psalm123

I'm getting so tired of this topic but I know the fight is long from being over. People consistently vote 'gay marriage' down while politicians and activist judges bring it back to life again and again. When engaging in discussions with 'gay marriage' activists it's a lot of the same rhetoric I hear when engaging those who support abortion. That's not very productive.

http://americanpapist.com/blog.html

Alert: Gov. Patterson plans to push gay marriage in NY next tuesday

No less than one week after the American people, for the 31st time, clearly rejected homosexual marriage when given a chance to vote on the issue, the highly-unpopular governor of New York is attempting to force it on his state before he leaves office:I'm trying to figure out a clear action item in response to this story, so papists can get involved, and when I find it, I'll post it.

Here is a look back at a video RealCatholicTV produced six months ago about Obama and the Catholic Church that has reportedly gotten a million hits on youtube.  I remember hearing something during the election about Obama being one to unite the country. Really? I don't see it.  Pushing radical social agendas on the American people is his way of uniting?

Copied from  http://americanpapist.com/blog.html

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Action: Stop PelosiCare before it gets voted on this Saturday

The latest in the increasingly confusing health care reform package. One side says taxpayer funded abortion is not part of the deal while the other side says it is part of the deal. Seems to me that killing babies is extremely important for some. They duck and dodge and try to implement abortion into the plan by stealth and deception.  That's my perception.

Washington D.C., Nov 5, 2009 / 09:17 pm (CNA).- House Republican Leader John Boehner said today the House health care bill, which was backed today by the AARP and the American Medical Association, includes a monthly abortion premium that all subscribers in the government-run plan would have to pay.

In a blog post on Thursday, Boehner says that “Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032-page government takeover of health care” is using “federal funds to pay for elective abortions.”

The House Republican Leader explains that on line 17, p. 110, section 222 under the title “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed,” the Health and Human Services Secretary “is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan.” 

“The Speaker’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions,” he adds.

According to Boehner, “what is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan.  It’s right there on line 16, page 96, section 213, under ‘Insurance Rating Rules.’  The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account - and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.”

Section 213, in fact, describes the process by which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan.  The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month.

“A majority of Americans believe that health care plans should not be mandated to provide elective abortion coverage, and a majority of Americans do not believe government health care plans should include abortion coverage,” Boehner writes.

“Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032-page health care monstrosity is an affront to the American people and drastically moves away from current policy.  The American people deserve more from their government than being forced to pay for abortion.”

“Health reform should be an opportunity to protect human life - not end it,” Boehner says.

Read House Republican Leader’s post: http://republicanleader.house.gov/blog/?p=666

This sounds reasonable to me. Let us wait and see what happens.

USCCB To Congress- Fix Health Bills or We'll Oppose.

This just in from the USCCB Pro-life Secretariat. The bishops are throwing down the gauntlet over failed amendments to fix abortion, conscience, affordability and immigrants in health care bills. This letter is dated October 8 and was sent to all members of the House and Senate:

Dear Member of Congress:

On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we are writing to express our disappointment that progress has not been made on the three priority criteria for health care reform that we have conveyed previously to Congress. In fact, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a conscience rights amendment accepted earlier by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. If final legislation does not meet our principles, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill. We remain committed to working with the Administration, Congressional leadership, and our allies to produce final health reform legislation that will reflect our principles.

We continue to urge you to

1. Exclude mandated coverage for abortion, and incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience. No current bill meets this test.

2. Adopt measures that protect and improve people’s health care. Reform should make quality health care affordable and accessible to everyone, particularly those who are vulnerable and those who live at or near the poverty level.

3. Include effective measures to safeguard the health of immigrants, their children and all of society. Ensure that legal immigrants and their family members have comprehensive, affordable, and timely access to health care coverage. Maintain an adequate safety net for those who remain uncovered.

We sincerely hope that the legislation will not fall short of our criteria. However, we remain apprehensive when amendments protecting freedom of conscience and ensuring no taxpayer money for abortion are defeated in committee votes. If acceptable language in these areas cannot be found, we will have to oppose the health care bill vigorously. Catholic moral tradition teaches that health care is a basic human right, essential to protecting human life and dignity. Much-needed reform of our health care system must be pursued in ways that serve the life and dignity of all, never in ways that undermine or violate these fundamental values. We will work tirelessly to remedy these central problems and help pass real reform that clearly protects the life, dignity and health of all.

Sincerely,

Bishop William F. Murphy
Diocese of Rockville Centre
Chairman
Committee on Domestic Justice
& Human Development

Cardinal Justin Rigali
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Chairman
Committee on Pro-Life
Activities

Bishop John Wester
Diocese of Salt Lake City
Chairman
Committee on Migration

I knew as soon as I heard the news about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize that comparisons were going to be made between himself and mother Teresa. I think the comparisons need to be made if for anything, to show a perspective other than what pop-culture has to offer.  There are many who contend that there is a worldwide war waged against the most innocent of people- the unborn.  In this country alone over 4,000 children per day are killed in the womb. Our president supports this murder both in our country and overseas. How can this man be considered a promoter of peace? There is a bigger picture involved that many people don't want to consider.

"I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself." -Mother Teresa-The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture 1979

Pro-Abortion President Obama Not Fit to Share Nobel Prize With Mother Teresa

by Maria Vitale
LifeNews.com Editorial Columnist
October 9, 2009

President Barack Obama and the late Mother Teresa have something in common—both were named part of the elite class known as Nobel Peace Prize winners.

 

In accepting the 1979 Nobel Prize, the little nun with the big heart said, "I choose the poverty of our poor people. But I am grateful to receive (the Nobel) in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, of the crippled, of the blind, of the lepers, of all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared-for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone."

 

The Nobel Committee cited her respect for the individual human being, that she believed in the dignity of all people and acted on that belief. The Committee noted that the struggle against poverty is a means for obtaining peace in the world.

 

One of the greatest advocates for the poor the world has ever known, Mother Teresa recognized that true and lasting peace begins not at the United Nations, but in the home. And she steadfastly believed that peace could not be attained while children were being killed in the womb.

 

In her Nobel lecture, the diminutive woman who was a spiritual giant famously said, “the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion.”

 

Contrast that to the rhetoric and record of President Obama.

In his political career, he has consistently supported legal abortion—even going so far as to oppose the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, which provided basic legal protection for children born alive as a result of botched abortions.

 

In less than a year as President, he has forced taxpayers to support organizations that perform or promote abortions overseas; signed an executive order forcing taxpayers to pay for anti-life embryonic stem cell research; promoted an unlimited right to abortion at the United Nations; promoted taxpayer-funded abortions in the nation’s capital; and nominated a host of pro-abortion zealots to top Administration posts.

 

While the President has claimed that no federal dollars would be spent on abortions in health care reform, the health care plans now on Capitol Hill would do just that. It is no stretch of the imagination to claim that the Obama Administration is the most pro-abortion Presidency in U.S. history.

 

No matter what elegant speeches the President might deliver on Middle East peace, nuclear arms reduction, or combating global poverty, his words ring hollow, so long as he is willing to promote policies that promote and finance life-destructive activities such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

 

President Obama should learn from a past Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Mother Teresa’s contention that abortion destroys peace is as true today as it was 30 years ago. If the President wants peace, he must work for justice—justice for preborn children, for anguished and abandoned mothers, and for fathers who are powerless to protect their babies in light of Roe v. Wade.

You knew it was coming. BTW 'Liberal" Catholic these days pretty much describes a Catholic who is openly hostile to the teachings of the Church.  Apparently, at the big tea party demonstration in Washington, signs were seen which read "It doesn't matter what this sign says, you'll call it racism anyway." How true.

Taken from  http://americanpapist.com/blog.html

People who don't support Obama are racists, liberal Catholic claims

I've discovered the application of Godwin's law which is most applicable to pro-Obama Catholics. It goes like this:

"As it becomes more difficult to defend Obama, the probability of a charge of racism approaches."

In all seriousness, Michael Sean Winters - a liberal Catholic who supported Obama during his presidency and continues to do so - actually wrote this in American Magazine about those who came to Washington DC for an anti-tax rally:

"It is becoming well nigh impossible to deny the racist overtones of these protests."

What, may you ask, is the strongest argument for this astounding claim?

"Many of the virtually all-white crowd on Saturday yearned for an earlier time with less government involvement in society."

( Read more... )

"All religions are basically the same." Oh how I cringe when I hear that statement. All religions are not the same!  How does this type of thinking affect Christianity?  I have semi-regular contact with a person who likes to reduce all Christianity into a do it yourself kit of subjective morality, warm fuzzies, and happy-clappy moments. With this dumbing down of Christianity, actual Church history is something that is rarely dealt with on an intellectually honest level.  Doctrines become "oppressive"  (even though Christ Himself laid their foundation) and interpretation of the Bible becomes a matter of ones own opinion.

This is why there is such chaos on the protestant side of Christianity. There is splintering upon splintering. As an example: recently many Lutherans got it into their heads that homosexual clergy would be a good idea. Well, for protestants, all you have to do is skip over parts of the Bible that you don't like (in this case, the parts that condemn homosexuality) and presto....you can create your own brand of Christianity! 

When the Bible alone is your sole rule of faith (which is a false teaching) and everyone is interpreting the Bible their own way, the result is mass confusion of conflicting opinions. Truth is then replaced by opinion. When there is no truth, all Christianity become basically the same. Well, that is except for that pesky "oppressive" Catholic Church who proclaims to have the fullness of truth. There are over 30,000 different opinions or flavors of Christianity to choose from. Why not look into the the original flavor- the Catholic Church? It's a great place to be.

This story is unbelievable. Refusing to fund contraception = discrimination!  What? The ongoing attack against Christian values in this Country takes on all sorts of different forms.

Thomas Peters at http://www.americanpapistblog.com has done some very good reporting on this story.


Washington D.C., Aug 20, 2009 / 06:02 pm (CNA).- Students at Catholic universities, citing religious freedom concerns, have voiced their opposition to a federal ruling that Belmont Abbey College engaged in unlawful discrimination by refusing to fund contraceptives in its health care plan. After a faculty member discovered that contraception, abortion and voluntary sterilization were covered by the North Carolina college’s health care policy, the drugs and procedures were removed from the plan in December 2007.

( Read more... )

In most cases it's not. Killing an innocent child for the sake of convenience is not 'health care' and need not be paid for by taxpayer money.

I'm back from a short vacation. I can for-see a bunch of posts related to health care reform. Of primary focus are the life issues.

http://www.americanpapist.com/blog.html

     Pro-abortion advocates are still trying to claim that the health care legislation currently under discussion is "abortion-   neutral."

More disturbing "pro-choice" thought.  Todays example Justice Ginsburg.

“Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”

New York City, N.Y., Jul 11, 2009 / 07:32 am (CNA).- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has revealed in an interview that she was surprised at a 1980 court ruling that prevented the restoration of Medicaid funding for abortions, because, in her opinion, when Roe was decided “there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”

In the interview, which will run in the Sunday edition of the New York Times Magazine, Justice Ginsburg was first asked: “If you were a lawyer again, what would you want to accomplish as a future feminist agenda?”

She responded that “Reproductive choice has to be straightened out.  There will never be a woman of means without choice anymore. That just seems to me so obvious. The states that changed their abortion laws before Roe are not going to change back. So we have a policy that only affects poor women, and it can never be otherwise, and I don’t know why this hasn’t been said more often.”

( Read more... )

-Presidents talk a lot about Jesus - but you'd be surprised who talks about Him most!

When George Bush mentioned God there was a full out Theocracy watch! But since Obama has had the media eating out of his hand since the election season, the only major backlash I have heard come from all his God talk has been with the atheists. The thing is, I'm not sure which "Christian" God Obama is talking about.  His version of God is nothing like what I have studied at the seminary.

Check out the "vortex" video at http://www.realcatholictv.com

"Congressman Forbes asks the questions "Did America ever consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation?" and "If America was once a Judeo-Christian nation, when did it cease to be?"

There were pro-life speakers and activities on the ND campus on commencement day. These are the speeches you won't see on mainstream media. 

Here is Fr. John Raphael. He gives an excellent talk.  It's great to see African American priests speak out against abortion and the false accusations of racism directed towards some pro-lifers who dare to challenge the president. Good stuff.


check out http://www.realcatholictv.com  for the video or I can repost in requested.

Strong words from a strong Bishop.

May 18, 2009
Archbishop Chaput on Notre Dame and the issues that remain

 

"I have found that even among those who did not go to Notre Dame, even among those who do not share the Catholic faith, there is a special expectation, a special hope, for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world."

~ Reverend John Jenkins, C.S.C., May 17, 2009

 

Most graduation speeches are a mix of piety and optimism designed to ease students smoothly into real life.  The best have humor.  Some genuinely inspire.  But only a rare few manage to be pious, optimistic, evasive, sad and damaging all at the same time.  Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president, is a man of substantial intellect and ability.  This makes his introductory comments to President Obama’s Notre Dame commencement speech on May 17 all the more embarrassing.

Let’s remember that the debate over President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame was never about whether he is a good or bad man.  The president is clearly a sincere and able man.  By his own words, religion has had a major influence in his life.  We owe him the respect Scripture calls us to show all public officials.  We have a duty to pray for his wisdom and for the success of his service to the common good -- insofar as it is guided by right moral reasoning.

We also have the duty to oppose him when he’s wrong on foundational issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and similar matters.  And we also have the duty to avoid prostituting our Catholic identity by appeals to phony dialogue that mask an abdication of our moral witness.  Notre Dame did not merely invite the president to speak at its commencement.  It also conferred an unnecessary and unearned honorary law degree on a man committed to upholding one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our nation’s history: Roe v. Wade. 

( Read more... )

http://www.realcatholictv.com


What Obama said while wearing a stylish costume.

Check out this "vortex" video for free at realcatholictv.com

Didn't I mention something a few days ago about people quoting scripture out of context and twisting it to suit their needs? 

http://www.realcatholictv.com
Fr. Jenkins writes an interesting letter to the graduates.

*Video removed. Will repost if requested or go to http://www.realcatholictv.com to view for free

http://www.americanpapist.com/blog.html


Appearing on FOX News:

“Certainly NARAL or Planned Parenthood would never invite Benedict XVI, much less extend an award to him.” - Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND

             Bingo.       

I very much agree with this message.  I run into these so called "Catholics" all the time. I read their articles in "Catholic"  magazines and blogs. I debate them on message boards and through letters to the editor. It seems fashionable nowadays to claim Catholicity and and the same time preach a much different set of beliefs and values.  There are plenty of Nancy Pelosi type "ardent Catholics" who seem to be quite ignorant of authentic Church teaching.  Then there are those who claim their personal agenda driven version of the Catholic faith is "more in line with todays faithful".  However, when challenged to provide a reasoned justification for their novel views within the framework of the actual deposit of faith held by authentic Catholics, these dissenters stumble over their words and misquote scripture or the Saints of the Church. There is no basis of support for their views within the vast teachings of the Church in scripture, tradition, or magesterial teachings. They have to make things up based on nothing more than the authority of their own opinion which is fueled by agendas and the popular culture.

So, keep this in mind the next time you hear that" the majority of Catholics polled support" ...(whatever anti-Catholic issue is being discussed).  Maybe the poll should be qualified with dissenting and uneducated Catholics.

There is nothing more unfaithful then to create ones own set of antithetical personal doctrines and then try and impose them on the authentic truths of the Church.  These self styled 'wiser-than- 2,000 years of Church teaching and tradition' Catholics are a modern spin off of the pick and choose what you want to believe "cafeteria Catholics". 

The Church is not a democracy. The truths of its teachings in faith and morals are not dependent on popular opinion or majority vote. Look a little deeper and you will begin to understand why this is.

Peace.