Free Republic

HOLLAND, Mich. (ABP)—Looking for a way to help members of her youth group use moral discernment when making life choices, a Lutheran youth minister in Holland, Mich., re-read a copy of Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps, a classic story from the 1890s in which the central character frames right and wrong with the question, “What would Jesus do?” The What Would Jesus Do? bracelet. Friendship bracelets were becoming popular in 1989. So, Janie Tinklenberg asked a friend who worked for a local company about producing some woven wristbands with the acronym WWJD—because there wasn’t enough room to spell it out—both...

At long last, a prominent Christian conservative has called waterboarding what it is: torture. Last week, Richard Land, an official with the Southern Baptist Convention, said the practice is unethical and "violates everything we stand for." "There are some things you should never do to another human being, no matter how horrific the things they have done. If you do so, you demean yourself to their level," said Land, president of the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He added, "I don't agree with the belief that we should use any means necessary to extract information." The religious right certainly...

A few years ago, my mom was called to be the Relief Society president in our tri-lingual ward. I remember watching as she painstakingly translated every e-mail, note and newsletter into Spanish and Portuguese. She became friends with women who didn't speak her language. She made sure every lesson was translated. One time, a cranky, English-speaking sister complained about the volunteer interpreters who sat in the back of the Relief Society room and offered hushed translations of the lessons. The sister said they made it hard to concentrate. Without flinching, my mom defended the interpreters and kindly explained that it...

When I began my academic career, I was fortunate to work in a department of economics in which several of my colleagues, including Yoram Barzel, Steven N. S. Cheung, and Douglass C. North, had a keen interest in property rights and their implications for economic action. I soon began to work in several related research areas, including contractual choice in agriculture, and over the years a number of my articles and important parts of my books have pertained to property rights in some fashion. Perhaps the most important proposition in the economics of property rights is that people will not...

It has been the aim of the Democrat party since they lost the Presidential election in 2004 to subvert the Christian doctrine with the claim that Jesus was a socialist. Their goal is to convince Christians that their Social agenda is morally equivalent with the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. Considering the lack of historical and Biblical knowledge most Americans have, it is not surprising that many have fallen for the misinformation on what Jesus taught (and for whom the teachings were given). These Biblical revisionists have become especially adept at cherry picking Scripture to suit their agenda. Hence,...

We hear a lot about the poor and those going through hard times. I remember it wasn’t long ago some politicians were attempting to use the name of Jesus to sell their government programs. Implying or outright saying Jesus would support government programs for the poor,, Jesus would tax the rich,, I even heard some were saying Jesus would drive a Hybrid. The question is,, is it morally right to accept government programs when you know the money that is paying for those programs has been forcibly taken from another? A practical example would be,, to accept a stimulus check,,,...

I’m tired and it’s been a long day. But,, I wanted to throw this out in all seriousness. Just something that is rolling around in my mind. How do you think Jesus really views government programs?? The ones specifically design to help the poor.I will use stimulus checks as an example. If you receive a stimulus check or a welfare check and you know you did not pay taxes,, are you accepting stolen money??? Are you accepting a bribe?? Do you really think God looks at these programs as legalized theft?? Do Christians have a real moral responsibility, even at...

Ordered to go for defying orthodoxy, Father Peter Kennedy must decide his next move in the stand-off over St Mary's in South Brisbane. What happens next in the church may influence the direction of Catholicism in Australia, writes Andrew Fraser.As mass begins at St Mary’s Catholic Church in South Brisbane, there is no sign of a priest. Peter Kennedy, who the Catholic Church calls the parish priest but who is called the “Mass presider” in the St Mary’s newsletter, is walking around, but there’s no dog collar, vestments, or any of the other orthodox trappings of a Catholic priest. On...

Mark Driscoll’s sermons are mostly too racy to post on GodTube, the evangelical Christian “family friendly” video-posting Web site. With titles like “Biblical Oral Sex” and “Pleasuring Your Spouse,” his clips do not stand a chance against the site’s content filters. No matter: YouTube is where Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, would rather be. Unsuspecting sinners who type in popular keywords may suddenly find themselves face to face with a husky-voiced preacher in a black skateboarder’s jacket and skull T-shirt. An “Under 17 Requires Adult Permission” warning flashes before the video cuts to evening services at...

Obama. Much easier to pronounce and certainly more ear friendly than the name, Nebuchadnezzar. Beyond that difference, though, the similarities of both men are quite striking. Both, enemies of God's people, raised up by God to punish His people's increasingly sinful ways. Nebuchadnezzar, a world leader and ruler of the ancient Babylonian empire, believed that he could get more cooperation from the people who opposed him ( e.g. those that he conquered) by allowing them to keep their gods (things that they worshipped). He confiscated their land and any riches they possessed. In return, he allowed them to live a...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Why Jesus would not vote for Barack Obama Posted: July 19, 2006 1:00 am Eastern By Jill Stanek WorldNetDaily.com In February 2004, U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, sent a fund-raising letter with the "alarming news" that "right-wing politicians" had passed a law stopping doctors from stabbing half-born babies in the neck with scissors, suctioning out their brains and crushing their skulls...

Barack Obama likes to refer to himself as a Christian. He is fond of quoting scripture when it suits his political needs. And he refers to anyone that questions his professed Christian faith as racists that are trying to distract the American people from the issues. But Senator Obama is the one trying to deflect our attention from probably the most important issue in this election. His character. What follows is an examination of Senator Obama's character based upon his record as a public servant. It is not a smear job. I am merely stating facts from open records available...

With this race being played out along racial lines, gender lines, and party lines, perhaps we as voters should examine it along the lines that should be our most important motivator – faith lines. You see faith is the overarching thing that is bigger than color, gender, or political party affiliation. So how many people are voting their Christian faith? Unfortunately, I fear not enough. Huntley Brown, the famous black concert pianist wrote this about why he will not be voting for Barack Obama: “Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ....

Jesus would be O.K. with abortion. Not only that, Jesus's position on abortion would be even "more radical" than Barack Obama's! That was the wild, and patently false, assertion from Barack Obama supporter Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, a guest on Wednesday's The O'Reilly Factor on FNC (8/13/08). [snip] The earliest Christian writings reveal that the earliest followers of Jesus were universally against abortion: -- The Didache ("The Teaching of the Twelve") may be the earliest Christian document not found in the Bible. It has been dated at 50 A.D. It says: "You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery....

A Chicago-area Roman Catholic priest was charged Friday with stealing from his former North Side parish. Rev. Steven Patte, 64, pleaded not guilty in Cook County Circuit Judge William Lacy's courtroom.... The eight-count indictment charged Patte stole a little more than $12,000 from St. Ita's Parish.... A Chicago police detective who belonged to the parish's finance committee grew suspicious about accounting discrepancies and placed a marked $100 bill in the collection plate, sources familiar with the case said. Later, when the bill disappeared, Patte was confronted and allegedly admitted that he took the money for his personal use, the sources...

Sorry folks, the Germans basically called BS on BHO wanting NATO support so that he could pass the tax break on to the American People. I got mad at the media (for burying the story) the Great Confluence of Cultures (BHO - neither white,black,Christian,Muslim) and the Germans. The WSJ to be fair, brought this up in their Op/Ed page last night. I'm of the mind to send those plastic/rubber bracelets with: What Would Jesus Do If He Were Barack Obama?

"You will always have the poor among you..." In those words Jesus stated a simple fact that has held true through the centuries. In every society, no matter how rich and bountiful, there have always been impoverished people. These people evoke our concern and sympathy. We want to help them, but how? No society has ever overcome poverty. In the US today, the question of how to help the poor is particularly controversial, with two partisan sides struggling vigorously to promote their own answers. The liberal camp argues that government is the best entity to help the poor at home...

In February 2004, U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, sent a fund-raising letter with the "alarming news" that "right-wing politicians" had passed a law stopping doctors from stabbing half-born babies in the neck with scissors, suctioning out their brains and crushing their skulls. Michelle called partial-birth abortion "a legitimate medical procedure," and wouldn't supporters please pay $150 to attend a luncheon for her husband, who would fight against "cynical ploy[s]" to stop it? But that's not why Obama's opponent Alan Keyes said Jesus Christ wouldn't vote for him. Obama recalled Keyes' statement in a recent USA Today opinion piece...

Beijing - The son of American evangelist Billy Graham said Friday he is opposed to missionary work at this summer's Beijing Olympic Games. Franklin Graham, also an evangelist, was speaking to reporters Friday during a visit to Beijing for meetings with the Communist Party-controlled Protestant church movement. He said he wanted to encourage authorities to resolve conflicts with the church, but would not criticize policies that critics say limit the church's independence and religious rights. While some Christian groups have said they plan to proselytize during the August games, Graham said he was against that because Chinese law does not...

Would Jesus Christ Celebrate Easter?For millions of people Easter Sunday is the most important religious holiday of the year. But if Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee today, would He observe Easter? by Jerold Aust Each spring the excitement of Easter fills the air. Many churches prepare special Easter programs about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At home mothers color eggs, and parents hide the brightly colored symbols of Easter around the house and lawn so that, come Easter morning, their children can excitedly hunt for them. Stuffed Easter bunnies and chocolate rabbits are seen everywhere in...