Free Republic

Handel’s Messiah, now as much a part of Christmas as mince pies and mistletoe, is one of the world’s greatest expressions of the Christian faith in music. Its composer, George Frideric Handel, was born in 1685 in what is now Germany. Although his family discouraged him from a musical career, his astonishing natural talent proved unstoppable. Acquiring a wide range of skills, the young Handel found himself in Italy, where he began writing operas. In 1712, Handel moved to London where many were fond of Italian opera and Handel could find a market for his talent. For nearly a quarter...

"It ain't going to be easy," DeSantis said about taking a stand against the Left at last weekend’s Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference. "You got to be strong. You got to put on the full armor of God. You got to take a stand, take a stand against the Left's schemes. You got to stand your ground. You got to be firm. You will face flaming arrows but take up the shield of faith and fight on." "So, I look forward to joining with you in the battles to come," he said. "I can tell you that...

The largest U.S. Border Patrol union local is praising Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for being the "only candidate" to support their tough mission, an almost endorsement that is the latest boost for the front runner's campaign. "Mr. Trump is the only candidate that has publicly expressed his support of our mission and our agents. He has been an outspoken candidate on the need for a Secure Border and for this we are grateful," said a statement from Art Del Cueto, president of Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council, the representative of 18,000 agents. He said that Trump...

God on His Terms, Not Ours By: Msgr. Charles PopeThere is a brief interaction between Jesus and certain unbelieving Jews on the Temple Mount which illustrates the rather common human tendency to demand that God be God on our terms, not His. Here is that dialogue:And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.The works I do in my Father’s...

Gulf Coast residents are supposedly mad at President Obama for not keeping the oil from threatening their beaches and marshes. We hear this in stereo -- from political opposition on the right and liberal pundits bored by the president's cerebral approach to problem-solving.Stopping the waves is a job for Neptune, not a president. Obama cannot raise his trident and force the oil back into the hole. There are things he can do, but they're a lot less impressive.Granted, Obama's early campaign for president cultivated a myth of his godlike powers. And some still seem to buy into the magic narrative....

Quoth Jim Treacher a few hours ago, “I’ve never cared much about Jim Cramer, but it’s ‘funny’ how he didn’t become a problem for Jon Stewart until he became a problem for Obama.” And lo and behold, just across from Tapper at ABC: He wasn’t sure if the president caught Mr. Stewart’s bloodletting of the host of “Mad Money,” but he himself gave the show a thumbs up. “I enjoyed it thoroughly,” Gibbs said at his daily briefing… Gibbs today said Stewart “asked a lot of tough questions” and that he wasn’t “surprised that CNBC hasn’t put the video on...

Grandpa, what were churches like? “Please Grandpa,” pleaded Max, “tell me some more about the old days.” John peered over his notepad to see the face of his curly-haired Grandson, “Okay little man,” his eyes quickly scanned the room before he continued, “jump on up here and sit next to me.” “Timmy’s dads said you are a sad old relic from the dark ages,” said Max. “Why are you sad Grandpa?” “They said that?” He could feel an angry flush creeping up his neck. “I am sad, Maxy, but that isn’t what they meant.” “What did they mean, Grandpa? Why...

A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court. Conferences are private meetings of the justices at which they review cases and decide which ones to accept for formal review. This case is set for a conference Dec. 5, just 10 days before the Electoral College is scheduled to meet to make formal the election of Obama as the nation's next president. The Supreme Court's website listed the date for the case brought by Leo C. Donofrio against Nina Wells,...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night nearly matched the record-setting numbers of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Palin pulled in 37.2 million viewers across broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen Media Research.

"My German is not real good," he said. "I can speak Bahasi Indonesian but I don't think...there would be a lot of appeal to that."

Did the Republican who would be president really think that by goading Democrat Barack Obama into visiting Afghanistan and Iraq -- countries the senator from Illinois was going to have to visit as part of an image-building international tour -- he would somehow trip-up his November rival? Was McCain under some delusion that international leaders would subtly undermine the Obama tour and thus confirm that the Republican ally of discredited lame-duck President George Bush -snip- If that was the case, then McCain really is too foolish to be president -- not merely of the U.S. but of his stamp club....

Barack Obama's campaign has rejected Republican claims that his five-nation Middle East and Europe tour is a political stunt, as it unveiled a packed agenda of talks with leaders. Campaign spokesman said the Illinois senator would avoid negotiating or trying to make policy during the meetings, in deference to the duties of current President George W Bush. The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain has branded Senator Obama's tour, which is expected to draw massive media coverage, as nothing more than a political stunt, especially as it will include a high-profile speech in Berlin. "That is not what we...

Signaling how they intend to frame their attacks next week against a globe-trotting Barack Obama, John McCain's campaign is suggesting that the Democratic nominee's popularity abroad may not translate well in middle America and that his trip amounts to a foreign photo-opportunity. "I don't know that people in Missouri are going to like seeing tens of thousands of Europeans screaming for The One," quipped a McCain aide, deploying a moniker some in the campaign use to poke fun at Obama's exalted status in certain quarters. McCain is stumping today in Kansas City, Mo. "This isn't about reaching out to allies...

A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed reactions from the Christian community over its claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by Judas Iscariot. “The Messiah” – written, produced and directed by Iranian filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh - was filmed in the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iranian actors to portray how Muslims understand the life of Jesus based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the Christian Bible and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears. The movie features two...

A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed reactions from the Christian community over its claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by Judas Iscariot. “The Messiah” – written, produced and directed by Iranian filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh - was filmed in the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iranian actors to portray how Muslims understand the life of Jesus based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the Christian Bible and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears. The movie features two...

A new movie in Iran depicts the life of Jesus from an Islamic perspective. "The Messiah," which some consider as Iran's answer to Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ," won an award at Rome's Religion Today Film Festival, for generating interfaith dialogue. The movie will be adapted into a television series, shown on Iranian TV later this year. Filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh spoke to ABC's Lara Setrakian in Tehran. LS: Why did you feel a movie showing Islam's take on Jesus needed to be made? NT: I've been witnessing what's been going on in Iran for the past 28 years; I've...