What Do We Believe: the Whole Truth or Only a Part?

Folks,

Before I begin, I would like to make perfectly clear that I have nothing but admiration and respect for my evangelical Protestant friends. As Father Corapi has so often pointed out, they do with what little they have far more than we Catholics with all the fullness of Grace and Truth in Holy Mother Church, and with all of the Seven Sacraments. Therefore, the words in the text below should NOT be considered a ridicule or condemnation of any of my evangelical friends. However, I will report the truth to the best of my ability, and comments or corrections are always welcome in the comments section of this blog site.

This weekend I had an interesting series of e-mail exchanges with a friend who takes a quite literal interpretation of certain selected parts of the Bible, but chooses to essentially ignore the spirit of other parts. What makes this interesting is that the person isn’t liberal by any stretch of the imagination, but quite evangelical in outlook.

First, about a year and a half ago this individual with some of his evangelical friends had a disagreement with me over the Biblical account of Creation and the Great Flood in the Book of Genesis. As a devout Catholic, I deferred to the teaching of Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Humani Generis. The writing of Genesis was never intended to be a scientific explanation of the origin of the universe, and using it as such is disingenuous to the spirit of correct interpretation.

Well, that response drew the fire of evangelical condemnation on my head. One would have thought I had committed the unforgivable sin and blasphemed the Holy Spirit. These evangelical people stated that all the scientific evidence in the world didn’t matter, that science was mere mortal man’s point of view, and that only a literal interpretation of the words in Genesis did matter. I have to assume that these individuals had never read Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Fides et Ratio, where he describes Truth as being a unified whole, whether revealed by Faith or by Science, and that God, being Truth Itself, can never contradict Himself. This explanation went completely over the heads of my dear friends. They simply didn’t and don’t understand.

Yet these same people who insist on a literal interpretation of Genesis deny the validity of Jesus’ statement to Peter the Rock, “And upon this Rock I shall build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall NOT prevail.” While they insist on a literal interpretation of Genesis, they deny the literal interpretation that there is only ONE Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and that the Pope is the successor to Peter, the Vicar of Christ here on Earth.

I have to say, however, that I do admire the strength of faith that these evangelicals have, and we Catholics would do well to emulate them. But their “pick and chose” attitude towards Scripture is quite frankly one of disobedience. It is this attitude which makes them (and certain liberal Catholics) weak when it comes to adhering to the Faith once delivered unto the Saints, and this weekend an example thereof presented itself.

The same person with whom I had discussed Creation about one and a half years ago had just recently joined an on-line Libertarian Party group. I pointed out to the individual that the Libertarian Party was pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage, and that by all rights no self-respecting Christian could possibly support that political party once he knows what its position is on such non-negotionable issues. This individual at first responded to me by pointing out that free beer was being offered. I had to assume that this was some sort of failed attempt at humor. However, just as Judas Iscariot had his price of 30 pieces of silver, free beer being someone’s price of apostasy is not beyond credibility. Yet I could not attribute to this person the crime of apostasy.

So, to clarify matters, I asked the person again privately about these things and he responded (without the failed attempt at humor) that the Libertarian Party simply relegates the issues of abortion and gay marriage to one’s personal conscience, believing that government should stay out of such decisions as a matter of respecting personal privacy. I pointed out that these issues weren’t ones of personal privacy, but ones of public significance, and that government’s job is the common defense, including the defense of the family. Indeed, legalized abortion and gay marriage threaten to exterminate the family, the basic building block of any stable society, and that no Christian can ever support either the murder of an unborn baby as a woman’s right to choice or privacy, or the immoral union of two people of the same sex in a false and reprehensible imitation of the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. I also pointed out that the Platform of the US Constitution Party is the closest to the teaching of Holy Mother Church, not the Libertarian Party. This person responded by promising that he would investigate the Constitution Party, but that he had no faith in the political process, intimating that it matters little what party one belongs to.

This indifferentism really bothered me, especially when the individual subsequently wrote that God is big enough to be as right wing as Ron Paul and as left wing as Nancy Pelosi. While initially I was ready to agree that the political process had failed (and gave him an “Amen”), I came to the realization that having God encompass both conservatives and liberals limits God, for God is neither conservative not liberal. God is God. Additionally, though I didn’t say it at the time, Ron Paul is NOT conservative, but libertarian – there is a significant difference – and God does NOT encompass the open disobedience that Nancy Pelosi, a self-described Catholic, demonstrates towards the Church’s infallible teaching against abortion and gay marriage.

So what I saw was a man who is willing to accept the Bible’s account of Creation and the Great Flood as literal, but who is not willing to accept that same Bible’s moral instructions as literal and act accordingly.

Folks, this is very simple: one cannot be liberal or libertarian and be Christian, though I do tend towards libertarianism. I have since been educated as to the errors of my ways. Furthermore, one cannot be fascist or Nazi or communist or socialist and be Christian. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum demonstrates that.

Now one might possibly be conservative and be Christian, though that’s increasingly difficult in this day and age, and one might possibly be Constitutionalist and be Christian (a better choice to be sure). But of primary importance is this – that one’s Christian identity must always be ascendant and primary. We as Catholics are NOT Democrats or Republicans or Liberals or Conservatives or Libertarians or Statists. We are CHRISTIANS. And that’s the point.

I did send one last e-mail to this individual, reminding him of a pro-life prayer vigil and rally we were holding this past Saturday in front of the Federal Building in downtown Wilmington, NC. The weather was cold, rainy, windy and downright miserable, but about a couple dozen of us gathered together in the Name of the Lord to do our part (however small) for the unborn. WECT Channel Six News gave a small report on this:

Pro-Life Rally Held in Wilmington, NC

Of course my message was a very late warning for this person who more than likely was unaware of the event, and thus he likely could not have attended. But one thing always disappoints me about evangelicals: they have great faith in the literal interpretation of Genesis and other selected Biblical passages, but when it comes to putting faith into action, they are nowhere to be found. Perhaps this is part of their false theology of Sola Fide, since they tend to ignore what St. James writes in his epistle about being justified by both faith and works. Truthfully, I expect nothing less given the Protestant starting point.

Now the sarcastic and jaded part of me would think, “Obviously the free beer from the Libertarian Party in a warm bar is more enticing than putting one’s Christian principles into action.” I am sure, however, that that was NOT this person’s intent. Nevertheless, I do see this a lot from both Catholics and Protestants, and it’s upsetting. I feel like saying to any of them, “Don’t talk to me about Creation if you’re not going to put your Christian principles into action. And don’t tell me you’re a Christian when you support those who think a baby’s life is a mother’s private choice.”

Being Christian means that we accept ALL that Holy Mother Church teaches and proposes for our belief. There are NO half measures, for half measures avail us NOTHING.

So it’s OK NOT to believe in a literal six 24-hour day account of Creation 6000 years ago and a world-wide Great Flood covering all the mountains some 5000 years ago, BUT it is NOT OK to support pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage groups such as the Libertarian Party. And that’s the bottom line.

Really, folks, what’s our priority in our beliefs?

By the way, just to make things perfect clear, yes, I DO believe God created the Universe and all that is within it, including man, and I DO believe in Original Sin and its consequences, and I DO believe in a Great Flood. BUT the Bible is NOT a science text book – it’s God’s plan of salvation for mankind and it should be treated as such and interpreted within the light of Sacred Tradition and the constant teaching of the Magisterium of the Church, both of which Protestants have abandoned since the time of Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII. Thus, it comes as no surprise that on the one hand some Protestants (and many Catholics, too, for that matter) are sticklers for literal interpretation (particularly in the non-essentials), but loose in other matters such as moral issues (abortion, gay marriage, etc.). That is the legacy left to us from Henry VIII when he defied Holy Mother Church and divorced his wife to remarry. Apparently Matthew 19:1-12 wasn’t as important to him as other Scriptural passages.

Pro-Life Rally Held in Wilmington, NC

Folks,

The following is from WCET Channel 6 News - note how the article is entitled "anti-abortion" instead of "pro-life".

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=11907582

Anti-abortion rally held in Wilmington
Jan 30, 2010 8:16 PM EST
Reported by Claire Hosmann

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A large crowd made it out to Riverfront Park despite the weather to pray for the lives of unborn babies Saturday afternoon.

Organizers say they have to speak up for those who don't have a voice. Activists from across the state shared stories and motivated everyone to keep up the fight.

The President of New Hanover County's Pro-Life Council is involved in this cause, because she said she believes life begins at conception.

"The baby has its own life its heart starts to beat and its feet are this big. At ten weeks, heart beats, its organs are growing and it's a unique human being," Beverly Jollie said.

The crowd prayed today for the Roe vs. Wade decision to be overturned.

The President Goes Calling

Folks,

Dr. Pournelle at the Chaos Manor web site has some discussion on a recent Presidential visit to the Republican retreat in Baltimore, and the SOTU (State Of The Union) address. This makes me wonder why otherwise rationally thinking people (particularly public advocates of nuclear energy at certain blog sites) support and admire this evil reprobate of a man who uses the SOTU to nationally - even internationally - declare blatant falsehood as truth. I have to conclude that either these people are not as smart as they pretend to be, or they are smart and in league with Obamolech's demonic legions from hell.

The President goes calling

The President paid what can best be described as an ill-will visit to the Republican retreat in Baltimore. It was of course a political visit, and probably a political mistake; he built no good will with the tea party voters, whom he wants to pre-empt by pretending to be a populist. If the President really wants to pivot from far left to left-center in his policies, he should not be insisting on full bore healthcare "reform", cap and trade, immigration "reform", and the other Daily Kos left wing fever swamp policies.

His State of the Union speech intentionally embarrassed the Supreme Court in a context where there was no possible self defense. To boot he was factually wrong: the recent decision did not allow foreign corporations any 'rights', although that was most of what he spoke about in the speech. There were other factual errors. As an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal points out, the Solicitor General would not have signed off on that speech with its factual errors. Indeed one wonders who did vet the speech. Obama has a law degree and once taught law, and made factual errors that anyone who had actually read the decision he criticized would not have made. Apparently the medium is the message?

Humor - Obamolech's State of the Union Address

Folks,

I received this from a friend today:

State of the Union Message:

It's all Bush's fault!

Free Needles to Drug Addicts

Folks,

The more I read about Catholic social justice and the common good, the more disgusted and disappointed I become. Below is a letter I sent to a certain Bishop Hubbard of the Diocese of Albany, NY who thinks - quite erroneously - that he is serving social justice and the common good.

Your Excellency,

Catholic World News reports that you have approved of the free distribution of needles to drug abusers:

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5290

As a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, I can state that this is definitely a wrong decision. The right thing to do is to get drug addicts and alcoholics into recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous, and to introduce these people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ who is ever merciful and alone has the power to deliver from drug addiction and alcoholism. I can't imagine anything more un-Christian than enabling a drug addict or alcoholic to continue in his disease which leads to death and destruction. If someone had enabled me in my disease in this fashion, then I would never have made it to the rehab, the rooms of AA and Holy Mother Church. Therefore, I beg of you to reconsider your decision. Social justice and the common good are never served when we compromise principle for the sake of expediency, and that's exactly what this decision does. It is a pretense at compassion, but compassion is never confirming the sinner in his sin, or the diseased in his disease. Heal the sinner. Heal the diseased. That is what Jesus came to do. Indeed, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ have got to be first. If we give needles to addicts, then we show we don't really believe in the power of the Cross to deliver, and if we don't believe in the power of the Cross to deliver, then God will replace us Catholics with Pentecostals, Baptists, Nazarenes, and Presbyterians who (in spite of all their theological errors) DO believe in the power of the Cross to deliver. It is so strange that in spite of all their errors, the Evangelicals don't compromise like this and have dialogue with the devil, but we Catholics who have the "fulness of Truth" are ever so ready to compromise and have dialogue with the devil. Remember what John the Baptist told the Pharisees in Matthew 3:9:

And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Send your Religious out into the streets to preach the Good News of Salvation. Work to heal the sick. Don't confirm them in wickedness (and trust me, that's exactly what drug addiction is - wicked; I know for I have been there).

In Caritate Christi,

Paulus

The Consequences of Sin

Folks,

The liturgical readings for today and tomorrow include 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 and 2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17 which record the story of David and Bathsheba.

Our God is a loving and forgiving and merciful God. BUT there are consequences for sin. In the case of David's adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite, the Lord forgave David, but the innocent baby conceived in adultery died.

Today it is the same way. We Americans engage in sexual promiscuity and licentiousness with complete abandon, and millions of innocent babies conceived in adultery and fornication are then murdered within the wombs of their would-be mothers.

Mankind has not changed one iota since 900 BC or so when David reigned as King, in spite of all our science and technology. Nor has both the warning and the promise of Romans 6:23:

For the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Whether you like it or not.

Folks,

The following is from Dr. Pournelle's Chaos Manor web site. The Massachusetts election of Scott Brown is a repudiation of our Maximillen Robespierre. Now heads will roll because the defender of liberty, equality and fraternity has been publicly chastised.

Whether you like it or not.

The State of the Union was -- strange. It was predictable only on the hypothesis that Obama is guided by very strongly held left wing principles and no longer listens to political advice. In 1994 President Clinton found himself in a similar situation and changed focus, pivoting toward triangulation and compromise. It wasn't enough to save his majorities in Congress, but it did save his presidency. (The Republicans helped by running the only man he could beat.)

Until last night many speculated that Obama would do more or less the same thing. Clinton recognized the unpopularity of his massive government expansion proposal (Hillarycare), understood that the Democratic win was the result of Bush I's repudiation of his "Read my lips, no new taxes!" promise, and moved to govern from the center. Obama didn't follow that path. Instead he has chosen to double down: you'll get health care reform, cap and trade, climate change regulations, immigration reform, and government expansion whether you like it or not. We know what's best for you.

The speech itself was far more partisan than the State of the Union speech traditionally is. It amounted to a declaration of intent.

He has made next Fall's election an ideological plebiscite pure and simple. If the Democrats hold on to real power after next November, the United States will experience a fundamental change, with trust in central planning and government control of most aspects of the economy and our lives. The people done Obama dirty; we have repudiated the Savior; and we will be made to pay. We will get the changes he wants to give us whether we like it or not. He ran center-left. He has governed hard left. He now promises to change: to go even further left.

Prepare for the fight of our lives. Obama and the ravening wolves have enormous public funds to spend, and will make deals and promises as needed. Those who live off tax and spend will be told to fall in line and support the new United States, and stop asking questions and getting in the way. The alliance between the tax eaters and the ravening wolves will be strengthened.
The nature of the United States and the American Experiment is pretty well being put to the test in next Fall's election. We are promised Change. You can believe in that.

Rush Limbaugh's Letter to Obamolech

Folks,

Please take the time to listen to this 7 1/2 minute broadcast from Rush Limbaugh or go to this URL address to listen to it:

Rush Limbaugh's Letter to President Obama

Quote of the Evening

Folks,

The Catholic Online web site has a very good article entitled, Here Come the Anglicans: Opening Chapter in the Coming Reunion of the Church.

At the end of this article the author writes:

We do not need a "conservative revolution" in the United States or in the West. We need a "Christian Revolution." It is from the Church that Western civilization was birthed. It is from the Church -- with her vision for the human person, the family, freedom, and a just society -- that the West will be re-birthed. Stay tuned.

I would add that we ought to rid ourselves of both liberalism and conservativism and be Catholic. God has called us to be a holy people, and only by so being can Western civilization be saved.

Humor - God Welcomes All Creatures

Folks,

I hope this isn't blasphemy, but the statement that God welcomes all creatures great and small is certainly true.

Today's Physics Lesson for Presidents

Folks,

I was rummaging through some of my old files from a few years ago and found the following that may be amusing to those of you who are scientifically inclined. Please try to answer each question before look at the answers.

Climate politics: What every president should know

If you want to lead the free world, you'd better know your physics. That's the lesson from a popular undergraduate class, called 'Physics for future presidents', taught by Richard A. Muller at the University of California, Berkeley. Here he sets some typical questions. An interactive version of this quiz with extended answers is online at:

http://ealerts.nature.com/cgi-bin24/DM/y/hhax0SpR8f0HjB0BgsS0EI

NATURE
Vol 45015 November 2007

What every president should know

Here are the answers to the questions set by Richard A. Muller in our physics for presidents quiz.

1) Electricity from the wall plug costs about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). If you were to get the same electricity by buying AAA alkaline batteries at the local store, the cost of that electricity would be:

(a) 15 cents per kWh
(b) 94 cents per kWh
(c) $2.50 per kWh
(d) $1,000 per kWh

The correct answer is (d)

A $1.50 AAA battery delivers about 1 ampere for 1 hour at 1.5 volts, an energy of 1.5 watt-hour. That means it costs $1 per watt-hour, or $1,000 per kilowatt-hour. People sometimes complain about the high cost of electricity, but in fact it is 10,000 times cheaper than battery power.

2) A gram of which of these is most toxic?

(a) Botulinum toxin
(b) Arsenic
(c) Anthrax spores
(d) Plutonium dust (inhaled)

The correct answer is (a)

The LD50 dose (lethal 50% of the time) for botulinum toxin is about 70 nanograms for a 75 kg person. Plutonium (by urban legend the most toxic substance known to man) is very toxic – comparable to arsenic if ingested, worse than anthrax if breathed in, but not as bad as botulinum toxin by a factor of more than 1,000.

3) The highest achieved efficiency (solar energy converted to electrical energy) of solar cells is approximately:

(a) 4%
(b) 15%
(c) 28%
(d) 41%

The correct answer is (d)

Inexpensive solar cells give an efficiency of 10 to15%, but the best ones deliver 41% efficiency. The catch is that these cells cost $10 per square centimetre.

4) A typical high-resolution spy satellite has how long to photograph a location?

(a) 10 seconds
(b) 1 minute
(c) 12 minutes
(d) 90 minutes

The correct answer is (b)

High-resolution spy satellites fly low (250 km) to get close to their targets. Their velocity is 25,000 kilometres per hour, so they are above their target (from −250 km to +250 km) for only 72 seconds.

5) The dose for radiation illness (50% chance of death within a month) is 300 rem, whole body. The dose to trigger on average one cancer is:

(a) 2.5 rem
(b) 25 rem
(c) 250 rem
(d) 2,500 rem

The correct answer is (d)

For doses between 25 rem and 200 rem, the cancer rate in survivors increases by an amount approximately proportional to the dose. Add up the doses given to a group of people, and for every 2,500 whole-person-rem, there is an excess of about one cancer.

6) Compared with a gallon of gasoline, the energy supplied by a gallon of liquid hydrogen is:

(a) Less energy per gallon
(b) The same energy per gallon
(c) 3 times more energy per gallon
(d) 12 times more energy per gallon

The correct answer is (a)

Hydrogen delivers 26 kilocalories per gram (not counting the oxygen required for a burn) versus 10 kilocalories per gram for gasoline (again, not counting the oxygen). But gasoline is more than 10 times as dense as liquid hydrogen.

7) Compared with the energy released when a pound of gasoline is burnt, the energy released when a pound of TNT is exploded is about:

(a) 2 times greater
(b) 13 times greater
(c) the same, within 40%
(d) less by a factor of 15

The correct answer is (d)

There is a solid physics reason why we are so hooked on gasoline. It has huge energy per gram (10 kilocalories), much more than TNT (0.6 kilocalories). TNT is not used because of the high energy density it delivers, but because it can deliver it quickly, increasing the force of a blast.

8) Of the deaths caused by the Hiroshima atomic bomb, the fraction attributed to cancer was:

(a) Less than 2%
(b) About 7%
(c) About 20%
(d) More than 50%

The correct answer is (a).

Some 120,000 survivors were exposed to significant levels of radiation in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. The best estimate is that these survivors received an average dose of 20 rem, resulting in 960 cases of cancer. That’s horrific, but less than 1% of the 100,000 who died in the blast.

9) A critical mass of plutonium has a volume of:

(a) 3 tablespoons
(b) 1 soft-drink can
(c) 1 gallon
(d) 3 gallons

The correct answer is (b)

The Los Alamos Primer (Univ. California Press) says that the mass of plutonium in the Nagasaki bomb was 6 kilograms, which would fit into 300 cm^3. Even if it was the low-density phase of plutonium, it would still fit in a 12-oz soda can, which has a volume of 355 cm^3.

10) In one computer cycle (a billionth of a second for a slow laptop), light travels about:

(a) 1 foot (30 centimetres)
(b) 300 metres
(c) 3 kilometres
(d) 300 kilometres

The correct answer is (a)

3x10^8 m/sec = 30 centimetres or 1 foot per nanosecond. A Mac Powerbook has a clock rate of 2 GHz: in one cycle, light can travel at most 15 cm, and electric signals typically travel less. That’s why computers must be small.

11) In the past 100 years, the carbon dioxide level in Earth’s atmosphere has increased by what fraction of its previous value?

(a) Less than 1%
(b) 3%
(c) 30%
(d) 112%

The correct answer is (c)

The current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 380 p.p.m.. A hundred years ago, the level was 300 p.p.m. (measured in old ice), so we have gone up 26%. If we compare instead with the long-term historical level (before the industrial revolution) when the level was 280 p.p.m., then we are up 36%.

12) The rocket that won the X Prize in 2004 achieved an altitude of 100 kilometres. To go into orbit would require more energy. How much more?

(a) 1.414 times more
(b) 2 times more
(c) 7 times more
(d) 32 times more

The correct answer is (d)

The energy to get a mass m to h = 100 km is E100 = mgh, where g is the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m sec^2).

The energy EO to orbit is ½ the escape energy, so EO = ½mGM/R = ½mgR, where G is the gravitational constant, M is Earth’s mass and R is Earth’s radius.

The ratio is EO/E100 = ½R/h = ½(6,378/100) = 32.

13) The International Atomic Energy Agency's 2006 estimate for the number of excess cancer deaths expected worldwide from the Chernobyl nuclear accident was:

(a) Less than 1,000
(b) 4,000
(c) 24,000
(d) 1.3 million

The correct answer is (b)

The agency’s original estimate was that the world population had received a dose of 60 million whole-person-rem, leading to 24,000 deaths. But in 2006, it improved its dose estimate and concluded that the cancer deaths would total 4,000.

14) The ozone layer in the atmosphere is created by:

(a) Carbon dioxide
(b) Sunlight
(c) Sulphur from fossil fuels
(d) Chlorofluorocarbon compounds (such as Freon)

The correct answer is (b)

Ozone is created when the ultraviolet component of sunlight fissions oxygen molecules into atomic oxygen; these attach themselves to molecular oxygen creating ozone. CFCs act as a catalyst to destroy ozone.

15) Light in a fibre carries more information per second than electricity in a wire because:

(a) It has a higher frequency
(b) It travels faster than electricity
(c) It makes use of quantum effects
(d) It doesn’t. Wires transmit higher bit rates. (That’s why they are used in computers.)

The correct answer is (a)

By Shannon’s theorem, the number of bits per second is limited by the frequency. (In detail, it is the bandwidth and the signal-to-noise ratio, but the maximum frequency is the dominant term.)

16) The power in a square kilometre of sunlight is:

(a) 1 kilowatt
(b) 1 megawatt
(c) 10 megawatts
(d) 1 gigawatt

The correct answer is (d)

Sunlight delivers only 1 kilowatt per square metre: a little more than 1 horsepower, so not enough for any modern car. But a square kilometre has a million of those, putting it in the same category as nuclear-power plants.

17) To be legal for consumption in the United States, the radioactivity of one litre of ethanol (drinking alcohol) must be:

(a) Less than 12 decays per minute
(b) Below the threshold of standard Geiger counters
(c) Not measurable by accelerator mass spectrometry (the most sensitive detection method)
(d) More than 4,000 decays per minute

The correct answer is (d).

Drinking alcohol must be made from plants, and they (unlike fossil fuel) contain one part in 1012 of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope that decays with a half life of 5,730 years. One litre of ethanol (C2H5OH) has 412 grams of carbon and 4,940 decays per minute.

For more details on Richard Muller’s “Physics for future presidents” class visit http://www.muller.lbl.gov/PffP.html

State of the Union

Folks,

The 2010 State of the Union address given by the Obamination of Desolation may be found here:

Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address

The GOP response to the President's 2010 State of the Union address may be found here:

Response to 2010 State of the Union Address

2nd Chronicles 7:14 states:

"...and if my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land."

As long as we sanction gay marriage, murder unborn babies, commit all manner of sexual promiscuity and continue to act with complete abandon in sinful license to commit evil, we deserve neither pardon nor revival of our land. Our elected leaders need to heed what Wisdom 6:1-9 states:

"Hear, therefore, kings, and understand; learn, you magistrates of the earth's expanse! Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude and lord it over throngs of peoples! Because authority was given you by the LORD and sovereignty by the Most High, who shall probe your works and scrutinize your counsels! Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom, you judged not rightly, and did not keep the law, nor walk according to the will of God, Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you, because judgment is stern for the exalted - For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test. For the Lord of all shows no partiality, nor does he fear greatness, Because he himself made the great as well as the small, and he provides for all alike; but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends. To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin."

Quote of the Evening - St. Angela Merici

Folks,

Today (January 27th) is the Feast Day of St. Angela Merici of Italy. One thing she said is most applicable to today's society:

"Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family."

Gay marriage, abortion on demand, sexual promiscuity, and all the rest that liberalism extols as "human rights" are designed specifically and exactly to destroy the family and hence society. While I don't "believe in" conspiracy theories, let no one be deceived: Satan does conspire for the dissolution of the family and hence society, and his current tool of choice is liberalism.

Let us be neither liberal nor conservative. Let us be orthodox Catholic by religion and Constitutionalists by political sentiment. Let us pray and work to restore the sacredness of the family devoted to God - the very foundation of a Christian Constitutional Republic - the same one our forefathers founded some 230 years ago.

Christian order in the family brings order and sanity to society.

Honorable Joseph Blick of Greenville District Court

Folks,

The web link given for the Honorable Joseph Blick of Greenville District Court in previous post "More on Bishop Suspends Priest" gives the judge a "D" rating:

http://www.courthouseforum.com/forums/resultstrial.php?id=161517&which=judge

A reader pointed out that there is only one respondent answering the rating questions, and a statistic of one is NOT a valid indicator. Please bear this in mind. It's easy to jump to conclusions when one doesn't look at the details and fortunately this reader did.

More on Bishop Suspends Priest

Folks,

Regarding today's post "Bishop Burbidge Suspends Priest," I note (with some dismay) that we often hear about all the alleged sordid details of a priest or other member of clergy accused of a crime such as sexual abuse of minors even before any official determination of guilt has been made in a trial by a jury of one’s peers.

However, we rarely hear about the members of review boards who are responsible for turning over the accused but not yet proven guilty to the ravenous wolves of the liberal news media. Therefore, in an effort to correct that, here is a list of the members of the Raleigh Diocesan Review Board who recommended in January of this year the suspension of retired, 73-year old Fr. Kenneth R. Parker for an unproven event that allegedly occurred almost three decades ago in 1982.

http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/what/youth/foundations/review_board_members.aspx

Where possible I have provided web links that give further information on the review board member.

Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Raleigh
http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/who/bishop/index.aspx

Mr. Lawrence Bass
Raleigh
No information available at this time

The Honorable Joseph Blick
Greenville
District Court Judge
http://www.courthouseforum.com/forums/resultstrial.php?id=161517&which=judge

Ms. Mary Jude Darrow
Raleigh
Attorney in Criminal Law
http://www.mjdarrowlaw.com/index.html

Msgr.Jeffrey A. Ingham, V.F.
Southern Pines
Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua
http://www.st-anthony-of-padua.org/main.htm

Rev. Joseph G. Mulroney
Raleigh
Pastor, St. Luke the Evangelist
http://www.stluketheevangelist.org/staff.html

Mr. Patrick Murphy
Raleigh
No information available at this time – likely NOT the Pennsylvannia Congressman

Mrs. Anne Sayers
Raleigh
North Carolina Child Advocate
http://www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org/state_system_locator/statecontact.cfm?stateabbrev=nc

Let these board members know that they will be watched just as they watch our priests. What's fair is fair - if you want to suspend 73-year old retired priests for alleged events 2 1/2 decades in the past, then expect your decision to be scrutinized. If you can't hold up under the scrutiny, then stop judging.

And yes, surely some readers out in cyber space can do better and more productive research than this. But I still wonder if some of these board members might be liberally biased. Yet we should remember to withhold thoughts until the facts are made apparent.

Catholics Defiant of Church Teaching

Folks,

Apparently "a small group of Catholics within the Diocese of Raleigh has recently challenged the Church regarding the distribution of condoms and has advocated for a change in our teaching." The Raleigh News & Observer recently ran a story on this and sadly I cannot locate its URL address right now. However, Bishop Burbidge has given an excellent response which is reprinted below. Please pray for our Bishop and please send a note of thanks at the following URL address for his courage and fortitude in upholding authentic Catholic teaching in the face of all right thinking - er, I mean left thinking - people who hold the contrary.

http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/contact/

Post Script:

The best way to stop AIDS isn't by using condoms, but by using the intelligence and sentience God gave us and not acting like a wild animal, having sex whenever one feels like it. But liberals simply can't understand that they are responsible for the consequences of their actions, and AIDS, venereal disease, unwanted pregnancies, abortion and birth control are all consequences of godless promiscuity and sexual immorality. "You are to be my holy people" - Exodus 22:31.

The Catholic Church is a known leader throughout the world in social services and pastoral care to those in need, including those suffering with AIDS and other life threatening diseases. Our ministry is guided both by the compassion of Jesus Christ and the truths we believe are based upon Holy Scriptures and the long-standing doctrinal teachings of our tradition. Compassion and truth cannot be separated if we are to remain true to our identity. Examples abound throughout the world of those who have personified these principles, notable among them Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Internationally, Catholic Relief Services is one of the major providers of the antiretroviral drug on three continents, receiving funding from the US government and other donors. Acknowledging the complexity in the causes of AIDS, being compassionate in the care of those suffering from this virus yet remaining true to our beliefs about human sexuality, we are unable to endorse or support efforts that include the use of condoms as a deterrent to AIDS.

A small group of Catholics within the Diocese of Raleigh has recently challenged the Church regarding the distribution of condoms and has advocated for a change in our teaching. While respecting their motivation to reach out with great love and compassion to those suffering with AIDS, I am disappointed that they are unable to accept the Church’s teaching on this matter and my role as a teacher of the faith.

My sadness is only compounded by the fact that this group has requested a boycott of an annual campaign designed for the purpose of assisting thousands of people in need throughout all of eastern North Carolina because of my position on the matter noted above. A sizable portion of this annual campaign provides social outreach in the 54 easternmost counties of North Carolina through our seven regional offices of Catholic Charities. Last year alone, more than 50,000 people in need of food, clothing, emergency assistance and counseling were helped through this campaign.

The consequences that result from boycotting a campaign designed to bring the compassion of Jesus Christ to those in need of all faiths throughout the Diocese of Raleigh appears a contradictory way to address this issue, especially when so many individuals and families are now facing such great difficulties.

Bishop Burbidge Suspends Priest

Folks,

There is sadly a report of another scandal in the Diocese of Raleigh:

Bishop Burbidge Suspends Priest

In this particular case a report was received n Friday, November 13, 2009 of sexual abuse of a minor by Fr. Kenneth R. Parker back in 1982. Fr. Parker has denied the claim. But on completing its review of the allegations, the Diocesan Review Board on January 15, 2010 made a recommendation that was accepted by Bishop Burbidge on January 19th, resulting in suspension of the Fr. Parker's priestly faculties.

I really have to wonder who exactly sits on the Diocesan Review Board that evaluates allegations of priestly sexual abuse of minors, and whether or not any of these people have a liberal Democrat, atheist humanist bias against priests. I write that because last night I talked with a person from another parish than mine who knows Fr. Parker, and this person commented that what she knows about this priest is completely inconsistent with the allegations. I also have to wonder why it has taken 27 to 28 years or so for these allegations to be made, and whether or not the "victim" has some sort of monetary interest that could result from a successful civil court case on the same.

I also say this: even if the allegations are true and Father repented and there has not been recurrence in the 27 to 28 years since the incident occurred, then why is this priest's good name being dragged through the mud? The man is 73 years old and completely incapable of any such crime right now. Shall we throw away all the good work and service to the Lord that he has done since this incident? And whatever happened to the principle that a man is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his peers?

Catawissa Gazetteer

Folks,

I encourage one and all to take time to read the various and sundry entries posted at the Catawissa Gazetteer blogsite. The gentleman who runs that site is a devout Catholic and Constitutionalist. There are too few of such people left any longer, and his musings, ramblings, ruminations and reflections are well worth reading, digesting and contemplating. Fortunately, he is much less given to the imperative of uncontrolled passion than I, and is thus able to dispassionately and logically explain what must be explained without undue digression into emotional invective.

Statement by the President on the 37th Anniversary of Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade

Folks,

President Barack Hussein Obama issued the following statement on the 37th anniversary of Roe v Wade:

Today we recognize the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which affirms every woman’s fundamental constitutional right to choose whether to have an abortion, as well as each American’s right to privacy from government intrusion. I have, and continue to, support these constitutional rights.

I also remain committed to working with people of good will to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and families, and strengthen the adoption system.

Today and every day, we must strive to ensure that all women have limitless opportunities to fulfill their dreams.

Over 50 million unborn babies have been murdered under the authority of the Roe v Wade decision. This is NOT good will. This is NOT ensuring women have limitless opportunities to fulfill their dreams.

Furthermore, if one doesn't want a pregnancy, then one mustn't copulate! Are the Democrats mere wild beasts given to the passion of the moment without the sentience necessary to recognize the consequences of their actions?

Barack Hussein Obama is an evil man, and I pray for his repentance and conversion. Failing that, I pray for his utter defeat. King Saul, King Manasseh, King Nebuchadnezzer and others went into defeat when they defied the Lord God Almighty. The Obamination of Desolation is NOT exempt from the wrath of God Almighty, for let us make NO mistake, the Lord LOVES unborn babies and His patience is NOT without end.

Decree for the Celebration of the Conversion of St Paul

Folks,

When I was born, my father wanted to name me Epaphroditus after a little known man mentioned only in the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Philippians. St. Paul described him as a fellow worker and fellow soldier in Christ Jesus, and all we really know about him is that he carried gifts from the Church at Philippi to the Apostle Paul who was then in chains, and he stayed for some time to care for St. Paul. There is no other reference to him in Sacred Scripture.

The brief mention of Epaphroditus impressed my father because it showed him that the great work of the Apostle Paul was made possible by all the little unknown people who tireless labored to further the Gospel message without either recognition or reward. Therefore, my father wanted my first name to be "Epaphroditus" as a reminder that God's work marches on not because of human greatness or reknown, but because of the humility and sacrifice of all the little people standing in the gap when no one else will.

Needless to say, my mother had no love for Greek names such as Epaphroditus, fearing that any child so named would be the victim of unrelenting ridicule by his peers in school and elsewhere. So my father and mother compromised with naming me after the famous Apostle Paul (obviously my given name vice the pseudonymn "Ioannes" at this forum).

Therefore, today is a special day, and doubly so, for in 2008 the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a Decree for the Celebration of the Conversion of St Paul to be celebrated on January 25th. Let us re-read from Acts 9:1-30 the timeless story of the conversion of the man who thought he was doing God's will, and yet was doing everything but God's will until the encounter on the road to Damascus, on account of which the Lord said, "I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."

-----

Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He said, "Who are you, sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and (in a vision) he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay (his) hands on him, that he may regain his sight." But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name." So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit." Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. 5 He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. All who heard him were astounded and said, "Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?" But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded (the) Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah. After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. Now they were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, but his disciples took him one night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. When he arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists, 8 but they tried to kill him. And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.

FIRST BOOK OF GOVERNMENT ....PSALM 2010

FIRST BOOK OF GOVERNMENT ....PSALM 2010

Obama is the shepherd I did not want.

He leadeth me beside the still factories.

He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.

He guideth me in the path of unemployment for his party's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the bread line, I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.

He has anointed my income with taxes,

My expenses runneth over.

Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days of my life, And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.

I am glad I am American,

I am glad that I am free.

But I wish I was a dog ...

And Obama was a tree

Jefferson Davis and the Higher Law

Folks,

I encourage one and all to please read the following essay I found at the Catawissa Gazetteer blogsite:

Jefferson Davis and the Higher Law

I apologize to the blog owner for any undue embarrassment, but what he points out must be heard and read and understood and embraced far and wide.

We have long thought that Abraham Lincoln upheld the principles of freedom inherent in the Constitution by having defeated slavery. That viewpoint is inaccurate at best. Yes, slavery had to be defeated, just as abortion today must be defeated, and yes, it took a Civil War back then to do so (just as today a Civil War may be required to defeat abortion and restore the Constitution - heaven forbid!). But the issues are more complex than that, for though the black man was freed, this is only a temporary condition as we all now become enslaved to the ever growing power of a central federal government and the massive corporations behind it. This is corporate socialism, little different than welfare socialism, and purports to make its own determination of right and wrong transcendent to God's.

One quote from Senator Jefferson Davis, the then future President of the Confederate States of America, that is contained in this short essay suffices:

What security have you for your own safety if every man of vile temper, of base purpose, can find in his heart a higher law than that which is the rule of society, the Constitution, and the Bible?

Perhaps this was not the point of the essay referenced above, but here we surely have the law of unintended consequences (i.e., freeing the slaves has enslaved us all). We Americans don't even know our own history, so we are forever doomed to repeat it. (BTW, that's why prophecy gets fulfilled over and over again, and why there isn't just one anti-Christ, but many all throughout man's history.)

There is nothing salient that I can add other than to exhort the reader to pray the Rosary tonight for the restoration of our Republic, our Constitution, and our fidelity to the Bible and Holy Mother Church. Pray to our Blessed Mother that God will have mercy.

Post Script: I write this to be perfectly clear lest anyone misinterpret. Enslavement of the black man (or any man for that matter) was (and is) wrong. Furthermore, the ascendency of a centralized Federal government was (and is) equally wrong for power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Just look into Nancy Pelosi's eyes.

Natural Moral Law Engraved in All Hearts

Folks,

Within the January 20th edition of L'Osservatore, Romano, Pope Benedict XVI addresses the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on natural moral law being engraved in all hearts. The following paragraphs are noteworthy:

In recalling your invaluable service to the Vicar of Christ, I must also mention that in September 2008 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions.

Following the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae by the Servant of God John Paul ii in March 1995 this doctrinal document, centred on the theme of the dignity of the person created in Christ and for Christ, is a new landmark in the proclamation of the Gospel in full continuity with the Instruction Donum Vitae, published by this Dicastery in February 1987.

Concerning delicate and timely topics such as procreation and the new forms of treatment that involve the manipulation of embryos and the human genetic patrimony, the Instruction recalls that "the ethical value of biomedical science is gauged in reference to both the unconditional respect owed to every human being at every moment of his or her existence, and the defense of the specific character of the personal act which transmits life" (Instruction Dignitas Personae, n. 10).

In this way the Magisterium of the Church wishes to make its own contribution to the formation of consciences, not only of believers but also of all who seek the truth and want to listen to arguments stemming not only from faith but also from reason. In fact the Church, in proposing moral evaluations for biomedical research on human life, draws on the light of both reason and faith (cf. ibid., n. 3), since she is convinced that "what is human is not only received and respected by faith, but is also purified, elevated and perfected" (ibid., n. 7).

In this context a response is likewise given to the widespread mentality that presents faith as an obstacle to scientific freedom and research, because it presumes that faith is made up of a pattern of prejudices that hinder the objective understanding of reality.

Faced with this attitude that strives to replace truth with a consensus that is fragile and easy to manipulate, the Christian faith, instead, makes a real contribution in the ethical and philosophical context. It does not provide pre-constituted solutions to concrete problems like bio-medical research and experimentation, but rather proposes reliable moral perspectives within which human reason can seek and find valid solutions.

There are in fact specific contents of Christian revelation that cast light on bioethical problems: the value of human life, the relational and social dimension of the person, the connection between the unitive and the procreative aspects of sexuality, and the centrality of the family founded on the marriage of a man and a woman. These matters engraved in the human heart are also rationally understandable as an element of natural moral law and can be accepted also by those who do not identify with the Christian faith.

The natural moral law is neither exclusively nor mainly confessional, even if the Christian Revelation and the fulfilment of Man in the mystery of Christ fully illumines and develops its doctrine. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, it "states the first and essential precepts which govern the moral life" (n. 1955).

Established in human nature itself and accessible to every rational creature, the natural moral law thus determines the basis for initiating dialogue with all who seek the truth and, more generally, with civil and secular society. This law, engraved in every human being's heart, touches on one of the essential problems of reflection on law and likewise challenges the conscience and responsibility of legislators.

My Kind of Miss America

Folks,

I received today the following from one of the Knights of Columbus at a sister parish. God bless Miss America!



The Real Miss America .

This 19 year old ex-cheerleader (now an Air Force Security Forces Sniper) was watching a road that led to a NATO military base when she observed a man digging by the road. She engaged the target (i.e. , she shot him). It turned out he was a bomb maker for the Taliban , and he was burying an IED that was to be detonated when a US patrol walked by 30 minutes later. It would have certainly killed and wounded several soldiers.

The interesting fact of this story is the shot was measured at 725 yards.She shot him as he was bent over burying the bomb. The shot went through his butt and into the bomb which detonated; he was blown to pieces. The Air Force made a motivational poster of her:

(Folks , that's a shot 25 yards longer than seven football fields!)

And the last thing that came out of his mouth was his ass!

If You Can Not Stand Behind Our Troops, Then Please Feel Free To Stand In Front Of Them!

Two Quotes for the Day

"The partisan, when he is engaged in a dispute, cares nothing about the rights of the question, but is anxious only to convince his hearers of his own assertions." Plato

"If Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all."

Dear Lord,

May I not be partisan in my thinking and my actions; may I ever be open to the Truth, especially when I am in the wrong. And may you ever be my Lord as well as Savior, my Eternal Truth.

Ioannes

Some More Thoughts

Folks,

In addition to the criticism of the manner in which apostate Catholic politicians are spoken of here at Commentarius de Prognosticis, there is also criticism of the perceived way in which persons are treated who might have had abortions or who have same-sex attraction. This matter needs to be clarified.

First, those who have had abortion(s) and are repentant must be forgiven and treated with love, kindness and understanding. Indeed, there is a vast body of women who have had abortions without full knowledge or consciousness of the wrongness of their actions. And there have been other women who, while having misgivings, were scared at the unintended pregnancy. Fewer still (perhaps as low as 1%) can claim to be victims of rape or incest. All of these individual circumstances (and more) with their various mitigating factors must be considered with love and understanding. Treating the woman who had an abortion in circumstances such as those described above as guilty of capital murder (and hence deserving of life in prison or the death penalty) is simply wrong. The intent must always be to stop any further abortions and to heal the women whose souls and bodies have been broken by this heinous crime against humanity. Indeed, one may argue that in abortion, the would-be mothers (and sometimes the fathers also) are victims just as much as the unborn child, for just as abortion snuffs out the physical life of the unborn child, so also does abortion snuff out the spiritual life of the woman and man responsible for the pregnancy.

Of far greater concern in this matter are the politicians who support abortion and the medical personnel who reap financial gain off abortion. If anyone were to be charged with a capital crime, then it should be them. Additionally, those rabid feminists who insist on sex with complete abandon and without any responsibility are just as guilty. Again, in both cases, the intent must always be to bring such persons to repentance and conversion. Yet, while one may argue for the deferment or abolition of punishment in the case of the victimized would-be mother and father, that cannot be argued in the case of the apostate Catholic politician or the greedy Planned Parenthood executive. The real guilt for the crime of abortion lies with all those in public office who mislead and insist that infanticide of the unborn is a woman’s right to choose, and with all those in the medical profession who reap millions and millions of dollars in profit off human blood.

Now one thing is very important to emphasize: everyone has the right to choose to have a baby or not have a baby, and the man is just as responsible as the woman. However, the choice must be made BEFORE sexual intercourse, NEVER afterwards. If one does not want a baby, then one must refrain from intercourse. We are NOT animals to be driven into misdeed by the passions of the moment. God gave each of us a sentient brain capable of reasoning. Furthermore, no one ever died from chastity and abstinence. So, if one does not want a child, then one must refrain from sexual intercourse. To ensure that our young people understand this, then we adults must be an example in our own lives and teach them basic morality: just because something feels good does NOT mean that one may indulge in it with impunity. Sexual intercourse is God’s gift to humanity and is reserved for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony between one man and one woman. It has both a procreative and a unitive aspect, and neither can ever be divorced from the other. When we begin treating intercourse as something holy instead of something animalistic, then and only then will abortion be defeated.

Second, for those who are homosexual, that is to say, of same sex attraction, there is NO inherent sin in loving a person of the same sex. What is sinful is the act of sexual relations between members of the same sex. Sexual relations are to be reserved for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony between one man and one woman. There are to be no sexual relations outside of this Sacrament instituted by God Himself when he created Eve for Adam. Sexual relations are to be regarded and treated as something holy and precious, again, God’s gift to humanity.

I do not know why there are people possessed of homosexual attraction. The cause could be either genetic or environmental or some combination of both. But whatever the reason, homosexual people should never ever be harassed, ridiculed, reviled, condemned, vilified or otherwise mistreated. God is never going to judge us by whether we are possessed of heterosexual or homosexual attraction. The Bible says He will judge us by our deeds, and heterosexual people are held accountable to the same standards to which homosexual people are held accountable.

Now may two persons arrange a contract with one another for their domicile, their finances, their healthcare, etc., without regard to gender? Yes, of course. But when two people of the same gender do that, it is NOT and cannot be called marriage. Even two people of the opposite gender doing that may not call it marriage until they are in point of fact really and truly married. Furthermore, by definition of the term, marriage is always between man and woman.

I have met and been friends with many homosexual persons. Every single such person that I have personally known has been sensitive, kind, generous, considerate and hard working, without exception. I have never ever met a “militant homosexual”, though I am told that many exist, and every homosexual whom I have met I would trust implicitly without question. I have not, do not and will not judge a homosexual or treat such a person any differently than I would a heterosexual. Furthermore, as to the matter of trust, I have met plenty of heterosexuals whom I would trust about as far as I can throw a one-ton rock. Therefore, in my experience, the condition of homosexuality is NOT a determining factor of a person’s innate goodness. However, the act of homosexual relations is inherently sinful just as the act of adultery or fornication is inherently sinful. One may argue that there is no difference in degree of sinfulness between a homosexual act and a heterosexual act performed outside the bounds of Holy Matrimony. (Bear in mind that by definition there is no such thing as marriage between persons of the same gender).

Some might at this point cry that God or the Church is unfair because homosexual persons are never to be permitted the conjugal fruition of their love whereas such is not the case for heterosexual persons. However, this accusation is most misleading. The fact of the matter is that no one is permitted sexual pleasure outside the bounds of Holy Matrimony between one man and one woman – period. There are NO exceptions and it does not matter one iota if one is homosexual or heterosexual. God treats all men and women equally without distinction: that’s what the Bible says.

God calls everyone to holiness and righteousness. He gave us brains because He expects us to use them in making rational decisions and bridling our passions. We do NOT get a vote in deciding right and wrong. The temptation to do so by partaking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the first temptation at which humankind failed. There is an objective right and an objective wrong, and the ability to choose to do the right thing in spite of animalistic passions to the contrary is true freedom. Caving in to the passions of the moment is license and slavery to the sin that so easily besets us, as St. Paul so eloquently describes in his Epistle to the Romans.

We Christians must be forgiving, but that does not imply that the sinning can be excused. Furthermore, since we are Christians, then we will be held to the higher standard. So we need to live lives of righteousness and holiness ourselves. We cannot expect to defeat abortion or gay sex without both love of the person and obedience to Christ:

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:34

“You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 18:13

“You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:2

P.S., I admit to being an abject, miserable failure at these things, but that in no way negates the truth of what the Bible and Holy Mother Church instruct us to do.

Hitler Finds out Scott Brown Won Massachusetts Senate Seat

Folks,

This video says it all. If you can't view it from this blogsite, then please go here:

Hitler Finds out Scott Brown Won Massachusetts Senate Seat

Some Thoughts

Folks,

Sometimes it will appear that I am too harsh when discussing Catholic politicians in obstinate defiance of the Church and the Bible, and perhaps there is some validity to that statement, yet I can't help wondering about the following:

Was St. Peter too harsh when he dealt with Ananias and Sapphira for lying as Acts 5:1-11 records?

Was St. Peter too harsh when he dealt with Simon the magician for attempting to buy the power of the Holy Spirit as Acts 8:18-23 records?

Was St. Paul too harsh when he dealt with Hymenaeus and Alexander for blaspheming as 1st Timothy 1:19-20 records?

Was St. John too harsh when he dealt with the harlotry of Jezebel at the Church in Thyatira as Revelation 2:20-23 records?

Hebrews 10:28-31 is very clear about the consequences for insulting the spirit of grace, and that is exactly the case with pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage Catholic politicians, those once numbered among the very elect. Revelation 3:19 is very clear that God reproves those whom He loves, and the authority to do so has been given to the Apostles and their successors as Matthew 16:18-19 and Matthew 18:15-20 indicate.

So when some (NOT all) Catholic Bishops and Priests fail to publicly address the scandal that is created by the very public stance of pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage politicians, not only do they endanger the souls of those politicians, but they also mislead the Faithful into thinking that apostasy and heresy is without consequence, and that issues of intrinsic evil such as abortion or gay marriage are on the same level as non-intrinsic war, poverty, social justice, or the death penalty.

Furthermore, 1st Corinthians 11:27-32 is very explicit about the dangers of partaking of Holy Communion while in a state of mortal sin (and that's what wilful, conscious and repeated public defiance of Church teaching on abortion constitutes). Any Bishop or Priest who therefore knowingly allows a pro-abortion Catholic politician to partake of Holy Communion with impunity is enabling that person's sad slide into the fires of hell.

No, I am NOT saying that a particular politician himself is definitely going to hell right here and now; rather, without repentance any one of us deserves to go to hell, and that just so happens to include (but not be limited to) pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage Catholic politicians who are conscious of Church teaching and in wilful, public defiance anyways. Public sin demands public redress.

Now God takes NO pleasure in the death of the wicked as Ezekiel 18 reminds us. No true Christian wants Nancy Pelosi, Patrick Kennedy, Patrick Leahy, Dennis Kucinich, John Kerry, or any other pro-abortion Catholic politician to go to hell, and certainly God doesn't either. But to prevent that from happening, our Bishops and Priests have to stand up and be counted as watchmen. That is why Ezekiel 33 goes on to explain that watchmen (i.e., our Bishops and Priests) are responsible for sounding the alarm so that the wicked, the apostates, the heretics will repent, and when the watchmen fail to do so, then they are as guilty as the wicked themselves, hence the warning delivered to the shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel 34, a warning that applies to our clergy today.

Now just as Jeremiah 10:21 and 23:1-4 places more responsibility on the Shepherds than on the Faithful, so also does Wisdom 6:1-9 place more responsibility on the Leaders than on the People. So based on this, it would actually be unkind and unloving to be anything less than harsh when dealing with weak, vacillating shepherds and defiant, reprobate politicians.

Righteousness and holiness come before recovery and prosperity, never afterwards, as 2nd Chronicles 7:14 and Matthew 6:33 state, and that means no intrinsic evils, including:

No abortion
No gay marriage
No embryonic stem cell research
No euthanasia
No human cloning

GOP's Brown Wins Mass. Senate Seat in Epic Upset

Folks,

I couldn't be happy except that the good Lord returns to Earth:

GOP's Brown Wins Mass. Senate Seat in Epic Upset



For a Republican to win Senator Ted Kennedy's seat, and in one of the most liberal states of the Union, says a lot about how the voters feel over Obamolech and the liberal Democrats.

Praise the Lord! Maybe the country is finally coming to its senses!

Tonight's Humor - Where Did Your Prozac Go?

Folks,

I was wondering where my Prozac went!

Obamolech, Listen to Dr. Alveda King

Folks,

The Priests for Life web site released the following statement from Dr. Alveda King on this day of celebration in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Obamolech, Pelosi, Biden, Kerry, Kennedy, Leahy, Kucinich, and the rest of your abortionist politicians, hear and repent before the Lord our God!

Dr. Alveda King on King Day: The Dream Includes Us All, Born and Unborn



Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a Beloved Community where all are treated with respect and dignity, said Dr. King. He fought against society’s exclusion of people who were treated as less than human because of their appearance. Today, we are compelled to continue Uncle Martin’s fight by standing up for those who are treated as less than human because of their helplessness and inconvenience.

The unborn are as much a part of the Beloved Community as are newborns, infants, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Too many of us speak of tolerance and inclusion, yet refuse to tolerate or include the weakest and most innocent among us in the human family. As we celebrate the life of Uncle Martin, let us renew our hearts and commit our lives to treating each other, whatever our race, status, or stage of life, as we would want to be treated. Let us let each other live.

8 Truths -- and the Consequences -- In Obama's First Year

Folks,

The f0llowing is from our friends at Fox News, the ONLY news organization that is apparently willing to report the complete and unvarnished truth about Obamolech. It serves to confirm that once again, the best liberal Democrat is the defeated, muzzled and emasculated liberal Democrat (the same goes for RINOs, too).

8 Truths -- and the Consequences -- In Obama's First Year

By Bradley Blakeman

Obama -- the candidate -- has reached the end of the political line. He, and the advisers around him, have never grasped the fact that the campaign is over and the time to govern has arrived. It has been almost a year since President Obama was sworn in as our nation’s fourty-fourth president.

The hype over the “Obama brand” and the promise for “change” was deafening from Obama supporters and much of the media leading up to and after the inauguration. Now, after a year in office it is fair to take a look back at the president’s record and match truth to consequence.

Here is a list of key issues for the Obama administration:

The Closing of Gitmo

Truth: One of Obama’s first acts as president was to sign an Executive Order on January 22, 2009 ordering the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Prison as a U.S. detentionfacility. In his remarks on that day, the president promised that Guantanamo would be closed within his first year in office.

Consequence: Guantanamo is still open and the administration has found it difficult to come up with a viable alternative to the facility or what to do with the detainees they now seek to detain or release.

The Economy

Truth: The president’s first major piece of legislation was the now infamous $787 billion dollar “Stimulus” bill passed by the Senate in February 2009. This was the bill that admittedly most legislators did not read before voting on it – the one with no transparency. Passage of the bill was demanded by the president, who said that time was of the essence to save jobs. The president promised that the bill would prevent the nation’s unemployment rate from rising above eight percent.

Consequence: Most of the stimulus money remains unspent. Unemployment has topped 10% nationally since the stimulus bill was passed and in many urban areas tops 16% and is rising.

Foreign Policy:

Truth: The president promised that with his unique persona and his “new style” of governing that he could unilaterally convince all those who don’t like us, to like us. He convinced his believers that all he needed to do is “change the tone” and dictators in countries like Iran and North Korea would abandon their nuclear weapons programs and that terrorists would stand down. The president promised a new era of global cooperation on “global warming” and predicted he could bring historic global agreement.

Consequence: The world is a much more dangerous place since Obama took office. Iran has escalated their nuclear weapons program and North Korea has not abandoned theirs. No headway has been made in the Middle East peace process. Talks broke down on “global warming” in Copenhagen in December and no concrete agreement was delivered as promised by the president. As a consequence no progress was made domestically on passage of cap-and-trade legislation.

War on Terror:

Truth: Immediately after taking office and in the months following the inauguration the Obama administration actively made a point of removing the words “terrorism” and the “War on Terror” from their public speech. Instead they choose to call acts of terrorism – “man-caused disasters.” The president went on what I can only describe as an “apology tour” which he kicked with the first sit-down interview of his presidency on Al Arabia television in which he pandered and apologized for past American aggressiveness.

Consequence: The foiled Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines flight over Michigan forced the president, albeit several days later, to acknowledge the obvious -- there is indeed a “War on Terror.” And it does not matter who our president is -- radical Islamists seek to destroy America, today, tomorrow, next year or even a decade from now.

Transparency:

Truth: President Obama promised that a hallmark of his administration would be transparency. This is some of what he promised:“We’ll have [healthcare reform] negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so the people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who is making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies.”

Consequence: To date there have been NO televised negotiations on health care, the “stimulus bill,” cap-and-trade or any other major piece of legislation being advanced by the Obama administration and the Democratically-controlled Congress.

Immigration:

Truth: President Obama promised to make immigration reform a top priority in his first year.Consequence: President Obama has done nothing on immigration reform in his first year, other than traveling in August to Mexico where he announced he will take no action on comprehensive immigration reform until 2010.

Health Care:

Truth: President Obama demanded health care be passed before the August 2009 Congressional recess and said that he would not sign a health care reform bill without a “public option.”

Consequence: Health care legislation was NOT passed in August and it still has not been passed. It is clear that the public does not want a “public option” and now the president has abandoned that requirement. Democrats -- NOT Republicans -- have been the one and only reason that a health care bill has not passed and thus not signed by their party’s president.

Our National Debt:

Truth: During the 2008 campaign then-candidate Obama was highly critical of the national debt. He vowed to “take a scalpel” to the national budget and to make it a top priority to reduce the nation’s debt.

Consequence: The president has already quadrupled the nation’s deficit thanks to his failed “stimulus bill.” This year the deficit has increased by almost $1.8 trillion dollars and is likely to increase by a trillion dollars a year for the next ten years.

A year ago many believed that Barack Obama was the only politician able to solve the problem facing America. They believed he had all the answers and were mesmerized by his powerful oratory and presence. They believed that all he had to do was address an issue and it would be settled. Supporters saw him as a leader with extraordinary powers and they spoke of him in awe and hushed tones.

The reality is that the president is not all that. He is a person who is not into “heavy lifting.” For my money, he never was. It’s my belief that he ran for a state senate post in Illinois so that he could run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate and then within 2 years of being elected to that post ran for president! He hasn’t spent much time governing although, no one can argue, he is one hell of a campaigner.

The problem now is that Obama -- the candidate -- has reached the end of the political line. He, and the advisers who surround him, never grasped the fact that the campaign was over, that the time to govern has arrived. Instead of taking the reins of power, he ceded his power and authority to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. What we got out of this deal was a disastrous “stimulus bill” that was rammed through the Congress and a manufactured “crisis” on health care that has paralyzed our government for the past 10 months.

In short, the reality is that our president is just a mere mortal. He has been seriously overrated in terms of both his competence and ability.

He has not delivered on the “change” he promised -- not because he doesn’t want to, but because he doesn’t know how too.

Reluctantly, many Americans have finally gotten wise to the fact that politically, their president, just like the emperor in the the fairy tale, has no clothes.

Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is currently a professor of Politics and Public Policy at Georgetown University and a frequent contributor to the Fox Forum.