Free Republic

It’s high time for Protestant denominations to take a firm and authoritative stance on reproductive technology. Since the birth of “Baby M” by in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, reproductive technologies have outpaced public understanding, policy development, and theological reflection...By 2030, it is likely that they will be well on their way to developing artificial wombs for conception through birth. American Evangelicals haven’t kept up. Indeed, most Protestant denominations in our country still lack a biblically informed stance on childbearing, infertility, and the most basic reproductive technology, such as IVF, surrogacy, and stem cell research. Even fewer have a coherent...

Performers and visitors to the famous gothic cathedral in the midst of the River Seine may find some subtle differences to the way sound bounces around its walls. The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris has borne witness to many turning points in history. The building's striking gothic stonework has stood sentry on an island in the midst of the River Seine since the late 12th Century as coronations, wars and revolutions have unfolded in its shadow. What you might not realise, however, is that the cathedral has played a key part in shaping the music you hear when you turn...

The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, issued a pastoral letter on Wednesday entitled, “The Christian Family, In Vitro Fertilization, and Heroic Witness to True Love.” In the letter, he called on U.S. lawmakers not to “mandate” the practice of in vitro fertilization (IVF). “Saint Thomas Aquinas described love as willing the good of the other,” he wrote, “and it is this sort of love which the Church proclaims as the love necessary for those who wish to be happy now and forever. Authentic love means making a total gift of self, for...

Larry Sanger may be a lifelong skeptic, but the co-founder of the world’s most popular online encyclopedia is certain he’s had a dramatic conversion to the Christian faith. Sanger, 56, who co-founded Wikipedia in 2001 along with Jimmy Wales in pursuit of a “free and open” internet, detailed his roughly 35-year journey from “skeptical philosopher” to Christianity in a new blog on his personal website. Outlining a philosophy he called "methodical skepticism," which rejects any belief that cannot be known "with certainty,” Sanger said after years of questioning and weighing the arguments for and against God's existence, he found himself...

Star Trek, The Next Generation featured a recurring guest character, "Q", an incorporeal, vastly superior, malevolent intellect who harassed and dogged the "Enterprise" crew through various episodes of calculated perversity, limited only by the constraints of other, more emotionally mature members of his species. ("Q" seems to be a character extension of the original Star Trek character of "Trevelyan" in the episode "The Squire of Gothos", who is revealed at the end of his tyranical torments of the Enterprise crew to be a mere infant member of his vastly superior, incorporeal species.) I criticize the idea of the "mischievous sprite",...

Beloved, our dear friends at "Word of Truth Production" have created this amazing video which causes us to use our God-given common sense as we look at man's inventions versus Almighty God's highly complex creation and design (Gen. 1:1-3, Neh. 9:6; Prov. 3:19, Isa. 45:18, John 1:1-3, Rom. 1:18-32, 1 Cor. 8:6, Rev. 4-5)! The question that we need to ask ourselves is this, "Are we a product of time and chance or have we been designed by our ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS Creator with an ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS calling, vocation, and purpose (Matt. 4:19, John 1:12, 2 Cor. 5:17-21)?" As you watch...

[Catholic Caucus] Leading Amazon cardinal decries ‘resistance’ to Synod as ‘rejection of dialogue’Cardinal Ulrich Steiner's words provide yet another example of the fiercely boiling civil war now erupting in the Church, as cardinals publicly debate about the nature of the Church and Her doctrines, following the openness and relativistic terms of the Synod on Synodality.Cardinal Ulrich Steiner from the Amazon region has condemned “resistance” to the Synod on Synodality as being the “rejection of dialogue.”While participating in a conference hosted by the University of San Diego recently, Steiner presented his thoughts on the recently concluded Synod on Synodality via video-link....

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Pius XI refuted Darwinism 100 years ago, but his lessons have not been learnedIn assessing natural selection, spontaneous generation, and the evolutionary mechanisms expounded by Charles Darwin, Pope Pius XI found they fail under scrutiny, highlighting gaps and debunking falsehoods created by its proponents to prop up the evolutionary theory.Editor’s note: This article is Part 2 of a four-part study of Pope Pius XI’s understanding of the Catholic doctrine of creation as opposed to the modern scientific proposition of the evolution of mankind. Part 1 can be found HERE.(Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation) — Having...

President Trump recently attended the traditional church service at the National Cathedral after he was inaugurated. What should've been an inspiring and encouraging message from God's Holy Word was instead a scolding lecture from a woke female bishop with an agenda. Hear what advice Pastor Jack would give to Trump regarding that "church service" and how he should navigate the next four years when it comes to churches and surrounding himself with Christians. Video is 32:24 minutes long

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s (RFK Jr.) appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services has captured national attention, sparking both hope and debate. With the responsibility of guiding the nation’s health policies during a time of division and uncertainty, RFK Jr. faces a monumental task. As the nation watches closely, this is a moment for prayer—a call for divine guidance, wisdom, and unity to lead with compassion and integrity

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sep 28, 2024 / 06:00 am For centuries Christians have attributed a first-century date to the Shroud of Turin. Nuclear engineer Robert Rucker says that his latest research on the shroud verifies that. “The Shroud of Turin is the second-most valuable possession of the human race next to the Bible itself,” Rucker told CNA. The shroud is currently preserved in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud adjacent to St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin (Torino), Italy. For more than 10 years, Rucker has studied the physics of the disappearance of the body of Jesus and its...

Dr. Joel Klenck discusses Armenian Revenge for the Armenian Genocide, during World War I (1914-1918) and during the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923). This revenge included the Caucasus campaigns, with the Russian Empire against Ottoman Turkey, the assassination of all leaders of the Committee for Union and Progress, and the concealment of Noah's Ark for more that a century. The concealment of Noah's Ark caused lower life expectancy, higher death rates, and conflict amongst Turkish and Kurdish populations. Armenian Revenge also facilitated decomposition of the ancient vessel's architecture and organic artifacts and illegal artifact removal from Noah's Ark.

Have a great and peaceful Christmas

I am a follower of Jesus, a father, and also a Scot. I don’t claim to know Northern Ireland like most of the contributors on this blog, but I’ll bring what I can. What does following Jesus bring to the discussion of valuing mothers and their unborn children in Northern Ireland today? Let me tell you a story. One of the New Testament authors was a doctor. His name was Luke. It is no shock to discover then that he showed great interest in finding out many details of the pregnancy of Jesus’ mother Mary to record them in his...

I have used eleven Nuggets to investigate the notion of life on earth and whether there is a possibility of life elsewhere and have come to the conclusion that the Earth is the perfect place for life and the chances of life elsewhere is remote. The Bible makes it clear over both Genesis accounts of creation (Genesis 1 and 2 – read Beginnings) that God made the heavens and the Earth for the habitation of the crowning glory of His creative acts. There are commentators who regard the first two chapters of Genesis as an account of two different and...

Imagine a universe where fundamental mysteries about our existence are so finely tuned that they seem orchestrated by some unseen cosmic necessity. What if this idea, a theory known as the “Anthropic Principle” and one often invoked to explain the seemingly improbable, could be tested and potentially falsifiable? A groundbreaking study on axion dark matter by Dr. Nemanja Kaloper, a physicist from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Alexander Westphal, a professor at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Germany, now proposes a method for testing the Anthropic Principle, potentially shaking the foundations...

[Catholic Caucus] Kentucky prelate calls lack of election response from American Church ‘disappointing’In the month or so since former President Donald Trump was elected to occupy the White House for a second term, the majority of American bishops have either not commented on the election publicly, or issued a generic statement about the importance of civility, unity, and democracy.That extends to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where – outside of responses to Trump’s stated plan for mass deportations – not much has been said. Bishop John Stowe, in a recent conversation with Crux, said that reality isn’t surprising...

The Shroud of TurinPsalm 45 A song of praise for King MessiahTehillim 45:1 For the conductor, on the shoshannim, by the sons of Korah, a Maskil, a song of endearment.2 My heart is astir with a good theme, I say, “My works are for a king, my tongue is like the pen of a skillful scribe.” 3 You are beautiful beyond other men, charm is poured upon your lips, therefor ELoHIM has blessed you for eternity. 4 Gird your sword upon thigh, O mighty one, your majesty and splendor. 5 And with your splendor, overcome and ride for the sake...

Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein, a prominent Orthodox rabbi in Israel, recently gave a lesson to his students in Ramat Elchanan, Bnei Brak, in which he said that the War of Gog and Magog would take place in its entirety in the three hours before dawn on Wednesday, the Jewish holiday of Hoshanna Rabba. Rabbi Zilberstein discussed the miracles happening to Israel throughout the year-long war in his lecture. He noted that Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran have fired over 2,000 rockets into Israel with relatively few casualties. The rabbi referred to a teaching by Rabbi Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro,...

Beloved; America, which was founded during the Philadelphia Church Age (from about 1700 to about 1900 – the church of the “open door” – Rev 3:7-13), was established on the bedrock of natural and moral laws and foremost acknowledged the RIGHTEOUS Person of Almighty God at its founding. Beloved, just read the Declaration of Independence, our nation's precious birth certificate, and see for yourself how Almighty God was included! Oh, how the haters love to slander our founding and twist the truth of its inception! In the fullness of time, at the end of world history, some 4000 years after...