Catholic politician executed for his Faith

Nancy Pelosi has forced the issue of Catholic politicians who are pro abortion. I could not define the rift more eloquently than the following which I received from Catholic online.org.

"By the age of fifty-five, as a lawyer, officer of the realm, husband, father, popular citizen, speaker, and writer, he had achieved as much fame, wealth, professional success, and genuine affection as any person could desire."

Barack Obama? Joe Biden?






"Nevertheless, for what most called a foolish scruple of conscience, he threw all that away and died three years later -- alone -- in broken health. His closest political colleagues abandoned him; he was condemned as a traitor, beheaded, and his head placed on a spike on a bridge."

Thomas Moore

These days, faithful Catholics lose elections; in Thomas More's day, they lost their lives.

John Barger
Publisher

Politicians, liberals especially, like to identify themselves with various constituencies to garner support. In the case of Christians and Catholics in particular it is the dogma of the church that defines the adherent not the adherent that defines the dogma. Personal belief is what influences public policy yet the politicians want us to think otherwise. That is only because they want the voter to think the politician shares their beliefs. To know what anyone believes one need only watch what the person does and who his fiends are while ignoring what is said. Even more, to what would they give all they have.










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Obama, Democrats, Politics, Obama, Pelosi, pro-life, Christianity,

Larry Norman Dies

Larry Norman was the pioneer of Christian Rock. In 1978 he suffered serious injury in a plane crash that contributed to his early death.

The emergence of Christian Rock caused a stir in religious circles that persists to some extent today. Larry's music was directed toward people who were not Christians in an effort to spread the good news of God's redemption. The religious establishment wanted him to write for them. His reply that he did not wish to bring the gospel to the converted summed up the essence of the controversy.

Somehow the style of music rises above the message. Such inverted priorities are a hallmark of religion as opposed to a relationship with God. There are plenty of traditional gospel songs with words that fall short of the gospel message or the worship of God. There is no reason they should hold a superior rank over a different style that has a more worthy message.

I like many forms of music. I prefer the rock style but the words have to exalt God above all things for me to enjoy it. I must confess that I cannot listen to Christian Rap/Hip Hop. I'm sure the message in much of that is good, I just can't stand listening to it long enough to hear it but that is just me. To dismiss it as Devil's music would commit the same error as those who condemn rock. Larry Norman led the way in combating such attitudes but paid a personal price for having done so. A price I think he gladly accepted.

His final message to all who knew and appreciated him was this.

"I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home. I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help. My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be funeral information posted on my website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again."

"Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye."

My favorite line from his songs is this:

Jesus is the Rock
And He rolled my blues away






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Christianity

Congressmen Support Islam but not Christianity

I am fascinated by politicians who seem oblivious to the blatant hypocrisy of their actions. If these situations were a rare occurrence one could just brush it off as simply not paying attention but the practice is so common that it begs examination. One recent example cuts straight to the point.

Back in September Congress voted a resolution acknowledging Ramadan and hailing Islam as "one of the great religions." That's all well and good. The passing of piles of resolutions may be a waste of time but it keeps our congressmen busy doing something that has no impact on the their usual target of opportunity, our wallets. Despite the fact that a major faction of Islam wants to kill every human that does not accept it, many in congress feel being nice will help. The problem arises when the time to do the same for Christianity at Christmas time presents itself.

Only weeks after voting for a resolution that "recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world," nine Democrats in the U.S. House refused to vote for a Christmas resolution that condemns the worldwide persecution of Christians... Ten others voted "present" and 40 refused to vote at all.

Amazingly, all but two of the representatives who answered "present" or voted against the Christmas resolution voted in favor of a resolution recognizing Ramadan, even though much of the language was similar,

The dissenters were the usual suspects when it comes to this sort of nonsense. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Gary Ackerman and Yvette Clarke of N.Y., Alcee Hastings, Fla., Barbara Lee, Fortney Stark and Lynn Woolsey, Calif., Jim McDermott, Wash., and Robert Scott, Va. If one voted for the Ramadan resolution one can hardly claim an objection to the Christmas resolution based on the old saw of separation of church and state but that is what these folk are doing.

.

A spokesman for DeGette told WND her vote was because the Ramadan resolution, which she endorsed, was about "rejecting religious extremism and promoting of religious tolerance."

The spokesman, Chris Aaron, however, said DeGette is a "strong supporter of separation of church and state and her view was that Congress should not favor one religion over another.

Both resolutions condemned religious extremism and promoted religious tolerance so what's the problem? I don't have to say it but the problem is in their twisted world it is OK to be intolerant of Christians.









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Christianity, Islam, Politics, Democrats

Georgia Gets Rain

Gov. Sonny Perdue calls for Georgians to public prayer for rain and...it rains. Not enough but the next day it does rain. The skeptics are still skeptical, The protesters still want religion out of the public discourse but the fact remains, prayer worked better than doing nothing.

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. emphasis mine






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Let's All Move to Canada

One hears liberals yammering about how wonderful Canada is. One American who moved there recently was quoted by ABC news reporter Marcus Baram in his article O, Canada! More Americans Heading North saying:

"I wanted a country that respected my human rights and the rights of others," he says. "We joked about it after Bush won re-election, but it took us a while to go through the application."

Well if you are gay that may be the case but if you are a Christian it's another story.

Mennonites May Flee Quebec Town
Andy Riga, CanWest News Service, with files from Marianne White
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007

A Mennonite community in Roxton Falls, Quebec are being threatened with having their children taken from them if they don't teach them what the state mandates.

For the school to be legal, the teacher would have to be certified and Quebec's official curriculum would have be taught.

"To do that, we would have to send teachers to schools we don't want to send our children to," Mr. Goossen said.

Community members disapprove of other schools because "we don't agree with the emphasis
on evolution, which we consider false; we don't like the morality standards; and we don't like the acceptance of alternative lifestyles," he said.

What a great bastion of respect for human rights, eh? I suppose it matters who's ox is being gored. As with all liberals tolerance is a one way street.






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Canada, politics, Christianity

Two Christmas Carols

My two most favorite Christmas carols have a few things in common:

1. They have been around for a a century or more.

2. I've been singing them since I was a child, yet only well into my adulthood did I recognize the profound message in the lyrics.

3. They focus on the significance of why we celebrate Christmas

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ, our Savior,
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

This is one of the only songs I tried to learn on the piano when I was a kid. I have known the first half of the first chorus by heart for as long as I could remember. When I became a parent and was teaching my children this song the message of the lyrics hit home. Christ came as a man to give himself as the price to free us from the curse of Adam. The rest we have, the comfort and joy are in the knowledge of our freedom from judgment.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley (1707-1788), 1739

Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise;
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of the favored one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"

Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"

This is definitely y favorite. The realization of the profundity of the lyrics struck me while watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on the tube with my kids. "Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinner reconciled."

I've sang this song a hundred times and not heard that message. Each verse expounds on the theme of God, born as man to bring mankind back into fellowship with Him. I now pay attention to the words in each carol I sing or hear. There are many more with a message of the meaning of Christmas, but these two are the crown jewels.

Christian Carnival #101 at The Bible Archive

Christmas Carnival at Adam's Blog