Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Excommunication Fail
Gay activists denied communion
During a St. John's Abbey mass, students and others wearing protest buttons and sashes received Archbishop John Nienstedt's hand of blessing rather than the eucharist.
About 25 college students and community members at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., were denied communion by Twin Cities Roman Catholic Archbishop John C. Nienstedt because they were displaying rainbow buttons and sashes in protest of the church's stand on gay relationships.
The conflict between the archbishop and the group, mostly students from the Catholic St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict, occurred during evening mass Sept. 26.
It came amid news that the state's bishops were mailing 400,000 DVDs to Minnesota Catholics, spelling out church teachings on gay marriage and urging them to support candidates who endorse putting the issue to a vote.
The St. John's action was coordinated by students, including members of People Representing the Sexual Minority (PRiSM), which represents gay and lesbian students and their friends and allies. That Sunday, according to those at the mass, about two dozen worshipers positioned themselves to receive communion from Nienstedt, who was saying his first student mass at the abbey. Some reached for the communion wafer but were denied it. Rather, the archbishop raised his hand in blessing.
The archdiocese long has denied communion to members of the Rainbow Sash Movement, who wear the colors to mass in protest of the church's stance in opposition to homosexual relationships. Its leader, Brian McNeil, said the action at St. John's was not connected to his group.
Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath said the church has told McNeil's group "for years you cannot receive communion if you wear the rainbow sash, because it's a political statement, a sign of protest. Going to the communion rail is the most sacred part of our faith, the eucharist. We don't allow anybody to make political statements or any kind of protest."
During a St. John's Abbey mass, students and others wearing protest buttons and sashes received Archbishop John Nienstedt's hand of blessing rather than the eucharist.
About 25 college students and community members at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., were denied communion by Twin Cities Roman Catholic Archbishop John C. Nienstedt because they were displaying rainbow buttons and sashes in protest of the church's stand on gay relationships.
The conflict between the archbishop and the group, mostly students from the Catholic St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict, occurred during evening mass Sept. 26.
It came amid news that the state's bishops were mailing 400,000 DVDs to Minnesota Catholics, spelling out church teachings on gay marriage and urging them to support candidates who endorse putting the issue to a vote.
The St. John's action was coordinated by students, including members of People Representing the Sexual Minority (PRiSM), which represents gay and lesbian students and their friends and allies. That Sunday, according to those at the mass, about two dozen worshipers positioned themselves to receive communion from Nienstedt, who was saying his first student mass at the abbey. Some reached for the communion wafer but were denied it. Rather, the archbishop raised his hand in blessing.
The archdiocese long has denied communion to members of the Rainbow Sash Movement, who wear the colors to mass in protest of the church's stance in opposition to homosexual relationships. Its leader, Brian McNeil, said the action at St. John's was not connected to his group.
Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath said the church has told McNeil's group "for years you cannot receive communion if you wear the rainbow sash, because it's a political statement, a sign of protest. Going to the communion rail is the most sacred part of our faith, the eucharist. We don't allow anybody to make political statements or any kind of protest."
Courtesy of StarTribune of Minneapolis/St. Paul
***FYI, from Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers, 1997.
Respect for the God-given dignity of all persons means the recognition of human rights and responsibilities. The teachings of the Church make it clear that the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all of us must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against them (cf. The Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 1986, no. 10).It is not sufficient only to avoid unjust discrimination. Homosexual persons "must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2358). They, as is true of every human being, need to be nourished at many different levels simultaneously. This includes friendship, which is a way of loving and is essential to healthy human development. It is one of the richest possible human experiences. Friendship can and does thrive outside of genital sexual involvement.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Stewardship Fail
The following email is from a Tea Party-affiliated group in northern Ohio. The Sandusky Register (www.sanduskyregister.com) printed this email on Aug 31. 2010.
From: Jon Morrow
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:14:38 -0400
To:
Subject: Tea Party Voter Guide and Questionaire...get your candidates on it
We are a Tea Party Group in Erie County called The Freedom Institute of Erie County and we are preparing a Conservative voter guide and would like help from your candidates. We ask they answer the following 15 questions so that we can more clearly define their position on many items. These answers will be put into our voter guide and allow us to rate, recommend, and endorse candidates. Without these questions being answered we cannot give a full endorsement of your candidate. We have attached a draft of the voter guide along with the questions and a key legend for answers. You are allowed qualifiers to your answers but please keep it short sweet and simple. We intend to distribute this list in Erie County and hope it to reach 1,000+ Republicans and at least 4.000+ Independents that have a history of voting conservatively. The sample ratings in the voter guide do not yet reflect the standing of your candidate in our group. Please also provide our members and voting guide recipients with an email and phone number contact information. While we are not a partisan group we are a conservative group. While Democrats these days tend not to be conservative we do not want to paint them with all with broad brush and we fully hope that Democrats will respond with what their conservative American values are as with any of us even the most conservative person may have some liberal views and vice versa. We would like to have answers back before the end of the first week in September.
We are also inviting all candidates to our Liber-TEA in America Rally to take place October 9th at The Largest American Legion in Ohio (Located in Sandusky, OH) to speak about their conservative view and how they will benefit Ohioans. the event will last noon to 9pm. This has been sent to as many candidates that we have e-mails for. If you have more emails for those that would be on the Erie County Ballot please forward this email on to them.
1. The Right to Life is a Constitutional right, therefore innocent human beings should have legal protection from conception until natural death. If you hold any exceptions please state them.
2. The regulation of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere should be left to God and not government and I oppose all measures of Cap and Trade as well as the teaching of global warming theory in our schools.
3. Marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman, any other type of Union is not marriage
4. Children should not be placed into foster homes where the parents are homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered.
5. Parental consent should be required for sex education that teaches more than direct abstinence.
6. The second Amendment to the Constitution should not be weakened in any way.
7. Only US Citizens should be allowed to vote and a photo ID should always be required to vote. (The Mexican government requires
a photo ID and fingerprint).
8. I oppose Ohio’s State Income Tax.
9. I oppose the Obama Health Care Reform and would like to see more affordable healthcare through a competitive, open, and transparent
system.
10. I oppose the don’t ask, don’t tell policy of the military and believe that all same sex partners should be banned from combat duty in the military because of the propensity to transmit blood borne diseases in the theater of battle.
11. I support a law that will allow the people to place on a ballot all collective bargaining agreements of all government associations, unions, and guilds, for their expressed approval. Defeat of such an agreement would mean government workers would not be immune from the free market system.
12. I oppose card check for voting to implement a Union as this could give Unions an unfair intimidation tactic to implement Unionization
13. I am not an economic Pacifist. I believe that we need to protect our economic borders in order to ensure free and fair trade. Tariffs
should be used to stop the wealth and jobs of Americans from leaving her borders
14. The Federal Reserve as it is currently conceived needs to be abolished or at the very least audited.
15. I advocated moving our currency to a debt free supply-side labor based currency.
Possible Answers
A = Agree
D = Disagree
U = Undecided
A* = Pro-life with exceptions of Rape or Incest
* = Added comments
NR = No Response
CR = Incumbents Conservative Rating
Your help in these matters is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jon P. Morrow
The Freedom Institute of Erie County
www.Americaslastbesthope.org
From: Jon Morrow
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:14:38 -0400
To:
Subject: Tea Party Voter Guide and Questionaire...get your candidates on it
We are a Tea Party Group in Erie County called The Freedom Institute of Erie County and we are preparing a Conservative voter guide and would like help from your candidates. We ask they answer the following 15 questions so that we can more clearly define their position on many items. These answers will be put into our voter guide and allow us to rate, recommend, and endorse candidates. Without these questions being answered we cannot give a full endorsement of your candidate. We have attached a draft of the voter guide along with the questions and a key legend for answers. You are allowed qualifiers to your answers but please keep it short sweet and simple. We intend to distribute this list in Erie County and hope it to reach 1,000+ Republicans and at least 4.000+ Independents that have a history of voting conservatively. The sample ratings in the voter guide do not yet reflect the standing of your candidate in our group. Please also provide our members and voting guide recipients with an email and phone number contact information. While we are not a partisan group we are a conservative group. While Democrats these days tend not to be conservative we do not want to paint them with all with broad brush and we fully hope that Democrats will respond with what their conservative American values are as with any of us even the most conservative person may have some liberal views and vice versa. We would like to have answers back before the end of the first week in September.
We are also inviting all candidates to our Liber-TEA in America Rally to take place October 9th at The Largest American Legion in Ohio (Located in Sandusky, OH) to speak about their conservative view and how they will benefit Ohioans. the event will last noon to 9pm. This has been sent to as many candidates that we have e-mails for. If you have more emails for those that would be on the Erie County Ballot please forward this email on to them.
1. The Right to Life is a Constitutional right, therefore innocent human beings should have legal protection from conception until natural death. If you hold any exceptions please state them.
2. The regulation of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere should be left to God and not government and I oppose all measures of Cap and Trade as well as the teaching of global warming theory in our schools.
3. Marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman, any other type of Union is not marriage
4. Children should not be placed into foster homes where the parents are homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered.
5. Parental consent should be required for sex education that teaches more than direct abstinence.
6. The second Amendment to the Constitution should not be weakened in any way.
7. Only US Citizens should be allowed to vote and a photo ID should always be required to vote. (The Mexican government requires
a photo ID and fingerprint).
8. I oppose Ohio’s State Income Tax.
9. I oppose the Obama Health Care Reform and would like to see more affordable healthcare through a competitive, open, and transparent
system.
10. I oppose the don’t ask, don’t tell policy of the military and believe that all same sex partners should be banned from combat duty in the military because of the propensity to transmit blood borne diseases in the theater of battle.
11. I support a law that will allow the people to place on a ballot all collective bargaining agreements of all government associations, unions, and guilds, for their expressed approval. Defeat of such an agreement would mean government workers would not be immune from the free market system.
12. I oppose card check for voting to implement a Union as this could give Unions an unfair intimidation tactic to implement Unionization
13. I am not an economic Pacifist. I believe that we need to protect our economic borders in order to ensure free and fair trade. Tariffs
should be used to stop the wealth and jobs of Americans from leaving her borders
14. The Federal Reserve as it is currently conceived needs to be abolished or at the very least audited.
15. I advocated moving our currency to a debt free supply-side labor based currency.
Possible Answers
A = Agree
D = Disagree
U = Undecided
A* = Pro-life with exceptions of Rape or Incest
* = Added comments
NR = No Response
CR = Incumbents Conservative Rating
Your help in these matters is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jon P. Morrow
The Freedom Institute of Erie County
www.Americaslastbesthope.org
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Prophecy Fail
Just a sidenote: Timothy LaHaye's doctorate is a Doctor of Ministry from Western Seminary and Beverly Lahaye's is an honorary degree from Liberty University.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Administrator's Note: Picking on Glenn Beck
Although no one has mentioned it to me, the preponderance of Glenn Beck on this blog may be of some inquiry. I thought it would be helpful to explain why the Fox News celebrity appears on here so often.
Glenn Beck has set himself up as a sort of teacher and historian for America. Recently, however, he has also set himself up as a theologian and even a prophet. Were Beck a nobody, even a lowly radio host, I would not see it appropriate to detail his every theological transgression. Beck is not, however, a nobody. He is listened to by thousands upon thousands of Americans, many of whom claim to be Christian. If I subscribed to the same level of alarmism and fear-mongering as Beck, I would here say something about how dangerous he is. I think it's better to expose his ridiculousness to people who would otherwise not hear him and be aware of the kind of horrible theology that is being pumped into the minds of Beck's audience, as they are everywhere.
Glenn Beck has set himself up as a sort of teacher and historian for America. Recently, however, he has also set himself up as a theologian and even a prophet. Were Beck a nobody, even a lowly radio host, I would not see it appropriate to detail his every theological transgression. Beck is not, however, a nobody. He is listened to by thousands upon thousands of Americans, many of whom claim to be Christian. If I subscribed to the same level of alarmism and fear-mongering as Beck, I would here say something about how dangerous he is. I think it's better to expose his ridiculousness to people who would otherwise not hear him and be aware of the kind of horrible theology that is being pumped into the minds of Beck's audience, as they are everywhere.
Liberation Theology Fail
The video clip is really long--and I understand not being able to stomach Beck for that long--so I'm pasting some salient points from the clip.
We are living in dangerous times and unless you understand what people are saying and why they are saying it and how they arrived there, then too many Americans are going to be fooled.
We start with James Cone. He's one of the founding fathers of liberation theology. Liberation theology is a brand of Christianity based on the liberation of the oppressed from unjust economic, political or social conditions. It centers around the idea that people are in one of two categories: the oppressor and the oppressed. Poverty, according to this theology, is caused because the poor are "victims of others."
---
This is kind of complex, because Jesus did identify with the victims. But Jesus wasn't a victim, he was a conqueror. Jesus conquered death. He chose to give his life. Jesus didn't come back from the dead and make the Jews pay for what they did. That would have been an abomination.
---
Got it? The only way you can be saved according to this theology, if you are the oppressor, is to give back what you took through reparations. Step down from that job you "took" from someone else. Give back that money you "took" from someone else.
Do you notice anything that's missing here? Well, for one thing, merit. And when it comes to salvation, how about the concept of grace? Saved by grace. You cannot earn your way into Heaven. There is no deed, no random act of kindness, no amount of money to spread around to others that earns you a trip to heaven. It's by God's grace alone that you are saved. Now, that doesn't mean you aren't supposed to do works and deeds — "faith without works is dead." Our work is a demonstration of our faith.
But right now I just want to show you how liberation theology has completely perverted Christianity and teaching something radically different. For example, Cone himself has argued that the Bible is insufficient to know what social justice is and that you need Marxism to understand what Christianity means. I think I speak for most Christians when I say, God's word is sufficient for me; you can 86 the Marx — thank, but no thanks.
-Glenn Beck, July 13, 2010: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/42891/
(thanks to Patrick C.)
We are living in dangerous times and unless you understand what people are saying and why they are saying it and how they arrived there, then too many Americans are going to be fooled.
We start with James Cone. He's one of the founding fathers of liberation theology. Liberation theology is a brand of Christianity based on the liberation of the oppressed from unjust economic, political or social conditions. It centers around the idea that people are in one of two categories: the oppressor and the oppressed. Poverty, according to this theology, is caused because the poor are "victims of others."
---
This is kind of complex, because Jesus did identify with the victims. But Jesus wasn't a victim, he was a conqueror. Jesus conquered death. He chose to give his life. Jesus didn't come back from the dead and make the Jews pay for what they did. That would have been an abomination.
---
Got it? The only way you can be saved according to this theology, if you are the oppressor, is to give back what you took through reparations. Step down from that job you "took" from someone else. Give back that money you "took" from someone else.
Do you notice anything that's missing here? Well, for one thing, merit. And when it comes to salvation, how about the concept of grace? Saved by grace. You cannot earn your way into Heaven. There is no deed, no random act of kindness, no amount of money to spread around to others that earns you a trip to heaven. It's by God's grace alone that you are saved. Now, that doesn't mean you aren't supposed to do works and deeds — "faith without works is dead." Our work is a demonstration of our faith.
But right now I just want to show you how liberation theology has completely perverted Christianity and teaching something radically different. For example, Cone himself has argued that the Bible is insufficient to know what social justice is and that you need Marxism to understand what Christianity means. I think I speak for most Christians when I say, God's word is sufficient for me; you can 86 the Marx — thank, but no thanks.
-Glenn Beck, July 13, 2010: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/42891/
(thanks to Patrick C.)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Geez, Micah.
"All of her idols will be smashed, all of her earnings will be burned with fire and all of her images I will make desolate." Micah 1:7
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pastor Fail 2.0
Get Holy
Our Lady of Fatima Parish - Michigan Center, MI - Fr. Jeffrey Robideau, Pastor
My Opinion - in case you wanted to know
My Opinion on
The Health Care Bill and Socialism
5-19-2010
My own Bishop, Most Rev. Earl Boyea, sent a letter to many people in this diocese on Health Care. It was actually written by the MCC, a political arm of the Bishops in Michigan. On the back were quotes from Popes, Documents and the Catechism where they state the many natural basic rights each human has endowed by God. It also refers to our social dimension. Certainly God made us to be social beings and so the common good needs to come into play as well.
In listing the points MCC quotes, I will try to divide them into the human rights that an individual has and the more social rights that a society (corporate man) has.
Human rights listed are: life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, education, the right to establish a family, medical care, work, transportation, freedom of communication and expression, information and protection of religious freedom
Social rights listed are: the organization of the State’s powers, a sound juridical system, the protection of the environment, commitment to peace, necessary social services and essential services and access to culture.
Now I do not know if I have these all in the right category, nor do I know if both categories are of the same dignity, but I will say both are important and I would not want to be deprived of any of these rights.
My problem is this. Throughout the debate on healthcare, I heard little to nothing from the Bishops about socialism. I heard a lot about the immigrants and abortion problems with the bill. The problem is even if Washington corrected these problems, the health care bill still could not be accepted by the Church because it is still socialism. Socialism is defined by the Church as being intrinsic evil and so never morally allowed. This is not a political issue for us, but a moral issue. The Bishops had the right to speak out and they did nothing. They cowered behind 501c(3).
Yes, these rights listed are rights, but what does that mean? Scripture speaks of at least one of these rights when it says, “Let him who does not work not eat.” This assumes an able body capable of work. In other words, one must secure his rights through morally acceptable means. For this reason, a man has the human right to work and make money so as to secure his other rights.
For those unable to work, Scripture speaks of charity not taxes. Helping neighbor through taxes is not charity. It is not a free gift to help, but is taken form us at a much higher rate than if we helped the person ourselves. Scripture also talks about the widow and the orphan and our duty, to help them. As for the Good Samaritan, he freely gave medical attention to that man, no one taxed him.
What of taxes too? Give unto Caesar, yes. This is part of being a society and so taxes are a good thing. But taxes are different here then that referred to by Jesus. Caesar controlled everything, he was a god, and so the money bore his inscription. In the United States, the people own the country, it is our money, not the government’s. Even the government belongs to us and it is to serve us. One of the good things about our government is that it is a republic and not a democracy. This way Washington is able to make decision that we the people do not like but is what is best. This assumes that they are not going to do what is evil, like not follow the Constitution and take us toward socialism.
We are not talking about a law that governs what side of the street we drive on. Left, right, I don’t care. It does not affect my faith. It is good government to pick a side for the good of the society and our ability to get from point A to point B safely.
The health care bill and how it is funded is different than the question of what side of the street to drive. This law touches upon very religious concerns. And as we know the government is not allowed to impose a religion on us. They are trying to impose secular humanism on us.
What is just is that all should have ACCESS to health care. In other words, if one has the means to obtain health care then they should not be denied health care (no discrimination).
The Church says that other things are rights, like housing. Are we to give everyone a house? Transportation is a right, do we give everyone a new car? You see the slippery slope to full-scale socialism.
I put the call out for all Christians to seek justice, but a responsible justice where each is required to do his part to obtain his rights. And then let charity reign in each of our hearts to care locally and personally for those in need. This is a Capitalism at it’s best. And by the way – the Church has said that there is nothing immoral about capitalism, but only gives the caution to be responsible and charitable.
Our Lady of Fatima Parish - Michigan Center, MI - Fr. Jeffrey Robideau, Pastor
My Opinion - in case you wanted to know
My Opinion on
The Health Care Bill and Socialism
5-19-2010
My own Bishop, Most Rev. Earl Boyea, sent a letter to many people in this diocese on Health Care. It was actually written by the MCC, a political arm of the Bishops in Michigan. On the back were quotes from Popes, Documents and the Catechism where they state the many natural basic rights each human has endowed by God. It also refers to our social dimension. Certainly God made us to be social beings and so the common good needs to come into play as well.
In listing the points MCC quotes, I will try to divide them into the human rights that an individual has and the more social rights that a society (corporate man) has.
Human rights listed are: life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, education, the right to establish a family, medical care, work, transportation, freedom of communication and expression, information and protection of religious freedom
Social rights listed are: the organization of the State’s powers, a sound juridical system, the protection of the environment, commitment to peace, necessary social services and essential services and access to culture.
Now I do not know if I have these all in the right category, nor do I know if both categories are of the same dignity, but I will say both are important and I would not want to be deprived of any of these rights.
My problem is this. Throughout the debate on healthcare, I heard little to nothing from the Bishops about socialism. I heard a lot about the immigrants and abortion problems with the bill. The problem is even if Washington corrected these problems, the health care bill still could not be accepted by the Church because it is still socialism. Socialism is defined by the Church as being intrinsic evil and so never morally allowed. This is not a political issue for us, but a moral issue. The Bishops had the right to speak out and they did nothing. They cowered behind 501c(3).
Yes, these rights listed are rights, but what does that mean? Scripture speaks of at least one of these rights when it says, “Let him who does not work not eat.” This assumes an able body capable of work. In other words, one must secure his rights through morally acceptable means. For this reason, a man has the human right to work and make money so as to secure his other rights.
For those unable to work, Scripture speaks of charity not taxes. Helping neighbor through taxes is not charity. It is not a free gift to help, but is taken form us at a much higher rate than if we helped the person ourselves. Scripture also talks about the widow and the orphan and our duty, to help them. As for the Good Samaritan, he freely gave medical attention to that man, no one taxed him.
What of taxes too? Give unto Caesar, yes. This is part of being a society and so taxes are a good thing. But taxes are different here then that referred to by Jesus. Caesar controlled everything, he was a god, and so the money bore his inscription. In the United States, the people own the country, it is our money, not the government’s. Even the government belongs to us and it is to serve us. One of the good things about our government is that it is a republic and not a democracy. This way Washington is able to make decision that we the people do not like but is what is best. This assumes that they are not going to do what is evil, like not follow the Constitution and take us toward socialism.
We are not talking about a law that governs what side of the street we drive on. Left, right, I don’t care. It does not affect my faith. It is good government to pick a side for the good of the society and our ability to get from point A to point B safely.
The health care bill and how it is funded is different than the question of what side of the street to drive. This law touches upon very religious concerns. And as we know the government is not allowed to impose a religion on us. They are trying to impose secular humanism on us.
What is just is that all should have ACCESS to health care. In other words, if one has the means to obtain health care then they should not be denied health care (no discrimination).
The Church says that other things are rights, like housing. Are we to give everyone a house? Transportation is a right, do we give everyone a new car? You see the slippery slope to full-scale socialism.
I put the call out for all Christians to seek justice, but a responsible justice where each is required to do his part to obtain his rights. And then let charity reign in each of our hearts to care locally and personally for those in need. This is a Capitalism at it’s best. And by the way – the Church has said that there is nothing immoral about capitalism, but only gives the caution to be responsible and charitable.
(thanks to Hallie B.)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Socialism/Social Justice Distinction Fail
Glenn Beck Urges Listeners to Leave Churches That Preach Social Justice -- Politics Daily
Of course, I cannot find any trace of this absurd comment on foxnews.com or glennbeck.com. Please listen to the audio provided in the article.
Of course, I cannot find any trace of this absurd comment on foxnews.com or glennbeck.com. Please listen to the audio provided in the article.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Catechesis Fail
Groups protest decision not to re-enroll child of lesbians
Boulder (Colorado)
(CNN) -- Gay and lesbian groups are attacking a decision by the archdiocese of Denver, Colorado, not to re-enroll a child in a Catholic school in Boulder, Colorado, next year because the child's parents are lesbians.
The issue centers on the Sacred Heart of Jesus School, where the pre-schooler is currently enrolled.
"The Archdiocese of Denver has acted very unjustly in singling out this child for exclusion," said DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke in a written statement Monday. "Until every student's parents are tested on Catholic teaching, this action by Catholic officials cannot be understood as anything other than discrimination on the back of a child. At a tender age, this child has learned that Catholic officials are willing to inflict pain on children and families."
The decision was made public last week.
"These actions by the Denver Archdiocese harm the student by taking the child away from friends, teachers and community," said Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "It's deeply troubling to see any school remove a child from their educational program simply as the means of rejecting that child's parents."
But the archdiocese defended its decision.
"Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment," it said in a statement posted on its Web site. "To allow children in these circumstances to continue in our school would be a cause of confusion for the student in that what they are being taught in school conflicts with what they experience in the home.
"We communicated the policy to the couple at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School as soon as we realized the situation. We discussed the reasons with them and have sought to respond in a way that does not abruptly displace the student but at the same time respects the integrity of the Catholic school's philosophy."
In a posting of his sermon, the Rev. Bill Breslin, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, supported the move.
"The issue is not about our not accepting 'sinners,' " he said. "It is not about punishing the child for the sins of his or her parents. It is simply that the lesbian couple is saying that their relationship is a good one that should be accepted by everyone; and the Church cannot agree to that."
About 30 opponents of the move -- "mostly hetero allies of the gay community" -- protested Sunday outside the church during Mass, said Dave Ensign, board president of Boulder Pride, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community center and services organization.
Ensign handed out flyers to the protesters and then joined the parishioners as they listened to the sermon defending the church's move. "I was disappointed, but it was pretty much what I was expecting to hear," he said.
He added that the larger community's reaction has been positive, saying, "When people hear about this, they speak up, and I think that says a lot about our community."
The child has not been identified publicly. No one at the archdiocese or at the school immediately returned calls Monday seeking comment.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/08/colorado.lesbians.church/index.html
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Rapture Fail
All dogs DO NOT go to heaven.
"We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus."
http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com
"We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus."
http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com
Friday, February 5, 2010
Medicine God Fail
These doctors, of course, are not the subject of this Fail, per se. The Fail is directed at so many in our society who are so sure that they know the quality of someone's life well enough to starve them or deprive them of water. -ks
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Etiology of Evil Fail
(thanks to Jeremy H.)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Drunk in the Spirit Fail
117 Russians in hospital after drinking holy water
from news.yahoo.com
Mon Jan 25, 6:26 am ET
MOSCOW – More than 100 Russian Orthodox believers have been hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in the eastern city of Irkutsk, an official said Monday.
A total of 117 people, including 48 children, were in the hospital complaining of acute intestinal pain after drinking water from wells in and around a local church last week, said Vladimir Salovarov, a spokesman for the Irkutsk Investigative Committee.
Salovarov said 204 people required some medical treatment after consuming the water, the source of which was a stagnant lake. He said, however, that it was too early to say what caused the illness.
Many Russians consider any water obtained on Epiphany — which they celebrate on Jan. 19 — to be holy.
The water is typically bottled for consumption later. Tap water in most of Russia is undrinkable.
(thanks to Katie D.)
from news.yahoo.com
Mon Jan 25, 6:26 am ET
MOSCOW – More than 100 Russian Orthodox believers have been hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in the eastern city of Irkutsk, an official said Monday.
A total of 117 people, including 48 children, were in the hospital complaining of acute intestinal pain after drinking water from wells in and around a local church last week, said Vladimir Salovarov, a spokesman for the Irkutsk Investigative Committee.
Salovarov said 204 people required some medical treatment after consuming the water, the source of which was a stagnant lake. He said, however, that it was too early to say what caused the illness.
Many Russians consider any water obtained on Epiphany — which they celebrate on Jan. 19 — to be holy.
The water is typically bottled for consumption later. Tap water in most of Russia is undrinkable.
(thanks to Katie D.)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Rerum Novarum Fail/Preferential Option Win?
By ALASTAIR TAYLOR
Published: 22 Dec 2009
Add a comment (39)
A VICAR has caused uproar by encouraging the needy to SHOPLIFT.
Father Tim Jones said stealing would compensate for society letting down the poor.
His support for theft came in his Christmas sermon at St Lawrence Church, York. But he was branded irresponsible by cops, church chiefs and politicians.
Fr Jones said it was OK for hard-up people to shoplift - because "God's love for the poor and despised outweighs the property rights of the rich".
The 42-year-old said in his Christmas sermon that life could be particularly hard for people such as those just out of jail who could not get benefits.
He added: "My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither. I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses but from large, national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.
"I would ask them not to take any more than they need, for any longer than they need.
"I offer the advice with a heavy heart and wish society would recognise that bureaucratic ineptitude and systematic delay has created an invitation and incentive to crime for people struggling to cope."
Father Jones caused fury addressing his congregation at St Lawrence Church, York.
The dad of two said stealing was the only way for some people to survive during the recession because society neglected the needy.
And he believed it was far better they shoplifted than turn to more degrading or violent alternatives, such as prostitution, mugging or burglary.
He said: "My advice does not contradict the Bible's eighth commandment (Thou Shalt Not Steal) because God's love for the poor and despised outweighs the property rights of the rich."
A spokesman for North Yorks Police said: "Shoplifting is a criminal offence and to justify this course of action under any circumstances is highly irresponsible."
Shopkeeper Babs Fitzpatrick, 58, who runs Leeman Stores, York, said: "It's incredible a priest can give this sort of advice."
Her assistant, Jasmine Swann, 18, added: "The other day a man came in, calmly took a bottle of vodka and walked straight out. You feel helpless but I'm not going to have a go at him. He could have a knife."
Stephen Alambritis, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We are appalled by the remarks from Father Jones. It is outrageous."
The Archdeacon of York, the Venerable Richard Seed, said: "The Church of England does not advise anyone to break the law in any way.
"Father Jones is raising important issues about the difficulties people face when benefits are not forthcoming, but shoplifting is not the way to overcome these difficulties."
a.taylor@the-sun.co.uk
from http://www.thesun.co.uk
(thanks to Jackie and Mark)
Use the comment feature to VOTE on whether this is a fail or win. I don't know what to make of this story....
Published: 22 Dec 2009
Add a comment (39)
A VICAR has caused uproar by encouraging the needy to SHOPLIFT.
Father Tim Jones said stealing would compensate for society letting down the poor.
His support for theft came in his Christmas sermon at St Lawrence Church, York. But he was branded irresponsible by cops, church chiefs and politicians.
Fr Jones said it was OK for hard-up people to shoplift - because "God's love for the poor and despised outweighs the property rights of the rich".
The 42-year-old said in his Christmas sermon that life could be particularly hard for people such as those just out of jail who could not get benefits.
He added: "My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither. I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses but from large, national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.
"I would ask them not to take any more than they need, for any longer than they need.
"I offer the advice with a heavy heart and wish society would recognise that bureaucratic ineptitude and systematic delay has created an invitation and incentive to crime for people struggling to cope."
Father Jones caused fury addressing his congregation at St Lawrence Church, York.
The dad of two said stealing was the only way for some people to survive during the recession because society neglected the needy.
And he believed it was far better they shoplifted than turn to more degrading or violent alternatives, such as prostitution, mugging or burglary.
He said: "My advice does not contradict the Bible's eighth commandment (Thou Shalt Not Steal) because God's love for the poor and despised outweighs the property rights of the rich."
A spokesman for North Yorks Police said: "Shoplifting is a criminal offence and to justify this course of action under any circumstances is highly irresponsible."
Shopkeeper Babs Fitzpatrick, 58, who runs Leeman Stores, York, said: "It's incredible a priest can give this sort of advice."
Her assistant, Jasmine Swann, 18, added: "The other day a man came in, calmly took a bottle of vodka and walked straight out. You feel helpless but I'm not going to have a go at him. He could have a knife."
Stephen Alambritis, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We are appalled by the remarks from Father Jones. It is outrageous."
The Archdeacon of York, the Venerable Richard Seed, said: "The Church of England does not advise anyone to break the law in any way.
"Father Jones is raising important issues about the difficulties people face when benefits are not forthcoming, but shoplifting is not the way to overcome these difficulties."
a.taylor@the-sun.co.uk
from http://www.thesun.co.uk
(thanks to Jackie and Mark)
Use the comment feature to VOTE on whether this is a fail or win. I don't know what to make of this story....
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Catholic Worker Fail
Lewis University named a residence hall DOROTHY DAY Hall, after the foundress of the pacifist Catholic Worker movement:
"This four-story residence hall houses 130 students. Floors are co-ed by section, and each floor has a television lounge, laundry facilities, and a full kitchen. The building also has seven study lounges. The lower level houses the university's ROTC and Conferencing and Events offices."
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/New-Building-Dorothy-Day-Hall/19577/
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Spiritual Director Fail
AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL'S "BECK," JANUARY 13, 2010
ON GOD/FAITH
SARAH PALIN/FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR/FORMER REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is nothing more important in my life than my relationship with God and my faith and in this past year especially -- past year and a half -- I have been so driven to my knees to pray for His guidance, for His wisdom, for His grace and for His Strength. And I'm never going to tell anybody else how to live, I'm never going to preach to anybody else and tell them you must do that. But I sure would like to see more Americans give it a try and seek the guidance that our Founding Fathers sought and were able to [then] craft documents that allowed America to become the greatest, strongest, healthiest, most prosperous nation on earth.
from www.foxnews.com
---------------
Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. Thomas Jefferson
ON GOD/FAITH
SARAH PALIN/FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR/FORMER REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is nothing more important in my life than my relationship with God and my faith and in this past year especially -- past year and a half -- I have been so driven to my knees to pray for His guidance, for His wisdom, for His grace and for His Strength. And I'm never going to tell anybody else how to live, I'm never going to preach to anybody else and tell them you must do that. But I sure would like to see more Americans give it a try and seek the guidance that our Founding Fathers sought and were able to [then] craft documents that allowed America to become the greatest, strongest, healthiest, most prosperous nation on earth.
from www.foxnews.com
---------------
Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. Thomas Jefferson
Thursday, January 14, 2010
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