Free Republic

The moral confusion of our time is therefore not new. Almost 3,000 years ago, the Prophet Isaiah lamented, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." But at the start of the 20th century, a new form of moral confusion was introduced. While there were always those who called good evil and evil good, shortly after Einstein discovered relativity in the natural order, Western civilization applied relativity to the moral order. As the late historian Paul Johnson wrote in "Modern...

Interesting analysis this morning from Axios in a “Deep Dive: Inside the Mind of Gen Z.” The piece pulls together a bunch of data points and quotes from experts to provide a snapshot of a generation that, at least in my humble opinion, is in deep trouble.Here’s the key data from the Axios analysis: “By the numbers: Gen Z (defined as people roughly ages 12 to 27) reports the poorest mental health of any generation, according to a Gallup and Walton Family Foundation report.“Just 44% of Gen Zers say they feel prepared for the future. “The big picture: They dodged...

Detectives in Iowa are blaming me for b*mb threats. NBC is trying to get law enforcement to say I’m connected so that I can be investigated. That’s their goal. They want me in prison for exposing the grooming and sexualization of your kids. https://t.co/lCWVFgbvMx pic.twitter.com/TFxGwuq0a5— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) February 7, 2024

Health officials are warning that the rise of life-threatening sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is “out of control.” According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STIs are on a worrying rise putting millions of people’s lives at risk from entirely preventable infections. “STIs must be a public health priority,” the CDC warned on Tuesday. The health agency noted that “the most alarming concerns” revolve around syphilis cases — which are at the highest level they’ve been in more than seven decades. Reported chlamydia cases have remained at a record high level but gonorrhea cases did decline...

In October 1789, President George Washington issued a thanksgiving proclamation “to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor….” This proclamation was thus not merely self-congratulation whereby the President and others applauded themselves for creating a new government provided by our Constitution. At that point we were transitioning from the Articles of Confederation which had neither three distinct branches of government nor the idea of federalism embodied in its organization. Would the new Constitution work? Would the misgivings of some leaders prove to be...

Common to tyrants of humanity is that their ideas of social justice, having no ground in truth, make their relevance to justice approach zero. From time to time some in positions of power who claim to know better than all the rest of us act aggressively to silence those who hold to the truth, as to life itself. (The two, need it be said yet again, are vitally related.) Among such power-wielding know-it-alls the world has witnessed some of history’s worst traitors and tyrants, whose blot on the history of humanity is currently being ignored again at peril of another...

It’s not ‘white supremacy’ among Catholics the FBI is really worried about, it’s traditional Catholic morality.It turns out the FBI memo targeting Catholics as potential domestic terrorists wasn’t limited to “a single field office,” as FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed under oath last month to Congress. In addition to the Richmond, Virginia, field office, the agency’s Los Angeles and Portland offices were also involved.The memo, which was leaked earlier this year, singled out what it called “Radical-Traditionalist Catholics” who attend parishes that offer the Latin Mass, which the FBI seems to think are hotbeds of “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent...

How far would you go to act on a principle or conviction that moves you? To what lengths would you sacrifice your financial security, well-being, and status to save other people’s lives? To what extent would you go beyond these things and risk your life in areas entrenched in life-threatening danger, knowing that you may never see your family again? Such is the story of Tim Ballard, in his quest to bust an international child trafficking ring. The Story: The movie begins with Homeland Security Special Investigations operative Tim Ballard (Jim Caveziel), whose career in breaking up child pornography and...

Recognition at the bishops' meeting Homosexuality: initiatives in the Church of France to change the discourse In France, a number of Bishops have proposed that the Pope reformulate the paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church concerning homosexuality. In addition, at the request of the French Bishops' Conference, theologians are working to make the institution's message on the subject more audible.

Women in our society have traditionally been treated with a unique honor and respect. Were we always treated fairly? Not entirely -- there was a time when we couldn’t vote. There was a time when women couldn’t own property. True. But since forever men have been showing us, even in small ways, that what we have to offer society is paramount. We can make babies and without babies, mankind cannot fulfill even the most basic mandate -- multiply and fill the earth. In my misspent youth I found Gloria Steinem inspiring and myself ill-used. This phase petered out quickly because...

A Florida bill targeting drag shows is on its way to becoming law. The Senate passed the bill Tuesday in a 28-12 vote. The bill prohibits children from being admitted to “adult live performances.” Opponents worry the bill could put pride parades at risk. An amendment filed last week bans cities from issuing permits for events that expose children to “adult entertainment,” which is defined as a performance that includes nudity, sexual conduct or lewd exposure.

Why are some Americans having such a hard time figuring out what is happening to our country? And for those who do see, why are so few taking action? One in four Americans say they know someone who died from the COVID vaccine, and 50% now have less trust in government health experts. Sixty-seven percent say they "weren't surprised" hearing that COVID came from a Chinese lab. Why are we giving any of this "New World Order" nonsense any traction at all? Most voters agree that the FBI has been weaponized by the current administration, and 61% believe that government...

The decades-long battle for the soul of the United Methodist Church (UMC) is now lost. A liberal faction has secured an increasingly hostile takeover.Christians outside of the UMC, please share this article with any Bible-believing United Methodist friends, to show the urgency of quick action. Please also learn from our mistakes.Theologically conservative United Methodists, we have a soon-to-expire, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead our congregations out of a rapidly radicalizing, declining denomination without losing our church buildings, which are technically “held in trust” for the denominationSadly, some denominational officials and even pastors of conservative-leaning congregations suppressed information or actively misled...

Aside from some grumbling from social conservatives, the Hyatt Regency Miami likely never dreamed it would suffer any consequences for hosting “A Drag Queen Christmas.” The sexually explicit celebration of our current societal obsessions took to the stage last December — with children present. After all, the big corporations have thoroughly internalized the principle that it is Leftists they must never offend, while they can infuriate patriots all day long. That’s why they’ve all gone woke.

From the baptism to the sermon to the blessing ceremony View of the Fifth Synodal Assembly in Frankfurt Practical consequences of the synodal path for the Diocese of Osnabrück New blessing celebrations for couples, baptisms also by non-clerics and women and men who preach in the service: These are three of the concrete consequences that the resolutions of the synodal path of the Catholic Church in Germany will have for the Diocese of Osnabrück. Other resolutions of the process at the federal level, which was concluded last weekend with the Fifth Synodal Assembly, are also to be implemented promptly in...

The left have always leaned toward the elimination of restrictions on morality and personal behavior, up to and including in some cases pedophilia ("minor-attracted persons"), homosexuality, trans-sexuality, drag queenery, abortion, and pornography. Bestiality may well be next. It will be called "animal affinity" or something equally perverse. By contrast, the right, generally speaking, has leaned toward moral guardrails, behavior moderation, decorum, and biblical living. These are two very different and separate worldviews. The question is chicken-egg: do the people who love chaos, perversity, and libertinism gravitate toward the political and cultural left, or does leftism with its almost total lack...

The term "Judeo-Christian values" is frequently used. I am one who uses it. I do so for the same reason the late great British prime minister Margaret Thatcher did: "The truths of the Judaic-Christian tradition," she said, "are infinitely precious, not only, as I believe, because they are true, but also because they provide the moral impulse which alone can lead to that peace, in the true meaning of the word, for which we all long... There is little hope for democracy if the hearts of men and women in democratic societies cannot be touched by a call to something...

In a recent article about the moral decline of the U.S., Michael Bresciani noted that a recent Gallup survey indicated that the respondents selected poor leadership, inflation, and immigration as the most important problems facing our country. Sadly, he also noted that at the bottom of the list in terms of significance (ninth place) was ethics, morality, and family decline. Based on Bible priorities, he rightly says, “we can safely conclude that Americans have it backwards, or upside down.” The decline of the item at the bottom of the Gallup list is the real reason why we are in decline...

An attack on two schools in Sydney for teaching Christian morality has some broader lessons FOUR CORNERS LOGO / ABC Four Corners, a flagship program on Australia’s ABC, broadcast a scathing attack on two private schools in Sydney on Monday evening. Their crime: encouraging students to be chaste. For MercatorNet’s international readers, this will be just a storm in a teacup, but journalist Louise Milligan’s spin on the issue may contain some interesting lessons for them, too. If there is one person to blame for the 404 days that Cardinal George Pell spent in jail, it is Louise Milligan. She...

Its is Douglas MacArthurs 143rd birthday. Was he the 1950's equivalent of Donald Trump? The times when he showed great leadership were many. He modernised Wrest Point, asking when he had recently begun the task post World War One, "Why are we still preparing for the War Of 1812?" He resisted Australians who wanted to betray their own country in WW2 and surrender half the continent to Japan above the Brisbane line because he knew the all conquering Japanese were over extended and could be beaten. He did that aged in his 60s with island hopping strategic brilliance. In his...