Evan is 13 and has completed all of his high school level studies in his homeschool. He is now working on college level courses.
May 31, 2007
Homeschooler Evan O'Dorney wins 2007 Spelling Bee
Evan is 13 and has completed all of his high school level studies in his homeschool. He is now working on college level courses.
May 30, 2007
May 29, 2007
Valedictorian's Speech About Jesus Christ Prompts 'Controversy' (Shannon Spaulding)
Valedictorian's Speech About Christ Prompts Controversy
A high school class's top student took the show at her graduation with a nearly 20-minute speech urging her fellow students to find God -- a topic that prompted a commencement controversy, according to WJXT-TV.
Wolfson High School valedictorian Shannon Spaulding made the comments in front of a large crowd of proud parents, friends and classmates.
Some members of the audience said Spaulding picked the wrong forum to share her beliefs, while others applauded her courageous message.
The valedictorian's speech was about Jesus Christ and suggested those who don't believe would go to hell.
"I want to tell you that Jesus Christ can give you eternal life in heaven," Spaulding said before the crowd. "If we die with that sin on our souls, we will immediately be pulled down to hell to pay the eternal price for our sins ourselves."
For 17 minutes, Spaulding's speech went on, making religious references to Bible scriptures that were often followed with applause.
"Like the Geico Insurance slogan -- so easy a caveman can do it. Letting Jesus take care of our sin problem is so easy a child can do it," said Spaulding.
However, there were some in the audience who said they were uncomfortable during the speech and felt the comments were inappropriate.
"It was not the right forum. We were all sent there to have a joyous occasion and not a religious revival," said Samantha, who was at the event to see her sister graduate.
School superintendent Joseph Wise issued a statement after the graduation ceremony, stating he deeply regretted that "the student exercised her time in her valedictorian speech in a manner that was offensive and insensitive to some."
Spaulding told WJXT-TV she was not aware of the controversy and stands behind everything she said.
"I was not trying to force anything on anybody. I just wanted to tell them something I knew was important to me and wanted to have them a chance to hear," Spaulding said.
While some were uncomfortable about her message, there were others who felt it was very appropriate speech.
"I think that was the most important thing to her, and I think she had the right to say it. She succeeded in becoming valedictorian, and that was her right," said attendee Carileen Bollinger.
A high school class's top student took the show at her graduation with a nearly 20-minute speech urging her fellow students to find God -- a topic that prompted a commencement controversy, according to WJXT-TV.
Wolfson High School valedictorian Shannon Spaulding made the comments in front of a large crowd of proud parents, friends and classmates.
Some members of the audience said Spaulding picked the wrong forum to share her beliefs, while others applauded her courageous message.
The valedictorian's speech was about Jesus Christ and suggested those who don't believe would go to hell.
"I want to tell you that Jesus Christ can give you eternal life in heaven," Spaulding said before the crowd. "If we die with that sin on our souls, we will immediately be pulled down to hell to pay the eternal price for our sins ourselves."
For 17 minutes, Spaulding's speech went on, making religious references to Bible scriptures that were often followed with applause.
"Like the Geico Insurance slogan -- so easy a caveman can do it. Letting Jesus take care of our sin problem is so easy a child can do it," said Spaulding.
However, there were some in the audience who said they were uncomfortable during the speech and felt the comments were inappropriate.
"It was not the right forum. We were all sent there to have a joyous occasion and not a religious revival," said Samantha, who was at the event to see her sister graduate.
School superintendent Joseph Wise issued a statement after the graduation ceremony, stating he deeply regretted that "the student exercised her time in her valedictorian speech in a manner that was offensive and insensitive to some."
Spaulding told WJXT-TV she was not aware of the controversy and stands behind everything she said.
"I was not trying to force anything on anybody. I just wanted to tell them something I knew was important to me and wanted to have them a chance to hear," Spaulding said.
While some were uncomfortable about her message, there were others who felt it was very appropriate speech.
"I think that was the most important thing to her, and I think she had the right to say it. She succeeded in becoming valedictorian, and that was her right," said attendee Carileen Bollinger.
May 28, 2007
Muslim Cleric Leads Prayer in Alabama House
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A Muslim cleric has delivered the opening prayer in the Alabama House. Kareem Abdullah, imam of the Birmingham Islamic Center, prayed for Alabama to prosper as the House began its session Thursday.
Ministers from across the state, mostly from Christian churches, pray at the start of each day's session, just before House members say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Abdullah was invited by state Representative Yusuf Salaam of Selma, the only Muslim in the Alabama Legislature. Salaam says he invited Abdullah because he feels it's important to show the lawmakers and people of Alabama that "most Muslims are God-fearing people," not anti-American terrorists.
Ministers from across the state, mostly from Christian churches, pray at the start of each day's session, just before House members say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Abdullah was invited by state Representative Yusuf Salaam of Selma, the only Muslim in the Alabama Legislature. Salaam says he invited Abdullah because he feels it's important to show the lawmakers and people of Alabama that "most Muslims are God-fearing people," not anti-American terrorists.
May 27, 2007
Priest admits to having homosexual relationship
The Roslea priest at the centre of a Crown Court Trial in Liverpool admitted on Tuesday to having a homosexual relationship with a convicted paedophile.
Father Jeremiah McGrath, whose address was given as Church Road, also told a jury that he had not considered the relationship with William Adams to be wrong.
He said he formed a relationship with Adams when he was in his mid-40s and Adams was 21 and homeless.
Their sexual relationship did not last long, he said. "It changed from being a physical relationship to an emotional relationship. There was precious little sexual activity," said 62-year-old McGrath.
McGrath faces three charges of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence by Adams and one of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl. He denies all the offences, which spanned seven months ending in November 2005.
Adams, from Newtownabbey, but latterly of Bootle, Merseyside, has admitted repeatedly raping the child when she was 11 and 12 in Liverpool, Blackpool and Southport.
McGrath, said that if he had had a continuing sexual relationship with Adams he would have considered his position as a priest but, after Adams was released from a 12 year jail sentence for raping an eight-year-old girl, he only had sex with him once.
Cross-examined by Andrew Menary, QC, prosecuting, McGrath agreed he had told police he had not had a sexual relationship with Adams. "I was embarrassed", he explained.
"It was a lie?" asked Mr Menary.
"It wasn't the complete truth. The answer should have been it wasn't a continuing sexual relationship," he replied.
He said Adams had told him he had not abused the eight-year-old girl and also a 13-year-old girl, and he believed him. He said he had not then thought he was a paedophile but McGrath admitted he had told police he repeatedly told Adams that he was to get psychiatric help.
"I believed him when I wanted to believe him. When you are emotionally attached to a person, it is a difficult situation to be in," he said.
He said that during 2005 he recognised that Adams might be a paedophile and advised him to get help.
He was shown photographs taken while the two men were on holiday in Blackpool with the girl, her mother and brother. These included Adams at a swimming pool complex with the children and also another showing Adams and the girl close together.
McGrath claimed it was the girl who behaved in an overtly sexual way and Adams would tell her to go away. "I never saw any closeness like in the photograph. If I had I would be worried."
Mr Menary suggested that he knew full well what was going on between Adams and the girl but ignored it because he was "besotted" with Adams; however, McGrath denied knowing what was happening.
While the group was on holiday, Adams described McGrath as his uncle and that their name was Adamson.
McGrath said he had not told anyone he was his uncle and had not queried why Adams had used the name Adamson.
Asked if he would do anything for Adams he replied, "I would do a lot of things."
Further questioned, he said it was only after Adams pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping the 12-year-old that it began to sink in what had been going on.
Mr Menary read a letter McGrath wrote to Adams after Adams was arrested which Mr Menary described as, "full of warmth and support." Quizzed about it McGrath agreed he had been prepared to stand by Adams and had described 2005 as "a good year."
"It wasn't a good year for the girl, was it?" asked Mr Menary. "No, a very sad year," said McGrath.
Questioned about his police interview, McGrath agreed he had told police that he had said the girl had been hurting Adams and was "putting him in harm's way."
The case continues. It is expected to last until the end of this week.
Father Jeremiah McGrath, whose address was given as Church Road, also told a jury that he had not considered the relationship with William Adams to be wrong.
He said he formed a relationship with Adams when he was in his mid-40s and Adams was 21 and homeless.
Their sexual relationship did not last long, he said. "It changed from being a physical relationship to an emotional relationship. There was precious little sexual activity," said 62-year-old McGrath.
McGrath faces three charges of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence by Adams and one of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl. He denies all the offences, which spanned seven months ending in November 2005.
Adams, from Newtownabbey, but latterly of Bootle, Merseyside, has admitted repeatedly raping the child when she was 11 and 12 in Liverpool, Blackpool and Southport.
McGrath, said that if he had had a continuing sexual relationship with Adams he would have considered his position as a priest but, after Adams was released from a 12 year jail sentence for raping an eight-year-old girl, he only had sex with him once.
Cross-examined by Andrew Menary, QC, prosecuting, McGrath agreed he had told police he had not had a sexual relationship with Adams. "I was embarrassed", he explained.
"It was a lie?" asked Mr Menary.
"It wasn't the complete truth. The answer should have been it wasn't a continuing sexual relationship," he replied.
He said Adams had told him he had not abused the eight-year-old girl and also a 13-year-old girl, and he believed him. He said he had not then thought he was a paedophile but McGrath admitted he had told police he repeatedly told Adams that he was to get psychiatric help.
"I believed him when I wanted to believe him. When you are emotionally attached to a person, it is a difficult situation to be in," he said.
He said that during 2005 he recognised that Adams might be a paedophile and advised him to get help.
He was shown photographs taken while the two men were on holiday in Blackpool with the girl, her mother and brother. These included Adams at a swimming pool complex with the children and also another showing Adams and the girl close together.
McGrath claimed it was the girl who behaved in an overtly sexual way and Adams would tell her to go away. "I never saw any closeness like in the photograph. If I had I would be worried."
Mr Menary suggested that he knew full well what was going on between Adams and the girl but ignored it because he was "besotted" with Adams; however, McGrath denied knowing what was happening.
While the group was on holiday, Adams described McGrath as his uncle and that their name was Adamson.
McGrath said he had not told anyone he was his uncle and had not queried why Adams had used the name Adamson.
Asked if he would do anything for Adams he replied, "I would do a lot of things."
Further questioned, he said it was only after Adams pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping the 12-year-old that it began to sink in what had been going on.
Mr Menary read a letter McGrath wrote to Adams after Adams was arrested which Mr Menary described as, "full of warmth and support." Quizzed about it McGrath agreed he had been prepared to stand by Adams and had described 2005 as "a good year."
"It wasn't a good year for the girl, was it?" asked Mr Menary. "No, a very sad year," said McGrath.
Questioned about his police interview, McGrath agreed he had told police that he had said the girl had been hurting Adams and was "putting him in harm's way."
The case continues. It is expected to last until the end of this week.
May 23, 2007
As Tammy Faye lies dying, her niece releases book opposing the heresy of the Word of Faith movement
AS TAMMY FAYE DIES, NIECE RELEASES BOOK OPPOSING WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT
May 23, 2007
Faye Messner's niece writes book that opposes the Word of Faith movement. Former Methodist minister and current PH.D. candidate writes book that exegetes scripture which directly opposes the Word of Faith movement that Tammy Faye Messner still proclaims.
A survivor of experimental brain surgery, Teri K. Messner, former Miss Indiana of the Miss America pageant, feels compassion toward her aunt that while weighting 65 pounds and being taken off life support still says, " I refused to live in fear! I lived in FAITH! Everyday I claimed "I AM GETTING WELL"! And I BELIEVED that with all my heart!"
"I love my aunt," says Messner, "but she is still living in deep denial of the human condition."Messner writes on how the Word of Faith movement is in direct opposition to God's word.
Contradicting Tammy Faye's belief system and the Word of Faith movement Messner gives dignity to people who are suffering and explains that living with illness requires great faith.
Tammy Faye claims, "My faith in God played the most important part in my recovery, I feel. I read many healing scriptures!" In opposition, Teri K. Messner believes that her aunt has been living in denial, has misinterpreted scriptures for millions of people, and continues to live in denial of her own impending death.
Throughout her book, Teri K. Messner explains that the scriptures prepare people to live with adversity claiming that the Word of Faith movement is heretical.
Reaching for the Crown can be purchased at Amazon.com. Teri K. Messner M.A. M.Div. can be reached at 316-260-9928.###
May 22, 2007
"Dance with the one that brung ya." Another reason why conservative Christians should dump the GOP.
It is an old Southern saying to be sure. But it fits. Translated it means, "Pay your dues. Be loyal. Be thankful and respectful."
Or at least fake it until the last shovel of red dirt falls on the grave.
"Dance with the one who brought you" has a less colloquial ring, but it still gets the message across.
Where is the GOP? Why are they glaringly and startling absent from the funeral of Jerry Falwell?
I am not a Falwell fan. And I personally don't even like what he accomplished, presiding at the marriage of the GOP to Evangelical Christianity. I don't care for the progeny of that cursed union. (A huge herd of Christian sheep who will vote for the GOP no matter how corrupt it is.)
But the man was due some respect from the people who derived their positions from his taking a stand and drawing a line in the sand. The majority of elected politicians from the GOP would not stand a chance of being elected without the Christian Right.
Certainly George W. Bush owes Falwell a big debt. But the list is long. Many more men than just George W. Bush owe Falwell even a token of respect, and they know it.
Those same Republicans fought and clawed over one another to get to Falwell, to speak to his students, to claim their place in his pulpit for a few precious moments. They clamored to curry his favor and address his audience.
They stay away in droves now and become very conspicuous in their absence.
Prominent Republicans running for president say they are too busy to come. They can't make it. The Bush White House announces they are sending "A middle level aide."
Their silence during his funeral is deafening and their absence speaks volumes, if only those who have ears to hear will listen.
Or at least fake it until the last shovel of red dirt falls on the grave.
"Dance with the one who brought you" has a less colloquial ring, but it still gets the message across.
Where is the GOP? Why are they glaringly and startling absent from the funeral of Jerry Falwell?
I am not a Falwell fan. And I personally don't even like what he accomplished, presiding at the marriage of the GOP to Evangelical Christianity. I don't care for the progeny of that cursed union. (A huge herd of Christian sheep who will vote for the GOP no matter how corrupt it is.)
But the man was due some respect from the people who derived their positions from his taking a stand and drawing a line in the sand. The majority of elected politicians from the GOP would not stand a chance of being elected without the Christian Right.
Certainly George W. Bush owes Falwell a big debt. But the list is long. Many more men than just George W. Bush owe Falwell even a token of respect, and they know it.
Those same Republicans fought and clawed over one another to get to Falwell, to speak to his students, to claim their place in his pulpit for a few precious moments. They clamored to curry his favor and address his audience.
They stay away in droves now and become very conspicuous in their absence.
Prominent Republicans running for president say they are too busy to come. They can't make it. The Bush White House announces they are sending "A middle level aide."
Their silence during his funeral is deafening and their absence speaks volumes, if only those who have ears to hear will listen.
Falwell should of listened. And not to the GOP. Their siren song was empty, yet full with years of broken promises.
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
~2 Timothy 2:4
In the end, only the faithful showed up say good-bye.
In Lynchburg, a city with a population of 62,000, 30,000 people came to pay their respects and view the body of Jerry Falwell. Lynchburg police estimated at least 15,000 people at the funeral today and possibly 20,000.
They are really the only ones who mattered anyway, in the long run.
Its just a shame Jerry Falwell had to die to find that out.
The backward step of Beckwith
Banner of Truth Trust General Articles
Interesting read.
"The lesson that we learn from the coming of Benedict and the ‘unconversion’ of Beckwith is this: he who forgets to be only co-belligerent to become an ally in common causes runs the risk of ‘walking spiritually’ along trails that the Gospel we find in the Word of God does not approve and of seeking comfort in a path which is mystic and cosy, but alienated from the truth."
Interesting read.
"The lesson that we learn from the coming of Benedict and the ‘unconversion’ of Beckwith is this: he who forgets to be only co-belligerent to become an ally in common causes runs the risk of ‘walking spiritually’ along trails that the Gospel we find in the Word of God does not approve and of seeking comfort in a path which is mystic and cosy, but alienated from the truth."
May 21, 2007
May 20, 2007
Prayer fight in statehouse
The Enquirer - Prayer fight in statehouse
Guest ministers invited to lead prayers at the Ohio House are violating state guidelines by evangelizing, speaking out on political topics and invoking the name of Jesus, the House clerk’s office said in a memo warning lawmakers.
The issue reached a tipping point during Wednesday’s invocation when the Rev. Keith Hamblen, pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Lima, made multiple references to Jesus, spoke favorably of church-sponsored schools and mentioned the bills up for debate that day, including a proposal to ban nudity in strip clubs after midnight.
That sparked a memo from House Clerk Laura Clemens, asking lawmakers to enforce state guidelines that require guest ministers to submit prepared remarks at least three days in advance for review. The rule had been loosely enforced.
“I would hate to have to eliminate this program but may find it necessary to do so if this trend continues,” Clemens wrote.
Rep. Matt Huffman, a Republican from Lima who invited Hamblen to give the prayer, said it was inappropriate for him to mention issues on that day’s agenda. “I kind of cringed when he did it,” he said.
Two Democrats, Robert Hagan of Youngstown and Chris Redfern of Catawba Island, walked off the floor during the prayer in protest. Redfern said prayers over recent years have become increasingly evangelical.
“The opening prayer is a time to be mindful of the obligations that we’ve been granted through our voters and gives us a chance to reflect,” said Redfern, who is also chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. “It should not be used as an opportunity to proselytize. At times, all we’re lacking is a river to take members down to dip them in.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has generally banned government-sponsored prayer at public events. But in 1983 it made an exception for Congress and state legislatures.
Ohio House guidelines require prayers to be nondenominational, nonsectarian and nonproselytizing.
Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Lutheran professor of philosophy prepares to enter Roman Catholic Church
Lutheran professor of philosophy prepares to enter Catholic Church
Dr. Robert Koons, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas, will be entering the Catholic Church next week following several years of considering the teachings and history of the Catholic Church.
"I used to be confident that the teachings of Paul in Romans, Galatians and Ephesians
made it quite clear that the Roman position on justification was fundamentally wrong.
I’ve come to have serious doubts about this, however, based in part on a recent
scholarship about Paul’s writings..."
(More)"1) new scholarship (primarily by Protestants) on Paul’s epistles, which raised profound doubts about the correctness of Martin Luther’s and Phillip Melanchthon’s excessively individualistic and existentialist reading of Paul’s teaching on justification by faith, (2) the fruits of Lutheran/Roman Catholic dialogue on justification, expressed most fully in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1997, that greatly clarified for me the subtlety of the doctrinal differences between the two bodies, and (3) a more thorough exposure to the writings of the early Church fathers, especially those considered most “evangelical”: Chrysostom, Ambrose, and (above all) Augustine of Hippo."
May 18, 2007
Long Island Diocese Loses Abuse Lawsuit
Las Vegas SUN: Long Island Diocese Loses Abuse Lawsuit
A jury found the nation's sixth-largest Roman Catholic diocese and a church parish negligent Friday in a case involving a youth minister who repeatedly raped and sodomized teenagers in his care.
The jury awarded two victims a combined $11.4 million in damages in one of the rare civil cases to go to trial in the wake of the nationwide sex abuse scandal that erupted five years ago.
The jury found that the Diocese of Rockville Centre, one of its churches and a pastor were also negligent in the hiring and retention of the youth minister.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Michael Dowd, said the decision - announced in a hushed Long Island courtroom - sends a powerful message to the Catholic church. "The church can no longer be reckless in the safety of children," he said.
The defense said no decision has been made on whether to appeal.
The trial included graphic testimony by a female victim who told the jury that former youth minister Matthew Maiello seduced her and eventually had sex with her in a variety of locations on church property - including church pews and the elementary school principal's office, as well as at their homes.
The jury awarded the female victim about $5.5 million in damages, and a second male victim about $5.9 million. After the trial, the woman hailed the verdict as a vindication for her and other abuse victims.
"I'd just like to say that the reason for seeking justice in a civil trial was to ensure that the truth finally came out and that this might prevent the abuse from happening to children everywhere," she said.
The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual abuse.
Maiello pleaded guilty to third-degree rape and sodomy in 2003 and served more than two years in prison, admitting he abused four children. But since Maiello did not contest any of the allegations, the focus of the monthlong trial became St. Raphael's Church in East Meadow, its pastor, the Rev. Thomas Haggerty, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
The victims said that starting when they were 15, they were repeatedly molested by Maiello, and that church officials failed to act when confronted by reports that the youth minister was acting inappropriately.
The victims, now 23, said the abuse lasted three years, from 1999 to 2002. The woman testified that Maiello took her virginity in a basement office in the church convent and eventually cajoled her into having sex with the boy in the youth ministry. Before long, Maiello was engaging in three-way sex with the teenagers, and videotaping other encounters.
"He would always tell me it was God's plan for us to be together," said the woman. "He controlled all of my thoughts - he manipulated me."
The plaintiffs' attorney, Michael Dowd, said Haggerty failed to check on Maiello's educational background and other qualifications for the $20,000-a-year youth ministry position.
"Who in God's name would let this person work with kids?" Dowd asked.
Brian Davey, a defense attorney representing the pastor, the parish and the diocese, insisted that Maiello alone was responsible for the sexual abuse.
"Matthew Maiello is a degenerate, is a deviant," Davey said. "He is 100 percent responsible."
The case is one of several civil lawsuits to arise from allegations of sexual abuse in the Catholic church. But unlike this case, very few went to trial and most were instead settled out of court.
Prosecutors said they were prevented from pursuing criminal charges because statutes of limitations had expired long ago.
The U.S. Conference of Bishops estimates abuse-related costs from lawsuits have exceeded $1.5 billion. On Long Island, a grand jury found nearly two dozen cases of abuse going back decades in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, with 1.3 million Catholics in 134 parishes.
--
A jury found the nation's sixth-largest Roman Catholic diocese and a church parish negligent Friday in a case involving a youth minister who repeatedly raped and sodomized teenagers in his care.
The jury awarded two victims a combined $11.4 million in damages in one of the rare civil cases to go to trial in the wake of the nationwide sex abuse scandal that erupted five years ago.
The jury found that the Diocese of Rockville Centre, one of its churches and a pastor were also negligent in the hiring and retention of the youth minister.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Michael Dowd, said the decision - announced in a hushed Long Island courtroom - sends a powerful message to the Catholic church. "The church can no longer be reckless in the safety of children," he said.
The defense said no decision has been made on whether to appeal.
The trial included graphic testimony by a female victim who told the jury that former youth minister Matthew Maiello seduced her and eventually had sex with her in a variety of locations on church property - including church pews and the elementary school principal's office, as well as at their homes.
The jury awarded the female victim about $5.5 million in damages, and a second male victim about $5.9 million. After the trial, the woman hailed the verdict as a vindication for her and other abuse victims.
"I'd just like to say that the reason for seeking justice in a civil trial was to ensure that the truth finally came out and that this might prevent the abuse from happening to children everywhere," she said.
The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual abuse.
Maiello pleaded guilty to third-degree rape and sodomy in 2003 and served more than two years in prison, admitting he abused four children. But since Maiello did not contest any of the allegations, the focus of the monthlong trial became St. Raphael's Church in East Meadow, its pastor, the Rev. Thomas Haggerty, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
The victims said that starting when they were 15, they were repeatedly molested by Maiello, and that church officials failed to act when confronted by reports that the youth minister was acting inappropriately.
The victims, now 23, said the abuse lasted three years, from 1999 to 2002. The woman testified that Maiello took her virginity in a basement office in the church convent and eventually cajoled her into having sex with the boy in the youth ministry. Before long, Maiello was engaging in three-way sex with the teenagers, and videotaping other encounters.
"He would always tell me it was God's plan for us to be together," said the woman. "He controlled all of my thoughts - he manipulated me."
The plaintiffs' attorney, Michael Dowd, said Haggerty failed to check on Maiello's educational background and other qualifications for the $20,000-a-year youth ministry position.
"Who in God's name would let this person work with kids?" Dowd asked.
Brian Davey, a defense attorney representing the pastor, the parish and the diocese, insisted that Maiello alone was responsible for the sexual abuse.
"Matthew Maiello is a degenerate, is a deviant," Davey said. "He is 100 percent responsible."
The case is one of several civil lawsuits to arise from allegations of sexual abuse in the Catholic church. But unlike this case, very few went to trial and most were instead settled out of court.
Prosecutors said they were prevented from pursuing criminal charges because statutes of limitations had expired long ago.
The U.S. Conference of Bishops estimates abuse-related costs from lawsuits have exceeded $1.5 billion. On Long Island, a grand jury found nearly two dozen cases of abuse going back decades in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, with 1.3 million Catholics in 134 parishes.
--
If homosexuality is true, evolution is not
Eureka!
If homosexuality is true, evolution can not be true.
If evolution is not true, God is true.
If God is true, then homosexuality is a sin.
If homosexuality was true, evolution can not be true. Homosexuality as a human "trait" would not be able to co-exist with evolution. The survival of the fittest mechanism that is supposedly inherent to evolution would have killed off homosexuality in its first generation. It can't breed, ergo it can not reproduce after its kind.
If evolution is not true, God is true.
If God is true, then homosexuality is a sin.
Just like He said.
If homosexuality is true, evolution can not be true.
If evolution is not true, God is true.
If God is true, then homosexuality is a sin.
If homosexuality was true, evolution can not be true. Homosexuality as a human "trait" would not be able to co-exist with evolution. The survival of the fittest mechanism that is supposedly inherent to evolution would have killed off homosexuality in its first generation. It can't breed, ergo it can not reproduce after its kind.
If evolution is not true, God is true.
If God is true, then homosexuality is a sin.
Just like He said.
May 17, 2007
Pastor inspiration: Divine or online? | ajc.com
Pastor inspiration: Divine or online? | ajc.com
Surfing for sermons: Sometimes desperate ministers lift texts from Web.
By JOHN BLAKE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/12/07
Two days after the Virginia Tech shooting, Bishop Eddie Long walked before the congregation of his Lithonia megachurch and said the Holy Spirit had a message for them.
The senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church preached a sermon he called "Act of Man or Act of God?" He talked about a "misguided, twisted" student who murdered 32 people before killing himself. He invoked the book of Job and punctuated his delivery with dramatic sighs and anguished grunts. The congregation was shouting by sermon's end.
Few, if any, knew the inspiration for Long's sermon wasn't confined to the Holy Spirit. It also came from sermons.com, a preaching Web site that offers pastors prepackaged sermons for a fee. Long's words matched large portions of a Virginia Tech sermon with a similar title ("Acts of Man and Acts of God") posted on the site. A Google search revealed that at least three other pastors — including one in Alpharetta — had preached long passages from the Internet sermon.
Parishioners who dwell on the meaning of their pastor's words now face the question: Is the sermon an act of man or an act of the Internet? Sermon borrowing — called "pulpit plagiarism" by critics — is spreading among the nation's clergy.
"The kerosene on the fire is the Internet," the Rev. Thomas Long, a professor of preaching at Emory University's Candler School of Theology (and no relation to the New Birth pastor), wrote in a recent article in Christian Century magazine.
Pastors pinched for time no longer lean solely on divine inspiration. With a credit card and a few mouse clicks, they can surf sites like sermons.com and desperatepreacher.com to find sermons to fit virtually any occasion — Mother's Day, say, or Easter. The sites serve as the Home Depot for homilies. Any preaching tool is available.
Some pastors, though, don't let on they've sermon-shopped. They pass the ideas off as their own. Critics say they're dishonoring their calling and deceiving their flock.
"A sermon is supposed to reflect what God has given you to say to the people," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a veteran civil rights activist. "If I don't feel God gave it to me, I feel like I'm lying on God and to the people."
Attribution is optional
Bishop Long declined a request to explain his Virginia Tech sermon. A review of audio from New Birth revealed no instances in which Long told parishioners that extended passages were not his own, and Long did not provide any examples of attribution. However, he did sell the sermon under his own name on New Birth's Web site.
Another Georgia preacher who delivered the same Virginia Tech message from sermons.com said he told his church that it came from a third party.
The Rev. James Thalacker of the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Alpharetta said he used the Internet homily because he didn't have one prepared in the wake of the massacre.
"The sermon itself was a good sermon and I thought it was relevant for people today," Thalacker said. "This is the first one that I've done totally like this. It's only because I had another sermon prepared and the whole thing [Virginia Tech shooting] happened."
The Rev. Brett Blair, owner and president of sermons.com, declined to speak about his Web site but released a statement. He's written many of the recycled sermons.
"Paying members are allowed to use any of the material as they see fit," the statement said. "Citation of sources is always advised but we do not obligate any user to cite one way or another."
Now a handier commodity
Evangelists' swiping of material from one another is as old as the Bible itself.
Scholars say writers of Luke's and Matthew's Gospels borrowed heavily from the Gospel of Mark — but don't bother hunting for footnotes. In a more modern example, the Rev. Jesse Jackson didn't coin his signature sermon, "I Am Somebody." It was created by an Atlanta pastor, the late Rev. William Holmes Borders of Wheat Street Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue.
The emergence of preaching Web sites has made sermons a commodity, said the Rev. Darryl Dash, senior pastor of Richview Baptist Church in Toronto. "It's an industry," Dash said. "You do have people making money from it."
Dash wrote a recent essay called "Confessions of a Sermon Thief." He says he didn't set out to steal sermons. He did it for the same reasons he thinks other pastors do it: lack of confidence in themselves, being overworked, trying to sound like the famous pastors.
Dash said he stopped stealing but can tell that others haven't. He posts his own sermons on his Web site — where traffic spikes every Saturday night and Sunday morning.
"There are a lot of guys just sitting at the Internet at night saying: 'What am I going to say tomorrow?' " Dash said.
Some borrowers pay price
There are signs of a borrowing backlash. Parishioners using Google or Yahoo have forced some pastors to resign after discovering that their sermons weren't original.
Yet some New Birth members weren't bothered that Bishop Long preached without attribution.
Ben Jakes, a New Birth elder, said Long's Virginia Tech sermon revealed that God can orchestrate circumstances so that preachers deliver the same message across the nation.
"I really believe it's an act that shows honor and respect for [God]," Jakes said. "You're basically communicating a unified message."
Sometimes, pastors catch their brethren plagiarizing.
Lowery, the civil rights leader, who was part of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner circle, once preached a sermon that grew out of a comic encounter he had with his daughter. He was agonizing over the outcome of a professional tennis match on television when his daughter attempted to interrupt him. He told her to hush until she finally told him that the outcome had already been decided because the match was a delayed broadcast.
He used the incident to preach a sermon about the futility of worrying because God had already won the battle. Later, Lowery was attending a funeral in Washington, D.C., one day when he heard a prominent pastor, whom he declined to name, launch into a story: "I was watching a tennis match one day. ..."
The pastor never credited Lowery. Afterward, Lowery walked up to the man. The fellow preacher could barely look Lowery in the eyes before slinking away.
"First, I was flattered that he was using my illustration," says Lowery. "I was sure at the end that he would give me credit. Then I was angry. I thought a little less of him, and he's one of the most prominent preachers in the country today."
Professor Long from Emory recalled being invited to a church where something similar took place. Before he stepped into the pulpit to deliver his message, a friend of the church's pastor approached him with a request.
"He said several months ago he [the minister] preached one of your sermons and he's really hoping you don't preach that sermon tonight."
Ultimately, said Dash, the self-confessed sermon thief, authenticity is more important than eloquence.
"If everything I say to my wife is scripted from a Hallmark card, it may be beautiful, but it will be hollow," Dash said.
Dash recently put that belief to the test. He said he stopped stealing sermons and started composing his own. His sermons weren't as polished, and he worked much harder. But people in his congregation seemed to like them more.
He said he stole sermons because he was insecure about his own ability, but his decision to rely on his own voice was vindicated when a member of his church approached him after a sermon one day and said:
"It's almost as if you've stopped talking to us in general, and now you're talking to us."
Surfing for sermons: Sometimes desperate ministers lift texts from Web.
By JOHN BLAKE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/12/07
Two days after the Virginia Tech shooting, Bishop Eddie Long walked before the congregation of his Lithonia megachurch and said the Holy Spirit had a message for them.
The senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church preached a sermon he called "Act of Man or Act of God?" He talked about a "misguided, twisted" student who murdered 32 people before killing himself. He invoked the book of Job and punctuated his delivery with dramatic sighs and anguished grunts. The congregation was shouting by sermon's end.
Few, if any, knew the inspiration for Long's sermon wasn't confined to the Holy Spirit. It also came from sermons.com, a preaching Web site that offers pastors prepackaged sermons for a fee. Long's words matched large portions of a Virginia Tech sermon with a similar title ("Acts of Man and Acts of God") posted on the site. A Google search revealed that at least three other pastors — including one in Alpharetta — had preached long passages from the Internet sermon.
Parishioners who dwell on the meaning of their pastor's words now face the question: Is the sermon an act of man or an act of the Internet? Sermon borrowing — called "pulpit plagiarism" by critics — is spreading among the nation's clergy.
"The kerosene on the fire is the Internet," the Rev. Thomas Long, a professor of preaching at Emory University's Candler School of Theology (and no relation to the New Birth pastor), wrote in a recent article in Christian Century magazine.
Pastors pinched for time no longer lean solely on divine inspiration. With a credit card and a few mouse clicks, they can surf sites like sermons.com and desperatepreacher.com to find sermons to fit virtually any occasion — Mother's Day, say, or Easter. The sites serve as the Home Depot for homilies. Any preaching tool is available.
Some pastors, though, don't let on they've sermon-shopped. They pass the ideas off as their own. Critics say they're dishonoring their calling and deceiving their flock.
"A sermon is supposed to reflect what God has given you to say to the people," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a veteran civil rights activist. "If I don't feel God gave it to me, I feel like I'm lying on God and to the people."
Attribution is optional
Bishop Long declined a request to explain his Virginia Tech sermon. A review of audio from New Birth revealed no instances in which Long told parishioners that extended passages were not his own, and Long did not provide any examples of attribution. However, he did sell the sermon under his own name on New Birth's Web site.
Another Georgia preacher who delivered the same Virginia Tech message from sermons.com said he told his church that it came from a third party.
The Rev. James Thalacker of the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Alpharetta said he used the Internet homily because he didn't have one prepared in the wake of the massacre.
"The sermon itself was a good sermon and I thought it was relevant for people today," Thalacker said. "This is the first one that I've done totally like this. It's only because I had another sermon prepared and the whole thing [Virginia Tech shooting] happened."
The Rev. Brett Blair, owner and president of sermons.com, declined to speak about his Web site but released a statement. He's written many of the recycled sermons.
"Paying members are allowed to use any of the material as they see fit," the statement said. "Citation of sources is always advised but we do not obligate any user to cite one way or another."
Now a handier commodity
Evangelists' swiping of material from one another is as old as the Bible itself.
Scholars say writers of Luke's and Matthew's Gospels borrowed heavily from the Gospel of Mark — but don't bother hunting for footnotes. In a more modern example, the Rev. Jesse Jackson didn't coin his signature sermon, "I Am Somebody." It was created by an Atlanta pastor, the late Rev. William Holmes Borders of Wheat Street Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue.
The emergence of preaching Web sites has made sermons a commodity, said the Rev. Darryl Dash, senior pastor of Richview Baptist Church in Toronto. "It's an industry," Dash said. "You do have people making money from it."
Dash wrote a recent essay called "Confessions of a Sermon Thief." He says he didn't set out to steal sermons. He did it for the same reasons he thinks other pastors do it: lack of confidence in themselves, being overworked, trying to sound like the famous pastors.
Dash said he stopped stealing but can tell that others haven't. He posts his own sermons on his Web site — where traffic spikes every Saturday night and Sunday morning.
"There are a lot of guys just sitting at the Internet at night saying: 'What am I going to say tomorrow?' " Dash said.
Some borrowers pay price
There are signs of a borrowing backlash. Parishioners using Google or Yahoo have forced some pastors to resign after discovering that their sermons weren't original.
Yet some New Birth members weren't bothered that Bishop Long preached without attribution.
Ben Jakes, a New Birth elder, said Long's Virginia Tech sermon revealed that God can orchestrate circumstances so that preachers deliver the same message across the nation.
"I really believe it's an act that shows honor and respect for [God]," Jakes said. "You're basically communicating a unified message."
Sometimes, pastors catch their brethren plagiarizing.
Lowery, the civil rights leader, who was part of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner circle, once preached a sermon that grew out of a comic encounter he had with his daughter. He was agonizing over the outcome of a professional tennis match on television when his daughter attempted to interrupt him. He told her to hush until she finally told him that the outcome had already been decided because the match was a delayed broadcast.
He used the incident to preach a sermon about the futility of worrying because God had already won the battle. Later, Lowery was attending a funeral in Washington, D.C., one day when he heard a prominent pastor, whom he declined to name, launch into a story: "I was watching a tennis match one day. ..."
The pastor never credited Lowery. Afterward, Lowery walked up to the man. The fellow preacher could barely look Lowery in the eyes before slinking away.
"First, I was flattered that he was using my illustration," says Lowery. "I was sure at the end that he would give me credit. Then I was angry. I thought a little less of him, and he's one of the most prominent preachers in the country today."
Professor Long from Emory recalled being invited to a church where something similar took place. Before he stepped into the pulpit to deliver his message, a friend of the church's pastor approached him with a request.
"He said several months ago he [the minister] preached one of your sermons and he's really hoping you don't preach that sermon tonight."
Ultimately, said Dash, the self-confessed sermon thief, authenticity is more important than eloquence.
"If everything I say to my wife is scripted from a Hallmark card, it may be beautiful, but it will be hollow," Dash said.
Dash recently put that belief to the test. He said he stopped stealing sermons and started composing his own. His sermons weren't as polished, and he worked much harder. But people in his congregation seemed to like them more.
He said he stole sermons because he was insecure about his own ability, but his decision to rely on his own voice was vindicated when a member of his church approached him after a sermon one day and said:
"It's almost as if you've stopped talking to us in general, and now you're talking to us."
May 15, 2007
Rev. Jerry Falwell dies at 73
"LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73.
This is a breaking news update."
This is a breaking news update."
Rev. Jerry Falwell in 'gravely serious' condition after being found unconscious, aide says
LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in "gravely serious" condition after being found unconscious today in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said.
Ron Godwin, the university's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but he said Falwell "has a history of heart challenges."
"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine, and they found him unresponsive."
Godwin said Falwell was receiving emergency care. A hospital spokeswoman said she had "no information to release at this time."
Falwell, a television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority, became the face of the religious right in the 1980s. He later founded the conservative Liberty University and serves as its president.
Falwell survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then was hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest. Later that year, doctors found a 70 percent blockage in an artery, which they opened with stents.
Liberty University's commencement is scheduled for Saturday, with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the featured speaker.
Ron Godwin, the university's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but he said Falwell "has a history of heart challenges."
"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine, and they found him unresponsive."
Godwin said Falwell was receiving emergency care. A hospital spokeswoman said she had "no information to release at this time."
Falwell, a television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority, became the face of the religious right in the 1980s. He later founded the conservative Liberty University and serves as its president.
Falwell survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then was hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest. Later that year, doctors found a 70 percent blockage in an artery, which they opened with stents.
Liberty University's commencement is scheduled for Saturday, with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the featured speaker.
May 13, 2007
Chicago teacher forces grade-school children to watch homosexual movie during class
"A suit was filed on behalf of a 12-year-old girl who claims she suffered psychological distress when a teacher showed in class the gay-themed movie "Brokeback Mountain."
According to the suit, a substitute teacher introduced herself as Ms. Buford to Jessica's class at Ashburn Community Elementary School, 8300 S. St. Louis Ave. She then said, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," the suit claims. Buford then had a student close the door, and started showing the controversial R-rated film, which features two men engaged in sex.
The suit alleges Ashburn's principal, Jewel A. Diaz, was aware that the tale of the love between two cowboys set in the West of the 1960s was being shown to the minors.
Turner later told her grandfather that she was confined to her seat and felt she could not leave the room, according to the suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
The plaintiffs accuse Diaz, Buford and the Chicago Board of Education of negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress."
According to the suit, a substitute teacher introduced herself as Ms. Buford to Jessica's class at Ashburn Community Elementary School, 8300 S. St. Louis Ave. She then said, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," the suit claims. Buford then had a student close the door, and started showing the controversial R-rated film, which features two men engaged in sex.
The suit alleges Ashburn's principal, Jewel A. Diaz, was aware that the tale of the love between two cowboys set in the West of the 1960s was being shown to the minors.
Turner later told her grandfather that she was confined to her seat and felt she could not leave the room, according to the suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
The plaintiffs accuse Diaz, Buford and the Chicago Board of Education of negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress."
May 9, 2007
Tammy Faye losing battle with cancer
Tammy Faye Messner is losing her battle with cancer, according to her Web site.In a letter posted on her site, she says doctors have stopped treating her cancer. She writes she now weighs just 65 pounds and looks “like a scarecrow.”
Pro Life charismania leads to Rome
Add
Francis Beckwith to the growing list of former Evangelicals who converted to
Roman Catholicism.
Francis Beckwith to the growing list of former Evangelicals who converted to
Roman Catholicism.
"[My conversion] is a unique opportunity to be able to engage both
my Catholic friends and my Protestant friends in a way that we can have mutual
understanding and maybe move toward some sort of Christian unity, even if it's
not ecclesiastical," Beckwith told CT.
Beckwith has frequently employed Roman Catholic teaching as an
apologist, and he has worked closely with Roman Catholics in fighting
abortion."
More nuggets from the demented mind of Francis Beckwith
"The debate over Sola Scriptura is big between Protestants and Catholics. A Catholic thinker will say, typically, "Sola Scriptura is not mentioned in the Bible." And the Protestant will say, "It's not mentioned in the Bible, but it's implied there." But even if it's implied there, why should I accept it? Obviously, the Qur'an believes in Sola Scriptura."
Some of you wiser Evangelicals are probably in rapturous thanks right now that this guy no longer represents you.
Some of you wiser Evangelicals are probably in rapturous thanks right now that this guy no longer represents you.
Beckwith claims his own virture "counts for something" in regards to salvation
"Now there's a kind of theological framework, and it doesn't say my salvation depends on me, but it says my virtue counts for something."
Newsflash for the good Dr. Beckwith: His virtue is NOTHING but a filthy rag in the eyes of a Holy God.
Even if Beckwith EVER did all he was to do, he would still be an unprofitable servant.
Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Beckwith also bashes Bible believers and claims, "Non-denominational Bible church folks are still reading stuff about Catholicism published in the 1950s."
What a lying sham this man is!
Does he actually believe that the majority of people who reject the false religious system of Rome do so because don't read the current literature????
How utterly ridiculous.
Besides, the Catholic church claims it never changes. So if all you knew about the cult of Mary worship was from the 1950's, you would know everything there is to know about the Roman Catholic false church of today.
Except for the fact that a multitude of its priests have been exposed for the sodomites and raping child molesters they are.
Newsflash for the good Dr. Beckwith: His virtue is NOTHING but a filthy rag in the eyes of a Holy God.
Even if Beckwith EVER did all he was to do, he would still be an unprofitable servant.
Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Beckwith also bashes Bible believers and claims, "Non-denominational Bible church folks are still reading stuff about Catholicism published in the 1950s."
What a lying sham this man is!
Does he actually believe that the majority of people who reject the false religious system of Rome do so because don't read the current literature????
How utterly ridiculous.
Besides, the Catholic church claims it never changes. So if all you knew about the cult of Mary worship was from the 1950's, you would know everything there is to know about the Roman Catholic false church of today.
Except for the fact that a multitude of its priests have been exposed for the sodomites and raping child molesters they are.
Dr. Kent Hovind suddenly moved to a different prison and placed in solitary confinement
"DR. HOVIND - was just moved to a different federal facility.
He is now in solitary confinement for 23 1/2 hours per day, in a small cell. He sleeps (at this time) on the concrete floor. A guard has provided him with part of a “Good News for Modern Man” Bible. He has nothing else, as far as we know. There are conflicting reports from the new facility on whether or not he can receive visitors. He has had a very limited “approved visitors” list up until now.
His new address:
Kent Hovind #06452-017
FCI Marianna
PO Box 7007
Marianna, FL. 32447
USA
=====
Letters and postcards can be sent. No food; no hardbound books; no CDs or DVDs; do not put “Dr.” in front of his name. All mail is opened and checked in front of guards.
Paul Abramson
Prison officials have given the family two different reasons. One is that it is for his own protection as the new location houses many more violent offenders. The other is that he had violated some rule(s) at the old location. At this time CSE does not know for sure, and this much was not learned until after he had been moved. Dr. Hovind was allowed one 4-minute phone call in order to communicate his present circumstances. He was moved without much warning. No one knows when his situation may change again."
He is now in solitary confinement for 23 1/2 hours per day, in a small cell. He sleeps (at this time) on the concrete floor. A guard has provided him with part of a “Good News for Modern Man” Bible. He has nothing else, as far as we know. There are conflicting reports from the new facility on whether or not he can receive visitors. He has had a very limited “approved visitors” list up until now.
His new address:
Kent Hovind #06452-017
FCI Marianna
PO Box 7007
Marianna, FL. 32447
USA
=====
Letters and postcards can be sent. No food; no hardbound books; no CDs or DVDs; do not put “Dr.” in front of his name. All mail is opened and checked in front of guards.
Paul Abramson
Prison officials have given the family two different reasons. One is that it is for his own protection as the new location houses many more violent offenders. The other is that he had violated some rule(s) at the old location. At this time CSE does not know for sure, and this much was not learned until after he had been moved. Dr. Hovind was allowed one 4-minute phone call in order to communicate his present circumstances. He was moved without much warning. No one knows when his situation may change again."
May 7, 2007
Francis Beckwith originally planned to hide news of his return to Catholic beliefs
What a sad case Francis Beckwith is. He even tries to blame unknown Protestants for his desire to hide his return to Catholocism.
1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
May 5, 2007
"Why I Left the Roman Catholic Church"
Author's note: Growing up on the south side of St. Louis, I was a part of the St. Pius V Roman Catholic parish on Grand Avenue. I received my confirmation and first holy communion in the mid-1960's and attended the grade school on Utah street. It was in this parish that I made my first confession and penance. My knowledge of the Catholic faith, its sacraments, and dogmas were first revealed to me in grade school.
* * * * *
By the time I reached junior high school, I was having a real problem with sin. Being Roman Catholic, I would attend confession, do penance and then before much time had elapsed, sin again. I really wanted to be good and the thought of going to Hell, or at best, purgatory really bothered me. I remember lying awake at night wondering if I were really a Christian or not, worried I might go to Hell or purgatory if I died during the night. I recalled hearing the priest call the people of our parish "Christians". When I heard that during mass, I leaned over and asked my mother, "Am I a Christian? Is that what I am?"..........snip, please follow link.
* * * * *
By the time I reached junior high school, I was having a real problem with sin. Being Roman Catholic, I would attend confession, do penance and then before much time had elapsed, sin again. I really wanted to be good and the thought of going to Hell, or at best, purgatory really bothered me. I remember lying awake at night wondering if I were really a Christian or not, worried I might go to Hell or purgatory if I died during the night. I recalled hearing the priest call the people of our parish "Christians". When I heard that during mass, I leaned over and asked my mother, "Am I a Christian? Is that what I am?"..........snip, please follow link.
May 4, 2007
Mormon Mitt Romney to give commencement address at Pat Robertson's Regent University
Mormon Mitt Romney to give commencement address at Pat Robertson's Regent
"The former Massachusetts governor is to give the commencement address Saturday at Robertson's Regent University in Virginia,...""Yet the many people who seek spiritual guidance from Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network and its Web site will find Romney's Mormon faith listed as a cult.[Because it is.]"The State, Columbia, SC 5/4/07
Mormonism is a false religion that believes in baptism for the dead.
"
(From Steve Lefemine)
"The former Massachusetts governor is to give the commencement address Saturday at Robertson's Regent University in Virginia,...""Yet the many people who seek spiritual guidance from Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network and its Web site will find Romney's Mormon faith listed as a cult.[Because it is.]"The State, Columbia, SC 5/4/07
Mormonism is a false religion that believes in baptism for the dead.
"
Head of the Evangelical Theological Society Francis Beckwith Turns turncoat and becomes Catholic
Dr. Francis Beckwith Returns To Full Communion With The Church A "positive" Catholic view of this apostasy.
A better view. Head of the Evangelical Theological Society Swims the Tiber "Let's ponder the [now non-hypothetical] situation of a President of the Evangelical Theological Society converting to Roman Catholicism in the midst of his tenure.
A better view. Head of the Evangelical Theological Society Swims the Tiber "Let's ponder the [now non-hypothetical] situation of a President of the Evangelical Theological Society converting to Roman Catholicism in the midst of his tenure.
May 3, 2007
Indian farmers braced for rat plague
Indian farmers braced for rat plague
"BFTW also noted that killing rats is psychologically difficult for many Hindus, since rats actually are deified. According to those beliefs, a god of prosperity is portrayed riding a giant rat, BFTW said."
"BFTW also noted that killing rats is psychologically difficult for many Hindus, since rats actually are deified. According to those beliefs, a god of prosperity is portrayed riding a giant rat, BFTW said."
May 2, 2007
Vatican calls verbal attack on Pope "terrorism"
Vatican calls verbal attack on Pope "terrorism"
By Robin Pomeroy
ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican's official newspaper accused an Italian comedian on Wednesday of "terrorism" for criticizing the Pope and warned his rhetoric could fuel a return to 1970s-style political violence.
In an unusually strongly worded editorial, L'Osservatore Romano said a presenter of a televised May Day rock concert, which is sponsored by Italy's labor unions, had launched "vile attacks" on Pope Benedict in front of an "excitable crowd".
"This, too, is terrorism. It's terrorism to launch attacks on the Church," it said. "It's terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life and love for man."
At the concert, held every year in front of the Saint John in Lateran basilica -- Rome's cathedral where Pope Benedict sits as bishop -- one of the presenters, Andrea Rivera, spoke out against the Pontiff's stand on a number of issues.
"The Pope says he doesn't believe in evolution. I agree, in fact the Church has never evolved," he said.
He also criticized the Church for refusing to give a Catholic funeral to Piergiorgio Welby, a man who campaigned for euthanasia as he lay paralyzed with muscular dystrophy. He died in December after a doctor agreed to unplug his respirator.
"I can't stand the fact that the Vatican refused a funeral for Welby but that wasn't the case for (Chilean dictator Augusto) Pinochet or (Spanish dictator Francisco) Franco," he said between musical acts at the open-air concert.
The latest salvo between the Vatican and its critics in Italy comes a few days after the head of Italy's bishops' conference, Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, received a bullet in the post after making comments that his critics say compared homosexuality with incest and pedophilia.
The Osservatore said Rivera's monologue came amid growing anti-clericalism in Italy which included graffiti and Internet messages supporting the Red Brigades, the Marxist group involved in political violence particularly in the 1970s.
"Some people have even twisted (Bagnasco's words) to start an insidious 'war', a new season of tension, which is inspiring those who are looking for motives to return to taking up arms," the newspaper said.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi, a devout Catholic who is backing legislation to give legal rights to unmarried couples, including homosexuals -- a bill opposed by the Church -- called for calm.
"We have to have calm and good sense," he told reporters. "Unfortunately the rhetoric has continuously been getting harsher over recent months. This country doesn't need it."
By Robin Pomeroy
ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican's official newspaper accused an Italian comedian on Wednesday of "terrorism" for criticizing the Pope and warned his rhetoric could fuel a return to 1970s-style political violence.
In an unusually strongly worded editorial, L'Osservatore Romano said a presenter of a televised May Day rock concert, which is sponsored by Italy's labor unions, had launched "vile attacks" on Pope Benedict in front of an "excitable crowd".
"This, too, is terrorism. It's terrorism to launch attacks on the Church," it said. "It's terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life and love for man."
At the concert, held every year in front of the Saint John in Lateran basilica -- Rome's cathedral where Pope Benedict sits as bishop -- one of the presenters, Andrea Rivera, spoke out against the Pontiff's stand on a number of issues.
"The Pope says he doesn't believe in evolution. I agree, in fact the Church has never evolved," he said.
He also criticized the Church for refusing to give a Catholic funeral to Piergiorgio Welby, a man who campaigned for euthanasia as he lay paralyzed with muscular dystrophy. He died in December after a doctor agreed to unplug his respirator.
"I can't stand the fact that the Vatican refused a funeral for Welby but that wasn't the case for (Chilean dictator Augusto) Pinochet or (Spanish dictator Francisco) Franco," he said between musical acts at the open-air concert.
The latest salvo between the Vatican and its critics in Italy comes a few days after the head of Italy's bishops' conference, Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, received a bullet in the post after making comments that his critics say compared homosexuality with incest and pedophilia.
The Osservatore said Rivera's monologue came amid growing anti-clericalism in Italy which included graffiti and Internet messages supporting the Red Brigades, the Marxist group involved in political violence particularly in the 1970s.
"Some people have even twisted (Bagnasco's words) to start an insidious 'war', a new season of tension, which is inspiring those who are looking for motives to return to taking up arms," the newspaper said.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi, a devout Catholic who is backing legislation to give legal rights to unmarried couples, including homosexuals -- a bill opposed by the Church -- called for calm.
"We have to have calm and good sense," he told reporters. "Unfortunately the rhetoric has continuously been getting harsher over recent months. This country doesn't need it."
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