Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Irish 'Catholics"
Ok, so Michael Voris made this movie about Catholicism in Ireland. In it, he interviews a large number of people, two dozen according to him, on the topic of their faith.
I would like to respond by saying I think it is overly pessimistic. For example, at the end of the video, he says that was in Ireland in terms of religion "for 1500 years has been nearly totally destroyed in less than 40." He says it appears at the current rate, the faith will be extinct in Ireland soon.
But one of the interesting things is that at the beginning he says only one person actually goes to Mass by their own volition out of the 24. But in fact, more like 3 said they would keep going. And many others were sort of infrequent attendees to Mass. Probably about half or more maintained some connection with the Church. However, if you were to just listen to Michael Voris, you would get the impression every single person is atheist.
Some did say they were atheist, but I think Ireland presents great opportunities for the spread of the faith. Many people may not have been die-hard evangelists, but many were open to different things. These people need to be invited to go to Mass, events, and other gatherings. These things can strengthen faith.
Michael does say people have to act now to make sure the Catholic faith in Ireland grows, and I agree, but I think he has a tendency to be overly negative.
I would like to respond by saying I think it is overly pessimistic. For example, at the end of the video, he says that was in Ireland in terms of religion "for 1500 years has been nearly totally destroyed in less than 40." He says it appears at the current rate, the faith will be extinct in Ireland soon.
But one of the interesting things is that at the beginning he says only one person actually goes to Mass by their own volition out of the 24. But in fact, more like 3 said they would keep going. And many others were sort of infrequent attendees to Mass. Probably about half or more maintained some connection with the Church. However, if you were to just listen to Michael Voris, you would get the impression every single person is atheist.
Some did say they were atheist, but I think Ireland presents great opportunities for the spread of the faith. Many people may not have been die-hard evangelists, but many were open to different things. These people need to be invited to go to Mass, events, and other gatherings. These things can strengthen faith.
Michael does say people have to act now to make sure the Catholic faith in Ireland grows, and I agree, but I think he has a tendency to be overly negative.
Discrimination of lower caste Christians in India
To sum up this article, in the Indian caste system, which has officially been eliminated but continues to be a part of life in India, there is a group of people known as the Dalits or untouchables. They fall outside the four main castes and are usually forced to perform the most menial or degrading of jobs.
Anyway, in an attempt to help Dalits, the government created a special program where Dalits could take advantage of various societal programs such as healthcare and education. This was first extended to Hindu Dalits, and also to Sikh Dalits, and Buddhist Dalits, but it has not been extended to Christian Dalits. This forces them to make some rather unpleasant choices. I.e. Either renounce their faith or renounce societal benefits.
There's a massive rally to demonstrate against this scheduled. Let's hope it works out.
Discrimination forces Dalits to leave church, says Catholic bishop | Ekklesia
Anyway, in an attempt to help Dalits, the government created a special program where Dalits could take advantage of various societal programs such as healthcare and education. This was first extended to Hindu Dalits, and also to Sikh Dalits, and Buddhist Dalits, but it has not been extended to Christian Dalits. This forces them to make some rather unpleasant choices. I.e. Either renounce their faith or renounce societal benefits.
There's a massive rally to demonstrate against this scheduled. Let's hope it works out.
Discrimination forces Dalits to leave church, says Catholic bishop | Ekklesia
Important news about Medjugorje
I know some people who are interested in Medjugorje, but I think there are some issues that need to be addressed. The apparitions and the information surrounding them are very suspect. Although the Vatican hasn't issued a general ban from the site, it has issued many cautionary edicts for people. It certainly hasn't received the Vatican's stamp of approval. I know it's an extremely popular site, but my advice for what it's worth is to focus on approved apparitions, of which there has been over a dozen. Check out the article:
Pope suspends Medjugorje priest amid complaints that Virgin Mary sightings were faked - Beliefnet News
Pope suspends Medjugorje priest amid complaints that Virgin Mary sightings were faked - Beliefnet News
Shocking article about single motherhood
Casey Anthony — Single Mom of the Year! (by Ann Coulter) - Watchwoman on the Wall
Keep in mind that the views expressed by Ann Coulter are not necessarily mine. I just think she brings out some important information in her article.
Keep in mind that the views expressed by Ann Coulter are not necessarily mine. I just think she brings out some important information in her article.
Catholic Church explores Crystal Cathedral bid
This is pretty amazing. The Crystal Cathedral is a very large church and is quite nice. So now the Catholic Church has put a bid in on it after it went bankrupt. They put a bid of $46 million. After acquiring it, if that's what happens, the Church will probably do a lot of renovations to include statues, a proper altar, etc.
Catholic Church explores Crystal Cathedral bid – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Catholic Church explores Crystal Cathedral bid – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Monday, July 04, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
If Steven Greydanus didn't write this article about gay marriage, I probably would have.
I heard something along these lines before and I must say I very much agree. When talking about gay marriage, everyone focuses on the gay community and how they are forcing us to accept changing the definition of marriage. Well, as Steven Greydanus argues, we must take some of the blame because of how society in general has changed its view of marriage to something that is completely selfish. I've thought about this before and it really makes a lot of sense. Things don't happen in a vacuum. Sin is a gradual thing which gets slowly accepted, and this is no different. If all Christians lived according to the real definition of marriage, the debate about "gay marriage" probably would not even be happening.
Article here:
Redefining Marriage, Part 1: Who s to Blame? | Blogs | NCRegister.com
Article here:
Redefining Marriage, Part 1: Who s to Blame? | Blogs | NCRegister.com
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
It's my birthday today.
Dear followers of this blog,
Thanks for being with me these past several years, over 5 now I think. Today is my birthday and I turn 29!
If you're really tempted to send me a birthday gift, hehe, then you can do so by making a donation to this blog. I know, I know, this is a shameless plug for donations. But don't feel obligated! It would just help out a lot!
To make a donation, click below:
Thanks for being with me these past several years, over 5 now I think. Today is my birthday and I turn 29!
If you're really tempted to send me a birthday gift, hehe, then you can do so by making a donation to this blog. I know, I know, this is a shameless plug for donations. But don't feel obligated! It would just help out a lot!
To make a donation, click below:
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