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A Mormon bishop in Los Angeles is under fire for his assertion that Sen. Harry Reid is unworthy to enter the faith’s temples because of his support of Democratic Party positions.

U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are gathering at a moment of turbulence for them and the American church, as Pope Francis moves toward crafting new policies for carrying out his mission of mercy - a prospect that has conservative Catholics and some bishops in an uproar. The assembly, which starts Monday in Baltimore, comes less than a month after Francis ended a dramatic Vatican meeting on how the church can more compassionately minister to Catholic families. The gathering in Rome was only a prelude to a larger meeting next year which will more concretely advise Francis on church practice. Still, the...

In a piece originally published on Alternet that has appeared this week on Salon.com, Frank Schaeffer claims, “Conservative Christians would have hated Jesus.” It’s unfortunate to read a piece like this, because Frank Schaeffer is the son of the late Francis Schaeffer.The elder Schaeffer was known for his traditional Protestant positions and his work in cultural apologetics. This included his famous 1979 book, Whatever Happened to the Human Race? that forcefully argued against the evils of abortion and euthanasia. Frank Schaeffer even helped his father make a documentary about the book.Today, however, Frank Schaeffer is an outspoken critic of...

•Ofsted to check schools 'actively promote' British values to children•Education department insists schools will not have to teach gay rights•But spokesman confirms pupils must be taught gay people are not 'inferior'Schools found ‘indoctrinating pupils about gay people’ will face being closed down under new rules designed to promote ‘British values’, the Government confirmed today. The Department for Education insisted it was ‘nonsense’ to suggest teachers would have to give lessons on gay rights. But a spokesman insisted Ofsted, which has introduced the new rules the wake of the Islamist Trojan Horse plot to radicalise pupils in Birmingham, was right to...

His face has become a symbol for resistance against oppression, a marker for those who demand accountability and in the minds of some – anarchy. In the modern day, the Guy Fawkes mask has been a way for people to anonymously stand against an entity. Guy Fawkes Day is observed Wednesday in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. Also known as Bonfire Night, the holiday has been given special attention with such cultural items as the famous "Remember, Remember the Fifth of November" poem and the film and graphic novel "V for Vendetta." The date marks the anniversary of...

Now that the 2014 mid-terms are over and the Republican Party has taken the Senate and still holds the House with greater numbers, do not expect the Obama administration to slow down their destructive policies one bit. Expect the war to intensify and Obama to go full bore with his scorched “anti-constitutional” Marxist policies; understanding that the end of his reign over the American people is at hand… or is it? Dear friends, when a vindictive, subjective, lawless narcissistic cannot get or have what he wants, then it becomes time to lash out and destroy! In light of the 24/7...

Fr. Bohdan Kosteskiy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ministers to the faithful in Crimea, October 2014. Credit: Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Odesa, Ukraine, Nov 4, 2014 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in March, religious groups there – aside from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) – are facing persecution, and restrictions on their ministry. Religious communities in Crimea face an uncertain legal framework – they are unsure of what laws must be observed. Catholics, Ukrainian Orthodox of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and Muslims are all facing persecution from local authorities, and anticipate that they may...

The joy parishioners feel this week that the Church of the Holy Innocents was saved from the chopping block is tempered by the fact that the priest who had a hand in saving it was transferred last spring by New York’s Archbishop and sent to a run-down and dangerous church outside of Johannesburg, South Africa.

For the last two days, Sen. Ted Cruz has been the guest on "Life Today," telling host James Robison that it is vitally important for Christians to vote so that America can continue to enjoy God's blessings. On yesterday's program, the Texas Republican declared that Christians are required by Scripture to vote and cast their votes based on biblical values. After praising his father's efforts to mobilize right-wing pastors and get them involved in politics, Cruz said that Christians could fundamentally reshape this nation is they simply voted according to the Bible. "Can you imagine how different our country would...

Anyone who criticises Sharia law or gay marriage could be branded an “extremist” under sweeping new powers planned by the Conservatives to combat terrorism, an alliance of leading atheists and Christians fear. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, unveiled plans last month for so-called Extremism Disruption Orders, which would allow judges to ban people deemed extremists from broadcasting, protesting in certain places or even posting messages on Facebook or Twitter without permission. Mrs May outlined the proposal in a speech at the Tory party conference in which she spoke about the threat from the so-called Islamic State – also known as...

Vatican City, Nov 4, 2014 / 04:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Religious freedom is at risk in Europe and has been increasingly suppressed in the United States over the course of the past year, according to a new report. The findings were made in the 12th edition of the World Report on Religious Freedom, issued by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, released Nov. 4. The report is a snapshot of the state of religious freedom in 196 countries from Oct. 2012 to June 2014, collecting first-hand data and providing help wherever Christians are needing aid. Religious freedom...

WASHINGTON – Tuesday is shaping up as a bad day for the Democratic Party’s “Social Change” coalition. The results from Election Day are expected to boost Republicans to new heights.   The outcome could change. Many races are considered toss-ups. But the polls indicate, and Democratic strategists conceded to The Washington Post, that Democrats will lose more than a handful of seats in the Senate and in the House.  Republicans would enjoy their largest House majority in decades and their first majority in the Senate since 2006. The late Democratic strategist Fred Dutton would be disappointed. Although unheralded, Dutton helped form the national...

THE coastal city of Wenzhou is sometimes called China’s Jerusalem. Ringed by mountains and far from the capital, Beijing, it has long been a haven for a religion that China’s Communist leaders view with deep unease: Christianity. Most cities of its size, with about 9m people, have no more than a dozen or so visibly Christian buildings. Until recently, in Wenzhou, hundreds of crosses decorated church roofs.

Among Republicans, the numbers are even more dramatic: 59 percent said that they believe that churches should speak out on the political issues of the day; 53 percent don’t believe that political leaders spend enough time talking about their faith; and 72 percent believe that it is important that members of Congress have strong religious beliefs. Clearly, they want to get a better sense of the faith that animates a politician’s values and how grounded they are in their faith. Many Americans have come to understand that if you know about a candidate’s faith then you can get a pretty...

All Catholic priests in the Crimea will be forced to leave by the end of 2014 under new rules established by the Russian government, the Forum 18 news service reports. Since Russia assumed control of Crimea, authorities have enforced Russian laws that require religious communities to register for formal approval. To date, Forum 18 has found, no religious communities in the region have been registered. Because only formally registered communities are allowed to have ministers from other countries, Catholic priests and religious from neighboring countries will be required to leave. When questioned by Forum 18 about the difficulties these rules...

New York City, N.Y., Nov 2, 2014 / 04:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Dietrich von Hildebrand first earned the hatred of the Nazi party in 1921. At a political convention in Paris, the Catholic philosopher declared Germany's 1914 invasion of neutral Belgium an “atrocious crime.” The divisive statement marked the first step in von Hildebrand's years-long battle against Nazism; a battle that inspired one German diplomat in 1937 to dub von Hildebrand “the greatest obstacle to National Socialism in Austria,” where von Hildebrand had launched a political journal. “There was something probably unintentionally profound and apt in that statement by...

Isaiah 25:9 In that Day, the People will Proclaim, "This is our God, in Whom we Trust, For Whom we have waited. Now at Last He is Here." What a Day of Rejoicing!

THE coastal city of Wenzhou is sometimes called China’s Jerusalem. Ringed by mountains and far from the capital, Beijing, it has long been a haven for a religion that China’s Communist leaders view with deep unease: Christianity. Most cities of its size, with about 9M people, have no more than a dozen or so visibly Christian buildings. Until recently, in Wenzhou, hundreds of crosses decorated church roofs. This year, however, more than 230 have been classed as “illegal structures” and removed. Videos posted on the internet show crowds of parishioners trying to form a human shield around their churches. Dozens...

A funeral mass for former Boston Mayor Tom Menino is being held [10am] at Most Precious Blood Church in Hyde Park. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, is presiding. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick offered words of remembrance... According to WBZ-TV, at the request of the family, the live video feed is not showing the distribution of Communion... Rev. John J. Connolly, Jr.: “The reason that Tom Menino is so beloved by so many … is because he recognized that each of us is blessed by God with the gift of life.".. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh:...

Scripture and Illegal Immigration In the Book of Exodus, Chapter 22, verse 21, we read, "You shall neither wrong a stranger, nor oppress him: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (King James 2000 Bible). This biblical verse is often used by so-called Roman Catholics as a justification for their support of illegal alien South and Central Americans coming to, and living in, the United States.  These Catholics also use this verse to encourage amnesty for all illegal aliens.  Are these Catholics right to interpret the Book of Exodus this way? Verse 21 of Exodus is written...