

PROVO — A former BYU student who is accused of molesting two roommates faces charges of forcible sex abuse. Court documents indicate Antonio Rubalcaba Lacy, 18, inappropriately touched a roommate at least three times last year while the victim was asleep. Lacy is accused of doing the same thing three times to another roommate in 2012. The documents state Lacy confessed verbally and in a written statement after a two-hour meeting with his LDS bishop. Lacy, who is from Monterey, Calif., no longer attends BYU. He is charged with six second-degree felonies for forcible sexual abuse. He was never arrested...

A piece I wrote last weekend on Christian businesses prompted a snarling response from a reader who clearly was no follower of the Son of God. “Hail Satan!” it closed. I thought nothing of the comment, chalking it up to the hostility Christians sometimes face from non-believers. That is, until I saw the news reports of the horrific shootings today at a suburban Denver movie theater. The suspected triggerman, 24-year-old James Holmes, will be described variously as “troubled” or “unstable” or “detached from reality.” But I am convinced that the young killer was operating under satanic influence. Of course, to...

I am rethinking Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical condemning artificial birth control. Well, actually not rethinking since I cannot remember ever thinking about it much at all, ever, except dismissively. So best to say, I am considering it seriously for the first time. I actually sat down to read it. This, I admit, is a bit unusual for a Lutheran pastor, or for any Protestant, pastor or not. The subject of preventing unwanted pregnancy artificially or of being open to any pregnancy at any time cannot be located on any spiritual GPS we use. Among Roman Catholic teachings,...

April 11, 2012, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France: First, the incense, the pleasing fragrance to the Lord. Then the crucifix, a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and a rebuke of our hardened hearts. Then a couple dozen altar boys, most with the beautiful almond-shaped eyes of Down syndrome, leading the procession for a very special Mass—a Mass marking the next step toward beatification of a man who holds a special place in the hearts of those whose lives have been touched by an extra chromosome.Jérôme Jean Louis Marie Lejeune—the man they came to honor—was the pediatrician and geneticist who, in 1958,...

The time is near for the persecution of My Beloved Vicar, Pope Benedict XVI to reach its pinnacle. Monday, July 16th, 2012 @ 03:15 pm Download article as PDF My dearly beloved daughter it is time to prepare all of God’s priests, bishops and all those who run My Holy Catholic and apostolic Church on earth. For the time is near for the persecution of My Beloved Vicar, Pope Benedict XVI to reach its pinnacle. Very soon he will be forced to flee the Vatican. Then the time will come when My Church will divide, one side against the other....

Sr. Pat Farrell of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (a subsidiary of the Magisterium of Nuns) did an interview with the liberal-leaning National Public Radio. Carl Olson of Catholic World Report deftly dissected Sister’s interview. Let’s see the first part with my emphases and comments.[Don't forget: The LCWR's leadership claim that, since they are not clerics, women religious don't have to stand up for Magisterial teachings in their apostolates. Therefore, they think they can blur and be silent about important moral and doctrinal issues and align themselves through that blurring and silence with a secular feminist agenda or with...

I have waited a bit till the dust settled on the Supreme Court decision of last month to ask some questions of about healthcare, and more specifically Health Insurance. I waited because this is neither a political blog, nor a legal blog. I want to leave the political commentary and questions to others, and let the legal types parse the Constitutional questions.My questions are more personal and directed to us who are consumers of health care, especially about Insurance and how we pay for healthcare than healthcare itself. It is also about the high costs of healthcare.While we may all...

What would possess an abortion clinic to encourage women to seek out an abortion on a Sunday? That’s exactly what the Orlando “Women’s Center” offered on its website: Of course, Sunday is when most Christians attend Church. So perhaps one of the goals of this promotional stunt is to encourage young women to seek abortions on a day where pro-life Christians would be spending time in prayer and with family instead of prayerfully protesting and witnessing outside this abortion clinic. Sunday is also traditionally a day of rest in America when most businesses are closed, but as many pro-lifers know,...

I.Bruce Fingerhut in South Bend called my attention to Father George Rutler’s essay in crisismagazine.com (July 13), entitled. “Post-Comfortable Christianity.” Father Rutler is the well-known pastor of the Church of Our Savior in New York City. He is a man of many, many talents, a witty and insightful lecturer, often on EWTN. With his Scot origin, he has been known to appear in the kilt version of the Roman Collar at the Highland Games. Rutler is a convert Episcopal priest who speaks the King’s English, speaks it well and clearly. The title, “Post-Comfortable Christianity,” Rutler explains, is not used in...

UPDATE: THE prospect of government forcing priests to report what was said in confession is the sign of a "police state mentality", says a priest and law professor.Hundreds of years of Catholic tradition in the confessional could be overturned by Victoria's inquiry into child sex abuse. Priests would be ordered to reveal crimes told to them in private confessions under one proposal before the inquiry. But priests say they will resist being forced to reveal secrets of the confessional. Priest and law professor Father Frank Brennan said the move would be a restriction on religious freedom. “If a parliamentary inquiry...