Free Republic

Earlier this year, an event happened that did not receive wide notice. The last of the Von Trapp Family Singers, the last of the children—the real ones—died. Her name was Maria—not to be confused with the lady played by Julie Andrews, Maria Augusta Trapp, who died in 1987. Maria Von Trapp’s death in February 2014 marks the end of an era. The Sound of Music deserves its accolades as the Movie of the Year (1965) and one of the finest films ever made. Even my one-year-old granddaughter is mesmerized by the puppet scene. As a film it is an icon....

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man has been indicted on dozens of charges in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy. Randall Pennington was indicted by a Cabell County grand jury on 40 sex-related charges. On Wednesday, WSAZ.com spoke with the mother of the victim. She was very emotional and said she knew the man, Randall Pennington, for years, including at New Beginning Apostolic Church in Huntington.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected gay marriage appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, in essence allowing lower courts to legalize same-sex couples. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), an institution that has vigorously opposed gay marriage for some time now, conceded that the political battle over marriage is over. “As far as the civil law is concerned,” the Mormon Church admitted, “the courts have spoken.” Actually, nothing is over until God says it’s over. At least, this is my understanding of how religion operates. So while I don’t want to accuse Mormons of...

Last week I was excited to see our Stand True T-shirt “I Survived Roe vs Wade, Roe vs Wade Will Not Survive Me” on an episode of 19 Kids and Counting. I got tweets from friends and my wife called to tell me that my daughter was freaking out when she saw the shirt. duggarfamily3Tonight I was excited to watch a new episode and see if any of the family was wearing one of our shirts again. I was shocked when I saw the shirt again but this time I was shocked because they had actually blurred out the message....

National Geographic Channel has announced the cast for Killing Jesus, its third adaptation -- after Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy -- of a bestselling historical thriller by Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard, and American actor Haaz Sleiman, who's originally from Lebanon, has snagged the title role. Born in the United Arab Emirates but raised in Lebanon, Sleiman moved to the U.S. when he was 21 and currently lives in Los Angeles. He's best known for playing a Syrian immigrant in the 2008 indie film The Visitor. He's also appeared in Showtime's Nurse Jackie (as a gay...

Conservative officials in some of the six states where Supreme Court action this week likely cleared the way for same-sex weddings say they won’t issue marriage licenses to gay couples until their hands are forced. Now, gay rights advocates are preparing to do just that. James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, called the court’s action a “watershed moment for the entire country,” and other gay rights activists described plans Tuesday to challenge remaining bans. …

ROME -- This weekend a priest was injured as hundreds of silent pro-family demonstrators were verbally abused and even violently attacked by homosexualist and anarchist counter-protesters at different venues throughout Italy. In Bologna, Turin, Genoa, Aosta, and Rovereto on Sunday, homosexualists and anarchists stepped up their attacks on the increasingly popular Standing Sentinels (“Sentinelle in Piedi”) demonstrations against “gay marriage” and the “LGBT” agenda. In 100 cities, organizers said about 10,000 people participated in the events. In the northern city of Rovereto, although the Sentinels had obtained a permit for the use of the piazza, a group identified as anarchists...

Last Friday night a rare dialogue/debate took place on American television. It was rare because it involved criticism of Islam, one of the many taboo subjects that are labeled "politically incorrect." And it took place on the program "Real Time with Bill Maher," a show not generally known for taking politically incorrect positions. But on this night the host, Bill Maher, along with atheism-advocate Sam Harris, had a vigorous debate with Actor Ben Affleck, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. Bill Maher, a man of the left on virtually every issue, began...

This piece is written more in sorrow than in anger. Why is the left so often wrog about Israel? Israel is a great country that has its problems, as do all countries and organizations, and sometimes, in the words of President Barack Obama, does “do stupid things.” Israel’s political culture has been shaped by many factors, especially its Zionist ideology, the resilience it has developed in fighting four wars, and the impact of incessant terrorist attacks that have caused disruptions in the life of the country. Why then is a considerable part of those who consider themselves on the left,...

Milan used to be known for fashion. Now it’s known for Muslim settlers. And the introduction of Muslims to Milan isn’t going well. (via Religion of Peace) Police arrested a man who accused his Pakistani wife of dressing in a style he thought was too Western and then chased her up the street, striking her with the wooden handle of a shovel.When she fled outside, he gave chase, hitting her on the arm with the wooden handle. She found refuge in another home and police later arrested her husband.He said he did not approve of her clothing and the fact...

For those who know little history, today’s battle with ISIS in the Middle East may seem new and unprecedented. It is not. In a.d. 622, Mohammed set out from Medina to conquer the whole Christian world for Allah by force of arms. Within a hundred years, his successors had occupied and pillaged every Christian capital of the Middle East, from Antioch through North Africa (home of Saint Augustine) and Spain. All that remained outside Allah’s reign was the northern arc from Southern France to Constantinople. What we are seeing in 2014 has a history of more than 1,300 years —...

Tens of thousands took to the streets in Paris and Bordeaux Sunday to demonstrate for what protesters called “traditional family values” and against assisted pregnancies and surrogacy. The demonstrations were organized by the «Manif pour Tous» (“Protest for Everyone”) group that waged an ultimately unsuccessful grassroots movement against the adoption of same-sex marriage in France last year. Their target this time is medically assisted procreation techniques for lesbian couples and surrogacy, which must be “fought at all costs,” according to the group’s president Ludovine de la Rochère. …

Throughout our nation’s history, the Church has been a force for good in America and abroad. But over the last 50 years, government has systematically eroded our free speech and religious expression. The Bible and the Gospel have been banished from our public schools and our public squares. With more than 75% of Americans calling themselves Christians, it’s time for the Church to rise up and take action to turn the tide in our nation! We have the numbers and we have a voice. If we are silent, we have no one to blame but ourselves for a Godless America.

Did God embed hidden messages in Scripture. Code Searcher Jonathan Wright says he is finding lots of Bible Coded references to Barack Obama, the Antichrist, and End Time Prophicies.

If we as a nation follow God, we will live in peace and good health. If not, the opposite will happen: Deuteronomy 7:15New American Standard Bible (NASB) 15 The Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you.

The clash between Islam and the Western world is as old as Islam itself, but perhaps as misunderstood as any great historical conflict. In what is sure to shed light on this timely topic, worldwide Catholic satellite network EWTN will air special television episodes this coming week. As the Islamist radical group ISIS rampages through Christian and other minority religious communities from Syria to Iraq--killing, raping, driving out inhabitants, and wantonly destroying holy sites--the West seems paralyzed and reluctant to retaliate against Muslim aggressors.

The war against Islamist terrorism has been going in the wrong direction, and the cancer has metastasized under the present administration. As we get rid of one Islamist tumor, more pop up. But the most dangerous of all Islamists are ruling Iran and are determined to make themselves untouchable by possessing their own nuclear bomb. We have wrongly chosen to ignore the majority moderate and secular Moslems in the Middle East and here at home. Those advising the White House and the State Department are lobbyists for the Islamist dictators, not secular Moderate Moslem Americans. For reasons unknown, the Obama...

Author Sam Harris and HBO’s “Real Time” anchor Bill Maher debated actor Ben Affleck and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof on Maher’s earlier comments on radical Islam on Friday. Harris argued, “liberals have really failed on the topic of theocracy, they’ll criticize white theocracy, they’ll criticize Christians, they’ll still get agitated over the abortion clinic bombing that happen in 1984, but when you want to talk about the treatment of women and homosexuals and free thinkers and public intellectuals in the Muslim world, I would argue that liberals have failed us.” He added “the crucial point of confusion is...

Have you ever thought about joining the jihad? No? Neither have I, at least not in the sense that I might be the one doing the joining. I’ve thought about others joining, though. I’ve thought about privileged American white kids who convert to Islam and join the fight to reestablish the Caliphate.

On the field, Sandy Koufax wasn't just any baseball player. Off the field, he wasn't viewed that way either. The Hall of Fame pitcher isn't just remembered by baseball fans as "the man with the golden arm," but is revered by his Jewish admirers as "the left arm of God" for his talent as well as the public observance of his faith, most notably during the 1965 World Series. A legendary left-handed pitcher who spent his entire career with the Dodgers, Koufax dominated batters like few ever have, atop mounds in Brooklyn and Los Angeles -- as well as just...