Free Republic

As Mormonism enters its third century, it faces a Goldilocks dilemma: Too much tension with the surrounding culture invites scorn; too little threatens its uniqueness. But finding just the right balance to ensure a thriving — and distinctive — faith won't be easy. {SNIP} So, what are the Baby Bear options in Mormonism's future? Too much conflict with the wider society, say on gay rights or women's roles, premier Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss argues, would bring "not only popular disdain but even repression and persecution." {SNIP} Female elders? • Third, the LDS Church runs into much debate and even clashes...

An American and an Italian held hostage by al-Qaida, as well as two Americans working with the terror group, were inadvertently killed by U.S. drone strikes earlier this year, the government revealed Thursday. President Barack Obama said he took "full responsibility" for the counterterror missions and offered his "grief and condolences" to the families of the hostages.

For Democratic politicians, same-sex marriage has become an easy issue: They’re for it. Many Republican VIPs—notably the presidential hopefuls—face a far more complicated landscape. Looming ahead for these contenders are early contests in states such as Iowa and South Carolina, where a major role will be played by conservative Christian voters firmly opposed to same-sex marriage. Further down the road is the 2016 general election, where the nominee will likely need backing from independents and moderate Republicans who support gay unions. “Republicans are trying to thread the needle on this, with varying degrees of skill. It doesn’t take a genius...

2016 presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R) spoke to a sold-out Newberry Hall during an Aiken Republican Club luncheon April 4. After the luncheon, The Bell Ringer interviewed Cruz about his views on education, including his wish to shut down the Department of Education. “It is because education is so important that it shouldn’t be governed by unelected bureaucrats in Washington, that it should be instead at the state or local level,” Cruz said. “And what we’ve seen right now is the Department of Education has grown into a bloated bureaucracy where what’s happening is they’re putting red tape, they’re...

On the Senate floor a few moments ago, Ted Cruz SLAMMED the new Senate Republican majority for refusing to block Loretta Lynch’s nomination to Attorney General. He said that the Republican majority could continue to block the nomination if they wanted to and it’s something he’s urged them to do do because of her admissions to run the DOJ in a lawless fashion just like Eric Holder. He pointed out that more than a few voters are asking what is the difference between a Republican and Democratic Senate majority when someone promising the exact same lawlessness as Holder will be...

BOSTON (CBS) — The Patriots will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, but the MVP won’t be in attendance. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss and the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe, Tom Brady will not be present at the White House due to a family obligation. Brady has attended three previous trips to the White House, in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The quarterback earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the third time in his career when he threw four touchdowns in a 28-24 win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. There’s no reason to...

The Agriculture Department has determined that 36 pounds of food per person is wasted every month, about 21 percent of the available food in the United States. And one big reason: those expiration dates are wrong or overly cautious. The solution: Hold your nose and just eat it. Even if it is 18 months past the expiration date. It sounds yucky, but officials think they’ve got the trick to get moms to feed expired but safe food to kids and adults alike—they’ve even got an app. It’s called FoodKeeper and it is supposed to have a more accurate calculation of...

According to Jay Feely, Tim Tebow is a great man and a great competitor, but Feely still believes Tebow is the “worst quarterback” ever. But do Tebow’s stats agree with that assessment? In a related report by the Inquisitr, in the past some have claimed that Tebow was “blackballed” from the NFL due to Christian beliefs, not NFL stats. At the same time, Joe Theismann insists Tim “can’t throw the football” and referee Jim Daopoulus once used Tebow as an example of the uncatchable rule. Rush Limbaugh might agree that more men like Tebow are needed in the NFL, but...

BEIRUT: Turkey must apologize for the Armenian genocide, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai told reporters Tuesday from the Beirut airport before traveling to Yervan for a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings. "The ceremony which will be held [on April 24] in Armenia serves to sanctify the martyrs [of the genocide],” Rai said. “We pray for all the martyrs who were killed, whether they were Armenians, Assyrians or Syriac who were present in this large disaster.” When asked whether those responsible for the massacre should apologize to the Armenian people, the patriarch replied by saying that an...

In January 2013, a 32-second radio advertisement was broadcast in Milwaukee, and — quite by accident — a political star was born. Hoping to encourage local residents to play a part in their own protection, the commercial’s progenitor went firmly on the record in favor of the private ownership of firearms: “With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option.” Rather, listeners were invited to “consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm.” “You have a duty to protect yourself and your family,” the commercial intoned. “Can I count on...

...Here’s the high-level summary. There are more details below. • Canadian company Uranium One owned uranium mines in the US and Kazakhstan. • Uranium One's mines account for 20% of the uranium mined in the US. Uranium is used for nuclear weapons, and it's considered a strategic asset to the US. • Russia’s state-owned atomic agency, Rosatom, bought a 17% stake in Uranium One in June 2009. • The Russian atomic agency decided it wanted to own 51% of Uranium One in June 2010. To take a majority stake in Uranium One, it needed approval from a special committee that...

CAIRO (AP) — Libya's chaos has turned it into a lucrative magnet attracting migrants desperate to make the dangerous sea voyage to Europe. With no central authority to stop it, business is booming, with smugglers charging ever more as demand goes up, then using the profits to buy larger boats and heavier weapons to ensure no one dare touch them. It's a vicious cycle that only translates into more tragedies at sea. With each rickety boat that sets off from Libya's coast, traffickers rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars. So assured are they of their impunity that they operate...

Report says during ‘discreet’ 15-minute meeting with Laurent Stéfanini, pontiff told him Vatican could not accept his appointmentPope Francis met France’s nominated ambassador to the Holy See, who is gay, and told him that the Vatican would not accept his appointment, a French newspaper has claimed. In a meeting over the weekend, the pontiff allegedly cited his displeasure with a controversial 2013 gay marriage law in France as part of his reason for the decision, according to the report in satirical title Le Canard Enchâiné. Pope Francis also allegedly said he did not appreciate the manner in which France had...

Looking for ways to save money, SEPTA has paid about $2.8 million to a Boston-based consulting firm, including payments of more than $500 an hour to some specialists. In the process, FTI Consulting Inc. has used 24 of its staffers, some of whom have collected more from SEPTA than the transit agency’s highest-paid official, general manager Joseph Casey, who makes $273,000 a year. The meter is still running, with additional payments expected to continue through the end of the year. SEPTA hired FTI in February 2013 through a no-bid contract to help the transit agency reduce legal costs arising from...

“RUNNING for office is real simple,” Ted Cruz told supporters in New Hampshire recently, within earshot of a Politico reporter. “You just surgically disconnect your shame sensor. Because you spend every day asking people for money. You walk up and say, ‘How are you doing, sir? Can I have money? Great to see you, lovely shirt, please give me money’.” This year should be a good one for shame surgeons: the Republican field for 2016 so far consists of 20 men and one woman who have either declared their candidacy for president, set up the machinery for a run or...

Happy Israel Independence Day Sixty-seven years ago, upon Israel’s declaration of independence, Life Magazine noted (May 31, 1948, pp. 21-28) the odds facing the 600,000 Jews of the newly-born economy-starved and militarily-embargoed Jewish State: “King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan sent his Arab Legion against Jerusalem…. Egypt’s planes repeatedly bombed Tel Aviv. Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia pitched in…. The Arabs cut off Jerusalem from the coast by blocking the road to Tel Aviv…. The old walled city came under artillery fire…. A three-pronged attack was compressing the [Jewish] defenders into the Jewish Quarter of the Old City…. While King Abdullah’s...

On the Senate floor a few moments ago, Ted Cruz SLAMMED the new Senate Republican majority for refusing to block Loretta Lynch’s nomination to Attorney General. He said that the Republican majority could continue to block the nomination if they wanted to and it’s something he’s urged them to do do because of her admissions to run the DOJ in a lawless fashion just like Eric Holder. He pointed out that more than a few voters are asking what is the difference between a Republican and Democratic Senate majority when someone promising the exact same lawlessness as Holder will be...

CARDIFF, Wales, April 23 (UPI) -- Researchers in Wales and England have developed a highly effective asthma drug, and in the process may have uncovered the disorder's root cause. In a recent study, scientists explored the breathing disorder via both mouse and human airway models, using tissue from asthmatic and non-asthmatic people. Their work highlighted the body's calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) as the main culprit in triggering asthma symptoms -- airway narrowing, airway twitchiness and inflammation. Much as the immune system of allergy patients overreacts to pollen or other particulates, the research models showed CaSR went into overdrive when asthmatic...

After a planned terrorist attack on two French churches was averted, Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced that “specific protection” is being provided to 178 Catholic places of worship. CNN reported that the attack was foiled when a 24-year-old Algerian computer science student allegedly murdered a woman and called for an ambulance, attempting to portray himself as a crime victim. A police investigation then uncovered the planned attack, which was linked to persons in Syria.

Adnan Abdihamid Farah's parents took his passport away last year when it came in the mail, and his mother would later tell authorities she feared her son would "disappear." She also stopped the 19-year-old from traveling with his brother, Mohamed Abdihamid Farah, when the siblings told her they were going to Chicago. Mohamed - who was older and given more freedom - made the trip and instead ended up in San Diego, where authorities say he was bound for Mexico and ultimately the Islamic State group in Syria. "I cry all day," their mother, Ayan Farah, said Wednesday. "I don't...