Free Republic

Two men are facing felony charges for their involvement in a church burning. On the morning of Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 10:26 A.M., Trooper D.L. Daniels was called to a reported structure fire at 2136 Irish Mountain Road, in Shady Spring, West Virginia.Once on scene, he was advised by the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department that the structure that was burned down was the Saint Colman Catholic Church. The church had been completely burned to the ground. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the church was burned the night before, but no one reported it to emergency services.

You might not think of MIT as a place for Bible school, but the college is hosting a deep dive into the scriptures.The Massachusetts Institute of Technology houses a Rainbow Lounge, run by the school’s LGBTQ+ Services. The department describes itself as “an intercultural campus resource for diverse gender, romantic, and sexual identities.”Every Thursday, LBGTQ+ Services teams with Harvard University for a Christian devotion.The MIT/Harvard Queer Bible Study sign-up page welcomes participants thusly:Hi there! We’re so excited that you’re interested in joining us for Bible study this spring. Through a careful and generous engagement with the Gospel of Mark, we...

Teachers at a Catholic school have gone on strike over the cancellation of a talk by a children's author whose books feature gay characters. Governors of the John Fisher School in Purley, Croydon, in south London, voted not to cancel Simon James Green's visit, contrary to the Archdiocese of Southwark's recommendation. Two governors subsequently resigned and the archdiocese sacked the rest, according to an Ofsted report. Staff shortages have closed the school. Southwark archdiocese revealed on Thursday it had written to Ofsted asking it to review the report which it says had "inaccuracies" and contained "evidence appearing to be drawn...

A comedian collapsed on stage, hitting her head on the floor during a routine in Tempe, Arizona.Heather McDonald, 51, was into her second joke before a sold-out crowd when she collapsed. She had just delivered a joke about being vaccinated when she fell. According to TMZ:Eyewitnesses tell TMZ … the former “Chelsea Lately” star was headlining the sold-out show, when she delivered her second joke … “I’m vaxxed, double vaxxed, boosted … and flu shot and shingle shot and haven’t gotten COVID and Jesus loves me most.”As soon as she delivered the joke, she just collapsed and hit her head...

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle Mark 16:15-18 Friends, today we reflect on the significance of the conversion of St. Paul. Paul’s encounter on the road to Damascus was an answer to this question: when would God gather the nations and through Israel bring his rule to the whole world? When Paul met Jesus he realized that the promises of God had been fulfilled, that the expectations of the prophets had been met—but in a most unexpected and extraordinary way. He knew from his tradition that God, through Israel, would deliver the world from sin, gather the...

John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America, has apologized for the school's display of an icon some say depicts George Floyd as Jesus, saying the twice-stolen image has created “needless controversy and confusion.” “Some critics thought that the identity of the male figure was at best ambiguous. Many saw the figure in the arms of Our Lady as a divinized George Floyd. This interpretation led to accusations that the work was blasphemous, something that is contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. Defenders of the work said it was meant to provoke thought about seeing...

A spokesperson confirmed the painting, which uses an artistic style known as a Pietà to depict a Black Virgin Mary cradling Jesus’ body after his Crucifixion, was stolen on Sunday.WASHINGTON (RNS) — A second painting of Jesus and his mother, Mary, in which Jesus is widely thought to be depicted as George Floyd, has been stolen from the walls of the Catholic University of America’s law school. The painting, which sits outside the chapel at CUA’s Columbus Law School, replaced an identical, larger version of the same painting that was also stolen last month after it was highlighted in conservative...

An image portraying the Virgin Mary and Jesus as Black in a way that some critics said politicized religion to comment on the murder of George Floyd was defended and replaced by Catholic University of America officials after it was stolen in late November. The university’s student government, however, has now passed a resolution calling for the image to be replaced with other art that better fulfills the needs for theological art and representation of the Black community. “There are other paintings and icons that do a much better job at making a genuine, good faith effort to reflect the...

A brutal mob killing of a Sri Lankan man accused of blasphemy in Pakistan has sparked protests in both countries, with Pakistan's leader condemning the vigilante violence. Priyantha Diyawadanage, 48, a factory manager in the city of Sialkot, was beaten to death on Friday and his body set alight. More than 100 people have been arrested so far, said Pakistan PM Imran Khan. He has described the incident as a "day of shame" for his country. The victim's family in Sri Lanka have told the BBC they are in despair. His wife, Nilushi Dissanayaka, called on both Pakistan and Sri...

German Priest Performs Gay Pseudo-Blessing In Gay SaunaFather Wolfgang Rothe performed a November 4 homosex blessing in Munich's gay sauna Deutsche Eiche, he wrote on Facebook.com.Rothe who has a dazzling biography was accompanied by a BBC "journalist." Ordained by conservative St Pölten Bishop Kurt Krenn, Austria, he became the vice-rector of now defunct St Pölten seminary. In 2004 pictures showing him while seemingly kissing seminarians on their lips producing a scandal that made worldwide headlines. After that, Rothe returned to Germany working in Munich Archdiocese.In recent years, he has again been active on the homosex front. In May, photos showing...

* The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America installed the Rev. Megan Rohrer to lead one of the church's 65 synods Saturday* Rohrer will oversee nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and southern Nevada * Evangelical Lutherans are one of the largest Christian denominations in the US, with 3.3million members* Rohrer was one of seven LGBTQ pastors accepted by the church in 2010 when it allowed ordination of pastors in same-sex relationships * Rohrer was elected to serve a six-year term in the role of bishop The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America installed its first openly transgender bishop in a service...

Pope Francis says he has never denied Communion, warns against politicizing EucharistABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM BRATISLAVA — Pope Francis on Sept. 15 said the question of whether pro-choice Catholic politicians should receive Communion is "pastoral" and warned against bishops and priests who wade into politics. "What should a shepherd do? Be a shepherd and not going around condemning or not condemning," the pope said. "They must be a shepherd with God's style. And God's style is closeness, compassion and tenderness."Francis said he did not want to specifically address the particular situation in the United States, but added that "if...

An eight-year-old Hindu boy is being held in protective police custody in east Pakistan after becoming the youngest person ever to be charged with blasphemy in the country. The boy’s family is in hiding and many of the Hindu community in the conservative district of Rahim Yar Khan, in Punjab, have fled their homes after a Muslim crowd attacked a Hindu temple after the boy’s release on bail last week. Troops were deployed to the area to quell any further unrest. On Saturday, 20 people were arrested in connection with the temple attack. The boy is accused of intentionally urinating...

After all, Satan's bait was that Adam and Eve would become as gods. And together with Satan, that would seem to them to be at least two or possibly three gods (if Satan was believed to be a god as well) against one.

In addition to a standard Easter celebration, San Franciscans invented their unusual Easter entertainment. When the world solemnizes the greatest Christian feast of the Resurrection, some local men take part in the Hunky Jesus contest and local women—in the Foxy Mary contest correspondingly.

<p>ISLAMABAD: A mob attacked a police station in the capital on Monday night in an attempt to lynch a man detained on a charge of blasphemy.</p><p>Senior police officers told Dawn that dozens of villagers wielding batons and iron rods attacked the Golra police station, asking the police for the custody of the suspect held for investigation into a complaint lodged against him on a blasphemy charge.</p>

I just started a job working as a medical scribe and am shocked at the language that is tolerated in the workplace. I assumed that working with doctors, PAs, and RNs that there would be a higher level of professionalism than compared to when I worked at Wal-Mart or KFC. It seems though that it is the exact opposite and that no one can express their frustration without dropping an F-bomb or taking Christ's name in vain. As I am currently an at will employee and on the very bottom the totem pole I feel like I just have to...

Left-wing actress Rosanna Arquette imagined what it would be like if Jesus were walking around in modern-day America and concluded he would be “murdered by police officers because of the color of his skin.” “If Jesus were alive today he’d be murdered by police officers because of the color of his skin,” the Pulp Fiction star said in a tweet to her 188k Twitter followers on Wednesday.

Pakistan PM calls for West to criminalise blasphemy against Islam PM Imran Khan calls on Western governments to treat insult against Islam’s prophet as it does the Holocaust.

Past studies have shown participating in religious services and in the life of a religious community can be good for your health. (RNS) — Going to church is generally touted as good for the soul. But there is also evidence church attendance can be good for your health — unless, that is, you are a woman at a church that bars women from preaching or other leadership roles. A new study published in the American Sociological Review has found that women who attend churches with such restrictions report worse health than those who attend churches with women in leadership roles....