Free Republic

Never has a film aroused such hostile passion so long prior to its release as has Mel Gibson's The Passion. Many American Jews are alarmed by reports of what they view as potentially anti-Semitic content in this movie about the death of Jesus, which is due to be released during 2004. Clearly the crucifixion of Jesus is a sensitive topic, but prominent Christians who previewed it, including good friends like James Dobson and Michael Novak who have always demonstrated acute sensitivity to Jewish concerns, see it as a religiously inspiring movie, and refute charges that it is anti-Semitic. While most...

Depriving Children of Belief May Be a Form of Child Abuse By Rabbi Daniel LapinToward Tradition. Would anyone doubt that deliberately depriving children of education and condemning them to ignorance and poverty is a form of child abuse? Yet that is exactly the fate of many children attending our nation's public schools. It is the fate of many, but not of all. The glare from the international news through the summer obscured a good story of how the Good Book is enhancing the lives of children with otherwise gloomy prospects. It turns out that one hour a week of...

While religions like Judaism and Christianity may differ as to how strongly they condemn radical Islamism, one thing is clear - unlike radical Islam, most religions do not advocate violence. Just recently one of my favorite correspondents happened to send me a copy of a column by Rabbi Daniel Lapin in which he addressed Old Testament passage Deut. 27:26 and the duties of leaders to uphold the Truth. He then applied this duty to Evangelical Christian Pastor Franklin Graham. Reverend Graham, it seems, has a problem because he refuses to keep quiet about the prevalence of Islamic violence. Islam, he...

FIRST-PERSON:: Who's responsible? Friday, Aug 15, 2003 By Kelly Boggs McMINNVILLE, Ore. (BP)--"It is true that during certain historical periods, some factions of the Christian church hurt and killed Jews, but it is also true that in America, Christianity has not been a threat to Jews," observes Rabbi Daniel Lapin in his book "America's Real War." He goes on to write, "While acknowledging the past, let us concede that obsession with a problem can indeed lead to paranoia." The problem to which Rabbi Lapin refers is anti-Semitism, a reality the Jewish people have endured for countless generations. Any rational person...

The 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision arrives later this month and it represents a good time to take stock of where the pro-life movement and, by extension, social conservatism, now stand. We have a President whose commitment to the pro-life issue surpasses that of Richard Nixon; certainly that of Gerald Ford and George Herbert Walker Bush; and most likely even that of Ronald Reagan. Certainly, in their first two years in office, President Bush and his administration have taken strong stands on behalf of pro-life legislation and the Justice Department has challenged Oregon's euthanasia law. The GOP's...