Free Republic

The claim that Marian devotion in Catholicism is derived from pagan goddess worship—specifically Ishtar, Diana, or Astarte—is a persistent but thoroughly discredited myth rooted in 19th-century anti-Catholic propaganda, most notably Alexander Hislop’s *The Two Babylons* (1853). This narrative, often recycled in modern social media and evangelical circles, alleges that Mary’s veneration as the Mother of God (Theotokos) or Queen of Heaven is a Christianized version of ancient pagan goddess cults. However, linguistic, historical, biblical, and cultural evidence reveals no connection. This compiled text is inspired by discussions with our fellow freepers and I hope offers a detailed, accessible refutation of...

A Christian baker believes she should not have to design a cake that celebrates an ideology that goes against her faith. In 2017, Cathy Miller was reportedly approached by a lesbian couple, Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio, at her business, the Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, California. Miller explained that same-sex couples were not part of her belief system and that she did not wish to design their cake. Miller did, however, recommend another cake decorator in town. Later that year, California's Civil Rights Department sued Miller and said she violated the state's anti-discrimination laws. In 2023, a five-day trial ended...

The Trump administration has frozen about $18 billion for infrastructure projects in New York City to ensure that funding is not “flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,” a top official said Wednesday. The funding is earmarked for the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Avenue Subway project, said Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. Vought announced the freeze in posts on the social media site X. * * *

Tuesday on CNN’s “NewsCentral,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) claimed President Donald Trump was an “idiot” who “doesn’t actually understand how the military works.” Co-host Boris Sanchez said, “Senator, is there anything in place that would prevent the president from going about using certain cities in the United States as a training ground for the military, as he described it earlier today?” Gallego said, “Look, the president is an idiot. He doesn’t actually understand how the military works. The first thing it’s going to be is that most U.S. citizens will stand against that in civil protests, and you’ll have many...

President Trump revealed Tuesday night in photos posted on Truth Social that he trolled Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) during Monday’s budget showdown in the Oval Office by setting a pair of red Trump 2028 hats facing them on the Resolute Desk.

Move over FBI and IRS, a new federal agency is garnering attention for alleged weaponization against Americans. The Homeland Security Department announced Tuesday that an internal investigation uncovered “widespread abuses” carried out by the Biden administration's Transportation Security Administration to make air travel “weaponized” against certain Americans. The revelation that U.S. citizens were kept from flying over their political views drew immediate condemnation from Congress. "It’s not American …. It’s another example of weaponization of our government that took place under the Biden administration," Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., said. "It’s absolutely unacceptable." In a joint announcement with the TSA, Homeland...

The European Union is poised to fully implement the world's first carbon border tax from Jan 1st...The EU is poised to implement the climate policy as part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner production processes outside the bloc.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier lambasted WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league office on Tuesday, saying that the WNBA has the “worst leadership in the world.” Less than 48 hours after Minnesota’s season-ending Game 4 semifinals loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Collier read a two-page prepared statement at a news conference in Minneapolis that criticized the league’s officiating, Engelbert and the WNBA’s approach to the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations... Englebert released a statement through a WNBA spokesperson on Tuesday afternoon. “I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA,” she said...

I am sorry to inform you that this is a real thing. Help us keep fascism OUT of California. #VoteYesOnMaebe #MaebeForStateSenate pic.twitter.com/rXj8jEjlI5— Maebe A. Girl (@Maebe_A_Girl) September 23, 2025This guy's name is "Maebe A. Girl." "Maebe," whose real name is George Pudlo (I will refer to him by his Christian name from now on 😉) attempted to unseat pencilneck Adam Schiff in 2020 for California's 28th congressional district. George attempted two more bids for U.S. Congress in 2022 and 2024. Having been unsuccessful in his political career outside of being elected to the "Silver Lake Neighborhood Council" in Los Angeles...

If violence can be cloaked in the language of ‘justice,’ then terrorism is transformed into activism. Assata Shakur died Thursday. If you read The New York Times’ headline, you’d think Shakur was convicted for being a “revolutionary” and had to flee to Cuba. USA Today headlined their piece, “Assata Shakur, Tupac’s godmother who sought political asylum in Cuba, dead at 78.” Rolling Stone wrote she was a “Convicted Black Liberationist and Tupac’s Godmother.” Harper’s Bazaar wrote: “Assata Shakur, Legendary Revolutionary and Black Liberation Army Member, Has Died.” But you wouldn’t necessarily glean from any of those headlines the actual truth...

Another auto company bankruptcy has set alarm bells ringing that the US economy could be heading toward a repeat of the 2008 financial meltdown.This time, the trouble isn't mortgages — it's car loans, which have never been bigger at $1.7 trillion. That's not as high as home loans were in 2008, but experts warn it could be enough to trigger a domino effect reaching mortgages. More Americans are stretched thin, earning less in real terms and struggling to make ends meet, forcing lenders to hand out riskier loans just to keep car sales alive. Millions are already behind on subprime...

On Tuesday, President Trump doubled down on his trolling of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries after Jeffries’ epic meltdown over a meme video. After meeting with Democrat leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries at the White House, footage of their press gaggle was quickly remixed into a devastating meme. Instead of backing off, Trump doubled down. On Tuesday night, he reposted the MSNBC interview, this time with Jeffries again decked out in a sombrero and mustache, only now surrounded by four Trumps playing instruments in the background.

Immigration anxieties and a challenging job market have sparked an online backlash over China’s latest attempt at attracting global talent — a new visa program announced in August.The program, which was rolled out on Wednesday with the aim of attracting foreign professionals, will also test how China balances its immigration policy with its pursuit of technological ambitions.Under the new rules, young graduates — in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM — no longer need backing from a local employer and can enjoy more flexibility in terms for entry frequency and duration of stay.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer deliberately plunged the country into a government shutdown in an effort to improve his standing with his party’s far-left flank and score political points against Republicans amid Democrats’ faltering poll numbers, analysts and GOP lawmakers told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Schumer led Democrats in blocking a GOP spending bill to fund the government on Tuesday, triggering a funding lapse Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. The lead Democrats’ decision to embrace a politically risky shutdown comes as his favorability rating is underwater with Democratic voters and there is mounting speculation whether he will face primary or...

The Alabama Policy Institute (API) is dedicated to improving the lives of Alabamians by promoting public policy that honors the principles of free markets, limited government, and strong families. From this foundational perspective, we see Alabama’s Senate Bill 129, which restricts mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and offices in public entities, as a vital piece of legislation that deserves to stand up to judicial scrutiny. SB 129 was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey (R) in March of last year. The core of the law is not to censor, discriminate, or whitewash but to restore balance between...

The concerned and worried American called me from Washington about those riots in Broadview just outside Chicago. What he’s worried about is a type of weed that strangles Chicago, but spreads to other towns as well. From Portland, Ore. all the way to New York. It kills everything. But this strangling weed has its roots in Chicago, carried and replanted by generations of Democrat activists including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The man on the phone had seen Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson raving that “jails and incarceration and law enforcement is a sickness.” And he’d seen Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker...

Politics is a dirty business. It always has been. But today, politics is sometimes too often synonymous with violence. While there were many catalysts that resulted in violence being seen as a “legitimate” form of political discourse, one stands out: Columbia University, 1968. That year, a combination of black and anti-war activists took over a building on the campus of New York’s premier university. They demanded that Columbia cancel a proposed nearby gymnasium that was claimed to be racist and end its relationship with a Department of Defense-affiliated think tank. The NYPD eventually ejected the activists after a series of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Facing an alarming health crisis across the U.S. military leadership, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that he had hired legendary fitness trainers Hans and Franz to get all the top generals into shape. After growing concerned about the condition of the military's top brass, Hegseth reportedly placed an urgent call to Hans and Franz and offered them whatever it would take to bring them to the nation's capital to serve as the Trump administration's hand-picked experts to help the commanders of the armed forces become lean and fit. "These guys are the best at...

For a decade, conservative voices were erased by tech giants—yet the media now pretends censorship began only when comedians faced suspension. For every conservative in America who is delighted that at least some of the purveyors of hate speech and misinformation on the woke left are at last being held accountable, there is another who still adheres to the ideals of free speech. As UFC CEO Dana White recently said on 60 Minutes, “Probably the most important speech to protect is hate speech.” That diversity of opinion never surfaced among the left, however, over the nearly ten years during which...

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has banned the importation of raw milk cheeses from France, Italy and Switzerland in an effort to prevent an outbreak of lumpy skin disease in cattle. VIDEO AT LINK................... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumpy_skin_disease