Free Republic

Denver, Colo., Dec 7, 2009 / 03:11 am (CNA).- In an exclusive interview with Catholic News Agency, Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput has explained his reasons for signing the Manhattan Declaration. He said the Declaration should “galvanize” Christians and others in defense of pro-life issues, the nature of marriage and religious freedom. “I was glad to be invited to sign the declaration, and glad to sign because I believe in its content,” Archbishop Chaput told CNA.  He described it as a “straightforward” statement defending the sanctity of life, religious liberty and the definition of marriage as a union of husband...

Bartholomew I / Pope Benedict Vatican City, Nov 30, 2009 / 09:55 pm (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI reached out to Bartholomew I and the Eastern Church Monday in his annual letter to the Patriarch celebrating the Feast of St. Andrew. The message encouraged continued ecumenical talks towards unification of the churches of the East and West and "openness to the Holy Spirit" to guide them in the process.   The letter was delivered to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Istanbul, Bartholomew I, by way of a Papal delegation led by the President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity Cardinal Walter...

www.catholicnewsagency.com Unprecedented coalition of religious leaders call Americans to stand for sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom Washington D.C., Nov 20, 2009 / 06:21 am (CNA).- An unprecedented coalition of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars has crafted a 4,700-word declaration addressing the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. The declaration issues “a clarion call” to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not “under any circumstance” abandon their Christian consciences. The statement,  called “the Manhattan Declaration,” has been signed by more than 125 Catholic, Evangelical Christian, and Orthodox...

More than 150 leaders across a spectrum of conservative Christianity on Friday released a 4,700-word document vowing civil disobedience if they are forced to take part in "anti-life acts" or bless gay marriages. Called the "Manhattan Declaration," the six-page, single-spaced document was drafted by Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson, an evangelical, and Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic, and included a bevy of Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox bishops, archbishops and cardinals as signatories along with dozens of clergy and laity.

More than 150 leaders across a spectrum of conservative Christianity on Friday released a 4,700-word document vowing civil disobedience if they are forced to take part in "anti-life acts" or bless gay marriages. Called the "Manhattan Declaration," the six-page, single-spaced document was drafted by Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson, an evangelical, and Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic, and included a bevy of Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox bishops, archbishops and cardinals as signatories along with dozens of clergy and laity. Archbishop of Washington Donald W. Wuerl is one of the signatories. "Throughout the centuries, Christianity has taught...

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples. “We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence,” it says. The manifesto, to be released on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, is an...

“Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, on November 4, 2009, the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo.” These words appear just before the signature of Pope Benedict XVI on the historic Apostolic Constitution entitled Anglicanorum Coetibus. The name of the Apostolic Constitution, as with many magisterial documents, is taken from the first words of the Latin text. It means "Groups of Anglicans". The dates when magisterial documents of this kind of significance are dated - and then released - are significant. Nothing of this magnitude is ever done haphazardly by the Holy See. The dates of promulgation and release underscore the...

BERLIN (AFP) – World leaders joined more than 100,000 revellers Monday for emotional celebrations 20 years after the Berlin Wall's fall and called for a new transatlantic push against threats to global peace. Chancellor Angela Merkel joined luminaries past and present to mark the defining moment in the end of communist rule in Europe, when the crumbling East German state finally opened the despised concrete border on November 9, 1989. Merkel, who grew up in the Stalinist state, marched through the historic Brandenburg Gate with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, presidents Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia,...

1John 3:12 12not as (A)Cain, who was of (B)the evil one and slew his brother And for what reason did he slay him? Because (C)his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. Numbers 16 Korah's Rebellion 1Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, 2and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. 3They...

Unlike her media critics, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fully grasps the significance of the outcome of those elections next year. Should the GOP capture control of the House in the 2010 elections, the threat to our nation's future posed by Barack Obama will be eliminated. He’ll be a lame duck for two long years.

I wish he was wrong. As personalities, the syntax-mangling Ike and the self-consciously intellectual David Petraeus don’t have much in common. But politically, they’re in a parallel position. Today’s GOP has a right-wing base that can damage Obama, but none of its favorites have a prayer of winning the White House. The reason is that just like the Republican right of the early 1950s, which kept insisting that the New Deal constituted socialism (or fascism), today’s conservative activists have not accommodated themselves to some basic shifts in public mood. Over the past couple of decades, the American people have grown...

Iraqi soccer teams participate in a match at the Sports Complex in the eastern-Baghdad town of Jasr Diyala, Oct. 9. Eight Iraqi community's teams participated in the day-long tournament held across the vast Ma'dain region. Photo by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann, 82nd Airborne Division. BAGHDAD — It wasn't the World Cup, but for eight Iraqi soccer teams pride was at stake during a day-long tournament held throughout the Ma'dain region here, Oct. 9. The small remote towns of Jasr Diyala, Narwan, and Village 10, located on the outskirts of eastern Baghdad, hosted the tournament matches.As normalcy returns to the country,...

The commonly referenced "God gap" between Republicans and Democrats is disappearing. Polls released before the 2008 election demonstrated America's Christian voters are no longer synonymous with the political right: a George Barna survey showed born-again Christians evenly split between John McCain and Barack Obama, and a Public Religion Research study found that even among white Evangelicals, touchstone issues like abortion and same-sex marriage weren't in their top five voting considerations. If Christian voters share common morals and values, how is it that their voting patterns and priorities aren't more unified? According to a new study, the answer is that Christians...

Circulation ( Ecclesia )among my children is a listening adventure for as you put your "self"(flesh) last you begin to realize what I am all about in and through others In true humbleness not just false gestures,so posture your "self"( flesh) and sit at my feet as a child for truly it is only here you will discover , experience and understand the vision I have for you through others I call my humble servants and in this event all blessings shall shower and bear fruit . So become the last that "I" may make you first "IN ME" !...

Dear colleagues in ministry, As we approach the churchwide assembly, I am thankful for the thoughtful and respectful discussion at synod assemblies of the proposed social statement on human sexuality and the ministry policy recommendations. I am mindful, however, that we remain a church body that is not of one mind about these decisions, and that these continuing differences have raised concerns among some about whether we are headed toward a church-dividing decision. I am writing to express my shared, heartfelt commitment to the church’s unity, and, even more, my deep confidence that this unity will not be lost. For...

Hi Folks, Just want to give a shout out, great big, THANK YOU to ALL who helped to make the debut of my new Tea Party Unity song, WE THE PEOPLE a huge hit yesterday! No man is an island and the release could not have been successful without you. You guys ROCK! To all the bloggers, Man, you guys are powerful! You embraced my first song, “American Tea Party Anthem” and made it a hit. Thanks for taking “WE THE PEOPLE” under your wings. I also wish to thank the geniuses at Our Country Deserves Better PAC. Last year,...

Evangelical megachurches across San Diego, Calif., are joining Catholics on Sunday to make a public outcry against abortion in their first ever joint pro-life rally. The demonstration, which will take place after the multiple worship services that typically take place at megachurches, is being held on the same day President Barack Obama will take the stage at the University of Notre Dame to deliver the commencement speech. While the San Diego rally is fundamentally a pro-life rally, the undertone of the event is "a statement to the president that the killing of babies must come to an end," Pastor Jim...

US President Barack Obama has said after meeting his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts that they are united in the goal of defeating al-Qaeda. Speaking in Washington, Mr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda" and its allies. He also pledged greater resources to help civilians in both countries and try to avoid civilian casualties. Dozens of civilians are thought to have died in US air strikes on Taleban targets in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she "deeply, deeply" regretted the deaths, adding that the US would work hard to avoid...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) – Former South African president Nelson Mandela Sunday reminded the ANC of its duty to eradicate poverty and urged unity in a surprise appearance at its final election rally. He set the tone for the theme of racial accord at the African National Congress gathering where chants of "Mandela! Mandela!" rang out from the crowd of more than 100,000 supporters at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg. "As we strive to secure a decisive victory for our organisation in the upcoming elections, we must remember our primary task. It is to eradicate poverty and ensure a better...

I have been a financial adviser for more than 25 years. I didn't vote for President-elect Barack Obama, but I wish to go on record as saying that this man will be our greatest president. He will accomplish the improbable. Mr. Obama will unite the disenchanted with the optimists. He will be a servant to all the people and teach us the basic reasons why this is the greatest country in the world. Mr. Obama won't be described as left, right or center. He will be a president who holds his morals in honor of his love of family to...

Barack Obama ran for office as a unifier, but it was all a hustle. His brand of politics needs enemies. Like southern slave owners of old, today's conservative Republicans represent the enemy to be vanquished by enlightened progressives from the north.  This is an old storyline that provides unlimited nourishment to America's liberal elites.  Many of us, especially those of us who work in education, have long seen this coming.  In the early stages of the diversity movement for example it didn't take long to realize who was and was not included on the ubiquitous rainbow flag.  "Diversity" was simply...

I suppose this is what some call vanity? I'll come to my point first. Do you think it would do any good to be able to see and know that there are others like you with the same concerns? Real people that are more real than a keyboard and a computer screen? Do you think there are people who would become active if they had a little push? People who aren't like Freepers that dwell on this site and ones like it? What if someone, anyone and anyplace said, "I'll be at the Walmart, Lowes, HomeDepot parking lot in the...

(IsraelNN.com) US President Barack Obama may pressure Kadima prime ministerial candidate Tzipi Livni to enter into a coalition with Likud's Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu if Netanyahu is asked to head the government. Obama's only hope of forcing Israel back to the negotiating table with the Palestinian Authority is through a 'national unity government' comprising Likud and Kadima, according to a report in Britain's The Daily Telegraph. According to sources in Washington, Obama is ready to manipulate Israeli politics behind the scenes in order to make that happen, as Israeli president Shimon Peres determines who he will ask to head up Israel's...

Goose-stepping in unison may have been used by the Nazis to help brainwash people into following their cause, a new study suggests. Researchers have found that if groups perform tasks in unison, such as marching, dancing and chanting, they show more loyalty towards each other and are less likely to go against the norm. The findings, published in New Scientist, could explain why the likes of Hitler and Mussolini both seemingly had the ability to bend millions of people to their will. Dr Scott Wiltermuth, of Stanford University in California and colleagues, have found that activities performed in unison, such...

On Seeking Christian Unity "We Should Respond With Generosity" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began last Sunday and will conclude this Sunday, feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle. This is a beautiful spiritual initiative, which is spreading more and more among Christians, in harmony, and we could say, in response to the pressing invocation that Jesus directed to the Father from the Upper Room:...

On January 22, 2009 thousands will gather in Washington, D.C. to give their voice to our neighbors in the first home of the whole human race. These are the children who await their welcome among us upon birth. These littlest neighbors need our voice because theirs is being muffled behind the wall of their mother’s womb, once considered the first refuge of safety. There in their first experience of the interdependency which reveals the truth about our humanity, where they are supposed to be embraced by the warmth of love, they are vulnerable to the worst kind of domestic violence....

WASHINGTON – Barack Hussein Obama claimed his place in history as America's first black president Tuesday, summoning a dispirited and divided nation to unite in hope against the "gathering clouds and raging storms" of unfinished war and grave economic woe. A jubilant crowd of more than a million waited for hours in frigid temperatures to witness the moment as a young black man with a foreign-sounding name took command of a nation founded by slaveholders.

A coalition of prominent evangelical leaders who've partnered with Third Way, a Washington think tank influential in shaping Democratic Party policy and messaging, is presenting policy recommendations to Barack Obama's transition team today that purport to offer a consensus approach to hot-button issues that have long divided evangelicals and liberals. More News * Hot Docs: Obama and Human Rights, Skewed Nuclear Spending * Is Mike Huckabee Right About Sarah Palin and the Media? * Democrats Push for Stimulus Package to Include Education Spending The recommendations include a framework for reducing demand for abortion without further restricting abortion rights, through initiatives...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be on different networks Sunday, but both will offer the same basic message — they need to work together for the good of the country and the success of President-elect Barack Obama.

Will America Unite in One Obama? by Edward Hudgins December 29, 2008 - George W. Bush ran for president as “a uniter, not a divider.” He only managed to unite Republicans and Democrats in disappointment—though for different reasons—with his administration. Barack Obama sounded the same theme: “We’re all in this together!” Will he succeed where Dubya failed? Divided States of Americans Many Americans have seen in recent years the culture and politics growing more mean and coarse, contentious and uncivil, malicious and malevolent. We’re bombarded by coast-to-coast belly-aching on 24-hour cable news channels where we’re likely to encounter shout-fests. Talk...

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) thinks that President-elect Obama picked same-sex marriage opponent Rick Warren to give the inauguration invocation because Obama "overestimates" his ability to unify people. "Oh, I believe that he overestimates his ability to get people to put aside fundamental differences," said Frank, the first House member to come out of the closet voluntarily. Frank, on MSNBC on Monday, said that he's delighted Obama was elected and that the country is headed into the "best time" for public policy since the New Deal. "But my one question is, I think he overestimates his ability to take people, particularly...

Shockwaves expose the fragility of finance in Europe Noriko Hama (Maincihi) How has an integrated Europe responded to the current financial upheaval? Has it displayed its unity as a community? While various perspectives on these questions have livened up the pages of Europe's financial newspapers and publications, what is the real story? It is my belief that Europe, to put it bluntly, has hardly demonstrated unity and instead has put its lack of teamwork and institutional flaws on display. The financial turmoil spread in full force from the U.S. to Europe at the end of September. The bankruptcy of Lehman...

"I am shocked. It is hard to find words. I had immense respect for him". These are the grieving words attributed to Mikhail Gorbachev in a multitude of news reports now streaming out of Russia concerning the death of Patriarch Alexy II, the beloved head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Reportedly interested in the claims of the Christian faith in the last few years, the last President of the Soviet Union and champion of the “Glasnost” strategy which helped consign that former world power to the history books expressed the sentiments of the entire Russian people. Under the leadership of...

Vermont is at it again. This time, residents of the Town of Woodbury - approximately 700 adults - are quarreling over 'how and where' students at the local Elementary School should recite the Pledge of Allegiance. First some background, followed by some legal history, en-route to what may be the underlying story. It seems that "No one's sure when daily recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance fell by the wayside" at Woodbury's 19th-century schoolhouse, which has 55 students in four classrooms covering grades K-6. In September, parent Ted Tedesco, took the initiative and "... began circulating petitions calling for its...

The toughest job faced by every president-elect is making a smooth transition from partisan candidate to national leader. Political campaigns are corrosively partisan by their very nature, but sustaining popular support for long amid Washington's charged partisan environment requires a consensus-seeking approach, coupled with the kind of astute political judgment that has long been lacking from one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other. President Bush failed to live up to his promise to be a uniter, not a divider, which in no small measure is responsible for his diminished standing as reflected in national polls. That should be Lesson...

By Rene Guerra The Democrat nomenklatura ---particularly through its loudmouth, the “mainstream� media, plus one or two idiotic “conservative� pundits--- are blanketing us now with the mantras that we all should show “unity around ‘our’ new president,� that we express “graciousness toward [Barack Hussein] Obama,� and other blather. Of course, RINOs and “moderate� Republicans will heed and march in lockstep, but conscious conservatives and true Republicans, for sure, consider those duplicitous calls as German Jews must have considered similar calls after Hitler grabbed the Chancellery. The German Jews had by then browsed through “Mein Kempf�; we, conservatives, have browsed...

'Gay' threats target Christians over same-sex 'marriage' ban 'Burn their f---ing churches, then tax charred timbers' Posted: November 05, 2008 11:00 pm Eastern © 2008 WorldNetDaily Decisions by voters in Florida, Arizona and California to join residents of 27 other states with constitutional protections for traditional marriage have prompted threats of violence against Christians and their churches. "Burn their f---ing churches to the ground, and then tax the charred timbers," wrote "World O Jeff" on the JoeMyGod blogspot today within hours of California officials declaring Proposition 8 had been approved by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent. Confirmation...

RUSH: Want some exit poll data to buttress what I was discussing in the first hour? Senator McCain, the theme, the purpose of his campaign was to go after moderates, to go after these rock-ribbed independents and so forth. McCain lost independents and moderates 60 to 39%. Did you hear that? Do you people hear that? And the wizards of smart on our side advocated this very strategery! Just walk across the aisle. You walk across the aisle, they break your leg. You reach across the aisle, they break your arm. If you walk and reach across the aisle, they...

Senator Hillary Clinton announced today a new grassroots effort to get her supporters to fall in behind one-time rival Barack Obama. "As we continue to read the headlines about our troubled economy, the stakes of this election only get higher. Today I am asking all of you to hit the phones, hit the road, and spread the word that we must elect Barack Obama President and we must send a filibuster-proof majority to Congress," Clinton said in a statement.

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois today exhorted his supporters to get extremely aggressive in their communities to persuade their neighbors to vote for Obama in November.Speaking to a crowd in Elko, Nevada, Obama was quoted by the AP as urging the people to be his 'ambassadors':"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face. "And if they tell you that, 'Well, we're...

Oh, now this could be fun. Not for the shoes stuff, but rather to see the body language between Sen. Hillary Clinton, who some Democrats think should have been the party's vice presidential nomineeNew York Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate but not vice presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who many Republicans think should be the country's first female vice president. A coalition of Jewish groups announced Tuesday that the two most prominent women in American politics at the moment would be among those attending a Monday morning rally at the United Nations in New York...

Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton are furiously circulating petitions on the floor of the Democratic National Convention tonight, hoping to stave off a plan to hold the convention's roll call at breakfast Wednesday — out of the public eye — sources inside the delegations say. The move being worked out between the Obama campaign and officials behind Clinton's suspended bid, would work in two parts: Delegates would cast votes at their hotels Wednesday morning; that night, at the Pepsi Center convention site, the roll-call process would rely on the votes cast that morning, the delegates said.

Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton are furiously circulating petitions on the floor of the Democratic National Convention tonight, hoping to stave off a plan to hold the convention's roll call at breakfast Wednesday — out of the public eye — sources inside the delegations say. The move being worked out between the Obama campaign and officials behind Clinton's suspended bid, would work in two parts: Delegates would cast votes at their hotels Wednesday morning; that night, at the Pepsi Center convention site, the roll-call process would rely on the votes cast that morning, the delegates said. Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette,...

Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton are furiously circulating petitions on the floor of the Democratic National Convention tonight, hoping to stave off a plan to hold the convention's roll call at breakfast Wednesday — out of the public eye — sources inside the delegations say. The move being worked out between the Obama campaign and officials behind Clinton's suspended bid, would work in two parts: Delegates would cast votes at their hotels Wednesday morning; that night, at the Pepsi Center convention site, the roll-call process would rely on the votes cast that morning, the delegates said. Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette,...

Tonight on stage in Denver Hillary Clinton, one of the most accomplished practitioners of the fine art of political deception, will pull off the biggest stunt of her career so far. In her speech to the Democratic convention Mrs Clinton will have warm words for Barack Obama. She will pledge herself to work for his election in November. She will urge her campaign supporters and the millions who voted for her in the primary to bury their differences and throw their support behind the nominee. She will, no doubt, describe herself as humbled. Don’t believe a word of it. There...

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama agreed Monday to limit a divisive roll call for president, giving delegates a brief but historic choice between a black man and white woman. The deal would allow some states to cast votes for both Obama and Clinton... ...both senators have an incentive to help make peace between their opposing sides — Obama so he'll have their backing in November and Clinton so she'll be well positioned for a future run. ..."There's a moment that you want to enjoy your bitterness," [Townsend] said. ...they were still struggling to solve the mechanics of honoring Clinton...

Tonight on stage in Denver Hillary Clinton, one of the most accomplished practitioners of the fine art of political deception, will pull off the biggest stunt of her career so far. In her speech to the Democratic convention Mrs Clinton will have warm words for Barack Obama. She will pledge herself to work for his election in November. She will urge her campaign supporters and the millions who voted for her in the primary to bury their differences and throw their support behind the nominee. She will, no doubt, describe herself as humbled. Don’t believe a word of it. There...

US Democrats will seek to unite the party for its convention to nominate presidential candidate Barack Obama as Republicans stirred up a rift with disaffected supporters of his former rival Hillary Clinton. Mr Obama faces a challenge this week to try to heal the party rift, draw a sharp contrast between himself and Republican rival John McCain and back up his soaring oratory with specifics of what he would do if he wins the White House. As they prepared Thursday's acceptance speech, Democrats gathering for the convention in Denver have seen polls showing backing from Ms Clinton supporters, who lost...

ust tell me, my friend Kath wants to know, what would have happened if their roles were reversed. If Hillary had won the nomination and Obama had come in a close second, would he have gotten a prime-time speech one night, and Michelle another? Would his name have been placed in nomination right after Michelle’s speech, followed by a roll call vote that will be on Wisconsin before the inevitable winner goes over the top? Would Oprah’s production company be doing his video introduction, without any input from the Clinton crowd that would be controlling every second of the convention?...