Old Taylor Outlook

Introducing... Mary Grace!

2005-10-24T08:59:00.000-05:00

Mary Grace Noel was born on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 at 4:35 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20" long. She has a head full of dark hair and loves looking around - especially at her adoring big brother. Her doting parents are ecstatic and tired (especially Mom). She came home from the hospital on Thursday and both she and Christie and doing well.

More pictures will follow soon...

"The City Beautiful" drastically altered

2005-09-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

Destruction in Laurel from Katrina, per the Clarion Ledger. Read the whole article by clicking here. For those of you who have never visited Laurel, it is (or, was) liberally peppered with beautiful trees, tree-lined streets and numerous parks/arboretums. I haven't been back since well before the hurricane and, to be honest, I am not looking forward to going back. Every single Laurelite that I have spoken with has warned me that the city has been drastically changed. The canopy of live oaks and pine trees that seemed to hover over almost every street has been decimated. Truly, truly sad.

It's starting...

2005-09-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

It's starting. Some Rebel fans are starting to call Coach O's bluff. A few are calling for his head. Too early? Is one bad season too soon to start looking for a replacement? Tell that to Scruggs, Boone, Khayat and Associates. One was enough for them to justify kicking Cutcliffe out, wasn't it?

To be fair, the season is still young. Who knows where any team will stand in the end. But you've gotta think that Scruggs et al aren't the only ones kicking themselves about now. I'm sure Coach O is just as sad that he left the no. 1 college football program in the country.

I've always said you should never trust a trial lawyer, ESPECIALLY not to pick your football coaches... Exactly how many football teams has Dickie Scruggs play on? Oh yeah, none. But I suppose unlimited $$$ suddenly gives him mysterious powers of athletic discernment...

The notion of sacrifice under the New Covenant...

2005-09-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

"You learn something new every day." It's cliche', perhaps, but I not only believe it, I also believe we should try our hardest to make this phrase a "self-fulfilling prophecy." Of course, this is an easy standard that I've imposed on myself, being that I have to learn something new every day (its called graduate school).

Anyway, I just found this article about Julian the Apostate's attempt to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem during his reign (361-63). While Julian is best known for his attempt to reinstate official recognition of the old Roman pantheon, whose worship had been repressed since the reign of Constantine the Great, I didn't realize that he took his attempts to discredit Christianity to the length of making an attempt to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem.

He thought of himself as the restorer of the Empire's "true" pagan faith. He abandoned the beardless look of military rulers such as Constantine, hoping, I suppose, that a full beard would earn him credit as the "philosopher-king" he supposed himself to be. His reign, however, would be short-lived and his lasting influence on the faith of his subjects would be fleeting.

"The heart of Old Covenant worship ended abruptly and violently in 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple," writes Thomas Nash.

"Almost 300 years later, the Roman Emperor Julian set out to refute Christ and His New Covenant .... His plan? Rebuild the Temple and re-institute its Old Covenant sacrifices, thus nullifying Christ’s words in Matthew 24:1-2. The 'gates of hell' would thereby not only prevail against Christ’s Church (cf. Mt 16:18), but against Christ Himself."

This is a pretty good article, definately worth a quick read. "Sacrifice is a concept appropriate only for the time before Christ," you say? "Sacrifice and the notions of 'right' and 'wrong' ways to offer it are purely Old Covenant ideas, we have no room for such outmoded thinking under the New Covenant," you complain. Ahhh, but we must not forget the truthfullness of the adage that the New Testament (and Covenant) lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament (and Covenant) is unveiled in the New. (Cf. St. Augustine, Quaest. in Hept. 2,73:PL 34,623; Cf. DV 16.)

Anyway, I am nothing more than an ametuer when it comes to theology (and a poor one at that). I simply found the history of Julian's attempt to rebuild the Temple to be fascinating. Of course, his attempt was unsuccessful. Why? One may chalk it up to divine intervention if one were so inclined. I am so inclined. Click here to read the whole article: Divinely Planned Obsolescence.

And nearly a month later...

2005-09-26T07:10:00.000-05:00

Its been almost a month since my last post, convincingly ridding this blog of any sense of "regularity" when it comes to posting. Hey, school, work, etc. - I've gotten a little busy and blogging has fallen by the wayside in the bustle that is life. But, I've made a personal resolution to return to a regular routine of posting my random thoughts and useless weblinks because my regular readers deserve it... both of them.

We've weathered Katrina and are drying out from Rita's outer-bands. In a hurricane season that has just about exhausted the season's storm names, I, for one, and simply thankful that I haven't lost any friends or relatives. Granted, I have friends and relatives who have lost all but their lives, but in the strange aftermath of Katrina's unprecedented devestation, I consider them fortunate.

The sweet bonds of marriage and responsibilities of parenthood often keep me from even giving credence to the good intentions that often crowd my head in trying times. My longing to join the National Guard in the wake of 9/11 turned to nothing more than a longing. And in the days after Katrina hit, I did not leave Oxford; deciding instead to cowtow to fears of gas shortages and to my own "more pressing" immediate responsibilities here at home. So, I must admit a sense of admiration that I feel for those who dropped everything and headed south to help. My cousin, Neill, loaded up his truck with supplies and made at least two trips to our storm-ravaged hometown of Laurel within a week of the storm (God bless him). Laurel may not have made the national news, but Katrina was still a category 3 hurricane when she barreled directly through the piney woods of the Free State of Jones... from all accounts, the "City Beautiful" has been forever changed.

I have some pics that were taken by a highschool friend of mine and some of his buddies who loaded up "6 chainsaws, 5 coolers, 180 gallons of gas, 1 12 gauge, 2 .40's with hollow tips, 1 baseball bat, 15 cases of water, shovels, axes, splitters, and plenty of food" and headed from Oxford to the Gulf Coast to help out. I've tried to post some of them on here, but can't figure out how. If you want to see them, drop me an email and I'll forward them to you. God bless 'em.

'Hell on earth'

2005-08-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

Please pray for our fellow citizens in Louisiana and here in Mississippi who are suffering through the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Words like "devestation," "catastrophic," and "horrendous" have found association with this awesome force of nature. One news agency has reported that Gulfport, Miss. is being "dismantled" by storm.
Please remember that there are people, pets and property that are in need of our fervent prayers. Please pray especially for my sister Deborah and her husband Tim who are "riding it out" in Jackson County (where the above picture was taken).

St. Lawrence, pray for us

2005-08-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

August 10, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar - St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr

Byzantine Calendar - St. Laurence, Archdeacon and Holy Martyr of Rome

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Today the Church celebrates the "heavenly birthday" of St. Lawrence, a deacon in the Church at Rome who was martyred for the faith in the third century. Of course, when we Christians use the term martyr, we use it only for those who willingly and honorably gave up their lives instead of giving up their faith; those who chose to follow the example of Jesus in the most extreme manner - by submitting themselves to the cross handed them.

Such selfless action is far removed from the actions of the only "martyrs" who make the evening news these days: suicide bombers, jihaadists and others who commit suicide and murder innocent people for the advancement of their degenerate "faith." What motivates the actions of these modern-day "martyrs?" Are such actions driven by love and altruistic attitudes? Hardly. Such actions are driven by hatred and by a selfish eternal ambition jaded by concerns for friends and family members and colored with very fleshly desires (for eternal riches and glory and the eternal company of 70 virgins[!!!]). Such are the only "martyrs" the media today concerns itself with.

The Church today and we as individual Christians are challenged to live faith lives worthy of the example of martyrs such as St. Lawrence. Are we doing a good job of it? Sometimes, frankly, it is painfully clear that we are not. All too often, we decline to take a stand against the world which killed Lawrence. We choose, instead, to adopt their ways, their viewpoints and their ethics - even when these ways, viewpoints and ethics are diametrically opposed to reason, natural order and, most importantly, to the God-revealed truth which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" is obviously the motto of one particular parish I've come across on the web. St. Joan of Arc parish in Minneapolis is full of that "adopt the world" attitude. From their burgeoning and "affirming" gay, lesbian and bisexual "suppport group" (which has an emphasized outreach to gay and lesbian youth, in case you weren't already uncomfortable), to the parish's annual performance of Cabaret (such a wholesome, family musical), this parish is got enough creature comforts to make even the most finicky secularist feel right at home. It's enough to make you gag.

St. Lawrence, pray for us.

That's a big priest...

2005-08-09T11:35:00.000-05:00

August 9, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Virgin and Martyr

Byzantine Calendar - St. Matthias, Apostle

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Yesterday's post touched on changes in the newly revised Roman Missal. I didn't include a link to info about the changes. Here's an oldie but a goody: Bishops defer decision on Missal adaptations.

It also occurs to me that in the title of a previous post, I may have insinuated that all football players are thugs. I stand by that assertion. But being thuggish is not always a bad thing. It can lead to greater things off the football field. For instance, the guy above went from the football field to the seminary; gave up a promising career in professional football (and all the money and women that can include), to take priestly vows. Here's his story.

To further prove that thuggishness is not innately evil, try having a Phat Mass. And if that doesn't work, you could always rap about the Bible.

Now, if you've got alot of time on your hands and are into using and/or refuting "proof texts," you may want to check out the following link, which makes an argument that tithing is unscriptural under the New Covenant. I'm not taking sides, just providing a little something to stoke the embers of debate...

If you want to raise your bloodpressure and, possibly, lose your lunch, this link is for you. And if that's not enough, try stomaching the video of the now-infamous Harry Belafonte interview in which he claims that Jews were high-ranking members of Hitler's regime and where he calls African American cabinet members in the Bush administration "black tyrants." You'll need some Mylanta after this one...

Why World Youth Day isn't so great...

2005-08-08T21:11:00.000-05:00

August 8, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar - St. Dominic, priest

Byzantine Calendar - St. Emelian the Confessor

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World Youth Day was instituted by Pope John Paul II in an effort to provide a forum for Catholic youth from around the world to gather together and re-energize their faith. I was talking with someone the other day about this event and, in the course of the discussion, the person (who would know) pointed out what should have been obvious to me: World Youth Day is little different than almost any other large youth gathering - too many horomones to be very holy.

I guess it's a trade-off, when you think about it. I mean, here you have tens of thousands of young people brought together to focus on Christ. In the midst of these, you have many, many genuine conversions of heart and many wonderful and santifying moments of grace in which many of the kids participate. But I am fairly certain that, in the same multi-day gathering, many of these kids are presented with opportunities for (at the very least) near occassions of sin that they would not have faced without attending such an event. I suppose it is up to each youth and their parents to weigh factors such as maturity and chaperone-quality before deciding if an event such as World Youth Day is for them or not.

Of course, with an event as big as World Youth Day, your gonna attract alot of unwanted attention. Every liberal Catholic group with an agenda is willing to dish out money and man-power to reach impressionable youths attending this event. Ohhh yeahh. The pro-aborts and the pro-gay marriage folks will be in Cologne in force. You can bet on that. Let's just hope that they are kept at a distance from all the "official" events.

Changes are a comin'...

2005-08-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

August 7, Anno Domini 2005
Roman Calendar - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Byzantine Calendar - Afterfeast of the Transfiguration
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Things are changing in the Catholic Church in America in the areas of liturgy and sacrament. First of all, a new missal is in the works. It was released by Rome some time ago, but the ICEL (International Conference for the English-use Liturgy) is still hammering out an English translation that is satisfactory to both the bishops in English speaking countries and to the Holy See. Some predict it could be up to two years (!) before the new missal is implented in American dioceses.

Secondly, there is a small but growing trend in dioceses in the U.S. (and abroad). The Diocese of Phoenix is the latest diocese to implement new guidlines instructing priests to administer the sacrament of Confirmation to children immediately before their first reception of the Eucharist (around the age for second grade) instead of years after their First Communion, in adolecense (Full story here). This development is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is not an innovation but rather a restoration of the ancient (and correct) order for the administration of the sacraments of initiation. For over a millenium, western (Catholic) Christian children were received into the Church in the same manner that they were received into the Eastern Church - in a single ceremony of initiation which included their reception of (in this order) Baptism, Confirmation (aka Chrismation) and the Eucharist. (Yes, even infants were Confirmed and received Communion). It is something of an accident of history and geography that deferred Confirmation became the norm in the western Church. In the wake of Vatican II and the renewed interest in matters of liturgy and sacrament that the council fostered, many bishops have begun to make an effort at restoration of the more ancient (and most theologians would argue, more correct) order of initiation within their dioceses.

I'd be interested to get y'all's opinions on these developments...

Happy Birthday, Christie!

2005-08-06T08:09:00.000-05:00

August 6, Anno Domini 2005
Roman: Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ
Byzantine: Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ
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Today is an important day on the Church calendar, commemorating Christ's transfiguration on Mount Tabor before his three closest disciples: Peter, James and John. But today is also an important day for me because it is Christie's birthday. So, I've decided to skip posting a meaningful reflection on the mystery of the Transfiguration, or anything else, in order to spend a few more minutes with my wife who deserves to have the very best birthday anyone could hope for.

Thugs squared

2005-08-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

August 5, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar - Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major

Byzantine Calendar - Forefeast of the Transfiguration of Christ

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College football teams compared to rappers - Ole Miss is paired with Jurassic 5, "Obsessed with tradition, good for a party, exclusively white fan base. Also not taken particularly seriously by anybody." Mississippi State gets coupled with Ja Rule, with the comments: "Once viewed as a legitimate thug presence, were quickly murked from about ten different angles before they could even blink. The fact that anything remotely successful became of their 2004 (UF, "New York, New York") is something of a minor miracle. Have a LOOOOOONG way to go before they can clap back at anyone." Pretty funny stuff.

Comment.... please...

2005-08-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

I've been doing this blog for a few months now. In my opinion, some of my posts have been better than others. Sometimes I've posted something you care about, and alot of the time, I've posted something that makes you wonder why I wasted my time posting it. I know that over the past few months, I've gained readers and lost readers. But by now, most of you who have stuck with me have come to realize that the content of most of my posts falls into four fairly consistent categories:
- Faith
- Current events/politics
- Family/friends
- Stupid/funny stuff

Now, up to this point, I have generated close to a hundred posts and, since late May, nearly 1,000 visitors have dropped by Old Taylor Outlook. In contrast, there have been no more than a dozen comments left. For those of you who may not be familiar with blogging (maybe this is the first and/or only blog you ever have or do visit), you oughtta know that my posts (however bad or good they may be) are only half of what should be on the blog each day. Blogs are so much more enjoyable to read if you can peruse through the comments left on each post and give your input.

At the bottom of each post, there's a convenient link labeled "Comments." So, I have a favor to ask of you. Every day, after you've glanced at the posts, please click there and leave a comment (or two, or three...). That's what makes blogging fun: the discussion generated on the comment boards.

Go ahead, tell me something that I posted sucked. Or, tell me it was great. Let me know that you think I'm an idiot - just leave comments. THAT is how I get to know my readers and find out what they like and don't like. THAT is how you express your opinion on the topic at hand. And, THAT is 50% of the blog.

I figured, "Hey, what better way to inaugurate this new era of comment-posting, than by bringing up a controversial topic: Christians and the Death Penalty.

Where do you stand, and why? Of course if I want you to talk about it, it's only fair that I put in my two cents worth on the topic.

I, myself, am against the death penalty. Why? Well, I believe that it is unjust for the government to take a person's life in retribution and/or revenge. I know that's a hard statement to swallow in today's climate of suicide bombers and global Jihad, but the stability and longevity of our form of government and system of justice are dependent upon our shiftless commitment to fairness. I believe that justice should be blind and dispassionate; that government is established to control human passions such as revenge, not to enable them or act on them.

Now, I recognize that there are times and situations in society where capital punishment could (and should) be utilized. I think Locke had some pretty good ideas in his assessment that the preeminent purpose of a government is to protect the life, liberty and property of her citizens. The men who built our government favored Lockian thought as well. They designed our government largely on the principal that government exists to defend the most basic rights of her citizens. In line with this, it seems perfectly justifiable that the government can repress the liberty and/or property of one who has threatened the life, liberty and/or property of his or her fellow citizen (think prison time and property seizure). Life, however, being the preeminent and foundation's right (because upon it are dependent all other rights), should be the right most vigorously defended by the government and, relationally, the right most difficult for the government to take away from her citizens.

The right of a guilty party to life is a sacred and immutable right that should be taken away only when there is no other way to protect the lives of others - when the safety of society necessitates capital punishment. But this situation is extreme and, in my opinion, incompatible with our modern situation. Liberty and property are transitory and replaceable. Life is different. It is neither transitory nor replaceable. If a mistake is made and a person's property is seized, that property can be returned. If a mistake is made a person's liberty is taken, and they are imprisoned, they can be released and their liberty returned. But, if a mistake is made and someone's life is taken, there is no going back.

Since "life" is the foundation's right upon which all others are founded, it is necessary that it be guarded with the upmost care by the government. The truly just government, to prevent leviathan-like tendencies, is justified in taking the life of her citizens (or of the citizens of other countries; i.e. war) when - and only when - the person (or persons) whose life they are taking provides a serious and real threat to the life or lives of other people. However (and this is where modernity comes into play), if the government can prevent the potential-or-actual murderer from taking the lives of others by any means besides killing him or her, than it has a responsibility to do so. In other words, my view is that a just government should take someone's life only if that is the only way to protect the lives of others.

Peter Kreeft sums up my long-held view on the subject: "In most modern societies, defensive war is still necessary to repel foreign aggressors, but capital punishment is not; life imprisonment in secure prisons without parole is sufficient to protect society."

So that's my opinion, greatly condensed. Now, it's your turn. My self-created target is now in place. Fire away... the comment board is always open. ;-)

Thursday stuff...

2005-08-04T08:12:00.000-05:00

August 4, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar: St. John Vianney, priest (+ 1859)

Byzantine Calendar: Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus, martyrs

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News to roll your eyes about:

- Professor: English the language of White "Oppressors"; Ebonics superior to tongue of White Devils - I know somebody who must be applying for the Louis Farrakhan professorship...

- Methodist Church hosts Native American trauma seminar - To be hosted by Maria Yellow Horse Braveheart (no, seriously)

I'll do another, longer post later today...

Inspiring news stories

2005-08-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

August 3, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar - Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Byzantine Calendar - Isaacius, Dalmatus, & Faustus, Ascetics

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Sorry for the short post. Here are links to a couple of stories in the news today that I thought were rare examples of selfless devotion to principle; stories to inspire us anti-cynics:

- Student turns down ACLU scholarship - A rare ethical gem in a generation of shifting silt...
- Brain dead woman dies after giving birth - What can be said? May the Lord grant her rest and bless her grieving family, especially the daughter who now bears her name...

Would you like a caliphate with that?

2005-08-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

August 2, Anno Domini 2005

Roman Calendar - Memorial, St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop (+ 371)

Byzantine Calendar - Translation of the Relics of Stephen the Protomartyr

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Now-Pope Benedict has been saying it for years, along with many others: Western Europe is abandoning the Christian faith at an alarming pace. And at an equally alarming pace is the growth of Islam on the continent. This growth is especially evident in France. The country that encapsulates the high-water mark of Islamic conquest of the eighth century is today, nearly 1300 years later, slowly becoming a place where Muslims dominate the arena of faith. You don’t believe me? Aside from polling data and expert opinion (which have boldly predicted that within my lifetime France will be home to more practicing Muslims than practicing Christians), you get new stories like the recent controversy over the wearing of Islamic headscarves by female students in French public schools and, now, it seems even the fast food industry is evolving to meet the growing needs of French Muslims. Check out this story: Burger King goes Halaal.

Make of it what you will, but I make of it just another example of the failure of secularism to fill an important role in society – the role of faith. Western European secularists have spent the years since World War II rejecting the faith that is their heritage. But even in all their decadence and proud rejection of traditional faith and values, Western Europeans (like all humans), as well as the societies they construct, will always have to contend with a void that can only be filled with faith. To badly paraphrase St. Augustine, we humans have an innate God-shaped hole in our hearts. Until we fill it with Him, we will always, always, search and never find satisfaction.

History is testament to the fact that a completely secular and godless society cannot exist; faith will always find a way. In doing their best to thwart, ridicule and ignore the Christian faith in Western Europe, the countries’ leaders have diminished and actively suppressed the role of Christianity in their society. As Muslim immigrants continue to pore into Western European countries and continue to far outpace their native European neighbors (who insist on making a valiant attempt at self-extinction by contraception, abortion and euthanasia) in reproduction, one must ask this question: The Church in Western Europe is dying and secularism directs governmental policy, but at what cost? There will always be faith in Europe. It is up to this present generation to decide whether, in the years to come, that faith will continue to be Christianity or whether the Islamic conquest of Europe which began so long ago will finally benefit from having 1300 years worth of patience.

Getting a quick post in...

2005-08-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

August 1, Anno Domini 2005

Roman calendar - Memorial, St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor (+ 1787)

Byzantine calendar - First day of the Fast of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos

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China arrests Mass attendees - Where is the outrage? Where are the protests? Why do we continue to silently and passively ignore the repression and intolerance perpetrated by this regime? Richard Gere, where are you? Or is persecution against Christians in China not enough to bother speaking out against?

Wait.... I think the US government might be about to make a meaningful protest against.... ohhh, never mind. It was just the sound of wishful thinking...

Poor, poor Episcopalians....

2005-07-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

___________________________________________

July 31, 2005 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
___________________________________________

Mississippi Episcopalian: Bishop Gray, I have a simple question: Is homosexual activity a sin or not?

Gray: WHAT?!? I can't hear you over all the equivocating I'm doing!

It's a crying shame what orthodox, Anglican Christians are having to deal with in this country, in the form of the Episcopal Church, USA heirarchy. The above link is to an editorial by Mississippi's Episocopal bishop, Duncan Gray, which appeared in Saturday's Clarion Ledger. According to Gray, everything's just hunky-dory in the Episcopal Church. He tiringly tows the party line for the ECUSA leadership and drives home their message: that people who hold diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive beliefs on important matters of morality should simply join hands and worship together.

"That nasty part in Church history about the ecumenical councils, anathemas and all that... just sweep that under the rug and smile. You believe what you want and I'll believe what I want. We just won't discuss the fact that its logically impossible for both of us to be 'right.'"

Here's a link to one Episcopalian's spirited response to Gray's piece.

Reminder: I HATE clowns...

2005-07-30T16:32:00.000-05:00

Hometown news that makes me cringe: Laurel celebrates National Clown Week

Aaaarrrrghhhhh.....

No word yet on whether Hoot and Smiley were involved in the infamous "clown Mass of Trinity Sunday"...

Of ordination and oak trees...

2005-07-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

______________________________________________

July 30 - St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop and doctor (+ 450)
______________________________________________

I have not yet found pictures of the "ordination" that took place in Canada last week (although I haven't really looked that hard either). In case you don't know what I'm talking about, it seems that nine women were "ordained" by other women as "priestesses" and "deaconesses" in arrogant protest against the Catholic Church's refusal (or, more correctly, inability) to ordain women. As I've said before, don't blame the Church - she's simply following Jesus' example and God's command, preserved in Holy Tradition and Sacred Scripture, respectively. But regardless, these women consider themselves to be ordained priestesses and deaconesses.

In a related story, I am now an oak tree.

Here's a nice link to a story about one of these soon-to-be-excommunicated idiots:
- 'Ordained' Woman is Pro-Abortion Religion Professor at Catholic University of San Diego

And now, for an interesting story about a legitimate ordination to the Catholic priesthood:
- From Anglican to married Catholic priest

"The law of action and reaction"

2005-07-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

One more post on Islam (before there's a fatwah issued, calling for my head)...

This is an exerpt from a debate between two Muslims, one (Wafa Sultan) a psychologist from Los Angeles and the other, Dr. Ahmad Bin Muhammad, an Algerian professor of religious politics. Al-Jazeera TV aired this debate on July 26, 2005. She rightly labels the tired excuse of the Crusades as a justification for Islamic violence "the law of action and reaction," reminding her colleague that the Crusades were launched only as a reaction to the abuses of the Muslims in the Holy Land.

You can watch the whole, televised debate here. Let's just say that Bin Muhammad, who seems to be defending Islamic terrorism, gets ripped a new one by someone who shares his faith. (It's about time.)

In response to those who downplay the violence in Islam by bringing up the Crusades, Sultan gives this classic (and stinginly accurate) answer:

"Murder is terrorism regardless of time or place, but when it is committed as a decree from Allah, this is another matter...
"The Crusader wars about which the professor is talking – these wars came after the Islamic religious teachings, and as a response to these teachings. This is the law of action and reaction. The Islamic religious teachings have incited to the rejection of the other, to the denial of the other, and to the killing of the other. Have they not incited to the killing of Jews and Christians? If we had heard that a tribe in a distant corner of China has a holy book and religious teachings calling to kill Muslims – would the Muslims stand idly by in the face of such teachings?

"The Crusader wars came after these Islamic religious teachings. When these Islamic teachings were delivered, America did not exist on the face of the earth, nor was Israel in Palestine..."

And now...

2005-07-29T08:12:00.000-05:00

_____________________________________________
Friday, July 29 -Memorial of Saint Martha, Virgin

"Martha welcomed [Jesus] as travelers are welcomed. But in her case, the maidservant received her Lord, the creature her Creator, to serve him bodily food while she was to be fed by the Spirit." - From a sermon by St. Augustine
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...things that make you go "hmmmm...":

Sen. Frist now supporting embryonic stem cell research - Can't you just hear it: "Let's see, a majority of Americans support embryonic stem cell research. I'm eyeing a presidential run in '08... What could I do to set myself apart from the other Republicans?... Aha! Embryo's can't vote! Who cares if I tick them off?" ... Deeply disappointing.
A guide to all the breakfast cereals of the 1980's - Somebody REALLY needs a constructive hobby...
Something for Brits with attitude...
Ummm.... not so good for the city's public relations - Be sure to catch next week's housing projects minstrel show... Uncle Tom say: "It be soooo funny!"

"...that they may be one..."

2005-07-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

Thursday, July 28 - St. Leopold Mandic, priest

Today is the feast day of St. Leopold Mandic. He was a Franciscan priest who died in 1941. Because of his dedication to the cause of reunion between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, he is an appropriate example for all of us who hope constantly reapproachment. We should all join Jesus' prayer that His Church "may be one" (cf. Jn 17:1-11).

Recent news stories on reapproachment:
Pope intent on reaching out
No End to the Schism?
Catholic-Russian Orthodox dialogue proceeds slowly

Ramblings on Islam...

2005-07-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, June 27th - Ss. Natalie, Aurelius and George, Martyrs

Today is the feast day of Ss. Natalie, Aurelius and George, who were all martyred for their faith by the Muslim authorities in Spain during the so-called "Moorish Occupation" in the ninth century. Bear in mind the fact that Spain was Christian for centuries before forcibly "converted" to Islam "by the sword" in the eighth century. In fact, by 733, the Muslim conquest reached its high water mark - Poitiers, France! Only after suffering defeat at the hands of Charles Martel did the Muslims retreated back into Spain and established an Islamic caliphate on the Iberian Peninsula that lasted well into the sixteenth century.

The Muslims remained in Spain until the threat was finally and definitively removed when a Muslim fleet of ships was defeated on the first Sunday of October in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. The Christian fleet was victorious against overwhelming odds and the sailors attributed their victory to the intercession of Our Lady. That is why, to this day, October 6 is celebrated in the western Church as a feast dedicated to the honor of Our Lady of the Rosary.

As stated earlier, Spain, of course, had been Christian for centuries before being invaded by adherents of the "peaceful religion" of Islam. Come to think of it, before that, all of the Mediterranean (including Egypt and North Africa) had been Christianized since at least the second century. Even outside the Roman Empire, into the Persian Empire that is now the Middle East, the Church thrived. It is only after the spread of Islam that the Christians in these areas were forcibly converted. Even today, in most Muslim countries a person can be killed, by law, for apostacizing away from Islam.

And people wonder why some people have a hard time thinking of Islam as a religion of peace...

Here's the link to another person's explosive thoughts on this same topic.
And, to be fair, here's the link to a story about a group of Muslims who "get it."

And now for something a little less serious...

2005-07-27T07:51:00.000-05:00

I know that it seems like I've lost my sense of humor on this blog. My last few posts have been pretty boring if you're not into news, politics, religion or my personal life. So, for those of you who just want to see something silly, I humbly present for your approval the following:

- Amish teen takes a walk on the wild side - "Please step out of the carriage, sir."
- Man reports stolen pot - Hey, I couldn't make up stupidity like this.
- Getting a DUI in a broken-down car - And you thought you were having a bad day.
- "Hey, what ever happened to that cop from the Village People?" - Here's your answer.
- I knew there was something bad about Hasselhoff - ... but this?
- Google Maps' new satellite imagery gives one man a purpose in life.
- "Get your kids a limo for prom night, so they'll be safe." - Not with this driver.
- The evolution of the Willie Wonka haircut.
- Blinging with the VHS - I've gotta bid on this.
- Peter Griffen does not live - Darn. I guess it was too good to be true.
- Stryper is back!!! - Yes!
- Pedro, you've been served.

One more trip back to Bethany...

2005-07-25T07:19:00.000-05:00

The Bethany House situation has resolved itself with the Mississippi branch of the organization changing its policy amidst national and local pressure to accept Catholic parents as "Christians," allowing Mississippi Catholic parents to join other Christians in providing much-needed loving homes to children in need of adoption. Because my cousin rightly called me on my hastily-constructed and emotional response to the original situation (trust me, I am the "some Catholics" he refers to in this post), let me clarify my problem with the now-defunct anti-Catholic policy that prevented countless Catholic families from adopting children through Bethany House.

Hey, I admit it - I got served by my cousin on the "tax money" thing (and I thanked him for keeping me on my toes and not letting me off the hook). I insinuated that I had a problem that Bethany House received "tax money" (through the sale of "Choose Life" license plates) because they were discriminatory in their placement of children. I agree with my cousin that religiously-based organizations should be allowed to practice their religion (no matter how bigoted that religion may be). He's right when he states that "[I]f someone is concerned about to whom the money they freely spend on their specialty tags is given, they should look into the matter before they purchase the tag, not after." This is true and negates my ability to gripe about my money going to Bethany House. They are only one of many groups which receive a percentage of the "Choose Life Foundation"'s earnings through cartag sales in Mississippi. If I was attempting to weigh the good v. Evil in buying a "Choose Life" tag with the knowledge that a specifically anti-Catholic group would receive a percentage of the money, I would probably still opt to buy the tag because of the positive, in my conscience, outweighs the negative.

I do not, however, back off from my disgust at the policy that brought well-deserved attention to this situation. It is disconcerting, to say the least, that a main-line "Christian" adoption agency could operate in good conscience with an officially adopted policy that is blatantly and virulently anti-Catholic. Distressingly, I sensed apathy (at best) and endorsement (at worst) for such belief and policy in the non-action of MANY Mississippi Protestants to the Bethany story.

I used the word bigotry for this policy because I believe that that's what was embodied in the policy in question. In my opinion, the use of a "statement of faith" by the group was an attempt to use "theology" was as a thin veil for plain, old-fashioned anti-Catholic bigotry that would put a smile on the face of any Klansman. My cousin himself admitted that "many Christians of mainline denominations would also be disqualified by Bethany's statement of faith." This is true, but they weren't targeted - Catholics were, plain and simple. For example, how many Pentecostal couples do you think were turned away after the agency was succinct enough to go past their willingness to sign the "statement of faith," only to discover that they belonged to a "Oneness" Pentecostal church that denies the Trinity as accepted by other Christians? (I'd be willing to bet the answer is none). The truth is that the "statement of faith" required by Bethany was vague enough that an Arian would have had no trouble signing it, not to mention a Mormon. But they weren't targeted- Catholics were.

If "the gap between Roman Catholics and Protestants is simply too wide," what of the gap between Protestants and Orthodox Christians? Oversimplifying the theological differences between Catholics and Protestants as a conflict between "Rome" and the heirs of the 16th century Reformation is doing a grave disservice to the richness and complexity of the issues debated, for such mis-characterization (though common), completely (and conveniently) ignores the fact that nearly all Catholic doctrines which most Protestants reject are also held by the "other lung" of the ancient and undivided Body of Christ - the Eastern Orthodox churches.

The truth of the matter is that the Orthodox churches stand in historic union with their Western sister on a host of ancient deposits of the faith that non-Catholic westerners wrongly label as "Catholic." Would the Mississippi group also decide that Orthodox Christians (though there are only a few thousand in this state) are also not fit to be adoptive parents, or is such an assertion just too complicated and far removed from classic "anti-Papist" tendencies that cannot be overcome?

And, let's not forget that there are plenty of mainstream Protestant churches that Bethany should be concerned with, in choosing potential adoptive parents. I highly doubt that Episcopalian couples were questioned to find out their personal stances on the teachings about human sexuality, juxtaposed against those of the larger Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. How many members of the United Church of Christ or of the Evangelical Lutheran Church have been turned away by Bethany for the same reason? Were members of the United Methodist Church or the Presbyterian Church (USA) turned back for fear that, despite the potential adoptive parents' beliefs and intentions, the children they adopted would be raised in a church which has officially adopted a pro-choice message? Is this getting too complicated? Or was theological consistency a lesser issue than anti-Catholicism? It's easy to be anti-Catholic but hard to be consistent in the supposed reasons behind the anti-Catholicism.

Now that the present issue has passed, I hope against hopes that more of my Protestant brothers and sisters would be outraged in the future when faced with virulent anti-Catholicism. In this case, it is true, all that matters in the end is that children are placed in loving, faith-filled homes. Let us be happy that the potential number of available homes in Mississippi has been increased now that Catholics can once again be known as Christians.

A pearl of great price

2005-07-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Our recent trip to the the beach was great. It was a welcome break from the summer grind. Admittedly, my "grind" is not much of one compared to the hardships endured by many each day, but it is always nice to have the opportunity to stop and take a prolonged look, with the benifit of a different light, at the goodness that surrounds you. It is in those moments which bless us with a hypersensitvity to the small graces which surround us each day - the beauty of creation, the warmth of family and the unmatchable joy of watching children be children. You can never get too much of any of this.

One pretty neat thing about the beach house we stayed in was the over-abundance of large, intact seashells that bejewelled the beach just outside our door each morning. I made a point to wake up extra early one morning just to collect a few of these. As I gathered up shells that morning, I was struck by the realization of what I was collecting - the refuse of the ocean.

We humans are funny like that. When it comes to the ocean, we often find beauty and worth in objects that are nature's waste - the abandoned homes of sea animals we collect as shells and even the carcases of sea animals, such as starfish, sea horses and blowfish are objects of beauty for some. And, of course, their is the most cherished item of ocean waste of all - the pearl.

In today's gospel reading, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a "pearl of great price," which inspires the merchant to go and sell all that he has to buy it. We will sell all and give all for the refuse of the ocean, which is produced ad infinitum by the seas, with little effort. The grace of God is every bit as abundant but is not cheap, yet we often take it for granted and value it little.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famed Lutheran martyr of World War II, wrote about this phenomenon, what he called "the cost of discipleship." He wrote: "Cheap grace" - easy Christianity - "is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace ... Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without Church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

"Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field . . . the pearl of great price . . . the call of Jesus Christ, at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows Him. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, [and] it is costly because it cost God the life of His son -- 'Ye were bought at a great price' -- and what has cost God much, cannot be cheap for us."

It often takes a break from the ordinary for us to reproioritize our outlook and rediscover the abundance of God's grace in our lives - grace that has cost Him much but that we often take for granted, choosing to sell all we have to purchase the physical pearl over the kingdom it represents.

"I have seen the Lord..."

2005-07-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Today is the feast day of St. Mary Magdalen, loyal disciple and friend of our Lord and the first witness to the Resurrection.

Contrary to the factually-flawed opinons of authors like Dan Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code, the new standard in selling historical innaccuracy as "historical fiction"), the Church has long honored St. Mary for her unwavering devotion to Christ and for her role as "the first apostle of the Resurrection," and "the Apostle to the Apostles," as Hippolytus called her.

Though consistently honored by the Church, both East and West, St. Mary has been hijacked by radical anti-clerical feminists and their sympathizers in recent years. On this day, as churches across the Christian world honor her memory and thank God for her example, countless others do her a grave dishonor through their abuse of gnostic, post-apostolic writings and their irrational re-interpretation of history that more often then not leaves almost all mainstream, secular historians scratching their heads.

I felt it necessary to include just a brief post in honor of holy Mary simply because her memory has been slandered and abused by so many in these last few years. She has righltly received honor (never derision) from the Church from the earliest years for her fidelity and fervent faith in the promises of Christ, an example to which all Christians would do well to emulate.

"We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the One she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, shelonged for Him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see Him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tells us: 'Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.'"
- From a homily of Pope St. Gregory the Great

"I ain't mad at ya..."

2005-07-21T08:39:00.000-05:00

This is a very quick, but necessary post...

On Bush's Supreme Court nominee: I joined many others in jumping on the bandwagon of speculation, which is nearly always driven by a blind man in a cliff-prone area and, naturally, went over a cliff. I prematurely commented on Bush's nominee and was wrong not only about who it was but also about the character and fitness of the person I criticized.

After cooling my hot head, I was reminded by Kyle that comments like the one I posted on the merits of Roe are easily taken out of context, especially when given by Fed. Appeals Court judges for whom, after all, Roe is the binding law of the land. (such level-headed thinking is a sure-fire way to tell the difference between a law professor and a law school dropout ;-) ).

I admit that it is unfair to judge the efficacy of a judicial nominee or to make predictions on their judgements in future cases if elevated to the Supreme Court on such comments. My head has cooled and heart softened towards Bush whom I unfairly chastised. The unfairness of my comments were highlighted by his actual nominee. Judge Roberts, from all accounts, seems to be as level-headed and fair-minded a conservative as could be hoped for - exactly what the Court needs.

My previous ranting is hereby retracted (as if anybody cares ;-) ).

Not again...

2005-07-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

Please pray once again for the lovers of freedom in England as it seems that godless murderers have struck again....

Kyrie eleison!

The wait is over...

2005-07-19T13:03:00.000-05:00

It looks as though President Bush has chosen a nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy. He's supposed to announce the name at a press conference tonight at 8:00 p.m. (central). Rumor has it that his choice is Edith Clement, a woman he nominated to the 5th Circuit Court in New Orleans in 2001. We all know that the most important issue surrounding this appointment is the future of the twentieth century's version of the Dred Scott decision - Roe v. Wade. Roe is a horrendous misconstruction of the Constitution and millions of innocent lives are legally taken each year because of it. Most experts agree that Roe is hanging by a judicial thread on the Court, with the balance in favor of Roe being 5-4. O'Connor was number 5 in that equation. Her impending retirement from the Court means that Bush's nominee could potentially sound the death knell for the travesty of unconstitutional injustice that is Roe v. Wade.

But, it looks as if NARAL and Planned Parenthood can breathe a sigh of poisoned relief. Clement is no pro-lifer. She has been quoted as saying that the Supreme Court "has clearly held that the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution includes the right to have an abortion" and that "the law is settled in that regard." While fairness demands an examination of the contexts of such comments, it looks increasingly likely that the President is poised to deal a grave blow to the most consistently-supportive constituincy of his presidency. Bush has made ready use of the vocabulary of the late Pope John Paul II by constantly referring to his personal commitment to building a "culture of life." But it appears as if his words are being drowned out by his actions.

"...Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25)

Keeping an eye on a developing situation...

"I'm back in the saddle again..."

2005-07-19T12:17:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it back from the beach in what turned out to be a very nice vacation. There was virtually no damage from the storm (thank God) and the area was nearly void of vacationers because most had cancelled their plans due to Dennis. The beach house was great and the weather was nearly perfect. John Taber LOVED playing on the beach every day and I LOVED going to sleep each night with the sliding glass door of our bedroom cracked, listening to the waves come in and out. I also LOVED the king-size bed of the room we were in (hey, Christie's 6 months pregnant and I'm not the smallest guy in the world - compared to our full bed at home, this felt like we had our own country to sleep in... it was great).

Thanks to Father Joe, I've been keeping up with the pitiful exploits of the Jack Chick, I mean Jackson, chapter of Bethany Christian Services, a respected national adoption agency. For those of you who haven't been keeping up, it seems that the Mississippi group of Bethany (which, mind you, receives a percentage of the money raised by the state-sanctioned sell of "Choose Life" tags like the one my wife has on her car) discriminates against potential adoptive parents who happen to be Catholic. I've been keeping up with this situation for a while, thanks, once again, to Father Joe, but it has just become news in the last few days (here's the Clarion-Ledger's story about it). Yesiree, I just love it when my tax dollars go to support an organization that would discriminate against me purely on the basis of my religion if I sought their services. I'd love to see a breakdown, by denomination, of the purchasers of the "Choose Life" tags in Mississippi. I wonder how many Catholics are unknowingly providing financial support to a local group that calls itself "Christian" while proudly denying their elder brothers and sisters in the faith the honor of the name.

Vacation on hold?

2005-07-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

We are supposed to be heading down to Fort Morgan, AL this weekend for a week at the beach but Dennis may have other plans... Please keep the peoples of Jamaica and Cuba in your prayers as this storm is heading straight for them.

God Save the Queen

2005-07-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

Our hearts and prayers are with our British friends on this day... Deo Vindice!

Mike Seaver: Anti-Catholic

2005-06-26T14:52:00.000-05:00

"See, it says right here that you need to be born again... you can ignore that part about 'water and Spirit.'"

So what's Kirk Cameron (aka Mike Seaver from the 1980's hit show Growing Pains) up to these days? Well, as some of you may know, Kirk has been a born again Christian since age 17. After Growing Pains, he turned his focus to acting in Christian shows and movies (like the forgettable Left Behind movie). His latest endeavor is a system of television shows and a website centered around street evangelism and sharing the Gospel. While I applaud Mr. Cameron for the sincerity of his faith and for his response to Christ's command to spread the Good News, I am appalled at the blatant anti-Catholicism displayed in his ministry. I caught one of his "Way of the Master" street evangelizing shows once, and, while I admired his tenacity in spreading the Word, I was wholly disheartened when he suggested to a Catholic that, in following Christ, they should leave the Church. Presumably, for Cameron, the only good Catholic is one who has left the Catholic Church.

Living where I do (in Mississippi), I am very used to anti-Catholic rhetoric and sentiment. I'm not whining, just stating a fact. Here, anti-Catholicism is pervasive but usually unspoken. In most Baptist congregations in Mississippi, anti-Catholicism is (usually) not ugly and preachy but is simply understood - taken in with mother's milk. It is a two-part misconception: 1. The New Testament Church was Southern Baptist in all but name, location and ethnic makeup, and 2. Because the Catholic Church is most unlike our church, it is most unlike the New Testament Church and hardly (if at all) worthy of the name "Christian." ("They baptize babies, for crying out loud!") Hey, I understand that such sentiments are cultural much more than malice-driven. But I also understand that Cameron's presupposition about the questionable status of Catholics' eternal salvation is a sentiment that would ring familiar with many of my friends and neighbors.

"The problem is that he is most likely not born again," states one of Cameron's websites when asked about the salvation of a Catholic. "[M]ost likely not born again"? I doubt it.

For centuries, Christians interpreted Christ's words as a reference to the saving effect of baptism. Catholic (and Orthodox) Christians still retain this view. Evangelics use the phrase to refer solely to the internal, conversion experience when a mature person accepts Christ as their personal savior. Truth is, interpreting the phrase (which many translators say is better translated "born from above") as referring solely to an internal conversion is a very new practice. (For more info on Catholics and being "born again," click here.)

What did Jesus say when Nicodemis asked him to clarify his reference to being "born again?" "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). "Water" and "Spirit." This is what happens during baptism. The water is the water of baptism and the Spirit is the Holy Spirit. In baptism, we are "born again" because in the waters of baptism, we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and raised with Him to newness of life (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4).

Cameron's site goes on to explain that "[w]hen he is truly converted, the Holy Spirit will lead him into all truth and away from the error of Roman Catholicism." In light of the Scriptures, it seems that it is not "Roman Catholicism" which is teaching in error.

Report: Vatican, China Will Establish Ties

2005-06-26T13:58:00.000-05:00

"A Chinese Catholic official said Beijing and the Vatican will establish ties..."

While I recognize the danger in taking the Guardian at optimum face value for accuracy, if they're on target with this news, I have to say that I have VERY mixed feelings about this. For those of you who may not be aware, the Chinese government has a serious problem with allowing their citizens basic religious freedom. The Catholic Church in China is basically split into two - the "official" state-approved Catholic Patriotic Association with a government appointed episcopal heirarchy, and the unofficial "underground" Catholic Church, which suffers regular persecution for its loyalty to Rome. The latter counts among its number countless confessors and martyrs.

The practice of Rome has been to support the underground church in China so I'm not sure how, if this news is true, they're planning on establishing official diplomatic ties with a country which has, since its inception, systematically persecuted underground Catholics. Optimism leads me to hope that some serious discussions are underway between Rome and Beijing about allowing the underground church to be absorbed, unfettered, into her above-ground counterpart and, more importanly, about the rampant persecution of Christians behind the Great Wall. This is one developing story that deserves to be closely watched.

Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered...

2005-06-24T07:21:00.000-05:00

... and she gave birth to a son. (Luke 1:57)

Today, the Church celebrates an ancient feast day - the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist. This is one of only three birthdays on the liturgical calendar (the other two being those of Mary and, of course, Jesus). Consider this quote from St. Augustine:

"The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers; but it is significant that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit.
John appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of "the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist." Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents; as a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother's womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother's womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born; it was revealed that he was to be Christ's precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. When John was preaching the Lord's coming he was asked, "Who are you?" And he replied: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness." The voice is John, but the Lord "in the beginning was the Word." John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal."

-from a sermon by Saint Augustine on the birth of John the Baptist

Christian Placed in Mental Hospital for Converting From Islam

2005-06-23T17:01:00.000-05:00

"An Egyptian Christian was released from [a] mental hospital following international pressure over his five-month forcible commitment to the mental hospital, and being charged from apostasy from Islam [sic]..."

"...when asked why he went to church; Mahmoud said he could not stop himself from going there. 'So he started to torture me, to pull off the nails of my toes,' Mahmoud said. 'Now I’m still not able to wear shoes because of the pain.'"

Yeah, and Egypt is considered a "moderate" Islamic country and our ally. Yikes! Above all, this is a reminder that there are still alot of persecuted Christians around the world who are in desperate need of our prayers. Here's a link to the full story: Christian Today > Egypt Release Christian Placed in Mental Hospital for Converting From Islam

A somewhat muted measure of justice...

2005-06-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

The news today that Edgar Ray Killen was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder of three civil rights workers in 1964 was like a breath of fresh air of justice. Though forty years have passed since the senseless slayings and the sense of justice is somewhat dulled by the time it took to be served, I am glad that this man will finally pay for his crime. At his age and in his deteriorated medical condition, this is as good as a life sentence. I say "good riddance to bad rubbish."

More than in any other place in America, the human struggle for self preservation and mutual recognition is embodied in Mississippi. The mineral-rich soil of no other state has soaked up more blood of those martyred for the cause of justice and equality. From Emitt Till to Medgar Evers, the ultimate price was paid by countless individuals in the only currency that an unjust legal structure afforded them - their blood.

Was Mississippi alone in disenfranchisizing blacks and in denying equal justice to individuals on the basis of skin color alone? Not at all. Far beyond the borders of the former Confederacy, racism was institutionalized and pervasive - and still exists. The most racist person I have ever met in my life was from Philadelphia - not Mississippi, but Pennsylvania. Indiana, not Mississippi, became the Klan capital of the U.S. in the early twentieth century. But Mississippi garnered a reputation for violent reaction during the Civil Rights movement. A stigma was applied to the state which to this day creates an irresistable target for those with a myopic view of the South and things Southern. For them, the South is bad and Mississippi is the worst.

Will the Killen verdict swayt the deeply-entrenched opinion of people like these? I doubt it because for them, the South is irredeemable - lost forever in a haze of ignorance, poverty and predjudice. They are so stagnant in their opinions, that they fail to realize that the Mississippi of 2005 is not the Mississippi of 1964. The state has changed. Race relations are as good (I would argue better) in Mississippi than anywhere in the country. Is there room for improvement? Sure, there always is. But here, because, in large measure, blacks and whites live in close proximity - culturally, economically and geographically. - sentiments of connection run far deeper than skin color. Here, mutual respect has grown not by imposition but out of daily interaction and mutual self-interest. The innate culture of gentle hospitality and our value-driven society have placed Mississippi in the sneering and condescending glare of many Americans, who are quick to judge and quicker to criticize. Adversity strengthens bonds and color fades when bonds are strengthend. Such has happened here. In Mississippi today, those who are not too close-minded to look, will find a land of natural beauty and a unique heritage that continues to draw Mississippians together, along with all who appreciate her contributions to America in art, literature, music and self-understanding.

Regardless of yesterday's verdict or today's sentencing, many Americans will continue to describe Mississippi as ignorant, prejudice and hate-filled. But in lieu of the progress that Mississippi has made and the contributions she has shared with the rest of the country, it is these Americans, not Mississippians, who are stuck in the past with their out-dated, prejudicial impressions.

Update

2005-06-23T12:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long time gap between posts. My internet has been down and we've been pretty busy around here. I can't foresee it getting much better during the duration of the summer, but I'm gonna give it the old college try and make a concerted effort to publish at least a couple of posts a week in the coming weeks.

Quick personal schedule update:
- John Taber's been out of town since Father's Day, in Arkansas.
-Christie flys out tomorrow, headed to Myrtle Beach, where she'll meet her parents and John Taber to stay with Sarah for the week.
- I'll be flying up to meet them next weekend.
- The weekend after that, Christie, John Taber and I will head to Fort Morgan for a week-long stay at the beach with my family.
- Oh, and for those of you who don't know yet... it's a GIRL!!! (She should be arriving sometime in mid-October).

Okay. Now it's time to post some more interesting stuff... soon...

Mind-numbingly sick...

2005-06-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

A Kansas City abortionist is out of business after investigators discovered a grisly house of horrors at his clinic – with fetuses kept in Styrofoam cups in his refrigerator and one employee accusing him of microwaving one and stirring it into his lunch ... As for the "procedure room," Howard's partner spotted dried blood on the floor and said the room looked "nasty."

Oh yeah... legalizing abortion has provided women with "clean" and "safe" facilities in which to kill their unborn children. That's what abortion-supporters are concerned with, right? Sanitary conditions for cold-blooded murder? Apparently not:

With Rajanna's case pending, abortion opponents won legislative approval of a bill requiring abortion clinics to obtain an annual license from the Department of Health and Environment, hire surgeons as their medical directors and report patient deaths to the state within a day. The measure also mandated that the department set standards for equipment, medical screenings, ventilation and lighting. But Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, an abortion-rights advocate, vetoed the measure, saying medical professionals – not legislators – should set standards.

Women's Ordination: It's a beautiful thing

2005-06-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

With babes like these, who could be against priestesses?

With the news that a group of women plans to have themselves "ordained" as "Catholic" priestesses on July 25, I began to wonder what they look like. No offense, but for some reason, it seems obvious to me that the mutually exclusive genes for beauty and liberal theology rarely ride on the same sperm. Hey, I call it like I see it - and I don't see any of the above-pictured heroines of the "women's ordination movement" winning any beauty pageants.

Oh, well. Don't worry - I'll comment after these ladies' well-publicized, excommunication-earning waste of time takes place.

"Gee, I'd KILL for a sno-cone about now..."

2005-06-13T10:47:00.001-05:00

Mississippi's really getting a black eye in the press this week.... and it's only Monday. From the start of jury selection for the new "Mississippi Burning" trial to the kid on the coast who killed his dad for not bringing him a sno-cone. No, really. Here's the story. None of the day's news is helping to salve this idiot's ignorance.

Dance like Napoleon...

2005-06-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

Impress your friends. Learn how here.

"For God so loved the world..."

2005-06-03T08:04:00.000-05:00

My favorite image of Jesus' Sacred Heart.

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, when we celebrate the matchless love that Christ has for us - a love that was evident in His life and in His teachings and which was displayed on the altar of the Cross, where He was "lifted up" to "draw all men" unto Himself.

The love of Christ is boundless and perfect - all-encompassing agape. It is mirrored imperfectly in the natural and instinctive love that parents have for their children. This dim reflection of Christ's love is similar to His in certain aspects such as its selfless nature and self-sacrificial tone. I know how much I love John Taber. I know how much my parents love me. It is amazing to think how much more must Christ love us...

Today we go to the doctor for a sonogram. Hopefully, the next entry I post will let you know if God has blessed us with another son or with a daughter. Regardless of whether this new baby is a boy or a girl, one thing is certain - it is already the object of its parents' affections. And, Lord-willing, he or she will be raised to know the perfect love of Christ which we celebrate this day.

For a worthwhile read on the Sacred Heart, click here.

"Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Yours."

O Salutaris Hostia

2005-05-29T20:51:00.000-05:00

"Lo, the sacred Host we hail!" The pope and Our Lord.

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, popularly called Corpus Christi (Latin for "Body of Christ"). It is a feast day dedicated to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In this belief, Catholics are joined with members of all the ancient churches (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and the Assyrian Church of the East) in taking Christ at His word:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world ... Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will have life because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:52-58)

It is this shared belief in the Eucharistic presence of Christ (and the power of His presence) that will eventually break down the walls that seperate Christ's Church today. I am not alone in this belief, someone else believes this, too...

Cardinal calls for Catholic-Orthodox synod

2005-05-28T21:57:00.000-05:00

"The Vatican representative for ecumenism proposed a synod of reconciliation to the Orthodox and an alliance with the offspring of the Protestant Reformation to rediscover the Christian roots of Europe."

Once again, Pope Benedict XVI, through his representative, takes actions which display his ecumenical concern and selfless pursuit of Christian unity. From the begining, this pope has given subtle and not-so-subtle indications that he is genuinely interested in Christian unity: gone is the papal tiara - now even from the papal coat-of-arms - replaced by a bishop's mitre; revived is the ancient form of the pallium (the wool vestment worn by pope and cardinals in the Catholic Church) - returned to its older, larger style - the same style as it was in the first millenium (when the Church was not divided East from West) and the same style as those still worn by Eastern bishops.

This pope's willingness to seriously re-examine the role of the Petrine office and his openess to discussions about multiple rites within the Western Church are poorly-kept secrets. I sincerely believe that those who predicted a "transitional papacy" and a "lame duck pope" are in for a surprise in the days ahead.

Read the whole story here.

Agent O'Neal?

2005-05-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

"[Shaquille] O'Neal ... has joined a Department of Justice task force that tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet."

"I put a lot into it, and when I am done playing, I plan on going undercover and then being the sheriff or chief of police somewhere, either Miami or Orlando, I don't know yet," O'Neal said recently.

Hey, I think it's great and noble that this multi-millionaire wants to serve his community as a police officer. But undercover? Come on... unless he's working the blind perp division, I think he may need to rethink that step... Here's the whole story:SI.com - NBA - Shaq goes undercover for Justice Dept. probe - Wednesday May 25, 2005 2:56PM

"Nobody beats GI Joe..."

2005-05-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

If you are a male born sometime between 1975 and 1985, you simply have to see this. Talk about bringing back memories... Yo Joe!

Atheist claims discrimination at Catholic school

2005-05-28T20:19:00.000-05:00

Catholic World News : Atheist claims discrimination at Scottish Catholic school: "David McNab, a math teacher at St. Paul's Roman Catholic High School in Pollok, Glasgow, has taken the city council before an employment tribunal, claiming religious discrimination. He says he was not considered for the post of head of pastoral care because he is an atheist. "

Laughable and yet, at the same time, pitiful.

Gay Unitarian Named Dean of Catholic College

2005-05-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

What the?!?! You have got to be kidding me... Here's the full story: Catholic Online - Featured Today - Gay Unitarian Named Dean of Catholic College

More proof that the Episcopal Church is dying...

2005-05-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Why is the Episcopal Church in the U.S. rotting from the inside? If its true that, as the old saying goes, "the liturgy expresses, physically, the truths of the faith," then you won't have to wonder why. It's because the church is full of clowns. No, really - and they're performing the Sunday liturgy.

Unfortunately, I'm not kidding.

The following link is to a video of a real Sunday liturgy which was held just last Sunday at Trinity (Episcopal) Church in NYC. No matter how secular, worldly, popular-culture driven or just downright bad your church's liturgy is, I promise: watching this video will make you appreciate it.

For people like me (who HATE clowns): be warned - this video contains clowns... LOTS of clowns... mercilessly butchering the Anglican liturgy in "celebration" of one of the holiest feast days on the Christian calendar. A punch bowl has replaced to Eucharistic chalice; bubbles have replaced incense. There's even a mime-performed liturgical/interpretive dance. Folks, I couldn't make this stuff up - it's simply too revolting.

Yes, it involves clowns and Trinity Sunday in an unholy mixture that I like to call "Churcus." It was tailor-made to make me lose my supper. It is not for those with a weak constitution... I'm warning you - this is bad. Click here and prepare to feel incredulous.

Evangelicals and the Pope...

2005-05-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

... very interesting article - worth a quick read. Here's a tantalizing quote:

"John Paul II will long be remembered as the greatest pope since the Reformation. His successor, Benedict XVI, may well turn out to be the harbinger of a new reformation."

The Promise of Benedict XVI - Christianity Today Magazine

CNN.com - Cuban dissidents rally in Havana - May 20, 2005

2005-05-20T16:38:00.000-05:00

"Cuban dissidents rally in Havana"

These are either some of the bravest people in the world or some of the dumbest. I, for one, see them as inspirational. These people are willing to risk arrest, "re-education" and even death for a small taste of the freedoms we lazy Americans completely take for granted every day. Do you know what these people would give for the right to cast a vote in a real election? They understand the value of a participatory democracy - a value that many Americans (in a snub to all the brave men and women who were killed to defend our country and its freedoms) have shamefully forgotten.

These brave Cubans recognize the superiority of republican democracy over soclialistic Communism. Socialism has been tried and been found wanting. As a governmental system, it is a complete and utter failure. History bears this out. Marx's vision of a "classless society" was about as realistic and achievable as by vision of a "stupidless society." It just ain't gonna happen. Really, if you think about it, the lofty goals of Marx and Engels compared to the reality of the USSR, North Korea and Cuba is a laughable contrast. How many rafts do you think the Cuban coast guard has picked up filled with Americans fleeing to Cuba?

"Classless society" my a--; show me a Communist dictator that's living in a rusted tin lean-to and I'll show you the clause in the U.S. Constitution that gives women the right to have their completely innocent babies murderously ripped out of their wombs (didn't see that one coming, did ya? well, it's happening around 4,000 times a day! but hey, far be it from me to jar you into reality. I know, I know - it must be alright if the Supreme Court says so... Yeah... tell that to Dred Scott).

Click here for the whole story: CNN.com - Cuban dissidents rally in Havana - May 20, 2005

More thanks to Newsweek...

2005-05-19T13:34:00.000-05:00

Here's the gist of what happened to a Muslim UCLA student:

"A...woman said Wednesday that a secondhand Koran she ordered through a book dealer working with Amazon.com contained anti-Islamic hate messages, including profanity and 'Death to all Muslims!'"

"...Amazon apologized, sent a new book and offered her a refund and gift certificate. But she and the Muslim Public Affairs Council called on the online bookseller to do more, including issuing a public condemnation of anti-Muslim hate speech and cutting commercial ties with the Pennsylvania-based book dealer that sent the Koran."

"'I was taken back to 9/11, my fear that somebody is going to hurt me,' Basarudin said at the Islamic Center of Southern California in Los Angeles. 'I felt that fear coming back. It really hurt me.'"

Now. If someone ordered a Bible from Amazon that was clearly (as this book was) marked "used," and it came replete with anti-Christian mesages scrawled therein, I could understand asking for a refund. But calling a press conference to make corporate-level demands of Amazon?!?! COME ON!!! Grow up ya whiney baby!

I wonder if the "Islamic Center" mentioned in the article called a press conference to make demands of Newsweek after they published their made-up story about Koran desecration. I mean, it only led to numerous deaths and an uncalculable increase in the danger-level for American soldiers abroad... what's to protest? A paranoid student inside the world's safest country - where she is free to practice her religion and protected by law as a minority - who gets her feelings hurt because she saw some dirty words on a used book she ordered? Now that calls for a press release!

Give me a break. Here's the whole pathetic story.

Bible Illiteracy in America

2005-05-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

Found a great article on the Weekly Standard's website. The author, David Gelernter, writes:

College students today are (spiritually speaking) the driest timber I have ever come across. Mostly they know little or nothing about religion; little or nothing about Americanism. Mostly no one ever speaks to them about truth and beauty, or nobility or honor or greatness. They are empty--spiritually bone dry--because no one has ever bothered to give them anything spiritual that is worth having. Platitudes about diversity and tolerance and multiculturalism are thin gruel for intellectually growing young people.

Let the right person speak to them, and they will turn back to the Bible with an excitement and exhilaration that will shake the country. In reading the Bible they will feel as if they are going home--which is just what they will be doing. Nothing would do America more good than a biblical homecoming.

O, how true. Read the whole article here.

W in Mississippi

2005-05-17T22:06:00.000-05:00

President Bush greets the crowd in Jackson, May 3.

I know this is old, but late's better than never. Kathy sent me some pictures of President Bush's visit to Jackson back at the beginning of the month. They were taken by a woman whose husband is serving in Iraq. Just thought y'all might enjoy seeing one of them.

Mindless entertainment on the web

2005-05-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Besides this blog, there are other websites to provide you with hours of mind-numbing fun. Go, now. Visit these sites (you know you want to...):

Guess-the-Google (fun)
Expressionless Girl (created by someone with waaayyy too much time on their hands)
Most popular baby names (your tax dollars hard at work; BTW - "Brad" hit its popularity peak in '75)
Word Count (the least-used word? conquistador)
Ping Pong Paddle (my gosh, this is one hard internet game)

Monday night ramblings...

2005-05-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

I'm watching Futurama. Nothing new there. I watch it almost every week night (along with Family Guy). Robot Chicken, Aqua Team Hunger Force, American Dad, etc. What can I say? I am an Adult Swim junkie. Nothing like some low-brow humor for a night-cap.

My grades were posted this evening so I am officially finished with my first semester of grad school. How'd I do. Let's just say that I am pleased and in much better spirits than I was this time a year ago. Oh, and I started my assistantship today. I'll be working M-F, 8-12, in the office of financial aid. Nothing glorious but it'll bring a meager paycheck (which is better than nothing) and, during the fall and spring will give me a pretty good break on tuition.

Saturday was commencement here at Ole Miss. It was a happy day for alot of people. At the law school commencement, however, there was a more somber note. My friend, Josh Ousley, was to be a member of the law school's class of 2005. Unfortunately, he lost his lifelong fight with cystic fibrosis in March of 2003. His parents, friends and family members were present at Saturday's commencement to honor his memory. His name is listed perpetually as an honorary member of Ole Miss' law class of 2005.

As a parent, I simply cannot imagine the pain in losing a son. It is nothing short of heroic that Josh' parents, and so many others that find themselves in similar situations, can face each day. To do so with gratitude to God and a pleasent countenance, is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Each night, after John and I say our prayers, I sing him a song before putting him in his bed. It's the same song that I sing every night. John Taber calls it the "Jesus song," but its actually a couple of prayers from something called the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. One part of the song (prayer) goes "Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ."

"I offer you ... Your dearly beloved Son..." How easy it is my to make that prayer. How unimaginably difficult it would be to change the words: "I offer you ... my dearly beloved Son..." Yet, as Christians, this is the example we are given. The penultimate Christian, indeed the first Christian, Mary, did just this. She set the example for all who would follow her Son in faith. She first offered herself, wholly and selflessly to the will of God - "Fiat; Be it done to me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38). She then offered her son.

When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesied that Jesus would achieve great things. And, turning to Mary, he further predicted: "A sword shall pierce your own heart, as well." From that moment on, Mary remembered that powerful prophecy. Each time she looked on her Boy from that time on, it was with the understanding that He would suffer. Indeed, a sword pierced her heart, too. That sword would wrench mercilessly as she watched her Son tortured and executed in the most shameful way imaginable. She watched helplessly as her only Son breathed His last.

Yes, Easter would follow. Yes, unimaginable joy would replace the sorrow of that Friday afternoon. But Mary could not know this at the foot of the cross. She would have to suffer through the Sabbath, through Holy Saturday - the time when her Son rested in the tomb. In her painful vigil, she joined countless parents throughout time who would bear the pain of losing a child. But she had faith in God's goodness, in His plan which she could not totally understand.

Mr. and Mrs. Ousley are in the middle of their Holy Saturday. They must rely on their faith to get them through a painful time and must trust in God's ultimate plan. But in this post-Easter world, they have the benefit of knowing that the Resurrection will follow. God has taken away their son; their hearts have been pierced. But in faith they find the only light to illumine the darkness of uncertainty. Christ is light and life; phos e zoe; lux et vita. He is the Resurrection in which we all have hope. I am thankful for their faithful witness to this hope.

Our beloved dead in Christ are not dead. They rest. It is the only the Sabbath. The Resurrection will follow and they will be raised to new life. Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

May God bless all parents who have offered their sons and daughters to God's providential care. May we all learn from their faithful witness to faith, hope and love.

Thanks alot, Newsweek...

2005-05-16T00:21:00.000-05:00

Wow. It amazes me what kind of America-hating idiots we have running our major media outlets. In the print media category for Biggest Idiot, the award this week has to go to Newsweek, for running a story on how American soldiers at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have been flushing the Quran down the toilet. "You can't make stuff like that up," you say? Well, apparantly you can, and, in this case, somebody did. Did the fact that such a claim was sure to tick off a whole lot of angry Muslims who hate America anyway prevent Newsweek from running it? Of course not. The safety of our soldiers in harm's way evidently rates very low on Newsweek's scale of things that are important. It might, however, rank above "printing accurate news," because, as it turns out, the inflammatory story about Koran-flushing at Gitmo that has caused riots across the Muslim world that have killed people - uh that? yeah, well, um... it was made up. Good luck getting all the pro-Islamist websites and info-sources to print this part of the story as a follow-up.

Here's the whole story:CNN.com - Newsweek backs off Quran desecration story - May 15, 2005

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit..."

2005-05-15T23:45:00.000-05:00

"Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them." (Acts 2:3)

Ratzinger on tongues of fire:

"That is what distinguishes the Christian, that he has received a tongue of fire in addition to his human nature. That is how the Church came into being. Each person receives the tongue of fire that is wholly and personally his and, as this person, her is a Christian in a unique and inimitable way. Admittedly, on who encounters the average Christian today is likely to inquire: 'But where, then, is the tongue of fire?'

"The words spoken by Christian tongues today are unfortunately anything but fire. They taste all too much like water that has been left standing and is barely lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. We have no desire to burn either ourselves or others, but in not doing so we place ourselves at a distance from the Holy Spirit and our Christian Faith degenerates into a self-made philosophy of life that wants to disturb as few people as possible of our comfortable habits and relegates the sharpness of protest to a place where it can cause the least inconvenience to our customary way of life. If we elude the burning fire of the Holy Spirit, it is only at first glace that being Christian seems easy for us. What is comfortable for the individual is uncomfortable for the whole. Where we no longer expose ourselves to God’s fire, the frictions among us become insupportable and the Church… is torn by the cries of interior factionalism.

"Only when we are not afraid of the tongues of fire or of the strong wind that accompanies them does the Church become an icon of the Holy Spirit. And only then does she open the world to the light of God. The Church had her origin when the disciples gathered with one mind in the room where they celebrated the last supper and prayed there together. It is thus that she begins over and over again."

(From a 1986 Bavarian radio broadcast.)

Number of the Beast reduced by 50?

2005-05-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

The Oxyrhynchus Papyri LVI 4499. The number - Greek letters chi, iota, sigma (x i c) - is visible in the third line of the fragment.

It appears that the "number of the beast" may actually be 616. No kidding. Scholars at Oxford University last week released texts from fragments of the oldest-known copy of the biblical Book of Revelation. The fragment (pictured above) gives 616 (instead of the famed 666) as the number of the anti-Christ.

Since this is only one copy of the text and, though the oldest in existence, it was made as long as 200+ years after St. John wrote the original, one could realistically chalk the discrepancy up to human error. But it would be funny to see "-50" added below the "666" tatoos of countless Black Sabbath fans. No word yet on the reaction of residents of Grand Rapids, MI to this news.

Read the news story here.

I'm embarrased for these guys...

2005-05-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

This is probably the gayest product of college boredom that has ever been produced. These guys REALLY need to leave their apartment at night. It probably took them countless hours to plan and shoot this stop-and-go animation film. It will take you two minutes to see that they wasted their time.

With movies like this floating around the internet, they're never gonna get girlfriends...

My new favorite commercial

2005-05-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

You have to love (or at least have seen) the movie Napolean Dynomite to appreciate this commercial. And of course the mention of State alum Eric Dampier is a nice bonus.

This clown loves juice (and I'm not talking grapes)

2005-05-10T21:18:00.000-05:00

Wanna scare the heck out of the kids at your next birthday party?

This is quite possibly the most disturbing children's entertainer imaginable (short of a Michael Jackson impersonator). Sad proof that 'roids have made their way out of Major League locker rooms and into circus dressing rooms.

His name is "Buffo" (I guess "Roido" was already taken) and he calls himself "the world's strongest clown." Those of you who know me well, know that I HATE CLOWNS. If you hate me, send this guy to my house. Unfortunately, he's for real - here's his website.

Another reason why dogs are better than cats ;-)

2005-05-09T08:31:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - Witnesses: Dog cared for abandoned baby - May 9, 2005

"... her price is far above rubies..."

2005-05-08T21:56:00.000-05:00

I want to wish all the mothers who read this blog a very happy Mother's Day. I consider myself fortunate to have had four of them myself - my mom and my three sisters. (I guess Christie is mom number five for me.)

In all seriousness, I pray that God blesses my mom, my aunt, my sisters (mothers of tw0-legged as well as four-legged children) and my wife, especially on this day. I am eternally grateful for all the love and guidance that they give and have given to their children and for the example they set for all of us.

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
-- Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Thank God for mothers. I am thankful for all the mothers in my life and truly believe that: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." (Proverbs 31:29).

The Best Week Ever

2005-05-08T21:42:00.000-05:00

Ashley and David

Congratulations to our friends, Ashley and David, who are having THE BEST WEEK EVER! (Get it? Ya know, the show on VH1? Oh. You don't watch VH1? Only losers like me watch the shows on VH1? Hey, now. That's harsh. Oh well, anyway...)

Oh, yes. Not only did they find out that Ashley has been offered her dream job in the IRS, but they found out they'll get to stay in Oxford... AND, they announced that they're expecting their first child! I guess that it's a pretty good week for their friends that love them here in Oxford, too.

Wow. Good things happen to good people. Congratulations, guys!

For Pregnant Mothers on Mother's Day

2005-05-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

This lady wrote a book entitled Why Animals Sleep So Close to the Road, and Other Lies I Tell My Kids, so you know her piece on pregnancy's gotta be funny. I post this link in honor of Christie who DOES NOT look like "the woman who swallowed a woman who swallowed a beach ball."

Read it here.

Long post, but please read...

2005-05-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

What sets us apart from the animals? Besides endowment of an eternal soul, the gift of reason sets us apart from the animal kingdom. It is one way in which we were created "in the image" of God, Who is Wisdom. If we have a duty (and we do) to be good stewards of all the gifts that we have been given, it follows that we have a duty to utilize our reason and intellect for the furtherment of Christ's Kingdom. Christians should garner a deep and intricate knowledge of our faith - a duty which is linked to our Christian obligation to evangelize, to spread the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to instruct Christians to "[a]lways be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). This instruction is immutable. Christ Himself commanded: "Love the Lord God ... with all your mind" (Matt 22:37). The command is unchangable. All Christians have a God-given responsibility to understand their faith and to understand the Church that Christ left to them, for one is inseperable from the other. Sadly, today, Christians disagree over the exact nature of the Church, yet we all believe that the Church is Christ's body and that He is the head.

As we work out our differences in the areas of Christian faith and practice that seperate us, one from another, Christians should respect and attempt to understand the differences that keep us disunited. Consider the words of Christ:

"I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me …. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father--that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are-- I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17: 20-23; emphasis mine).

Christ wills for Christians to be one, "that the world may believe..." If the heartfelt prayer of Christ is not enough to compell you to want to learn more about the beliefs and practices of other Christians, then I don't know what will. Division leads to destruction and if a believer helps to widen Christian divisions through willful ignorance or malicious deceit, than I am quite sure it is not Christ's will they are following. “If you keep on biting and devouring each other," wrote the Apostle Paul, "watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5: 15).

Now, you can take these thoughts for what they are - my thoughts converted into words for you to read. But these thoughts, indeed these beliefs of mine, are what compell me to make my faith such a large component of this blog. I am painfully aware that there are differing beliefs and practices between Catholics and Evangelicals. But what unites us is so much greater than what devides us, and we have a duty to recognize our Christian brothers and sisters as such wherever they may be found. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should take up for one another; should try and dispel myths and false notions about each others' particular forms of Christianity which seem to pervade society and which often cloud the view of well-intentioned but ignorant members within our own particular churches.

"Why do Catholics do this, or that?" "Why don't Protestants and Evanglicals do this, or that?" We are all asked questions. I do my part to lessen the ignorance about Protestantism and Evangelicalism when given the opportunity. I take up for and explain the form of Christianity that first led me to Christ. I recognize the good points in Protestantism and Evangelicalism that Catholic Christians would do well to emulate. Even though I may not agree with all the beliefs and practices of my Protestant and Evangelical friends and family, I know that such beliefs and practices do not diminish their right to be called Christians. My only request is that you do the same. That, in the spirit of Christ's prayer for Christian unity, you strive to better understand those Christians with whom you are not in communion; strive to recognize the good in their traditions and learn to fight the devisivness of ignorance.

Does this mean you have to totally agree with the Catholic Church (and the Eastern Orthodox churches)? No. It is simply a recognition that we, as Christians, cannot afford to construct artificial divisions between us. The Enemy delights in our divisions and finds infinite pleasure when blind ignorance makes Christians unable to recognize each other as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. To answer some abiding questions that my non-Catholic readers may have, and to clear up misconceptions and falsehoods about Catholic Christianity, I will start a series of posts I'll call "Catholic Christianity 101."

Once or twice a week I'll post a response to a common misconception about Catholic faith and/or practice. It will be clearly marked as a "Catholic Christianiy 101" post, so if you are not interested, you can simply choose not to read it. Concomitantly, I will attempt to limit the religious content of my other posts for a while, concentrating on personal and family updates, funny links, commentary and cute pictures of John Taber. This should make it easy for those of you who want to broaden your minds and come to understand (though not necessarily agree with) Catholic Christianity, to do so. And those of you who want to know nothing about the faith of 1.6 billion of the world's Christians, can continue to wallow in your blissful ignorance (of course I'm being sarcastic - don't feel bad if you only want to see John Taber pics). If you have a question you'd like answered or a topic you'd like to see covered in this new section, please email me or leave it as a comment on any post.

And now, back to writing historiography papers...

"He ascended into Heaven..."

2005-05-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

Icon of Our Lord's Ascension into Heaven

Today is Ascension Thursday (forty days after Easter), although in most US dioceses, its observance has been moved to this coming Sunday. Nevertheless, I can't believe I neglected to post something about this wonderful holiday earlier. Oh well. Better late than never (my motto if I ever had one).

As we contemplate the mystery of Christ's Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, please join me by taking just a moment to say a quick prayer for my sister's friend, Mandy, who lost her father yesterday. He and his family are in my prayers.

"May God grant unto him eternal rest. Amen."

New computer virus warning...

2005-05-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

Be wary of mail from unfamiliar Amish. Don't open mail with stapled attachments like the above. Of course it won't be in your email box, and the USPS can take awhile. Heck, they may not have even gotten these to a post office yet - depends on the weather, the health of the horses and the shape of the wagon... So I guess it may be awhile before you get it... But if you do, don't open it!

Go Bulldogs!

2005-05-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

John Taber and "Mary Marka" at the game on Sunday.

Hey family members: check your email for some new pics from this past weekend.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

2005-05-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas

The above image of Mary was created in 1531. It depicts Mary as "the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet," and "pregnant." (Rev. 12:1-2). Because of this image, long-hailed as miraculous in its origins, millions of Mexican Indians abandoned their pagan religion for Christianity. To this day, "Our Lady of Guadalupe" (as Mary is referred to in this image) has been honored by all Mexicans. Mary is also also invoked, under this title, as the patroness of the Americas and of unborn children (because in the image she is with child). I also had the priveledge to visit the Bascilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe during my trip to Mexico a couple of years ago and a framed copy of this image adorns a wall in our home.

For more info on this amazing image, click here.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2005-05-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! While it's not, contrary to popular gringo belief, "Mexican Independence Day," (which is El Dieciséis de septiembre, or September 16), it does recognize an important battle for Mexican independence from French rule which happened on May 5, 1862 in Puebla, Mex. Those of you who know me know that I spent three and a half weeks in Puebla a couple of years ago and, oh yes, I saw the birthplace of Cinco de Mayo, where the battle was fought; where blood was shed and lives were lost for a higher cause.

So how will I recognize such heroism and valor today? The same way most Americans will, in the good ol' American/gringo way - by eating mass quantities of Americanized Mexican food at a restaraunt where countless white college kids will be hooping, hollering and spending their parents' dough on mas cervezas than you can shake an authentic (hecho en Mexico) maraca at. And by not mentioning a thing about the true reason for the celebration. Viva America!

On Tuesday, Christie went to the doctor for her checkup. She is 16 weeks into her pregnancy (her due date is still October 17th). She and the baby are doing fine. At the next visit (May 31), she's gonna have a sonogram and we'll try to find out if we should be buying new pink stuff or if we can start the great hand-me-down tradition with John Taber's blues. I think we've settled on a boy and a girl name. They are... nope. Not gonna tell. We're gonna keep those a surprise.

John Taber, who's in Arkansas this week visiting his Mawmaw, Pawpaw, Great Mawmaw and Aunt Nini, went to the doctor yesterday for this incessant cough he's had for weeks. We had taken him to the doctor a couple of weeks ago (for the second time for this same bout of coughing) and had chalked it up to the day care cruddies. But the doctor in Arkansas said he had allergies and asthma and advised us to take him back to the pediatrician for a referral to an asthma/allergy specialist when he gets back to Oxford. So, what's the one thing my kid inherits from me? My hair color? No. My eye color? No. Poor John Taber got my asthma and allergies. I guess he should be thankful he didn't get my lack of melanin to boot.

Bush vs. the Pope?

2005-05-03T07:52:00.000-05:00

In an interesting article appearing on the National Review webpage today, David Oderberg makes the case that President Bush is actually more traditionalist than was the late Pope John Paul II. He examines, as evidence, the different positions taken by the President and the late Pontiff on the Iraq War and on the death penalty, both of which are (obviously) supported by Bush and were not supported by John Paul.

While the late pope's stance against the Iraq War may have measured "less traditional" than Bush's (and this is debatable), Oderberg neglects to bring Bush's other views into play in measuring "traditionality." Bush is not opposed to contraception (as every Christian denomination was [without exception] before 1930, as Oderberg points out). And his "pro-life" stance on abortion finds exceptions in cases of rape, incest or the death of the mother (qualifiers that find no place in the "traditional" Christian stance on abortion). Plus, many of Bush's cabinet appointees have been avowedly pro-choice (Powell, Rice, Whitman and Gonzalez come to mind).

The Pope, of course, was opposed to contraception and to abortion, without exception. So, when these factors are taken into account, Orderberg's argument that Bush is "more traditional" loses steam. You can click here to read the whole article and decide for yourself.

Habemus Canis!

2005-05-02T11:23:00.000-05:00

"Pope Puppius I"

I know that this is exceedingly silly, but I couldn't resist posting this. At the Double Decker Festival on Saturday, the Oxford Humane Society hosts a pet pageant fundraiser. This entry just warranted a post on the blog. As cheesy as the name was, Father Joe's comment was worse - "At least he'll be dogmatic." Let's paws for a moment for more bad puns:

-Let's just hope he doesn't speak dog Latin.
-I haven't heard the details of his election. I wonder if they announced it with smoke from the Sistine Chapel woof.
-Let's just hope he doesn't take any pastoral visits to Vietnam (which, FYI, has a large Catholic population). It'd be a ruff situation if the locals insisted on having him for dinner.
Okay, enough...

Double Decker done

2005-05-02T11:10:00.000-05:00

John Taber displays his equine skills.

This weekend was great on all fronts but sports (the Bulldogs were swept by Ole Miss in baseball - the only solace comes in knowing that the last time this happened was in 1978, before I was even born). The weather was cold on Saturday but the rains held off enough for Oxford's Double Decker Festival to be a hit with John Taber. Ask him and he'll excitedly tell you that he rode a "choo choo train," a double decker bus and a "horsey" (above). It really was a good time. I loved spending time with Christie and John Taber. It was just one of those times that you have to stop, smile and thank God for how wonderfully sweet life can be. Just look at the expression on John Taber's face... what a great life!

Happy Easter!

2005-05-01T23:01:00.000-05:00

Local Christians and pilgrims surround the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on the Vigil of Easter, April 30, 2005. The candles they are holding symbolize the Light of the Risen Christ.

Yes, I know that Easter was well over a month ago. In fact, for Catholics, today is the sixth Sunday of Easter (we Catholics don't limit our celebration of the Resurrection to only Easter Sunday, but stretch it into an entire Easter season which lasts until the Ascention, forty days after Easter). And while it also true that every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection, I titled this post "Happy Easter" because today our Orthodox and Eastern Christian brothers and sisters celebrate Easter (the difference in timing is a result of a historic calendar discrepancy between the Eastern and Western churches). Many Catholics and Protestants don't realize that today is Easter Sunday for millions of Christians around the world. Such ignorance is a sad but powerful reminder of the devisions that still plague Christ's Church.

The late Pope John Paul II worked tirelessly for a reunion of the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches that he never lived to see realized. He longed to see the Body of Christ once again breathe with its "two lungs" (East and West). In his 1995 apostolic letter "Orientale Lumen" ("Light of the East") John Paul wrote:

Since, in fact, we believe that the venerable and ancient tradition of the Eastern Churches is an integral part of the heritage of Christ's Church, the first need for Catholics is to be familiar with that tradition, so as to be nourished by it and to encourage the process of unity in the best way possible for each.

But a decade after this letter was released, many Catholics (or Protestants) still do not know much about our Eastern brothers and sisters in faith. Most don't realize that reunification is a process that has already begun, in many respects. The pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople have made numerous public conciliatory gestures in recent years and even now, there are Eastern churches in full communion with Rome. In fact, the Catholic Church is composed of 22 distinct churches - 21 of those being Eastern churches. Some Eastern churches (such as the Maronite and Melkite churches) never broke communion with the Catholic Church.

But sadly, seperation remains. In Rome, there are five "patriarchal bascilicas;" large and historic churches which serve as the ceremonial seats of the five ancient patriarchs of the Church. To this day, only one of these basilicas is held by its proper patriarch (that one being, of course St. John Lateran - the patriarchal seat of the pope, the "Patriarch of Rome"). As famous as St. Peter's is as a symbol of the Catholic Church, it is a little-known fact that, besides being the burial place of St. Peter, it is also the Roman patriarchal basilica church of the Patriarch of Constantinople - the spiritual leader of the Orthodox churches.

It is my constant prayer that the Church will again be reunited, East with West; that Christ's Body will once again breathe with "both of its lungs." To our Eastern brothers and sisters, I say with joy "Christ is risen, Indeed He is risen!" Alleluia! For more info on the Eastern Catholic churches, click here.

2005-04-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's the Double Decker Festival here on the square AND the Bulldogs are in town to play Ole Miss in baseball. It just doesn't get much better than this, does it John Taber?

Would you use it?

2005-04-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

This is a free-standing public restroom in Houson, TX. The four walls are made of one-way reflective glass. No one can see you when you're in there, but it would still creep me out. Not a fan of public restrooms anyway but this one is just waaaayyy too creepy. (Thanks Mark).

John Wesley rolls over in his grave

2005-04-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

It seems this woman, "Rev." Stroud, an ordained Methodist minister, was serving as a pastor in a Methodist church when she decided to tell her Philadelphia congregation (who no doubt already knew this) that she was in a relationship with another woman. Well, in the crazy mixed-up world that is United Methodism today, having a relationship in secret with a person of the same sex is nothing shameful and won't get you fired (?!?!?), but making that relationship public will get you fired.

Until now. It seems the United Methodist Church has decided to reverse itself and reinstate this openly lesbian pastor because, as Stroud says, "The church is not free to disregard the standards of justice and inclusiveness that are preached by Jesus Christ..." WHAT?!?! She's using Jesus' preaching to justify her inability to follow His moral code? Okie dokie. Geeeezzz.

Look lady (or whatever you consider yourself), you're the one who insists that there's no contradiction in being an active homosexual and a Christian (let alone an ordained minister) - don't try to tell us what Jesus taught 'cause you've evidently been doing some highly selective reading in your Bible. Somewhere in England, the muffeled sound of spinning can be heard from beneath Wesley's tombstone...

Oh. I almost forgot the funny part. Appropriately enough, the church board reached its decision to reinstate the lesbian at a hotel. Read the whole story here.

Nun too happy

2005-04-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

Angry nuns protest in front of Holy Name cathedral in Chicago during the conclave.

You've gotta laugh at these idiots to keep from being so angry at their flagrant disobedience and obstenance. These radical nuns were protesting the exclusion of women from the conclave (and presumably from the priesthood). Hey ladies - don't complain to the workers, talk to the Boss 'cause He's the one who set the prescedent.

In true feminist fashion, they're sporting the Peter Pan haircuts and the one in front (on the left) is even wearing the infamous "purple stole" - a symbol for the women's ordination "movement" (all fifty of them). The news story (a link to which I cannot now find) said that the climactic moment of the protest came when the sisters set off smoke bombs - with pink smoke. (I'm not making this up.)

One of the protestors complained to the reporter, "Where are the princesses of the Church?," making reference to the cardinals' identification as the "princes" of the Church.

Ohhhh...... ha ha ha ha! Geez! I'm quite sure these "ladies" were none too pleased with the outcome of the "sexist" conclave! The cafeteria is closing soon! Viva il papa!

Keepin' it real for G_d, mon.

2005-04-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the news a few days back on the news. This guy is actually a Hasidic (ultra-orthodox) Jew who raps about God in a reggae style. I know it sounds like a bad joke but he is very serious. I wanted to find a link and hadn't gotten around to it... lo and behold good ol' Father Joe beat me to it and gave me the link.

The bear, the scallop shell and the Moor

2005-04-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

Here is Benedict XVI's papal coat-of-arms. A great explanation for the symbolism can be found here.

If they're not happy, I am

2005-04-26T15:53:00.000-05:00

"American Catholics who want major changes in the church are not happy with the election of a 'hard-line' pope who backs longstanding Catholic doctrine."

Thank God for our new pope... the cafeteria should be closing soon.

"Tu es Petros..."

2005-04-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

The Holy Father and a little admirer.

I have been asked questions about this whole "pope" thing. Who do we Catholics believe the pope is? Etc. Here's the short answer to a very complicated question:

The pope (from the Greek papa, an affectionate term for father) is the bishop of Rome. There are thousands of bishops (Gk. episcopoi, or "overseers") all over the world who, through their lines of succession, can all trace their offices back to the apostles - the men who were appointed by Christ Himself to lead His Church. Christ told the twelve "as the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21; the word apostle means "one who is sent.") He gave to His apostles certain ministerial gifts (such as the power of "binding and loosing" and the power to forgive and retain sins- which implies a need to confess them -[see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23]) so that they could effectively pastor the Church in Christ's name until His return.

The bishop of Rome (the pope) is considered to be the leader of the Church's bishops; the first among equals. This is not because of the efficacy of the man who holds the title, but rather because of the position he holds - bishop of Rome - sometimes called the "Apostolic See." Rome was the capital of the Empire (in a sense, the most important city in the then-known world) in the apostolic age and it was there that the two most important early figures of the Church were martyred for the faith - Sts. Peter and Paul. Peter, who had been Jesus' hand-picked leader of the apostles, was the leader (or bishop) of the Roman church before his death.

So, from the earliest days (and there are plenty of extant writings from the generations of Christians which immediately followed the apostles to back this up) the Church of Rome was considered to be the principal church in the worldwide Church and her bishop, the successor of St. Peter, came to be seen as the leading bishop in the worldwide Church. The pope today, inherits the same leadership position among the world's bishops that St. Peter held among the original apostles and is rightly called "Vicar of Christ" (because he governs the earthly Church in the stead of Christ); "Supreme Pontiff" (because, through Christ [the true and eternal high priest] he is the "supreme priest" of the earthly Church); and "servant of the servants of God."

Some biblical precedents for the responsibilities first given to St. Peter and inherited by each of his successors (of which Benedict XVI is the 264th) follow:

"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'" (Matthew 16:17-19).

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." (Luke 22:31-32).

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' A second time he said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.' (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, 'Follow me.' (John 21:15-19).

Any questions? You know how to get in touch with me (or you could always leave 'em on the comment board).

Whew. Now, where was I? Oh yeah. Almost forgot. I wanted to give y'all a link to one more funny article about the fact that polls don't determine doctrine in a 2,000 year-old Church with the Vicar of Christ at its head. Click here to read it. (And thanks for the link, Kyle).

Running the bases

2005-04-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

John Taber runs the bases

After the homegames on Sunday afternoons, the kids get to run the bases at Swayze Field. John Taber had a ball (no pun intended) getting "baseball dirt" on his pants. He finished with about three slides into home plate.

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil..."

2005-04-23T17:14:00.000-05:00

Gene Robinson (the divorced and non-celibate gay Episcopalian who was so selfishly intent on being ordained a bishop that he was willing not only to completely ignore 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching and church order but even to divide his own denomination) spoke to Planned Parenthood's "prayer breakfast" earlier this month. I can think of no gathering that would better please Screwtape.

Earlier in the month, an interview with Robinson was published on Planned Parenthood's website. Through an amazing analytical breakthrough I like to call "pointing out the obvious," I have added, in red, words to make the ignoble bishop's responses a little more complete, while, no doubt, adhering to his own faulty logic and complete absence of Christian morality.

In a response to the interviewer's question about "reproductive rights," Robinson responds that he is "absolutely" pro-choice. He goes on to say: "The reason I love the Episcopal Church is that it actually trusts us to be adults [unlike those other churches, who treat their members like children by trying to tell them that some things are intrinsically good or evil, if you can believe that]. In a world where everyone tries to paint things as black or white [as if Jesus gave immutable moral commandments, or something], Episcopalians feel pretty comfortable in the gray areas [where we are told that morality is a matter of personal choice, a non-absolute]."

"...we protect a woman's right to choose [to kill her innocent, unborn baby before it has even had the chance to take its first breath] but also say that obviously there are very deep things involved here [like, quite honestly, murder]." So we encourage our folks to take this private issue seriously. [In an attempt to pay lipservice to any of our members who may think there is something wrong with a woman purposefully having her own child killed], [w]e urge them to talk to their priests about it and to think through all the questions they might have. [Of course, if they ask questions like "is it morally acceptable to kill a completely helpless and innocent human being?", they shant expect a clear answer from us... we prefer to keep 'em where we're comfortable, in the "gray areas" of "personal morality" - nosiree, you won't get any of that "divinely revealed moral code" crap in our churches.] I think [and it is, after all, all about "I" anyway, isn't it?] that's a responsible place to be.

When discussing "abortion, stem-cell research and gay marriage" Robinson (actually) says: "I don't find anything in scripture that says we shouldn't be doing these things." The rest of the interview is just as sickening as what you'll already read. If you care to try and stomach it, it can be found here.

Shock! New Pope a Catholic!

2005-04-23T17:07:00.000-05:00

"As headlines, I’ll grant you, it’s hard to beat God’s Rottweiler, The Enforcer, or Cardinal No. They all play beautifully into the anti-Catholic sentiment in intellectual European and American circles that is, in this politically correct era, the only form of religious bigotry legitimised and sanctioned in public life. But I ask you, in all honesty, what were they expecting?

"Did the likes of The Guardian, the BBC or The New York Times think there was someone in the Church’s leadership who was going to pop up out on the balcony of St Peter’s and with a cheery wave, tell the faithful that everything they’d heard for the past 26 — no, make that 726 — years was rubbish and that they should all rush out and load up with condoms and abortifacients like teenagers off for a smutty weekend? Or did they think the conclave would go the whole hog and elect Sir Bob Geldof (with Peaches, perhaps, as a co-pope) in an effort to bring back the masses?

"Sure, he is doctrinally a traditionalist, but this is misunderstood too. If you, as the papacy does, claim direct authority, through your 264 predecessors from the ministry of St Peter, who, the Gospels tell us was inaugurated into that ministry by the Son of God while he was present on earth, is it really possible to take anything other than a bit of a traditionalist view when it comes to doctrinal matters?

This is a great column by Gerald Baker found in Thursday's Times. Here's the whole thing.

More patriotic ferver

2005-04-21T23:13:00.000-05:00

This one is bad enough to make you wish you were Canadian... (Thanks for the link, Father Joe.)

Better than gangsta rap... maybe

2005-04-21T09:32:00.001-05:00

Nothing makes me prouder to be an American than hearing patriotic songs so mercilessly butchered. These people give Roseanne Barr a run for her money in the "If you can't sing, please just don't" category.

Fun facts to make conspiracy theorists salivate

2005-04-20T15:43:00.000-05:00

In my elation at the election of Pope Benedict XVI, I couldn't shake the thought that two groups of people may be especially concerned about his election: theologically liberal Catholics (naturally) and conspiracy theorists. Why the conspiracy theorists? Here are a few fun facts about this new pope that they'll be sure to pick up on:

1. He's the first German pope to be elected in nearly a millenia.
2. He was a member of the Hitler Youth.
3. He was elected pope on the eve of Hitler's birthday and celebrated his first Mass as pope on Hitler's birthday.

Ooooooo. Creepy, huh?

More to spark the imaginations of countless conspiracy theorists can be found in the supposed "prophesies of St. Malachy," which purport to prophecy about each of the remaining popes. According to this list (which, FYI, is considered to be a forgery by many), the new pope will be the next-t0-last pope. This "prophecy" describes each pope with a short and conveniently ambiguous Latin motto. For instance, the motto which supposedly corresponded to Pope John Paul II was "De labore Solis"(of the eclipsed sun, or from the labor of the sun). The truth is, there was a solar eclipse on the day of this pope's birth (May 18, 1920) and on the day of his funeral (April 8, 2005). There is such a thing as coincidence.

According to this list, the "prophecy" for this new pope is "Gloria Olivae" (glory of the olive). Conspiracy nuts and prophecy pundits are now claiming that this "must" refer to Benedict XVI. Why? Because of stretches in logic like this: The Order of St. Benedict's motto is "Pax" (peace) and the olive branch is a symbol for peace. Since the new pope chose Benedict as his name, they see a reference to the Benedictine Order and it's olive-inspiring motto. So, there you have it. The conspiracy nuts are sure that Benedict XVI is "Gloria Olivae," the next-to-last pope according to the so-called "prophesies of St. Malachy."

Ooooooo. Conspiracy nuts are surely going crazy. Let's hope they don't hurt themselves with speculative excitement. They may trip over their built-to-scale model of Rosalyn Chapel or slip on their handy-dandy list of the leaders of the Priory of Sion. It's right there on the floor next to their copy of Holy Blood, Holy Grail and their official New World Order membership certificate.

If only the new pope were a member of Opus Dei. That'd really get them going!

The brutal honesty of Google

2005-04-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

Try this:

1. Go to www.google.com.
2. Type "French military victories"
3. Press the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button

And you get, this.

Enough to make "cafeteria Catholics" squirm...

2005-04-19T14:23:00.000-05:00

... Enough to make all Christians nod in agreement:

"How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking… The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves – thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Eph 4, 14). Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and “swept along by every wind of teaching”, looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today’s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.
However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism."

Click here to read the entire homily that now-Pope Benedict XVI gave just two days ago, before the start of the conclave which elected him.

We Have a Pope!

2005-04-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful.

I was right! Today is an interesting day (see my last post). Thankfully, a humble, godly and orthodox man has been chosen as Peter's successor. The new pope (former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) is known for his stand against relativism, which he rightly identifies as one of the most dangerous enemies of Christianity today. For this reason, he is already being attacked. No surprise there.

On Conclaves and Conversion

2005-04-18T16:54:00.000-05:00

The Conclave has now officially begun. It will culminate in the selection of the 265th successor of St. Peter. The vote today did not produce a pope. Tomorrow, the cardinals can hold up to four votes. Not that my opinion is worth much, but I think that the Conclave will not be a long one. Tomorrow could be a very interesting day... (?)

Who will be elected pope? I hope it is one man - the one who will do the work of Jesus Christ. Who that man is, God only knows. The hope is that the cardinals will be able to prayerfully discern the Lord's will and that the Holy Spirit will lead the electors to choose the right man.

Now, I am fully aware that most of the people who read my blog couldn't care less about the papal election or, for that matter, anything about the Catholic Church. While I cannot divorce myself from my interests (or my faith), I can (and should) be more mindful of the fact that, as I myself said, this blog is produced mainly for my family and close friends. Of the former, almost none are Catholic.

It came to my attention that one of my posts from last week was offensive to Protestants, by (jokingly) issuing a blanket condemnation of Protestants for non-orthodoxy and for offensive theological innovations. I can assure you that the post was meant by me as a stab only at a few well-known and very liberal, mainstream Protestant denominations who, in my opinion, deserve condemnation for presenting secularism under the guise of Christianity. But the post (and link) did not make a distinction between Protestants and, for this reason, was rightly seen as offensive and insensitive. I have removed the post (and the link) and am sorry. I will try to be more careful in the future.

Hey, I know that I am the black sheep of the family, faith-wise. So, while I hope that my posts and links will serve as a source of insight to my faith for those of you who neither totally understand it nor agree with it, it is not my intention for any of my posts to portray my Baptist/Reformed heritage in any negative light. I am thankful to God for the Baptist faith in which I was raised, for the love of God's Word it imparted and for the personal relationship with Christ that I developed within its embrace. I am especially thankful for my always-loving family which taught me to love and serve Christ. I will try to be more mindful of this in future posts.

Maybe one day I'll sit down and tailor a letter to no one (and everyone) about why I felt compelled to seek reconcilliation with the Catholic Church, about why I am convinced that this decision has strengthened my relationship with Christ and about why I see this decision not as an abandonment of my family's faith, but rather as a fulfillment of it; a return to the fullness of its roots. For now, I will leave you with the following quote from a well-known recent convert to the Catholic Church, Richard John Neuhaus. His thoughts are mine when he explains to his Protestant friends and family members how he views his reception into the Catholic Church and about how that reception affects his relationship with them:

"To those of you with whom I have traveled in the past, know that we travel together still. In the mystery of Christ and his Church nothing is lost, and the broken will be mended. If, as I am persuaded, my communion with Christ’s Church is now the fuller, then it follows that my unity with all who are in Christ is now the stronger. We travel together still."

A Reprehensible Bill

2005-04-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

Under a newly proposed bill, American pharmacists would be required to order oral contraceptives and to make sure that they are provided to patients with prescriptions. They will be required to do this even if the pharmacist has moral and/or religious objections to providing contraceptives.

Amazing. God help us when professionals in this country are forced by law to do things that they to which they have moral and religious objections. Where is the ACLU now? I searched their website and it seems they aren't standing up for the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of American pharmacists to practice their religion. Big surprise. I guess they're too busy protecting "rights" that aren't in the constitution, like a woman's "right" to abort the child she doesn't want by taking "emergency contraceptives" (i.e. high-doses of birth control pills usually taken after fertilization has taken place).

Federal Government to American pharmacists:

"You got a problem with that, Mr. or Ms. Pharmacist? You have a moral or religious objection to providing the drugs used to abort children? Well, TOO BAD!... make sure you get someone else to do it, that way it won't feel like you did anything wrong.
What? Being made to get someone else to do it still makes you feel morally culpable and indirectly responsible? Oh, now you're just being silly... (in a low voice) Hey... um, what is 'moral culpability?'"

The scary part is, that such a law could set precedent that may evolve in the future into the following scenario:

Federal Government to American physicians:

"What? You're telling me that you think abortion is murder, and that your religion prohibits you from participation or even cooporation in an abortion? Too bad... you're now required by law to provide abortion services to women who request it."

Here is a link to the whole despicable story on FoxNews: Bill Says Pharmacies Must Fill Birth Control Rx.

Fried Pickles.... mmmmm....

2005-04-14T11:13:00.000-05:00

Check out my cousin's new blog here. He may be a Calvinist but I love him just the same. :-) Don't know how good fried pickles are? It's a Southern thing, just like sweet tea, short winters and good looking women... You people outside of the South just don't know what you're missing.

John Paul is Attracting Pilgrims Once Again

2005-04-13T07:43:00.000-05:00

Cardinals pray at the pope's tomb on April 12.

Today the Vatican began allowing pilgrims and tourists back into the grotto underneath St. Peter's Basilica where John Paul II is buried in a simple tomb, not far away from the tomb of St. Peter. Even in death, John Paul the Great is attracting the faithful by the thousands, causing them to turn prayerfully to God. For the full story on FoxNews, click here.

"Following the example of the first Christian community spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 1:14), the universal Church, spiritually united with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, should persevere with one heart in prayer; thus the election of the new Pope will not be something unconnected with the People of God and concerning the College of electors alone, but will be in a certain sense an act of the whole Church."

"...humble and persevering prayers are to be offered to the Lord (cf. Mt 21:22; Mk 11:24), that he may enlighten the electors and make them so likeminded in their task that a speedy, harmonious and fruitful election may take place, as the salvation of souls and the good of the whole People of God demand."

- From Universi Dominici Gregis