My atheist buddy Peter (who long-time readers might remember as Theomorph) has provided a lot of food for thought recently. I’d like to know what my theist readers think of his ruminations.
Ipsane Res Loquitur?
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Tag Archives: Catholic
Where to Go with Roe: Taking a Second Look
Pop quiz:
- Is abortion on demand the unchangeable law of the land?
- Does the American public overwhelmingly support the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, or its companion case Doe v. Bolton?
- Does abortion actually provide pregnant women with more “choices”
If your answer is to any of these is “yes” you may be surprised to learn you’ve been misinformed, and a conference being held at CMU is just what you need.
Cardinal Wright Oratory Choir CD Preview
A couple years ago I sang tenor in the Cardinal Wright Oratory Choir. The choir was disbanded when the Oratorians stopped using Heinz Chapel for Sunday masses. Before we broke up, though, we recorded several of our best songs for a CD. Unfortunately, the guy that did the recording, mixing, mastering, etc. has been dragging his feet about finishing up. Thankfully, I’ve acquired recordings of two of the songs. Enjoy. 🙂
Latin Goodness
A BoingBoing contributor interprets a Latin sign on a church wall as being a threat, but the "memento mori" message is a Medieval reminder to us that we are mortals. Rather, I think the message is really a reminder to those goofing off outside that the fun won't last forever (and therefore they should consider going into the Church to help ensure a pleasant eternal hereafter!).
Helping Our Persecuted Brethren
I really don't have anything new to say about the Muslim anger over what Benedict said; I will merely reiterate that he cited one dialogue between an Emporer and a Muslim that touched on the nature of God and reason, and that he did not try to make that Muslim a representation of all of Islam. For the best (from what I've seen) source on what the Pope really meant, go here. (HT: Amy Welborn)
Now as fun as it is to pontificate on faith and reason, and the clash of civilizations or lack thereof, Christians in the Middle East and North Africa have been sorely pressed for a long time, and if it wasn't this statement of Benedict that sparked the current round of church-burnings and shootings, it would have been something else in the near future.
I urge you to support groups like CNEWA or Aid to the Church in Need; I know from personal experience that you can set up monthly automatic donations with CNEWA (either a general donation or a specific sponsorship of a child, seminarian or novice religious).
Importantly, CNEWA also helps education Americans about the Eastern Churches–it may be surprising to many Republicans that some Palestinians are Christian, and they are getting the greasy end of the stick from Muslim and Israeli alike.
CNEWA's ecumenical outreaches may mean that they'll be helping the Orthodox Palestinians rebuild their churches that were damaged in this most recent outbreak of violence.