Revert: An Ex-Evangelical Explains Why He Left In the First Place

from National Catholic Register:

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (National Catholic Register) – Until a few weeks ago, Francis Beckwith served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), an association of 4,300 Protestant theologians. That was until he made the announcement on the Right Reason blog of his return to the Catholic faith of his youth.

why he left

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was part of the first generation of Catholics who would have no memory of the church prior to Vatican II. This also meant that I grew up, and attended Catholic schools, during a time in which well-meaning Catholic leaders were testing all sorts of innovations in the church, many of which were deleterious to the proper formation of young people.
...

Looking back, and knowing what I know now, I believe that the church’s weakness was presenting the renewal movements as something new and not part of the church’s theological traditions.

For someone like me, who was interested in both the spiritual and intellectual grounding of the Christian faith, I didn’t need the “folk Mass” with cute nuns and hip priests playing “Kumbaya” with guitars, tambourines and harmonicas. And it was all badly done.

After all, we listened to the Byrds, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and we knew the church just couldn’t compete with them.

But that’s what the church offered to the young people of my day: lousy pop music and a gutted Mass. If they were trying to make Catholicism unattractive to young and inquisitive Catholics, they were succeeding.

I'd submit that Francis is being over-charitable. The "reformers" were not well-meaning, they were rapists.

Why We Need Baby Drop Off Points

ABANDONED NEWBORN

Saskatchewan police hope store video will bring new leads

JOE FRIESEN

May 25, 2007

Police in Prince Albert, Sask., released surveillance camera images yesterday of a woman they believe abandoned a newborn in a toilet bowl after giving birth in a Wal-Mart bathroom.

The three images, taken from a security camera, show a woman entering the store at 5:05 p.m. Monday and leaving just 14 minutes later.

Apparently, the baby is now doing fine. Expect more of then when Roe vs. Wade gets repealed. We need to be ready. We need to set up baby drop offs, amnesty for the mothers and arrange quick adoption by pre-screened, married couples. That's how you build the infrastructure in a culture of life.

Siding With Obama on this One However

Is it me or does John McCain seem just a bit coo-coo?

Obama voted against funding the war. Here's how McCain responded:

McCain responds and then some

McCain responds to Obama in tough enough, if predictable, language:

"While Senator Obama's two years in the U.S. Senate certainly entitle him to vote against funding our troops, my service and experience combined with conversations with military leaders on the ground in Iraq lead me to believe that we must give this new strategy a chance to succeed because the consequences of failure would be catastrophic to our nation's security."

But, McCain being McCain, he can't help himself and goes the next step in the statement's kicker:

"By the way, Senator Obama, it's a 'flak' jacket, not a 'flack' jacket."

Which is to say, "there is only one of us in this argument who has ever worn the uniform." (my words)

And if you still don't get it, a McCain aide blows away the anthill with, well, a rocket.

"Obama wouldn't know the difference between an RPG and a bong."

Well, if you are against the war then voting against it is an honest and principled thing to do. At least you are being honest. Hilary voted against it and I would have too. Here's what ticked off McCain. I may be a right wing Roman Catholic but I'm with Obama on this one.

Obama responded by taking the high road. Here, oh, oh, Obama just looked presidential and you, John McCain, did not.

John is just smarting from the beating he took for supporting illegal alien invader amnesty. Watch John mouth off about abortion soon so as to shore up his conservative credentials.

Destroy America, A How-To Manual

Jihadis Post Scenario for the Defeat of the United States

By Abdul Hameed Bakier, Erich Marquardt

On May 14, jihadi forum users Abu Kandahar and Roslan al-Shami posted a five-point scenario for the collapse of the United States and the rise of the Islamic ummah, entitled, "The Next Strikes in the Heart of America, When and How." It appeared on the al-ommh.net forum, although at least one other jihadi forum, alhanein.com, reposted the scenario. The posting outlines a scenario for attacking the United States, although the sheer size of the operation suggests that it is jihadi propaganda and not an actual plan that could be operationalized. The alleged operation is dedicated to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq.

The first stage in the scenario involves multiple terrorist attacks on three major U.S. cities, preferably with nuclear weapons, using an unspecified number of trucks. The scenario places priority on attacking New York City because it is the central artery of the U.S. economy and it would prove that the mujahideen are capable of recurrent attacks on the same target. The second city to attack is Los Angeles, an important West Coast "atheist" city. The third "city" to be attacked is Florida because, they argue, it is an East Coast congregation city and has the Kennedy Space Center (considering the description, the statement's authors probably meant Orlando). While those are the three primary cities for attack, the writers of the document suggest that if the mujahideen wish to expedite the collapse of the United States, they should also conduct attacks in Seattle since it is a strategic border city; Washington, DC, the political center of the United States; and cities in Texas, since the "biggest oil companies" are located there.

Seriously, if they blew Los Angeles, NASA and all the oil dereks to Kingdom Come, the US might actually prosper. Can I put in a special request to set ground zero in Hollywood, CA. NASA? The American tax payers thank you. Oil operations? Katrina already did that once and we bounced back in 2 months.

Here's my plan for destroying America:

I Thought I Had Coined the Phrase "Happy Clappy"

From the Daily Mail, UK:

Church choir walks out in tears over 'happy-clappy' service

He may have been trying to attract a more modern flock. Or maybe it was an attempt to bring some variety to his church services.

Whatever the reason for introducing what have been described as "happy-clappy services", the Reverend Jerry Bird is learning the hard way that churchgoers can be a traditional lot.

Parishioners at St Gregory the Great Church in Dawlish, Devon, claim their usual Sunday worship has been pushed aside in favour of a "family" service, involving guitars and tambourines.

A large section of the congregation are upset by the changes and last Sunday the entire 20- strong choir and organist stormed out of the church minutes before the 9.30am Sung Eucharist.

Sounds like these high-Church Anglicans need to swim the Tiber. Come on, mates, we need ya. Not sure if the parish is in disrepair or it was more angry parishes.

It took all my strength not to climb of the pews and beat the folk bands to death with their own guitars at my local parish. I've been able to calm down since escaping to the Tridentine Mass.

File This in the Whew! Folder

Poll: A quarter of younger Muslim Americans support suicide bombings in some circumstances

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found in a national survey that nearly 80% of Muslims in the USA say suicide bombings are never justified to "defend Islam," but a quarter of those under 30 think such attacks are OK in some circumstances.

Whew! I thought it was more like 70%. So, working out the numbers this leaves only 200,000 "citizens" who support suicide bombing.

War is So Much More Fun When Its Free

Pentagon says employees lax on taxes

WASHINGTON -

The Pentagon's top personnel official has chastised the Defense Department's civilian work force for having the worst delinquency rate for paying federal income taxes compared with other federal agencies.

David Chu, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, sent the scolding May 2 memo to top military and civilian leaders. It came after Mark W. Everson, Internal Revenue Service commission, notified Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the department had a relatively high delinquency rate for paying federal taxes.

I love the response from the anonymous Pentagon apparatchik

Not everyone in the 24,000-employee Pentagon appreciated the scolding.

"The Defense Department's civilians are decisively engaged in the war," an anonymous department worker said. "They are helping our combatants carry a heavy load and don't need reminders to meet their obligations."

Apparently they do. I wonder how many of these employees are Northern Virginia metrosexuals with graduate degrees and fancy cars who would never dream of enlisting themselves and would shudder at the though of their child enlisting.

I speculated aloud to co-workers, "among professional people living in the suburbs who in their right mind fails to file their taxes? I mean, do these guys lay in bed talking things over with the wife and say, 'You know honey, I think we'll skip the ole Form 1040 this year.'?"

But What About Ticked Off Protestants?

Milan Hospital replaces crucifix with Mary to please Muslims.

Milan - Milan's leading obstetric hospital was replacing its crucifixes with images of the Virgin Mary to avoid offending a growing number of Muslim patients, reports said Wednesday.

'Our wards have become multiethnic. We want to respect all religions and avoid any form of discrimination. That is why we have decided to replace the crucifix with the image of the Madonna, which is also appreciated by Muslim women,' daily La Repubblica quoted Mangiagalli's medical director, Basilio Tiso, as saying Wednesday.

Some 7,000 women give birth at the Mangiagalli each year. Of these, about 30 per cent are foreign immigrants, many of whom are not Catholic. God knows not many are Milanese women are giving birth, my brother describes the average one as over 33, militantly single, still living with Mommy and impossible to get along with.

The head of Milan's Viale Jenner Islamic centre, Abdelhamid Shaari, welcomed the move, saying Mary was a figure that was also revered by Muslims. I've heard of Mary described as a pathway toward the Muslim heart.

'This is certainly a sign of respect for our religion that we greatly appreciate. But a white wall would have been even better. Italy is a secular state and children are angels in any religion,' Shaari told La Repubblica. Blank white wall? Oh, then you are deep within Vatican II Roman Catholicism and mainline Protestantism.

The representation of the cross on which Jesus died has become the subject of a heated debate in Italy in recent years as Muslim groups and non-Christians seek its removal from the walls of public buildings.

Although church and state are officially separated in Italy, a 1923 regulation issued during Benito Mussolini's Fascist rule and never repealed states that a symbol of the crucifix should hang in every classroom and courtroom in the country.

Officials at the Mangiagalli hospital plan to replace all crucifixes within the next few months. However, patients will still be able to have a crucifix hanging in their room if they ask for one.

I'm 74% American, 100% New Englander

You Are 74% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

Japan Starts to Get It

Japan's first "baby hatch", where parents can drop off unwanted infants anonymously, opened Thursday despite opposition from the conservative national government.

The baby hatch, modelled on a project in Germany, went into operation at a Roman Catholic hospital in the city of Kumamoto, some 900 kilometres (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has urged Japan to return to "family values," opposed the idea but found no legal grounds to stop it. Sounds like a Neo-Con

"A mother must not leave her child or abandon him or her anonymously," Abe told reporters. Better for mama-san to get abortion, I guess

"I want mothers to seek help first if they have problems," said Abe, who is childless after unsuccessful attempts with his wife Akie.

Government spokesman Yasuhisa Shiozaki added: "Even at a hospital facility, abandoning a baby still should not be tolerated.

"It is the government's role to help parents raise children on their own." Well, it is the Church role to save lives.

Since the hospital announced plans to set up the hatch in November, it has reportedly received about 40 inquiries.

Advocates say the plan, if replicated, could help boost the dwindling birth rate in Japan, where abortion is widely accepted.

The city of Kumamoto approved the Jikei Hospital's plan in April after deciding it did not violate any laws.

Called "the cradle of storks," the hatch is set into the wall of the hospital's lobby like a mailbox.

It has a door, 50 centimetres (20 inches) by 60 centimetres (24 inches), with a drawing of two storks carrying a baby and a message reading, "Please leave something with the baby."

When the door is opened, a nurse is alerted by an alarm. There is an intercom next to the door to encourage parents to contact hospital staff.

Child Abuse: If Only Marrieds Were Allowed to Become Priests ....Oh Wait

GIG HARBOR, Wash. -- Prosecutors charged the pastor of a church here with four counts of first-degree child rape and two counts of child molestation.

Pierce County sheriff spokesman Jerry Bates said a 7-year-old girl told an older friend that Stephen Kerr had been molesting her. The friend told a youth pastor who contacted police.

Bates said Kerr, who is pastor of the Gig Harbor Church of the Nazarene, confessed to members of the church and told them he was going to surrender to police.

In court on Tuesday he pleaded not guilty to all the charges. In court documents, prosecutors allege that the sexual abuse has been going on since the girl was five years old.

Church members were in the courtroom during Kerr's arraignment.

"We can't condone what he did. It was wrong, but we still love the man," said church member Mimi Hughes.

Kerr grew up in Yakima, Wash., and has ministered in Gig Harbor for two years. He is married and has four children.

Kerr is being held at the Pierce County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Wake Up, Wake Up America and Repent

Score One for the Good Guys and a Prophetic Event for the Hildabeast

France: Conservative scores huge win as female voters flee female candidate.

PARIS (Reuters) - Socialist Segolene Royal failed to win over a majority of women voters in France's presidential election and may have paid a price for focusing too much on her gender
at the expense of promoting her policies.

Only 48 percent of women voted for Royal, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on election
day on Sunday, while 52 percent supported rightist rival and overall winner Nicolas Sarkozy.
The weak female support is a bitter personal blow for Royal, who had played up her feminist credentials throughout the campaign, frequently defending policies she would want "as a mother" and accusing critics of male chauvinism.

Some women said the glamorous Royal, a mother of four, had focused too much on the symbolism linked to becoming France's first female president. "The reason she did not have the female vote is not because there was no solidarity but because she was not up to it," said Tita Zeitoun, founder of the Action de Femme group which fights to get more women into top business positions.

"Just because you're a feminist, you don't vote for a women who does not have the ability. We're talking about the presidential election here ... It's too serious to link this to a phenomenon of femininity or feminism," she said.

That's right, a presidency is too important to get wrapped up in a petty social idea like feminism. What matters is ability and the fate of your nation.

Starbucks: The Anti-Christ Coffee

From World Net Daily:

Anti-God Starbucks cup has customer steaming

Woman says: 'I don't think there needs to be religious dialogue on it. I just want coffee'

An Ohio woman is steaming after reading an anti-God message published on the side of a Starbucks coffee cup.

The message that got Michelle Incanno's blood boiling reads:

"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

Personally, I like religious dialogue and Starbucks is a private company so they can do whatever the hell they want. I think this woman is a bit weak in the Faith and probably a bit weak in the mind to be ruffled the meandering observations that sounds like something written by a college freshman at third rate university.

Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? Well that's an easy one. Everybody knows that God is all-powerful. Its the same reason why we forget God when everything is going great. When things are going just fine (or we think they are) we feel powerful. I guarantee, give me any athiest, I'll put him in a hole in the ground and drop artillery around him for a week and let him watch half of his friends die. Oh, he'll be on his knees alright.

As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Cognition is no good in moments of crisis. Again, back to our friend in the foxhole. God is no figment of my imagination and I know what I know. But the athiest needs to well understand that, yes, God may have forsaken him, so he may well be 'up the creek without a paddle.' God may well have written him off.

Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? Because we know that God is all powerful, that through an active prayer life. He's knowable and that God delivers big-time. I've personally experienced this.

After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure. What does this matter? Our friend in the foxhole needs to endure the artillery, is he strong enough to cause the artillery drop on him? Did he ultimately cause it? What of circumstances where we did not cause the catastrophy and it way more powerful that us?

The quote was written by Bill Schell, a Starbucks customer from London, Ontario, Canada, and was included as part of an effort by the Seattle-based coffee giant to collect different viewpoints and spur discussion.

Good on Starbucks. Bill's no philiosophy major and handlig his question is like swatting a mosquito but his simplistic questions are good fodder to start a talk with friends. Something tells me, however, that Starbucks will not be featuring the words of religious customers.

To Michelle Incanno, you need to spend less money on expensive coffee and shiny crucifixes for your neck and more money on catechetical books from Tan publishers and, besides, Starbucks coffee sucks.

President Bush Back to Supporting Abortion

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An attempt by the United States to get the World Bank out of the population control business has failed after opposition from EU countries led the United States to back down. On Tuesday, the World Bank approved a new health policy retaining support for abortion after the United States dropped its insistence that the Bank which is funded primarily by the United States, halts its promotion of abortion.

The Bush Administration sought to insert language in the health policy update which would distance it from forcing abortion on recipient countries. The language would have asked countries to provide "age appropriate access to sexual and reproductive healthcare" rather than the currently worded "reproductive health services" which include abortion.

The retarded, drunk, frat-boy figures, "well, no more elections to worry about, I'm gonna get me a legacy."

What the world needs per Population Control expert Stephen Mosher:

"We need to be standing up for the women in developing countries who say 'we need clean drinking water, we need penicillin, we need antibiotics or our children when they become stricken with infectious disease, we need inoculations, we need vitamin tablets'," he said. "'We don't need your family planning programs, we don't need your so-called reproductive health care, we don't need your population stabilization programs.'"

Mosher concluded saying that the continued US push for population control is at the heart of some of the anti-US sentiment coming from the developing world. "It's very obvious to me," he said, "that this is an aspect of US foreign policy that is deeply resented around the world and has made it difficult for us to achieve our other aims like promoting democracy and economic development."

Going Green, Killing Babies

OSLO (Reuters) - Developing nations that are fast industrializing, such as China and India, have braked their rising greenhouse gas emissions by more than the total cuts demanded of rich nations by the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol. [says a draft UN report]

"China is already doing a lot," said Hu Tao, of China's State Environmental Protection Administration.

He said China's one-child per couple policy introduced in the early 1980s, for instance, had a side-effect of braking global warming by limiting the population to 1.3 billion against a projected 1.6 billion without the policy.

"This has reduced greenhouse gas emissions," he told a conference in Oslo last month. China is the number two emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, behind the United States and ahead of Russia.

When China imprisons and kills Christians, it also reduces their greenhouse emissions even more.

These are two trends soon to be adopted by the communist fellow travelers in the West: killing babies and other undesireables all to save the planet. It is my recommendation that China adopt a zero-child policy. That'll fix the problem of Chinese greenhouse gas emissions in as little as 40 years.