Free Republic

Chinese Bishop Han says following the state rules is important for the Church's mission and growth A Chinese bishop, recognized by both state and the Vatican, says all Catholic clergy in China should register with the government to end the division among them as state-sanctioned and underground churches. “What hurts and torments us the most are the situations of disunity and heartbreak between brothers,” said Bishop Joseph Han Zhi-hai of Lanzhou in the province of Gansu in north-central China. Han made the remarks in a letter he sent to the Vatican Fides agency, on the 20th anniversary of his ordination...

Could two highly intelligent men with two entirely different perspectives possibly help you come to your own personal conclusion concerning the central figure of history? Perhaps. Let’s find out. History’s central figure, of course, is Jesus Christ. And the two men I have in mind are American New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman and Canadian astrophysicist Hugh Ross. Ehrman professed faith in Christ as a teenager but is now an atheist; whereas Ross grew up in a non-religious home but is now a Christian. One man abandoned Christianity, while the other embraced it. Ross said, “I didn’t know any Christians or...

James Croft has become the first humanist to be appointed to lead a chaplaincy, pastoral, and spiritual care team at a UK university. He has been appointed to the role of ‘University Chaplain and Lead Faith Advisor’ at the University of Sussex. Humanists UK has hailed his appointment as a landmark moment, and hopes that it will encourage other universities and institutions to embrace a more inclusive approach when it comes to providing person-centred care for students. James officially started his new role on 6 February. Non-religious pastoral care is like-minded support that encompasses the emotional, moral, ethical, and existential...

How do you feel about religion?As Statista's Katharina Buchholz details below, depending on which country you are in, this question is more or less likely to be met with a shrug or even an objection to religious belief.In China, the highest percentage of people among the 56 countries and territories included in the Statista Global Consumer Survey is non-religious or atheist, the latter describing people rejecting the idea that there is a God.You will find more infographics at StatistaAmong European countries, Germany ranks high for the share of its non-religious and atheist population, which stands at around a third of...

Indiana’s abortion ban currently faces an injunction as a result of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and abortion providers.INDIANAPOLIS (LifeSiteNews) – The Satanic Temple filed a lawsuit last week arguing that Indiana’s near total abortion ban violates a constitutional right to the free practice of religion. The Satanic Temple claims that it filed the suit on behalf of a female member who got pregnant without her consent. While the provisions of Indiana’s abortion ban allow for exceptions for rape or incest, the woman in question holds that the reason for her involuntary pregnancy is the legal inability for a...

Rise of the Godless chaplains: Nearly a third of prisoners have no religious faith. Now a non-believer has been appointed as a head chaplain for the first time – and the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network hopes more prisons will add the faithless to chaplaincy teams. Ben Leapman investigatesFor the first time a person with no religious faith has been appointed as the head chaplain of an English prison. The woman, 50, who describes herself as a Humanist, leads a team of 20 chaplains including Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu faith leaders. In her first interview, she told Inside Time: “I...

Australia's 2021 Census reveals that the percentage of people identifying as Christian has dipped below 50% for the first time, a drop of 17 percentage points over the last 10 years. At the same time, the number of people who describe themselves as "non-religious" has risen.The diversity in the religions Australians identified is increasing, "reflecting continuing changes in our social attitudes and belief systems," the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.While Christianity remains the most common religion in the Oceania country, with 43.9% identifying as Christian, it's down from 52.1% in 2016 and 61.1% in 2011.The Sydney Morning...

[Catholic Caucus] Keeping the Faith at the Intersection of Indefectibility and Grim RealityAnd I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)Going, therefore, teach ye all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. (Matthew 28:20)These words from Our Lord should give us...

The Satanic Temple plans to challenge pro-life laws on religious freedom grounds if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade based on the claim that killing an unborn baby in an abortion is a “religious ritual” in its members’ views. The pro-abortion group announced its plans last week in reaction to a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade. Without Roe, states would be allowed to protect unborn babies from abortion again, and predictions estimate anywhere from a dozen to 26 states would do so. In a statement May 5, the Satanic...

‘The only way we can have streets that are welcoming to all is if all religions can equally go through them and be on them without feeling like they are less than.’LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Standing atop an approximately 8-foot-high ladder, Evan Clark tugged at a sign tightly nailed to a utility pole on the intersection of Echo Park and Bellevue avenues, just beyond the 101 freeway ramps. The sign quoted John 14:6, and as Clark spun and pulled it to loosen it from the pole, a man in a car shouted, “The way. The truth. The life!,” quoting the...

Unbelief, the Opiate of the MassesReligion is the opiate of the masses.” In a single, swift turn of phrase, Marx had created a credo for the secular left. Opium, of course, is the drug of addicts; addicts cannot see beyond their chemical dependency. But if they were to lock themselves in a room and face the cold sweat withdrawals of truth, the addicts could be freed from their affliction. The veil of ignorance blinding their judgment would be torn away. Rationalist sobriety saves.But what if irreligion is the true opiate of the masses—what if unbelief is the valium of the...

More of a question than a post: It appears to me that 2022 (2 years after the great Public School “PLANDEMIC” shut down) is going to be the years parent regain control of our public school system! I am very interested in the politics of religious based after school programs such as “Good News Club”. The link I posted is intentionally ANTI “Good News Club” however I am personally very PRO Good News Club. As well as PRO any religious program being offered —- key words offered to students requiring parental consent of course. The main point is that parents...

COVID has exposed the reality of our society, in the way that carpenter ants expose the structure of a house. St. Mother Teresa, pray for us.What now seems a long time ago (it was when I was deciding to become a Catholic), there was a controversy over Mother (now Saint) Teresa. It was caused by Christopher Hitchens, who seemed rather more controversial to me, and downright trying to be irritating. I had, at that point, never been irritated by a living Catholic saint. (Even though I was still an Anglican.) I refer, of course, to Hitchens’s book, The Missionary Position,...

The Greatest Story Ever ToldThe Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast, it is Claude Rains' final film role.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Story_Ever_Told(Claude Rains as Herod the Great)Matthew 218 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a...

"An angry mob of believers outside the church pulled down a police commander from his horse along with another soldier who had lied to the crowd...."

If you wondered what was really going on with the fake #covid19 #pandemic, it's your worst fears as we were warned about. Revelations 13 16 And he made all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads. 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath wit, count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a...

The “Administrative Measures for Off-campus Training Materials” confirm that the crackdown on private tutoring is about ideology, not money only.On September 1, the Chinese Ministry of Education published its “Administrative Measures for Off-campus Training Materials for Primary and Secondary School Students.” By “off-campus training,” the CCP means the private tutoring services that help students preparing for the difficult Chinese exams. The crackdown on this multi-million-dollar market has been presented as a way to save money tutors milk out of struggling families, while realizing Xi Jinping’s goal of “common prosperity” by preventing the children of the rich from gaining advantages in...

We are all Israelis Now by Robert W Tracinski | Sep 19, 2001 | Middle East & Israel, POLITICS2021:At twenty for pursuit [of livelihood]This mishnah gives ages that are appropriate for the different stages in life.Pirkei Avot 5Pirkei Avot20MANHOODMAKINGS OF A MAN_______________________________________________THE NUMBER 20 MARKS THE ATTAINMENT, IN YEARS, OF FULL MANHOOD.The transition from child to adult occurs at the age of bar mitzvah (13 years old for a boy) or bas mitzvah (12 years old for a girl). It is at this age that they enter a life of mitzvah observance. Nevertheless, the jump to becoming a full member...

The Reverend John Harvard must be rolling over in his grave. America’s oldest and most prestigious university, named in the Congregational minister’s honor, just promoted a “devout atheist” to be their head chaplain. This is not surprising since Harvard jettisoned its Christian roots long ago. But it’s shocking nonetheless. What’s the point of a chaplain if he doesn’t even believe in God? The Dailymail writes: “Greg Epstein, 44, who was raised in a reformed Jewish household in Queens, New York, was named president of the chaplains for the religious community at the school after serving as Harvard's 'humanist chaplain' since...

A devout atheist and 'humanist chaplain' at Harvard University is set to lead the progressive university's collection of religious leaders. Greg Epstein, 44, has been named president of the chaplains for the religious community at the Ivy League School. Epstein, who has served as Harvard's 'humanist chaplain' since 2005 is a devout atheist and caters to fellow nonreligious believers as well as agnostics and humanists at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school. Epstein, who was raised in a reformed Jewish household in Queens, New York, said his elevation to the position is meant to be inclusive of larger and larger numbers of...