Free Republic

Bright and shiny new art video. In 1881, Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded in St Petersburg by political nihilists. In 1883, his son, Alexander III, began construction of this privately funded Russian Orthodox church over the place where his father was assassinated. "On Spilled Blood" refers to that murder. The church was completed in 1907, under Tsar Nicholas II. Today it's a museum. The music is parts 6 and 15 from Rachmaninov's Vespers.

Could the Roman Catholic Church's sex abuse crisis be tied to embedded Satanic and occult imagery in its artwork - some of it hundred's of years old? That is the seemingly incredible thesis of a new documentary, "Rape of the Soul," made not by anti-Catholic bigots, but by devout followers of the Church. Rape of the Soul is in theatrical release in major cities, including New York and Los Angeles. The documentary explores the prevalent use of satanic, sexual, and occult and anti-Catholic images in historical and contemporary religious artwork. The film also discusses the acceptance of the artwork at...