Bush was right about terrorists in Iraq.

Al Qaeda videos found in Iraq weapons raid
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces operating in the so-called Sunni Triangle -- the region of Iraq most loyal to captured former dictator Saddam Hussein -- found a significant weapons cache that included al Qaeda literature and videotapes, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

Members of Task Force Ironhorse 2nd Infantry's Arrowhead Brigade discovered the material Monday morning at a site in Samarra, about 65 miles north-northwest of Baghdad. Some of the items were found hidden in a false wall, the military said.

The troops also found a British-made body armor plate with a bullet hole. U.S. Central Command said it was an indication that insurgents were testing the ceramic plate's ability to withstand expended anti-personnel ammunition.

In addition to the al Qaeda literature and videos, the troops found nearly 8,000 rounds of ammunition; 160 mortar rounds and six mortar tubes; 43 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 79 rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs); and 19 AK-47 assault rifles, as well as dozens of other weapons.

The military also said a significant amount of C4 and TNT explosives material was found, as was material to make improvised explosive devices -- the crudely made bombs that have killed or maimed dozens of coalition troops.

That was just one of several large weapons caches uncovered in Iraq in the last two days.


Church of England - How sad and tragic that in addition to passionlessness, amorality has now become a central staple of a once great church.


I wonder if my cats would like this?

Man's product seeks to potty train catsAn invention by a man seeks to eliminate litter box odor by toilet training household cats. The device can be mounted to the toilet, where a push of the button allows it to be used by people.

Protestants paying more attention to Virgin MaryAmid a recent wave of articles about Jesus' mother, some scholars and others are calling for a closer look at her story


Spiritual Progress Hard to Find in 2003After analyzing more than 10,000 personal interviews conducted during 2003, researcher George Barna identified four critical outcomes that emerged from those interactions regarding faith and lifestyle:

Millions of Americans Are Spiritually Satisfied – and Confused
Children Are Loved But Not Well-Served Spiritually
Baby Busters March to A Different Drummer
Lots of Religious Activity But Limited Gains Are Evident


France heavy-handed secularism stems from anti-catholicismIn supporting a ban on Muslim head scarves and other conspicuous religious symbols in his country's public schools, French President Jacques Chirac has called forth some startling ironies.

On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, condemned the Chirac government for "an extremist decision aimed at preventing the development of Islamic values" in France. Imagine being called "extremist" on a religious question by an official of the Iranian government! Meanwhile, thousands of French Muslims demonstrated in favor of the veil.

Last week, The Associated Press reported that some Muslim girls in France were thinking of attending Roman Catholic schools in order to keep wearing their head scarves.

Astounding, no? The French government's heavy emphasis on secularism is rooted in a reaction against Catholicism's dominance of the state before the French Revolution and the church's opposition to liberal values into the early part of the 20th century. Now we face the prospect of Muslim women seeking to vindicate their religious rights through Catholic institutions.

I hope this doesn't fool anyone.
Seeking a new emphasis, Dean touts his Christianity Southern campaign plans to increase religious references.


Make spammer's computers work harder to send spam? The longer it takes to send a message, the fewer the spammer can send. This sounds like a good idea to me.

Microsoft aims to make spammers pay
Despite efforts to stem the billions of spam e-mails flooding inboxes, unwanted messages are still turning e-mail into a quagmire of misery.

"The basic idea is that we are trying to shift the equation to make it possible and necessary for a sender to 'pay' for e-mail," explained Ted Wobber of the Microsoft Research group (MSR).

The payment is not made in the currency of money, but in the memory and the computer power required to work out cryptographic puzzles.
"For any piece of e-mail I send, it will take a small amount computing power of about 10 to 20 seconds."
"If I don't know you, I have to prove to you that I have spent a little bit of time in resources to send you that e-mail.
"When you see that proof, you treat that message with more priority."

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I totally agree with this. Christmas joy is not found in getting gifts. It is found in worshipping God and loving our families. I didn't want much for Christmas, so I was not disappointed by the gifts I got or didn't get. The best part was going to Mass with my family and sharing a family meal together. I am really blessed by what God has taught me this Advent season, so I have a lot to celebrate.

Christmas joy 'all in the mind'
Some presents may not be quite what you wanted. Granny has knitted you another yellow jumper, Aunt Sue still thinks you're a fan of Enid Blyton - Christmas gifts can be a real disappointment.
But a researcher says we should all remember it really is the thought that counts - and if we remember that, we'll enjoy the day much more.

Dr Stephen Joseph, of Warwick University, found those with religious beliefs are happier at Christmas than those who have a more materialistic outlook.

What seems to be important is living your life in a way that emphasises the importance of being involved in your community and caring for people.

But even those who are not religious can enjoy the festivities if they take time to appreciate their friends and families, and the feelings that lie behind their gifts - even those which might not be exactly what they hoped for.

Dr Joseph's findings came from a survey of 101 people into attitudes towards Christianity, happiness and purpose in life. He found that those who described themselves as religious appeared to be happier. "Religion gives people a sense of purpose in their live, and it's that which makes people happy."

I'm getting a new crown from my dentist today, so I'm leaving work early. What a strange thing to get for Christmas! I'll be back Friday, 12/26 unless I decide to take a vacation day.

Merry Christmas! God's peace be with you.

A Blog from Iraq


Christian theme pervades 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy with obvious symbolism

Papal message goes mobile
Now you do not have to be in Rome to hear what the Pope thinks
Mobile phone users in the UK can now sign up to receive a thought of the day from the Pope.

In case you need a reminder:
Why we went to war with Iraq

One Threat Removed IN HIS INITIAL COMMENTS on Saddam Hussein's capture, President Bush didn't mention the main reason we went after the brutal dictator in the first place. Not that Bush needed to go into the principal justification for invading Iraq. But the matter is worth bringing up--especially since Howard Dean, whose candidacy has been fueled by his opposition to the president's decision to go to war, is the odds-on favorite to capture the Democratic presidential nomination.

This is my response to the moderator of christianity.com forums that banned me:
If the only way you can win this "debate" is to bind and gag the Catholics, then it is futile to post anything here. It makes no sense to me that you won't let me quote Scripture when that is the only authority you accept.

I shake the dust off my feet.

God bless and keep you,

Betty

I knew it would happen eventually. I've been banned from the forums at christianity.com. This was the offending post:


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Tony, don't get so frustrated with the RCC's that show up here. If Jews could/can/do deny Jesus, despite what happened, then is it that unreasonable to believe others too could be and ARE blinded by systems based upon man made efforts and doctrines too?

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Tony and earthless,

The Catholics on previous forums have repeatedly shown you where the Bible supports the papacy, especially Mt 16 and Acts 15. Please don't keep accusing us of believing in an unscriptural doctrine. That is YOUR interpretation (or should I say Martin Luthers/Calvin/Zwingli's). I'll keep my 2000 year old interpretation. That is not blindness. That is sticking to the teaching of the apostles.

BTW, Clement I was the fourth pope.

Mt 10:1-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13; Lk 9:32 ... Peter always mentioned first, as foremost apostle.
Mt 18:21; Mk 8:29; Lk 12:41; Jn 6:69 ... Peter speaks for the apostles.
Acts 2:14-40 ... Pentecost: Peter who first preached.
Acts 3:6-7 ... Peter worked first healing.
Acts 10:46-48 ... Gentiles to be baptized revealed to Peter.
Jn 1:42 ... Simon is Cephas (Aramaic: Kepha for rock).
Mt 16:18-19 ... "on this Rock ... keys ... bind ... loose"
Is 22:22; Rev 1:18 ... keys as symbol of authority.
Jn 21:17 ... "feed my sheep"
Lk 22:29-30 I confer on you a kingdom...sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel
Lk 22:31-32 ... "Simon ... strengthen your brethren".
Lk 10:1-2, 16; Jn 13:20; 2 Cor 5:20; Gal 4:14; Acts 5:1-5 ... "vicars" (substitutes) of Christ.
Mk 6:20; Lk 1:70,2:23; Rom 12:1; Act 3:21, 1 Cor 7:14; Eph 3:5; Col 1:22 ... humans can be holy ("call no one holy").
Is 51:1-2 Abraham is rock
1 Peter 5:5 be subject to your presbyters

This is the message from the moderator:

Your post was removed in this thread due to a violation of TOS 17. You attempted to use God's Word to support the unbiblical office of the papacy, which is a gross violation of Terms of Service. There are people who pick and choose verses in the Bible to support many false doctrines including the serpent seed doctrine, Sabbatarianism, homosexuality, slavery and others.

You have a total of six violation of TOS 17. Therefore, your account has been suspended.

I'm shocked to see this on the CBS web site. Was Dan Rather on vacation?
RU-486 Eyed In Abortion Debate


City Officials Angry Over Fire Prevention DelaysLOS ANGELES — City officials in San Bernardino, Calif., say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife agency's concerns about endangered species delayed a federally funded fire prevention program for seven years and led directly to the disastrous fires there in October.


Go here to e-mail FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan about the Plan B for over-the-counter morning after pill

Dear FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan:

Please do not approve Plan B for over-the-counter distribution without prescription. There are no studies involving the risks of long-term and repeated use of these drugs for this purpose, so this approval would be putting women's health at risk. Women deserve the medical supervision required to protect their health and safety when taking this powerful drug.


A Christmas Version of 1 Corinthians 13

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at
mealtime, but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all
that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's
cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind although harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas China and table linens.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of LOVE will endure.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!


Here's the best article I've seen about the capture of Saddam:


Here's some news from my local area:
New Episcopal group will work to oust gay bishop

'It Is as It Was'
Mel Gibson's "The Passion" gets a thumbs-up from the pope.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003 1:06 p.m. EST

Here's some happy news this Christmas season, an unexpected gift for those who have seen and admired Mel Gibson's controversial movie, "The Passion," and wish to support it. The film has a new admirer, and he is a person of some influence. He is in fact the head of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.

New Evidence on WMD's
A former Lt. Colonel in the Iraqi Army, who apparently had been a spy for years and is now working for the Iraqi Governing Council, says that Iraq did too have weapons of mass destruction. He says he saw them, that they were designed to be launched by hand-held rockets, and were to be used only on the personal orders of Saddam Hussein.

Abortion Non-Discrimination Bill ApplaudedThe U.S. bishops' conference praised federal legislation designed to protect health-care providers from being forced to cooperate in abortions.

Uhh? I've never heard this before. It's not what I thought Opus Dei members are like.

Fact and Fiction of Opus Dei The opening scenes of The Da Vinci Code are pure potboiler. On orders from Opus Dei, an assassin pumps a bullet into an art curator's stomach. That night, the assassin atones for his sins by wearing a spiked thigh bracelet and flailing his back with a whip.
That's fiction to be sure--and to some a brazen instance of Catholic-bashing-- but the truth behind Opus Dei is just as enthralling. Secretive, influential members and obscure practices that include self-flagellation have made Opus Dei the Roman Catholic Church's most controversial movement.

This is a far cry from the picture painted by the Opus Dei web site.

"To achieve this they frequent the sacraments and give some time each day to prayer, spiritual reading and other acts of devotion. They try to practice Christian self-denial, especially in small things - at work, in family life, putting others first, paying attention to detail, and so on. They attend a yearly retreat, as well as classes or courses on the faith and on aspects of developing a spiritual life."

From the forums at christianity.com:

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Find where JESUS instructs you to worship/venerate Mary, find where JESUS instructs the prayer to Saints, find where JESUS instructs Papal SUCCESSION, find where JESUS instructs Confirmation, Last Rites, Priests, or any other of the myriad inventions that comprise Catholicsm.
Why is it that you don't discuss that issue from a biblical standpoint?

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We can't quote any scripture and say it supports the Catholic position without getting a TOS violation. We have been bound and gagged, therefore we can't defend anything you say about Catholic doctrine. It's not fair, so I've mostly been lurking without much comment. Besides, we have already posted our replies in former threads, so it does no good to repeat ourselves. Neither side is going to change their minds and I doubt any further learning will go on here.

You complain about what Catholics have added, while we complain about what Protestants have subtracted from the original Christianity. We are at a standstill. We need to focus more on what we have in common and how we can do more to convert a society that is becoming more degenerate every day. What we can accomplish together would be a great witness to the love of neighbor Christ preached.


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I want to toss on the table, as the discussion issue....

What is behind the decline and could this trend be stopped or reversed? I have my own thoughts, on this, and will post them as the thread develops.

What say YOU?

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Denominations: conservative ones grow as Mainline declineNASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--At first glance, the 20 million Southern Baptists tallied in a sweeping Religious Congregations and Membership: 2000 study are 4 million more than the convention's membership records indicate.
The future of Christianity belongs to robust orthodoxy, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox."

Mainline Churches: The Real Reason for Decline
http://www.ctkph.org/homilies/fbjcatholics.htm How Are We Doing As Catholics And Church in America?

Poll Finds Increased Support for Bush, Iraq War Following Hussein's Capture


9/11 Bombshell: Mohamed Atta Trained in Baghdad
A bombshell memo written to Saddam Hussein in 2001 and recently uncovered by Iraq's new coalition government shows that lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta was trained in Baghdad to attack the U.S.

I responded to a reply to someone else's post at http://forums.christianity.com/?post=789906;#789906--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Reply To
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90% of what I posted came EXCLUSIVELY from Catholic sourcing, the Vatican, and other Catholic information sources. You have NOT replied ONCE to answering the claims of abuse, and such that have been posted. You want to hide behind CCC clips, IGNORING the reality of the RCC today, what it IS, not what it claims to be.

Sorry, your protestations fall on deaf ears. TALK about what is posted and refute what is said in NEWSSOURCES not what the church wants people to believe about it, what it IS, not what it promotes while doing the exact opposit.

We have shown Papal Marianian worship, we have shown Priesthood pedophelia, we have shown Nuns into Wicca, we have shown Voodoo in Sainthood veneration, we have demonstrated FAKE SAINTS being made, and the list goes on and on.

Not ONE thing is dishonest, they are all real, you know it, we know it. That IS what Catholicism IS today, and that is why you want to run and hide, the truth hurts.

Most likely, I read MORE Catholic literature, watch EWTN more than you, and know more than any Catholic here. That is why I refuse to engage in doctrine battles. Doctrine is meaningless when not practiced. Mormons have a great lifestyle, they are great people, they are utterly wrong. Wicca is even good as THEY state it, of course, when you peel back the veneer of doctrine, it is terrible in history, blood soaked, and Satan inspired. But the nice books, and pretty websites and apologetics THEY USE would refute those claims.

Catholics are like that. Pretty on the surface, but seething underneath with corruption, power politics, clerical crime, corruption, and coverups.

No one will get into THAT will they, they want to say, over and over, that we are WRONG, yet we are only sourcing out FACTS, and the facts are, that the RCC is barely doing anything that IT teaches anymore.

What about the clergy dissapearing? There are gonna be none left in ten years, a denomination without a leadership, old men, dying off, protecting each other. That is the reality, that is your fate.

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My reply:
Ghandi once said the problem with Christianity is that it has never been lived. He said he would become one if people actually lived what it teaches.

You cannot paint everyone with the same brush. You can't generalize the failures of some on a billion member organization. You don't seem to see any good and instead see only the negative.

There were 63,683,030 Catholics in the United States in 2001 according to the Official Catholic Directory of 2001. This is l.3 million up from a year ago. In 2002 it reported 65,270,444 Catholics in the United States and its possessions, up nearly 1.6 million from last year's total. How can you explain the growth if things are as bleak as you say? Catholics have 597 Catholic hospitals served 82.4 million people, 2,450 special centers for social services, assisting 23.5 million people, an increase of 2.5 million over the previous year. Diocesan and religious seminaries reported 4,719 students at the start of the year. The country's 238 Catholic colleges and universities enrolled a record 724,065 students, 19,006 more than the previous year. Catholic high school enrollment in parish, diocesan and private schools was up by 500 to 681,446. The number of permanent deacons rose by 416 to 13,764, and the number of religious brothers increased by 125 to 5,690. What other denomination can claim as much impact on the US society? Christianity is supposed to make a difference. I think the facts show Catholics are doing a lot of charity in this country. $111,838,000 was donated to Catholic Relief Services for aid in foreign countries in 2002. Who else does more besides the government?

Matt 16:18 "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."

I have great hope that the capture of Saddam Hussein will bring peace and prosperity to Iraq and that it will help bring our troops home sooner. I hope it will get us out of Iraq by summer. That would help Bush get a second term, I think, and take the wind out of the sails of the anti-war Democrats.

Terrorist behind September 11 strike was trained by Saddam

And who else is our enemy?
Ninth Circuit Decriminalizes Aid to Terror Groups
In a bitterly ironic counterpoint to the Supreme Court decision upholding restrictions on political speech by U.S. citizens, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit last week overturned legal provisions that prohibited providing "personnel" and "training" to foreign terrorist organizations because, the court said, such acts could be construed as forms of free expression.

The above makes Tony's comments below even more true:

Tony Snow Why the fight over judges matters
Federal judges have become hugely influential busybodies, figuring that because they're wearing robes, they can fix everything. Of course, judges as a group have about as much common sense as, say, college professors, and their efforts at helping have made a fine mess of things.

I hope I never get this nurse.
Nurse Claims to Have Killed More Than 30 Patients Since 1987 SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) - A former nurse told prosecutors that he killed 30 to 40 patients since 1987 at several hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Can you believe this?

Abortions Anonymous, for Kids: Memo Reveals Group's 'Priority'

(CNSNews.com) - A pro-life group wants the world to know about the strategies of an abortion rights group, including the strategy involving children.

The New York-based Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) announced last Friday that it had obtained copies of internal memos generated by the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Those memos, which revealed CRR's agenda for promoting abortion worldwide, are now part of the Congressional Record.

Arguably one of the most controversial aspects of the strategies outlined in the CRR memos deals with children -- or, in the words of the document, "a project to secure the fundamental right of minors to access all reproductive health services confidentially."

This is described as one of CRR's "priority areas."

"We are seeing the antis push hard to diminish minors' rights, so we should see what we can come up with to push hard back," said a summary of a report by a CRR campaigns sub-group.

But it notes there are difficulties, including "growing opposition amongst minors to abortion and [to] being pro-choice."

Surprise! Surprise!
Post-scandal, Catholics give more
But national church donor patterns indicate support strong for local parishes, less for diocese operations

How can parents protect their children with a government that wants to do this?
Debate on Selling Morning-After Pill Over the CounterTwo panels for the Food and Drug Administration will consider early next week whether to allow the so-called morning-after pill, now a prescription drug taken after intercourse to prevent pregnancy, to be sold over the counter.

We need a government like this instead.
Italian Senate OKs Law That Restricts Fertility Treatments to Heterosexual Couples
ROME Dec. 11 — Italy's Senate approved tough new rules Thursday restricting fertility treatments to heterosexual couples who live together and are of childbearing age.
The law also bars egg or sperm donation, as well as the use of surrogate mothers, and rules out treatment for gays, single people and elderly women.


Will the US government listen to Mona Charen?
SOCIETY Marriage among gays drains the institution of substance
But, in all candor, society has much less of a stake in homosexual monogamy than it does in traditional marital fidelity because the principal function of marriage is to provide for children. We very much want parents to remain together while their children are growing up. Whether a homosexual couple remains faithful is a matter of indifference to society; while some homosexual couples are raising children, we should not be encouraging the practice.

Let's clean our own house
New Zogby Poll of U.S. Catholics

Significant Majority of U.S. Catholics Favor Church Reform; More Involvement by Laity and Better Communication Top the List, Zogby Survey Reveals

Opinion leaders and the general population of America’s Catholics overwhelmingly agree on their desire for a number of church reforms, including disclosure of detailed financial information, more inclusion of lay expertise, and a new spirit of transparency and openness in all aspects of Church management.

Andrew Greeley comments on "the situation".

Forgiveness offers ultimate peace


It happens to Protestants too.

Vestavia Hills pastor faces sex charge
A Vestavia Hills [Alabama] pastor surrendered Thursday after a Jefferson County grand jury indicted him on a sex-related charge.

The Rev. Richard Drew Barker, 44, of Vestavia Hills was indicted Tuesday on a sexual abuse charge, according to Jefferson County jail records. Barker turned himself in Thursday morning and was free after posting a $10,000 bond, according to jail records.

The slippery slope is real!

Unprecedented Gains for Gays in 2003

NEW YORK -- From Wal-Mart to Bride's magazine, from the U.S. Supreme Court to the Episcopal Church, 2003 produced gay-rights breakthroughs so diverse and profound that even veteran activists were stunned.


Listen to your Papa!

John Paul II Pleads With Europe on Eve of Crucial Meeting Urges the Continent Not to Forget the Contribution of Christianity
John Paul II appealed to European citizens not to forget the values that forged the continent's history, and to recognize that Christianity was the force capable of promoting those ideals.

Religion leads to a merrier Christmas Who has the merriest Christmas?
It's just as the old country pastor says: Those who keep the Christ in Christmas have the most satisfying holiday.
"Religious people are happier than those without spirituality in their life," notes a new study from Britain's University of Warwick.
And those who keep their religious practices intact at yuletide, the study found, are happier than those who rely on the pleasures of shopping for their holiday meaning.
The researchers based their conclusion on surveys of 57 men and 44 women from Britain who completed complex questionnaires meant to establish "a link between Christianity and happiness."
And establish it, they did.
"Religious people seem to have a greater purpose in life, which is why they are happier," noted project director and psychologist Stephen Joseph on Monday.
"Looking at the research evidence," he continued, "it seems those who celebrate the Christian meaning of Christmas are, on the whole, likely to be happier. The research shows that too much materialism in our lives can be terrible for happiness."

Scott and Kimberly Hahn will be speaking at the St. Louis Marian Conference Jan 10, 2004 For more information, contact: Eleanor Finneran 8015 Monroe St., St. Louis, MO 63114 314-423-1075

Bad Catholics
CATHOLIC BISHOPS have been making noises about disciplining Catholic politicians who advocate for policies opposed to Church teaching. If you are an observant Catholic, don't get your hopes up.

Dean's Planned Parenthood Ties Raise Questions About Abortion

While Dean has denied ever performing an abortion, one of his past opponents in the race for governor, Republican Ruth Dwyer, believes the Democratic presidential candidate may not be completely forthcoming.

While admitting that she has no first-hand knowledge, Dwyer told CNSNews.com that, "I have a hard time believing [he did not ever perform an abortion], just knowing Howard." Dwyer ran unsuccessfully against Dean for governor in 1998 and 2000.

"To have him refuse [performing an abortion] would not make any sense to it at all," Dwyer said, noting Dean's support for legalized abortion. As for Dean's past involvement with Planned Parenthood, Dwyer added, "I can't imagine him not being offered the opportunity [to perform an abortion]."

But Judy Wechsler, a retired physician's assistant who worked with Dean in 1980 at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Burlington, Vt., said that since the facility where Dean worked did not offer abortion services, "that would not have been part of his clinical practice."

From the Oneness\Modalism thread at christianity.com forums:
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If the oneness doctrine is an off shoot of the trinity, then explain to me why the "Holy Trinity Doctrine" and the "Nicean Creed" wasn't actually formed until after 325 AD.
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The Nicene Creed was a response to the Arian heresy that taught that Jesus was a created being, so therefore inferior to God the Father. It said that God the Father existed before God the Son.

Since God the Father and God the Son lives outside of time and space, the creation of the Son is not a sequential event as it is when a father begets a son on earth. Both the Father and Son always were, always exists, and always will be.

Before 325, the belief in the three persons in one God was universal belief, so it did not need to be clarified. It does not mean that the doctrine was invented in 325. The concept of Father and Son being of the same substance was a clarification that was challenged.

Majority OK With Public Nativity ScenesAn overwhelming majority of Americans supports allowing nativity scenes on public property. However, a smaller number — but still a clear majority — thinks if Christian holiday symbols are placed on public property that other religious symbols, such as a Jewish menorah (search), must also be displayed.

Boston Diocese to mortgage seminary, cathedral
Trial begins for woman accused of killing 3 newborns
U.S. congressmen deliver House commendation to pope

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting with a U.S. congressional delegation, Pope John Paul II accepted the text of a House resolution honoring him on the occasion of his pontificate's 25th anniversary. "God bless America," the pope said Dec. 6 after being presented with the three-page commendation, which was passed in October on a unanimous vote. The resolution lauded the pontiff for many aspects of his pontificate, including his role in the fall of communism, his defense of human rights and for being a "tireless voice for morality and decency" around the world. Presenting the resolution at a brief Vatican audience were Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., the sponsor of the resolution, and two of the 31 co-sponsors, Reps. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and Rick Renzi, R-Ariz.


Write your letter to Santa Claus

From the forum at christianity.com
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It seems too easy to just say...well they were never saved in the first place...if we in sincerity ask Jesus into our lives and commit ourselves to Him is that not being saved? Many do this and mean it and for some time follow Jesus but still in the end turn away from God and are lost.

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I think we all know some well-known TV evangelists who have done exactly that. Does their sin mean they were never saved? Have all the people they have brought to salvation been led by a non-saved person? I don't think so. 2 Peter 2:20 says their last condition worse than first.

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That's another problem I have with this whole mess. You think God would go through all that trouble to get us, and then once He's got us, He'll just let us walk out the backdoor? Of course not.

When you're saved, you realize there is absolutely no alternative besides Christ, you come to hate your own life, you say "Gimme what you've got, Lord, because what I have will never be one bit of good." You've come to the end of yourself. You've denied yourself. You've called on the name of the Lord. And then He imparts to you that power that absolutely changes your life and makes you never, ever want to sin again. You may sin, you may fall into it, but planned sin starts going away faster than you can say "God will never forsake you."

A permanently changed life for Christ is the proof of true salvation. Or, as my college pastor once said, "the proof is in the fruit".

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I agree that God never abandons us, but sometimes we abandon God. He gives us the free will to do that. Ideally, people would realize instantly that they need Christ and never turn their backs to God. Some people need to learn this gradually or hit bottom before it really sticks. I think the Bible says that sin and repentance are things all Christians have to struggle with, but eventually a contrite heart, through God's grace, will become more able to follow Christ. It can take a long time for some, especially those who struggle with addictions.

Mom Sues School to Allow Nativity Scene
If a Christmas tree can stand in a school's halls during the holidays, then a model of baby Jesus and his manger should also be welcomed, contends a Queens, N.Y., mother who is going to court to prove her point.
Andrea Skoros sued the New York City public school system after being told her kids' Nativity scene could not be a part of the holiday display although a Hanukkah menorah and the star and crescent representing Islam could be exhibited.

Secret Memos Reveal Pro-Abortion Legal Strategy

Bishop Burke is coming to St. Louis! Since this is my archdiocese, I'm happy to hear this.

Bishops to pressure Catholic politicians

"If you can't bring your faith into public life, what's the use of having it?" said the Most Rev. Fabian W. Bruskewitz, bishop of Lincoln, Neb.
"It's embarrassing," he said, "to read consistently of Catholic senators all proclaiming their support for abortion. It's not able to be explained by me how Catholics can do that, particularly if they go unrebuked."

Massachusetts Conservatives Late to Action on Gay Rights
WASHINGTON — Conservatives in Massachusetts say they failed to match intensity and focus of the gay lobby there, and blame themselves, in part, for finding their state on the brink of legalizing homosexual marriage

PETA Billboard Depicts Virgin Mary Cradling Chicken Carcass

Catholic thread at christianity.com is discussing the Homosexual Culture in Priesthood
My response:
You can't judge a church by its members. Jesus came to save the sick, not the ones who do not need a doctor. If one says there are no sinners in their church, they are lying. I couldn't join any church if that were the case, because I am a sinner saved by grace. The number of sinners in a church does not negate the truth taught by a church. I am not supposed to judge others. I will not throw the first stone.

My post today at the forums on christianity.com
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I guess the OFFICIAL Fatima site doesn't count even thought JPII ,has dedicated his Pontificate to Mary?

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I don't see a Imprimatur or a Nil Obstat at fatima.org. No one is required to believe what happened at Fatima!!!!!

JP II honors Mary as mother of God, the one who made the incarnation of Jesus possible. That is not worship. I see a lot of folks on this forum claiming Catholics worship Mary. There has been a lot of "yes, you do." "no, we don't" stuff. Why don't we stick to discussing official doctrine, not opinions? No one should site some idiot's web site or their aunt Harriet as proof that Catholics worship Mary. I can find lots of Catholics that go overboard with their devotion to Mary and lots of stupid web sites of the same ilk if I look hard enough. But that does not represent the Church's official teaching. It's a waste of bandwidth and time to discuss non-official writings. They do not represent what properly taught Catholics believe.

Thanksgiving with my family was a mixture of joy and sadness.
Joy was evident when my 6-month old great-nephew Alex came for a visit. He is such a wonderful baby. I haven't seen so many smiles about anything as when he laughed and smiled for us.

Sadness came at the news that my brother is getting divorced after only a year of marriage. So sad. Also, there is another issue I'll have to forgive someone in my family over. That is a struggle with me. This one won't be easy.

I gave a talk to the RCIA class Sunday on what I like about being Catholic. It went very well.

Then lots of folks started getting sick with flu or a cold or something. One of my kids got it. It was pretty miserable. I was glad to get back home and see my cats again. They are always so glad to see us when we've been away.
Home Sweet Home!

My friend Gloria asks:
What are you doing to celebrate Christmas?
I've found that my mom loves to get pre-paid phone cards so that she can stay in touch with all the people she loves out of town. She still thinks long distance calls are a luxury. It's something she never gets enough of and I can give them to her for her birthday and Mother's Day too. It is always the right color and size and doesn't take up space. It fits in a letter so I don't have to make a trip to the post office to mail it.

As for my kids, I give them each a budget. It makes them set priorities on what they buy. They have even started saving some money for the after Xmas sales! They usually want big ticket items now, so the money goes fast with only a couple trips to the stores. Hubby buys his own stuff, mostly. I'm not a big spender, so I buy stuff for the house mostly. I don't have to get stuff under the tree to be happy.

The important thing in our family is to create happy memories of fun family time together and to celebrate the reason for the season - Jesus' birthday. So I make a cake shaped like baby Jesus and the kids decorate it. I try to keep things simple and not go overboard with materialism.

Pope John Paul II today named Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse, Wis., as archbishop of St. Louis.

The post has been vacant since Cardinal Justin Rigali took over the Philadelphia archdiocese in October.

http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/about_the_diocese/bishop_burke/


I'm posting again at the forums on christianity.com

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One only need troll the official Catholic sites, to see where Mary has been elevated, both in word and deed, to the Co-Redemtrix or EQUAL of Jesus, ,and for many Catholics, women especially, Mary has become the focus of prayer to a degree that is totally unbiblical by any standards.

And most honest Catholics, when they are forced to look honestly AT THE PRACTICE will have some qualms too on the Marianian claims of the more fanatical with Mary and her role, and the way she is elevated.

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My reply:
Nobody can control what someone wants to put on a web site. Just because it is on a web site does not mean the RCC agrees with it. There are lots of bad information on the web. Unless a book has an Imprimatur (a license to print or publish especially by Roman Catholic episcopal authority) or a Nil Obstat (no objection) on the title page or on the reverse side of the title, it is not official Catholic literature. No one is required to take seriously what is printed without it. There are a lot of uninformed people who like to pretend they know a lot.
This thread is supposed to stick to what is in the Bible or the Catechism, not every site on the net.

I'm heading to Arkansas for the holidays. My side of the family celebrates Thanksgiving because the weather is usually too bad for us to drive long distances to all get together for Christmas. My siblings are scattered around Arkansas, Texas. I'm in Missouri. Adios until next week!

Interesting Links:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/patbuchanan/pb20031123.shtml Judges v. legislators

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=466575 Queen's Speech will give go-ahead to sex-change weddings and adoptions


http://www.debka.com/index.php DEBKAfile picks up fresh Al Qaeda warning of countdown to the terror network’s “biggest operation in the United States” which is due “very shortly” and will cut America off from its armies in Muslim countries.

http://www.priestsforlife.org/news/lifenews/lifenews03-11-22.htm#gallup Gallup Survey Shows Teens Hold Strong Pro-Life Views

Here's a bunch of links to articles on the gay union situation:
http://www.ycvf.org/news_articles.php?id=280&search=family CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IF03H01&f=PG03I03
http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2003/11/18/95/10122758.txt
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20031118.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,103459,00.html Marriage Promoted as Cure to Social Woes


The christianity.com has reopened the forum on Catholicism:
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Quote
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Additionally, Rome denies the efficacy of the atonement, in essence stating that the cross work was no sufficient and that the sacrifice needs to be reapplied through the Mass. 24 hours a day / 7 days a week masses are taking place reapplying the sacrifice. This is not neccessary. Christ's work on the cross was sufficient enough. Christ said "It is finished" - the work was done, it need not be repeated.

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How do you explain this?

Colossians 1:24
I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

Tit for Tat

Fargo man wants to remove goddess statue
By the Associated Press
GRAND FORKS (AP) -- A Fargo activist has asked a University of North Dakota law professor to help him sue to remove the statue of a Greek goddess from the top of the Grand Forks County Courthouse. Martin Wishnatsky is using a legal argument similar to the one used to try to remove a display of the Ten Commandments in Fargo.

Themis, the ancient Greek goddess of law and order, traditionally has been a symbol at U.S. courthouses, her eyes blindfolded and holding the scales of justice. Her statue has been atop the Grand Forks County Courthouse for nearly 90 years. "As a Christian, I find such representations of pagan religious figures in public places very distressing," Wishnatsky wrote to Rovner.

I am reading a book, Tornado in a Junkyard. I thought it would just debunk evolution, but it goes much further than that. It is making a case for creationism. It gives reasons why the earth is younger than Darwinists say. I was enjoying the anti-Darwinism part, but started to feel uneasy about the creationism part. So I went online to search whether the claims the book made were true. My uneasiness was justified. I found a web site that debunks the young earth arguments. It's at http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/dave_matson/young-earth/specific_arguments/index.shtml Specific Creationist Arguments by
Dave E. Matson. Since the creationism parts are false, it makes me wonder whether the anti-Darwin arguments are also false. The anti-Darwin arguments sound very good, though.
For example, the book claims there are nine chemical reactions in a human's retina that cause the electrical impulse to be created in the optical nerve. Without these reactions, a lens and an optical nerve, we would not be able to see. What are the odds that all these were random mutations that helped an organism survive better than others? If one of the components is missing, the odds of survival would not improve because all of them are necessary simultaneously. Another example, when we are wounded, our blood clots due to a chemical. But if there were not also a chemical that stops the clotting, we would die of too much clotting. What are the odds of both chemicals being caused by mutations simultaneously? Mutations tend to disfigure and deform an organism, not add new information. Conclusion: Darwinism explains micro-evolution, but not macro-evolution. That is, it may explain survival, but not arrival. How did the genes arrive that were later adapted to the environment?
I believed in divinely guided evolution before I read this book. I think I have some good reasons to stick with that. I don't really care how long God took to create the universe, because I believe He did do it. That is what matters.

In the christianity.com forum on Mother Teresa:
In Reply To
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You can find plenty of reading material that shows she did not preach the true gospel to those of different religions. She allowed them to think however they wanted, and the quote I made can not be taken out of context, unless she said something like, "You should never tell someone this" beforehand!

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The first key principle of successful evangelization is to accept someone right where they are and develop a relationship of love for them. Once that happens, you have leverage to move someone into a better relationship with Jesus. For people who do not believe in God, the best way to evangelize them is to show them by one's actions that there is a loving God who motivates people to do kindness. One has to make God visible. She inspired many people to grow closer to Jesus. My friend is a nun in her order. I could never give up everything to do the things she has done.

That is what Blessed Theresa did. She loved people where they were in a culture that treats some castes like animals. Hindus are hard to convert because they have a "any God will do" belief. Getting them to believe in Jesus as the only way is very difficult. But Mother Theresa did it. The nun who took her office after her death is a convert from Hinduism.

Mother Theresa's method works in that part of the world. Our culture is different but those methods also work here. You will never convert anyone by offending them.
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It is one thing to love and respect people and respect their RIGHT to believe in their false religions. It is quite another to give them the very wrong impression that they can be saved through those false religions.



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My response.

God is not limited to obeying his own rules. He wants to save everyone because Jesus died for all men. God will not punish people for their ignorance.

Missionaries in India are forbidden to prostelitize. The government would have kicked them out of the country. The only way to have a long ministry in that country is to wait for the prospective convert to ask to be Christian.

I'm thrilled that the president signed the ban on partial birth abortion. Finally, it seems we have some progress even if it gets blocked by the courts. We've never got this far before. How can anyone be in favor of a partially born baby? Beats me!

My oldest daughter got braces Monday. I can't imagine how bad it must feel since I've never had them. I do know how it feels to get popcorn husks or apple core stuck between my teeth. It drives me nuts till I get it out. Imagine being stuck with this for 18 months! At $3500, this better be worth it!

I'm sore all over from my fencing class last night. I sure am out of shape. It is such a blast, though! It is great for the thigh muscles.

There is an opinion poll at this site that I find sad and frightening.

Faith Commitment Impacts Morality
http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=152&Reference=A

I sure hope their definition of "Evangelical" includes faithful Catholics. The footnotes say it is not based on denomination.

It shows me that we are not passing on moral values to the next generation. That is what scares me.

Now that I've finished Triumph, what book will I read next? Tornado in a Junkyard or Early Church Fathers? Tornado in a Junkyard is about debunking the atheistic evolution theory. My husband read it. He was convinced that theory was junk before he got half way through the book. I need to read it to get my apologetics muscles in shape before I see my family at Thanksgiving. I might need it. I think I need this more than reading Early Church Fathers.

Normally, I wouldn't believe anything I heard from Geraldo Rivera. But I got this in my e-mail today, so I'm passing it on. I don't think he has any reason to stretch the truth.

THE BUILDINGS THAT AREN'T BURNING IN IRAQ

"They have a saying in the news business," Geraldo Rivera related this week. "Reporters don't report buildings that don't burn." And with that introduction, he told a TV audience about the story that is being systematically denied to our entire nation: the success story of post-Saddam Iraq. Are we losing some soldiers each week? Yes. Is there some frustration in the public about electricity and water service? Yes.

Are some Saddam Hussein loyalists scurrying throughout the land, making trouble? Yes. Has this opened a window for some terrorist mischief? Yes.

But that's all we hear. No wonder the country is in a mixed mood about Iraq.

If you hear about the buildings that are not burning, though, it is a different story indeed.

Rivera is no shill for George W. Bush. But Bush, Condi Rice and Colin Powell together could not have been as effective as Geraldo was Thursday night on the Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes program.

"When I got to Baghdad, I barely recognized it," he began, comparing his just-completed trip to two others he made during and just after the battle to topple Saddam. "You have over 30,000 Iraqi cops and militiamen already on the job. This is four months after major fighting stopped.

"Can you imagine that kind of gearing up in this country? Law and order is better; archaeological sites are being preserved; factories, schools are being guarded."

But what about the secondhand griping that the media have been so efficiently relating about power, water and other infrastructure?

"To say that Iraq is being rebuilt is not true," answered Rivera. "Iraq is being built.. There was no infrastructure before; we are doing it. I just think the good news is being underestimated and underreported."

At this juncture, one must evaluate how to feel about the voices telling us only about the bad news in Iraq, whether from the mouths of news anchors or Democratic presidential hopefuls.

At best, they are under informed. At worst, their one-sided assessments of post-Saddam Iraq are intentional falsehoods for obvious reasons.

If I hear one more person mock that "Mission Accomplished" banner beneath which President Bush thanked a shipload of sailors and Marines a few months back, I'm going to spit. That was a reference to the ouster of Saddam's regime, and that mission was indeed accomplished, apparently to the great chagrin of the American left.

No one said what followed would be easy or cheap, and that's why the dripping-water torture of the cost and casualty stories is so infuriating. Remember we pay our soldiers whether they are in Iraq or in Ft Bragg, North Carolina.

We should all mourn the loss of every fallen soldier. But context cries out to be heard. Our present news media is not performing this task.

As some dare to wonder if this might become a Vietnam-like quagmire, I'll remind whoever needs it that most of our 58,000 Vietnam war toll died between 1966 and 1972, during which we lost an average of about 8,000 per year. That's about 22 per day, every day, for thousands of days on end.

Let us hear no more Vietnam comparisons. They do not equate.

What I hope to hear is more truth, even if we have to wrench it from the mouths of the media and political hacks predisposed to bash the remarkable job we are doing every day in what was not so long ago a totalitarian wasteland.

Local elections are under way across Iraq, Rivera reported. "Where Kurds and Arabs have been battling for decades, things have been settling down. Administrator Paul Bremer is doing a great job."

So does Geraldo think his media colleagues are intentionally painting with one side of the brush?

"I'm not into conspiracy theories...there's just more bang for your buck when you report the GI who got killed rather than the 99 who didn't get killed, who make friends, who helped schedule elections, who helped shops get open for business, who helped traffic flow again.

"The vast majority of Iraqis are very happy to have us there... I would like to see a bit more balance." This needs to be reported to the American Public who are presently being duped. I expect the dominant media culture to nitpick Bush, and Democrats to blast him with reckless abandon.

But when that leads to the willful exclusion of facts that would shine truthful light on the great work of the American armed forces, that level of malice plumbs new depths .. some call it - TREASON

I'm reading a great book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/flex-sign-in/ref=cm_rate_rev_pagepos1/102-2054630-2000161#rated-review
Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church: A 2,000-Year History
by H. W. Crocker III

I've been mesmerized by this book for a week. It's hard for me to put it down.
What I like best is that it makes clear how our secular humanist culture came to be and why Europe is the moral vacuum that it is. If religion is what gives legitimacy to a government, and that is a big if, then what will happen when or if the secular humanists control the US? If we learn from Europe's mistakes, we would be glad to see the 10 Commandments displayed on every street corner and courtroom. There is a serious lack of foresight about the direction the country is heading. Unfortunately, we are failing to learn from history. God help the US!

I guess you'll have to read the book to see if you come to the same conclusion.

We picked out a Catholic high school for my son. He will start next year.
I made a point of asking the campus minister if the teaching was faithful to the magisterium. She said, "Yes". I was glad to hear that. Now, I hope it is true.
This school's grad has 98% going on to college. I hope that will inspire my son to work hard there.

My three kids had a great time this Halloween. My youngest dressed as a fat tourist, complete with Hawaiian shirt, shorts and straw hat. She ran me around two neighborhoods. The older two don't want to be seen with mom anymore, so they went with friends.
My son told me he didn't go trick-or-treating. His friends think it's childish, I guess? Not for a 14 year-old, I think. Anyway, on Sunday, he got a wild hair and decided to go trick-or-treating with his sister. They went around the neighborhood, laughing their silly heads off at people's reactions at them showing up two days late.
One neighbor preached to them about Halloween being a pagan invention of the Catholic Church, then asked them where they went to church. My kids burst out laughing when they said, "St. Norbert." What was funny was the look on the neighbors face. He didn't know these kids were Catholic. My kids were just being goofy kids, not pagans. Too bad they had to run into that, but it made it all the more fun for them. I wish I had been there to see this.
I bet they never forget the time they went trick-or-treating two days late. There were a lot of folks who wanted to get rid of the leftovers so their bags were full!

When the Teri Schavio case was first reported, I thought that the husband was right. Now that I know the dirty details, I want Teri to live. Why doesn't the husband do the honest thing - surrender the money to Teri's parents and divorce her instead of killing her? I think he wants to kill her so he can get the money. If he is going to be an immoral jerk, go a good job of it, divorce her, and let Teri be taken care of by her parents.
This doesn't sound like it was written by a Catholic. I know the part about "in sickness and health" in the vows. But who wants to be married to a potential murderer?

Last night, my son and I started a fencing class. I kinda laugh at myself for doing this, but I took it in college and loved it. I'm reconnecting with my past.
My son has watched too many swashbuckler movies and likes to pretend he is Zoro. He wrapped a stick with gray tape to make it look like metal, then added a cardboard hilt covered in gray tape. He has been pretending to sword fight with the kid next door for a couple years now. He asked for lessons a year ago, so I'm finally making good on my promise.
I guess I am going because I'm still a kid inside that has an imagination. Fencing stirs it up as much as swinging on a big park swing. (Yes, I do that too.) Besides being great exercise, it is a fun way to spend time with my son. That's priceless. It's getting harder to find things I can do with a 14 year old. Perhaps he thinks his mom is cool for signing us up?? I need to get out of my abstract thinking once in awhile. Fencing is the way I do this for now.

I went to Vandalia, Il over the weekend for the Celebrate the Faith conference. I heard Karl Keating, Patrick Madrid, Ken Howell and other well-known speakers. I was especially thrilled to meet Karl Keating. I have listened to Catholic Answers radio program for six years. It was great to see the face that goes with the voice at last.
Karl had a Q&A time after his talk. I was happy he answered my question. "Have Catholics ever been forbidden to read the Bible? A protestant told me this happen at the Council of Toulouse, which dealt with the Albagensian heresy."
Karl's answer was that Catholics were forbidden to read a translation that was mangled by the Albagensians to support their interpretation. They have never been forbidden to read approved translations.
I was relieved. I could not find the answer on any web site. I had found that there was a Council of Toulouse that dealt with the Albagensian heresy. But I didn't find anything about forbidding Catholics to read the Bible. It would have been a big error, I think, and something I would think would show the pope is not infallible. Now that I understand why, I agree with the decision.

The bishop of Cheyenne, WY told us that he asks the ones he confirms to make three promises: abstain from fornication and pornography, abstain from drugs and alcohol, and not be racist or prejudiced. I think those are some good things to ask kids today.

The talk on the Eucharist by Fr. Phillip Scott taught me something. I get the question "Show me where in Scripture it says that the mass should be a sacrifice. It's just a memorial" I've been a little weak in answering that. I've used Scott Hahn's ideas from The Lamb's Supper about Revelation showing that the Lamb of God is being sacrificed in Revelation. But a more direct quote that would explain it is in Hebrews 5:7 "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence." Prayer is an offering and therefore is a sacrifice. When we pray, we are offering our praise, thanksgiving, and supplication. At Mass, we do not offer a bloody sacrifice, but the bread and wine are offered along with our prayer offering. I think a verse that is literal is better than the one in Revelation, which is metephorical.

I had a great weekend. I hope to go back next year.

Who should pay for the reconstruction in Iraq? How about Germany, France, and Japan? We rebuilt them after WWII, so why don't they pass the favor on? Here's an interesting article:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/10/23/sprj.irq.main/index.html

How do I deal with my kids that are pack rats, leave shoes everywhere, and ball up their socks?

I try to teach responsibility by making them put their stuff away, do their own laundry (a 10 year old kid can be taught to do this), and take turns helping out. I only do the hubby's and my laundry.

I use a plastic snow shovel to plow the clutter into a pile. One kid picks up trash, one gets laundry, and one gets everything else. The "everything else" job is harder, so it gets rotated among the kids.

I know this is heresy, but I don't sort laundry anymore, except for red cotton items. Permanent press clothes don't bleed like the old cotton stuff did.
The kids each have a separate hamper. They wash everything in it together, so when it comes out of the dryer, they take it to their room. No more laundry sitting around waiting to be sorted!

Red cotton has to be washed separately to keep it from turning whites to pink. I don't buy red cotton anymore and I donate what I can get rid of.

I live with three people who have ADD, so they don't care what the house looks like. My daughter only cares when friends are coming over. I'm the one who has to organize everything and make sure things get cleaned. Since I work full-time, I can't do it all myself, so I don't try. I'm in CHAOS most of the time.

I keep telling myself, "Don't sweat the small stuff. Most everything is small stuff" I read a book about that which was very helpful. My attitude of service to my family helps me from feeling like a victim. It helps me to grow in patience. It's a stressful, but I try to take care of myself by nurturing myself. This weekend, a girlfriend and I are going away to a retreat in Vandalia, IL for the weekend. I need a vacation from it all for a couple days. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a motel room that is CLEAN! Yes! I hope to come back with resolve to tackle some more clutter.

from the forums at christianity.com, a reader in the UK writes:
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Based on your info, Catholic schools have lower school fees as compared to public schools.

1. Normal Catholic schools charge $3000 and public schools charge $5000.

2. Special Catholic schools charge $5200 and public schools charge $12000.

You also mentioned that the public schools' discipline is bad. But hippyrepublican1972 also mentioned she 'heard a lot of 'horror stories' about Catholic schools (beating with rulers, that kind of thing).'

Assuming your information is correct, why would any parent wants to put his/her kids in the public school (i.e. based on charges, since both schools also have class management problems)?

You seem to be able to pull out and enrol your child in the public or Catholic school (respectively) quite easily, then what issue are you trying to raise? I don't see any discrimination issue mentioned earlier.

-----End Quote-----------
Yourfriend,
Public schools are funded through taxes, while Catholic schools are not. This means that if I send my kid to a Catholic school, I pay taxes to fund other kid's education and then pay for my own kids out of my own pocket and get no help from the government. My kids are citizens too so they deserve government funding. They don't get a cent. That's discrimination just because they are taught one religion class a day. Why shouldn't the government pay for math, social studies, science etc even if they are not funding the one religion class? I think they should.

hippyrepublican1972's 'horror stories' about Catholic schools are not my experience or what my kids experience. I don't think they are true these days. It may have happened long ago, but then whipping was legal in public schools too until 20 years ago. Hitting with a ruler across the hand was mild compared to what was happening in public schools of the day.
A good teacher does not have to whip. At the Catholic school, my son gets his discipline card signed if he misbehaves. I ground him if his card is signed. He has become a better student since I started grounding him. Kids that don't get their card signed for 8 weeks get invited to a party. My daughter gets to wear regular clothes instead of her uniform if she gets her homework done on time. Eight good weeks gets her an invite to a pizza party. The public schools let the kids get away with anything. I think the discipline in the Catholic schools prepares them to be better citizens.

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Hi Betty,

There are two issues raised here. One is the charges, the other is the quality of schools.

Charges

Since public schools are funded by taxes (which is the case worldwide), it is unbelieveable that they are charging almost twice that of normal Catholic schools and more than twice that of Special Catholic Schools. It just doesn't make sense. I am not sure if you've got your facts correct. It would be better if you can give a web reference for the fees you mentioned,

In my country, public kindergartens' fees are at least 40% lesser than those run by private kindergartens (including those operated by non-profit organizations such as Churches, Buddhists or Muslims). As for primary grades, parents only need to pay supplementary fees of about about US$15 per month in the public schools. Education is free.

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You misunderstood me. The public schools get about $5000 per kid from the tax payers. None of it comes out of the parent's pocket other than the tax of about $500 for an average three bedroom, two bath house in a nice neighborhood. OTOH, every cent of the Catholic school's money for my kid comes out of my pocket - All $2500 for Kindergarten to 8th grade plus the $500 I pay for the public school kids. I have three kids, one in high school, which costs $5000, an 8th grader, which costs $2500; and a special ed kid, which costs $5200. That's $5000 + $2500 + $5200 = $12,700 out of my pocket plus $500 = $13,200. Why should I have to pay $12,700 when others pay $500? The state laws dictate this unfairness. If one is dissatisfied with the public schools but can't afford a private school, tough luck. Schooling the child at home is not an option for families where both parents work. Instead, parents have to put up with the secular humanism, anti-religion attitude of public schools. A teacher saying the word "God" in a public school can get them fired.

Only recently has the US Supreme Court said that it is not unconstitutional to give special help to disabled kids inside a Catholic school and that the state can give vouchers to pay the private school tuition of poor students. To get the state laws changed, Catholic have to overcome anti-Catholic bias which is rampant here, though not talked about.

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Quality

I have heard of comments about how ill disciplined students are in European schools. Students are unrully. That resulted in many teachers being unwilling to teach and many changed profession. But discipline is not just the responsibility of the teachers or schools. Parents should be the main persons exerting good influences on their children. However, it is a sad fact that many parents are not good models themselves. Therefore they can't control their children and they expect the teachers to control a class of maybe 30 to 40 children at one go.

In my country, our education system is voted as one of the best in the world. Yet our MOE is constantly trying to improve. Our parents here are very involved in their children's education. I think all these voiced down to the value of education one's nation (both the government and citizens) perceived.

----------End Quote-------------

I agree. With a Catholic school, the parents have more control. The publics have to fight a government bureaucracy. Hopefully, my kids go to school with ones that share the same values as I do. I think this helps a lot.

----------Quote-------------

Your case

From your description of your child's school, the Catholic school is trying to use both positive and negative reinforcement. Personally, I don't like the idea of 'discipline card' because it instills fear rather than responsibility or self-control for the children. The important question to ask is what is the learning outcomes you wish your child to have? Does the school believes and enforces those outcomes? If you are a Christian, then one of the most important outcome should be the instilling of Christian values such as, love, respect, honesty, kindness, faithfulness, etc.

If you are not happy with your MOE, have you voiced it out to them? If the charges are too high, probably your MOE can make adjustment if enough citizens lobby for them to be reduced. But as to quality, I suspect it is going to be very difficult to change and may take years to reform because it involves teachers' training and the change of parents' roles in education.

----------End Quote-------------

I like the discipline system because the parents get to decide how to deal with their child. That's my job as a parent. I know what is going on every week. They need to learn that bad behavior has consequences. That's life. If I don't act right at work, I'll get fired. Eventually, the kid matures enough to learn self-discipline after it becomes a habit. Fear of consequences is how one acquires the habit.

Here are some good sites that address overpopulation:
http://pregnantpause.org/overpop/strawman.htm
http://www.prolife-mcfl.org/refjrnl/overpop.htm

Did you know that all Christian denominations believed artificial contraception is wrong until the Anglicans approved it for grave cause at the Lambeth conference in 1930? Almost all denominations have caved to allow it now.
Deuteronomy 23:1 condemns birth control by sterilization
Gen. 38:8–10 Onan killed for withdrawal
The biblical penalty for not giving your brother’s widow children was public humiliation, not death (Deut. 25:7–10). But Onan received death as punishment for his crime.

Margaret Sanger started Planned Parenthood because she was racist. She wanted the poor and blacks to cut their reproduction so that whites would dominate. It has gone the opposite from the way she thought it would.

If the US does not have enough workers to replace retiring workers some day, we will have to import them. Where from? Mexico? Saudia Arabia? India? Our whole culture will change. We could end up a Muslim country, not Christian.

Kids force parents to grow up and become more mature. One has to consider the needs of the child. Both benefit.

I was impressed by this article:
http://www.canoe.com/Columnists/margolis_oct19.html In Pope John Paul II we have seen greatness
By ERIC MARGOLIS (a non-Catholic)

From the Parenting forum at Christianity.com:
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Quote
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That's discrimination against Catholic school kids. I mean, realistically, I know why they do it. The religious schools are of the church, and the public schools are of the state, and the two must never mix. But as a result, in my case for example, Catholic school kids are being denied care that they need due to what could be percieved as a legal technicality. I just think that's a gag.

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If you remember your American history, there was a "Know Nothing" Party 150-120 years ago. They were anti-Catholics who were against the immigration of Catholics from Ireland and Europe. They tried to pass a Constitutional amendment to prevent any federal money being spent to educate Catholic kids. It failed, but many states adopted what was known as "Blaine amendments" that did the same thing. In my state, the Catholic kids can't even get a bus ride to school or one cent toward the education costs.

In my city, there are 60,000 kids in Catholic schools. Imagine the property taxes that would have to be increased if all those kids went to public schools! The public school kids get about $5000 per kid in elem school and more for high school. Do the math and you'll see why no one is in a hurry to change things. The Catholic parents spend about $3000 per kid. What would happen if all the Catholic schools closed down or went on strike for a year? I think folks would offer vouchers and beg us to re-open them to save them money.

I pulled my daughter out of the regular parish school and put her in a Catholic special ed school because the pubic special school would not take her. At that time, ADD was not considered enough reason to need special ed and I could not get special help for her at the parish school. The discipline at the public school here is so bad that I could not stomach sending her there. She would fall through the cracks and be left behind. The public school offered to do "resource room", where they pull a kid out of a class, say, social studies to tutor them in math. Result? The kid gets behind in social studies and math, so they pull the kid out of another subject for that. That does not seem like a smart plan to me. Although the tuition is $5200 a year, I think she is where she needs to be. If she were in a private special ed school, the tuition would be $12,000. I am grateful I have a good job so I can afford to send her there. I feel for parents that can't do that. Don't be afraid to ask the parish for help or ask for a scholarship to a special school. That might be the answer. Trust God's providence to let you do what is best for your child.


http://www.mothersfromhell2.org/links.htm Mothers From Hell Advocacy For the Rights of Individuals With Disabilities Organization

New Poll: U.S. Catholics Admire the Pope Yet Dismiss Many of His Views

Here's my post in a new forum at christianity.com:
----Quote------
I have read a lot of posts on other thread where people refer to the "liberal media". Is the media liberal? I decided to do some research on the web and I quickly discovered some research done by David Croteau.

Exerpt from http://www.fair.org/reports/journalist-survey.html

----End Quote------

Re: "Liberal Media" Fact or Fiction? [kermit] - Oct 17, 2003, 11:29 AM - (5 of 11) - reference
I think this quote says the media is conservative on some issues but not others. You can't average apples and oranges. If the media is moderate, it makes me wonder how far to the left the left is?!! If you call the range of views from Timothy McVeigh to anaracists, then maybe you could say the media is moderate. But I don't think it is moderate when the range is between Republicans and Democrats.

For a review of media bias on the pro-life issue, here is a good link:

http://prolife.about.com/cs/mediabias/

Another issue that makes me cringe is that every time any mention is made in the media about the pope or RCC, they trot out the dissident issue of priestly celibacy. Tom Brokaw did this last night after the story on the Pope's 25th anniversary. Brokaw had no reason to go into celebacy because the two things are not related at all. Brokaw led the story with the dissident view, which shows his bias indirectly. Then he presented the other side of story. NBC did the same thing when the Pope visited in 1999 and again last year.

The mainstream media seems to also be biased in favor of gays, not just in the news media, but also the number of sit-coms that promote that lifestyle.

The mainstream news does nothing to educate people that the President and Congress do not have total control of the economy. That is done by the Federal Reserve, regulatory agencies and as a reaction to tax laws. The news media acts as if the President and Congress can wave a magic wand to fix the economy and have failed to do so. Economics was not taught when I was in HS or college. I learned it when I got my MBA. How are people to know how to vote if they are basing their decision on a biased view? Don't they know better? The mainstream news media sounds good to the ear, but it is missing a lot of information people need to be good citizens. The politicians want to fool us into thinking that elected representatives can fix the economy, so they aren't going to educate us.

The mainstream news media has not told people that the $87 billion Bush wants for Iraq is only 4% of the budget. One would think that it is a much larger portion if you listen only to the mainstream news. One has to listen to conservative talk radio to get the full story.

The mainstream news media has not presented the environmental issues fairly. If they told why we should drill for oil in Alaska so that we will be more energy independent, which is a national security issue, maybe people would vote differently. The Green Party got 2% of the vote in 2000, which changed the outcome of the election.

The mainstream news media tells us night after night that things are not going well in Iraq, then they do a story on a poll they took about what people think about Iraq. No wonder the results of the poll are what they are - the poll parrot back what the news tells them. Do they do polls to find out whether they need to do more propaganda? Or have they got the results they want already?

The mainstream news media is shaping the country in the image they want. They can make us believe whatever they want by slanting the news. They should not have that power. It should be true, "We report; you decide."

I'm going to go to the October 24, 25, & 26 Celebrate the Faith Conference in Vandalia Illinois with a friend. It will be girls' weekend out since I'm leaving the hubby and kids at home. I'm looking forward to seeing some of my favorite apologists; Karl Keating, Patrick Madrid, and Ken Howell. I even found a $40 a night hotel room in Altamont Il, which is 20 miles away. Vandalia's 3 motels are booked (bet the owners like that!). This conference is growing every year. It's only 70 miles from St. Louis, so it draws a lot from there.

I ordered $80 of books from Amazon yesterday. Most are on apologetics, so I hope to learn some stuff I can share here. I can hardly wait. It's like I'm getting my Christmas presents early.

The moderator of christianity.com forums has closed the Roman Catholicism thread with the explanation that posters were violating the terms of service. The moderator got sick of all the anti-Catholic stuff the other side was posting. I was ignoring it and patiently, rationally answered questions and debates. I wonder though whether the moderator didn't like the Catholic side's cogent debate answers. We were brilliant. I'll have to find a new addiction.

Want to E-mail Congratulations to John Paul II?

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 15, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See made public an e-mail address to which congratulatory messages can be sent to John Paul II for his 25-year pontificate, which will be celebrated on Thursday.

E-mail messages in English should be sent to: john_paul_ii@vatican.va.

Here's a new trick I learned today:

Cleaning up the Inbox: Fight Porn Spam Without Exposing Yourself to Harmful Material
April 30, 2003
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/pornography/caape/a0025379.cfm
By Daniel L. Weiss

The moderator of christianity.com forums has closed the Roman Catholicism thread probably for good with no explanation. Hmmm? Wonder why? I got this message:
Permission Denied

You are not authorized to view this page.

Other Possible Reasons:
You have not registered with Christianity.com.
You are trying to view an admin / moderators only forum.
You have been banned from the forums.

I wonder if the real reason is censorship of the RC point of view?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html
More Americans believe in God than in angels, miracles, and even heaven. And while half attend worship services on a regular basis, a majority thinks religion plays too small a role in people’s lives today.

What I wrote to Rush Limbaugh:
DittosRush@RushLimbaugh.com
Hi Rush,
I just want to let your know I care and that I am praying for you. My husband is a diagnostician for a drug/alchohol treatment place, so I do understand. I never expect humans to be beyond temptation. I'm sorry you have to go through this.

On Sixty Minutes several years ago, there was a report on recovery from the drug you are addicted to. The docs had to put the guy in a coma because he couldn't go through detox awake. Based on this info, only the power of God will get you through this because will power is not enough. Your public confession must have been very painful emotionally, but it is the first step to healing.

Keep believing there will be a silver lining to this dark cloud. Someday, you may become grateful that your suffering has brought you closer to God. That's a long way away from now, but believe it will happen and set that as your goal. Your suffering will not be wasted then.
Betty G. in St. Louis, MO

Is it morally wrong to cross a picket line? The issue is big in St. Louis this week because the grocery store employees went on strike. Should one go to non-union stores instead?
Here's my opinion:
I'm still trying to make up my mind. Right now, I'm on the union's side and won't cross the picket line. Usually, I favor management. I can see both sides. The top pay of $12 sounds like not enough to feed a family these days, especially if that's the prime breadwinner pay. I have a friend that is earning $10 hour with no benefits and she is nearly always broke and needing food help. I guess I'd have to look at the company's budget to see if they can afford to pay more, but I can't do that.

OTOH, if shoppers go to other non-union stores and find out how much cheaper they are, they may never come back. I do the majority of my food purchases at a non-union store and only go to union stores for stuff I can't get at the other one. I don't mind going to more than one store if I save enough to make it worth my time.

The union might be cutting their own nose off. The economy is bad and people are hungry for jobs. These are low skill jobs and people are easily replaced. That would be sad, so that's why I'm on the union side. Not everyone voted for the strike, so for those folk's sake, I'm not crossing the line in hopes it will make the strike short.

I worked for a grocery wholesaler once. They said their profit margin was 1%, but 1% of millions is a lot of bucks! Employers should pay a living wage.

What do you think?

Here's an interesting article that discusses the state of the U.S. Catholic Church's relationship to the papacy.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-wopope133493654oct13,0,5764957.story?coll=ny-nationworld-headlines
A Quarter Century of John Paul II

"A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America" by Peter Steinfels

The moderator of christianity.com forums has closed the Roman Catholicism thread for a few days to let us cool off. There are over 1800 posts to this thread.
I wonder if the "prots" need to huddle to figure out a way to debate us? Or are they thinking we will forget about this forum. I think we are winning, especially if we keep our cool and don't do anything that gets us a kick off posting privileges. I think they will close the thread instead of admitting defeat. We have the truth on our side.

All four of the ones on the RCC side -- me, eirene, proud2bcatholic, and john -- keep them thinking.
I'm going through withdrawal.

from the RC forum at christianity.com
----Quote----
I, too, have seen what you describe. I blame that on the pastors. If they are just "going through the motions" then their service will be a dead ritual. Since this is a thread on Roman Catholicism, I will use them as this reference. I have also seen this in the Methodist church because I went to one for a while. Unfortunately, the majority of Catholics (but not all) that I know consider going to mass just an obligation and get nothing out of it. They take an hour out of their week to fulfill their obligation and then go on living the way they please. It has become for them a dead ritual. When you base your whole service on a fixed ceremony, repeated day in and day out, this is the outcome. It is when you allow the moving of the Spirit that the church lights up. The Spirit won't flow where it isn't welcome.
----End Quote----
gtbecksr,
I disagree. I think those who think it is a dead ritual don't go. I don't know what percent of those that don't go, live a life of serious sin. I can't assume that they all do. I think the bigger category is those that don't go but live a moral life.
I don't find the Mass to be a dead ritual and I've been Catholic for 52 years. I frequently go to daily Mass, not just Sunday. When I discovered that I had to put myself into it to get something out, it all changed. I go to Mass to offer to the Lord all I am and all I have done and all I will do. I give my whole being to the Lord. I unite my heart and soul in worship of the Father. I receive my Lord in the Eucharist and ask Him to change me into the person He wants me to be. I celebrate that the God who became man wants to remain with us so much that He becomes bread and wine that I can receive into my body. I don't go to be entertained. I tune out the music so I can pray contemplatively. I know music is supposed to be prayer too, but I find it distracting from hearing the Lord talk to me. I find the Mass deeply moving, life changing, healing, strengthening and Holy Spirit filled. I has become more meaningful to me since I started studying theology, but not by much. I don't think anyone has the right to judge what is going on inside. It has to be a case-by-case assessment. I have always had heart-knowledge, but not always had head-knowledge. I don't have to know a ton of theology to love and worship the Lord. I'm more interested in knowing "how" than "why".

http://www.agreeley.com/articles/why.html Why I’m Still A Catholic by Andrew Greeley
I don't fully agree with Greeley because he is a liberal and I am conservative, but there are some good points in this article.