Free Republic

Just-released U.S. Capitol closed-circuit TV video clips from Jan. 6, 2021, show Capitol Police Special Agent David Lazarus gave false testimony in the Oath Keepers trial, Blaze Media investigative journalist Steve Baker reported. What's the background? Baker penned an analysis in October calling into question Lazarus' testimony — which helped convict the Oath Keepers — noting that time-stamped CCTV videos Blaze News observed show Lazarus in other parts of the Capitol complex at the time he said he witnessed now-former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn interacting with Oath Keepers on Jan. 6. Baker and others could view the Jan. 6...

In another interesting twist, a former U.S. Capitol Police officer made an announcement that could even further damage the already-weakened narrative put forth by the left regarding the J6 riot. Since House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) decided to release all of the footage taken on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol building, the riot has become a topic of conversation once again. Former U.S. Capitol Police Lieutenant Tarik Johnson, who was present at the Capitol on that day, has been challenging the government narrative on the incident and has indicated that the authorities on the ground were ill-prepared for what...

The Gospel of Jesus can be summed up in three statements He made during His ministry. One statement was directed toward the Pharisees who questioned why He hung out with sinners and tax collectors. "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."(Mark 2:17) Another statement was directed towards those who complained when He went into the house of Zaccheus, a chief tax collector in Jericho. And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is...

A traditional nativity scene will not be put up in a Belgian town this year, amid claims it was scrapped in order to avoid offending Muslims. A former leader in Holsbeek, about 20 miles outside Brussels - claims there will be no manger to mark the festival because it would be 'too provocative'. . . . The decision not to put a nativity scene up was supported by the ruling coalition of the Christian-Democrats and the Green Party. But the Flemish-nationalist N-VA party called for locals to attend the town’s next assembly meeting - and to each bring a nativity...

Msgr. Charles Pope 12/22/2015 Nativity animals Question: I was told that the animals in the Christmas Nativity scene have a symbolic meaning. Is this so, and if so what?— Jennifer Ladd, Buffalo, New York Answer: Yes, the traditional animals of the Nativity scene are chosen for a reason. The ox and the donkey are a reference to Isaiah 1:3 which says, “An ox knows its owner, and an ass, its master’s manger; But Israel does not know, my people has not understood.”So, it’s actually rather an unflattering self-accusation we make of our own human family that, in effect, declares the...

Away in a Manger January 5th, 2009 by Fr. William Saunders As we learn each week from the saints, one must wonder, “How did the saints celebrate Christmas?” One of the best examples whose celebration lives on in our own is St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). Thomas of Celano, one of the first biographers of St. Francis, wrote, “More than any other feast, he celebrated Christmas with an indescribable joy. He said that this was the feast of feasts, for on this day God became a little child and sucked milk like all human children. Francis embraced with great tenderness...

Most have taken for granted Jesus' nativity story as commonly related - that when Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem there was no room in an inn so Mary ended up giving birth to Jesus in a stable. But is this the true account in Scripture? See for yourself! A typical translation of Luke 2:7 says about Mary giving birth to Jesus, "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (New King James Version). We've grown up hearing the...

Why would Joseph, “of the lineage of David,” in the city of his family’s origin have to seek shelter in an inn and be turned out into a stable? Recently this question was put to me here in Beirut. This paper presents an answer. In this brief study I will attempt to demonstrate that Jesus was born in a private home and that the “inn” of Luke 2:7 is best understood as the guest room of the family in whose house the birth took place. Recent studies have primarily focused on Luke’s theological interests.1 The concern here is the Palestinian...

A conservative group has set up a nativity scene at the Capitol building in Madison, and an atheists' group is seeking its own permit for an opposing display. A WISC-TV report says Wisconsin Family Action has been granted a permit to display its scene until the end of the month. The six statuettes that sit on a table depict the birth of Jesus Christ. Group spokeswoman Julaine Appling says the display is tasteful. She says there's room for a number of different voices. But the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation says a nativity scene isn't appropriate for a state building....

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.(Luke 2:6-7)At the beginning of Luke’s gospel, Joseph and Mary are together in an enclosed place, wrapping Jesus tightly in cloth strips,laying him out on a table/manger. An almost identical scene plays itself almost at the end of Luke’s gospel. True its a different Joseph in the second instance, but the scene repeats, Joseph and...

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.(Luke 2:6-7)At the beginning of Luke’s gospel, Joseph and Mary are together in an enclosed place, wrapping Jesus tightly in cloth strips,laying him out on a table/manger. An almost identical scene plays itself almost at the end of Luke’s gospel. True its a different Joseph in the second instance, but the scene repeats, Joseph and...

The utterances of Christ Jesus at a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, were 7 in number... [Seven. Denotes spiritual perfection. It is the number or hall-mark of the Holy Spirit's work. He is the Author of God's Word, and seven is stamped on it as the water-mark is seen in the manufacture of paper. He is the Author and Giver of life; and seven is the number which regulates every period of Incubation and Gestation, in insects, birds, animals, and man. ] Seven in Scripture suggest the idea of completeness so we...

After all, Christmas offers nothing but small.

  Beside the MangerBased on a Christmas meditation by Plinio Corrêa de OliveiraOnce again, O Lord, the Feast of Thy Holy Nativity approaches. Christendom is present to venerate Thee in the manger, under the twinkling Star of Bethlehem and the refulgent light of Mary’s maternal eyes. Saint Joseph is at Thy side, so absorbed in contemplating Thee, that he does not even notice the animals which surround Thee, or the choirs of angels that part the clouds and sing visibly on high. Soon the approaching footsteps of the Three Wise Men will be heard as they bring gifts of...

I am sure I grew up with many of the same memories as many of you. Christmas was magical. The music and lights of the season made my heart leap with love, excitement, and anticipation. We remember the food, relatives, and traditions. I can still feel the hope I felt as a child. You know, that swell in your soul that made you want to do cartwheels for no reason other than utter joy of the season. I recall those mornings when one of us awoke and ran through the house, “Wake up! Santa came! Santa came!” The whole family...

FReepers of many talents, *Merry Christmas!* That said, I need help in the idea department. I have in my garage, an outdoor Nativity set of 11 pieces. Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, an Angel, 3 Wise Men, a shepherd boy, a donkey, a cow, and a lamb or two. At present I do not have a Manger. Displaying the figures without a Manger seems so incomplete to me. Therefore, I want to build a Manger for my front yard; one that could be broken down or easily stored during the spring, summer and fall. I thought the Internet would have some...

Dec. 5 - Seventy-nine percent of Americans believe that, as the Bible says, Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, without a human father, according to a new NEWSWEEK poll on beliefs about Jesus. Sixty-seven percent say they believe that the entire story of Christmas—the Virgin Birth, the angelic proclamation to the shepherds, the Star of Bethlehem and the Wise Men from the East—is historically accurate. Twenty-four percent of Americans believe the story of Christmas is a theological invention written to affirm faith in Jesus Christ, the poll shows. In general, say 55 percent of those polled, every word...