Free Republic

....The legend behind Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra. His hat was the bishop’s mitre. Nicholas was born in modern day Turkey to a rather wealthy family. Losing his parents at a young age, Nicholas dedicated both his fortune and his life to the Christian church. Very quickly he was appointed the bishop of Myra, on the southern coast of modern day Turkey.

"Sunday Reflection" is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today's Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord's day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here. For previous Green Room entries, click here.This morning's Gospel reading is Luke 1:39-45: Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,...

It is true that the three primary monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all believe in an eternal, uncreated Creator God to whom all human beings must one day give account. But it is self-evident that Muslims and Christians do not worship the same God. First, God is the heavenly Father of Christians, but Allah is not the Father of Muslims. This is one of the most fundamental revelations of the Bible, which is why Jesus taught His followers to pray the "Our Father" prayer on a daily basis (Matthew 6:9-13). The New Testament even goes as far as saying...

Since the saga’s launch in 1977, the irresistible force of the Star Wars phenomenon has affected young and old alike. It’s nearly impossible to get through a day without being brushed, bumped, or bombarded by a Star Wars image, allusion, or advertisement. This week week, the seventh installment, The Force Awakens, hits theaters. No less than Steven Spielberg predicts it will be “the biggest movie ever.” So why do so many across generations, cultures, and religions find Star Wars so captivating? Is it the dynamic characters? The spectacular score? The breathtaking special effects? Sure, these contribute to the magic of Star Wars. But I don’t think any of them can explain the mystery that...

...During this time I was single, and friends set me up on a lot of dates. When they asked me if there were any deal breakers, I explained there was only one: No religious people. Shortly after I made that declaration, I started dating a guy who mentioned, in passing, that he attended a Presbyterian church. I flinched. But I liked him, and because I was so religiously illiterate, I didn’t understand that some Presbyterian churches are evangelical. I assumed he was a cultural Christian, like the few other Christians I knew. A few months into the relationship he confronted...

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and is expected to outstrip Christianity by the end of the century. The number of Muslims will grow more than twice as fast as the world's population from now until 2050, the Pew Research Center has said. While the world's population is projected to grow 35 per cent before the middle of the century, the number of Muslims is expected to increase by 73 per cent -- from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.8 billion In 2010, Muslims made up 23.2 per cent of the global population. Four decades later, they...

The Muslim invasion and conquest of Europe is almost complete. If and when the Europeans wake up and decide to defend their civilization, it's going to be a bloody house-to-house fight to root them out. Most Europeans will try to flee, but most will die because they are woefully unprepared to fight or fend for themselves. The Muslims take the easier, softer targets first, and that means they'll be coming here next. Russia is closer, but they will be much harder to conquer. And they feel pretty good about having one of their own in the WH. Obama is flinging...

The recent move of Wheaton College to suspend one of its faculty has sparked debate about whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God. This debate recurs because of the culture's tendency to flatten religious differences into nebulous and impersonal ideas about "God" and because of widespread ignorance of religious faith. As Stephen Prothero points out in God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World-and Why Their Differences Matter, our happily ignorant "pluralism" can in religious matters lead to car bombs exploding, bullets fired through office buildings, hostage situations at abortion clinics, and waves of genocidal...

After a teacher at a Virginia school handed out a standard homework assignment on Islam, such an angry backlash flooded in that it prompted officials to close every single school in the county as a safety precaution.

Editor's note: This column was co-authored by Tim Graham. When Ted Turner was running CNN back in 1991, he banned the use of the word "foreign" on air. In a memo to employees, he made a threat to fine employees with a forced donation to UNICEF. To avoid offense, they were told they should use the word "international" instead because it "promotes a sense of unity." Today, this is Jeff Zucker's CNN, and unity be damned. Offending the audience is part of the ratings gambit. On Dec. 13, as many Christians celebrated the third Sunday of Advent and rejoiced over...

Very simple solution to terrorism and Islam ? Under existing law islam can be outlawed because it loses it's protection as a religion because it promotes a governmental system in direct conflict with our constitutional republic Islam is a theocracy not a religion.

The appearance of a new episode of the Star Wars film series is an important moment for Christian witness. To be sure, we can shrug our shoulders, since Star Wars is old news. Or we can enthusiastically introduce our grandchildren to what we might think is a beloved, harmless yarn. Or we can—and should—discover in the series an occasion to sharpen our presentation of the gospel message and help our children and grandchildren, and anyone else who might be interested, to understand the culture in which they live.In this famous and creative saga, which we must respect for its artistic...

Religion and Its Duties Are Not Only an Act of Justice Toward God, but Something We Owe One Another Msgr. Charles Pope • December 13, 2015 • In his Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas discusses the virtue of religion within his treatise on justice. This surprises some, who expect it to be treated under the theological virtue of faith. But Thomas clearly states that religion is not a theological virtue. Theological virtues have God Himself for their object, whereas religion has as its object the reverence, worship, and honor due to God (cf IIa, IIae 81.5). Religion is a matter...

On his first day at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Simratpal Singh sat in a barber chair where new cadets get their hair buzzed short, forced to choose between showing his faith and living it. Cadet Singh had grown up a Sikh. As part of his faith, he had never cut his hair or beard. But his faith also encouraged protection of the oppressed, which inspired him to join the Army. The Army would not allow a soldier with long hair or a beard, so that day he watched his locks drop to the floor. “Your self-image,...

I have a political crush, but one I couldn't vote for today - because she ran for office in France. Marion Marechal-Le Pen is the new deserved "It Girl" of French politics and a clear voice of courage and common sense in a country and continent in need of both.

Israeli Ambassador: (Despite Obama’s Requests) Israel Will Not Turn Over Christian Holy Sites to Radical Islam [ Full title ]. In May 2011 Barack Obama urged Israel to hand over half of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, The Temple Mount, Old Jerusalem, and the tomb of Jesus Christ to the Hamas-Fatah terrorist organizations. ... In December 2013, Barack Obama again urged Israel to hand over ancient Christian and Jewish holy sites to Islamist terrorists. ... On Friday – Palestinian terrorists set fire to Joseph’s Tomb – a Jewish holy site. ... Israeli Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer ... warned America...

During one of my waking moments this morning, I was struck by this realization: within MOMENTS of Donald Trump speaking out about a temporary halt of Muslim immigration, there were GOP apparatchiks like Lindsay Grayed Ham and others denouncing the idea. Over the past seven years, there have been good Christian people who have lost livelihoods and standing in the community on ACCOUNT OF THEIR RELIGION. No, it wasn't a religion of hate, but one of principles. They didn't chop someone's head off or shoot them. They merely said "no" to a celebration of an event that violated their deeply...

Islam is 20% religion and 80% socio-political. It is a ‘religion’ that doesn’t ask, but demands adherence on pain of death Ahhh, the 60s. A time when we knew it all. We had the world and life figured out. All we had to do was pin a flower on the most malevolent among us and nothing but love would come forth. Fantasy was reality and reality was fantasy. To pour cold water on the illusion, Grace Slick, in a documentary on Rock and Roll said it best…”In the 60s we thought we could change the world. In the 70s we...

Months ago, a concerned American at a school in Texas spotted a 14-year-old Muslim boy toting around a contraption that looked very much like a bomb. That Texan called the police, who came and detained the boy; after learning that the boy's device was actually a disassembled clock, they released him. Weeks ago, a concerned American in San Bernardino spotted a "half-dozen Middle Eastern men" in the area of an apartment housing Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik. He didn't know what they were doing there, but they seemed suspicious. He didn't call the cops. In San Bernardino, of course,...

Adam Francisco (who has a Ph.D. in Islamic-Christian relations from Oxford University) is professor of history at Concordia University in Irvine, California. His work on the history of Islam is nuanced and informed. As one online bio notes, "He has a unique ability to see and understand both the difficulties facing Christians who wish to evangelize their Muslim friends and the Muslims who are being asked to come to Christ. Many of his unique insights come from personal experiences sharing his faith with Muslims." To get a taste, see the first couple of videos produced by Modern Reformation below, which...