Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 9
Live from Redeemer Radio in Fort Wayne, IN
4:00 – Fort Hood jihadist's coworkers saw warning signs, but said nothing for fear of seeming bigoted
Some who knew Nidal Malik Hasan said they saw clear signs the young Army psychiatrist, who authorities say went on a shooting spree at the Army base Fort Hood that left 13 dead and 29 others wounded, had no place in the military. There was the classroom presentation that justified suicide bombings. Comments to colleagues about a climate of persecution faced by Muslims in the military. Conversations with a mosque leader that became incoherent. But some of those colleagues now say they were afraid to speak up because they feared appearing to be bigoted. Robert Spencer brings us up to speed on this fast-developing story.
4:20 – Taken Into Custody: The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family
Why is the American family in crisis? Stephen Baskerville argues that the most direct cause is the divorce industry: a government-run system that tears apart families, separates children from fit and loving parents, confiscates the wealth of families, and turns law-abiding citizens into criminals in ways they are powerless to avoid. Taken Into Custody exposes the greatest and most destructive civil rights abuse in America today. Family courts and Soviet-style bureaucracies trample basic civil liberties, entering homes uninvited and taking away people's children at will, then throwing the parents into jail without any form of due process, much less a trial. No parent, no child, no family in America is safe.
5:00 – 20 Years Ago Today: The Berlin Wall Comes Down – The Behind the Scenes Story of Reagan and John Paul the Great
With prayers, music and pomp, Germany today remembered the 20th anniversary of the day the Berlin Wall fell, sending East Germans flooding west and setting in motion events that soon led to the country's reunification. We talk with Paul Kengor about Ronald Reagan, John Paul the Great, and the fall of Communism.
5:20 – St. Damien of Molokai / 2010 Catholic Almanac / 4 Clubs
Matthew Bunson joins us in studio at Redeemer Radio in Fort Wayne. He tells us about his trip to Rome for the canonization of Damien of Molokai, the latest edition of the Catholic Almanac and much more.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
JihadWatch.com
Below are the most recent headlines at JihadWatch.org. All are hyperlinked. Robert Spencer joins us on KPM today at 5:40 Eastern.Fort Hood shooter was member of Homeland Security Panel advising Obama
Today on Kresta - Nov. 6, 2009
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 6
4:00 – God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades
In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression. Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the Pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate.
4:40 – Iran Hostage Crisis Begins – 30 Years Ago This Week
It was 30 years ago this week that the Iran hostage crisis began. We talk with Mark Bowden, author of the definitive history of the Iran hostage crisis, America's first battle with militant Islam. On November 4, 1979, a group of radical Islamist students, inspired by the revolutionary Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. They took fifty-two Americans hostage, and kept nearly all of them hostage for 444 days. In Guests of the Ayatollah, Bowden tells this sweeping story through the eyes of the hostages, the soldiers in a new special forces unit sent to free them, their radical, naïve captors, and the diplomats working to end the crisis. Bowden takes us inside the hostages' cells and inside the Oval Office for meetings with President Carter and his exhausted team. We travel to international capitals where shadowy figures held clandestine negotiations, and to the deserts of Iran, where a courageous, desperate attempt to rescue the hostages exploded into tragic failure. Bowden dedicated five years to this research, including numerous trips to Iran and countless interviews with those involved on both sides.
5:00 – Life After Death: The Evidence
Unlike many books about the afterlife, Life after Death makes no appeal to religious faith, divine revelation, or sacred texts. Drawing on some of the most powerful theories and trends in physics, evolutionary biology, science, philosophy, and psychology, Dinesh D’Souza shows why the atheist critique of immortality is irrational and draws the striking conclusion that it is reasonable to believe in life after death. He concludes by showing how life after death can give depth and significance to this life, a path to happiness, and reason for hope.
5:40 – Fort Hood Shooter – Mainstream Media Refuses to Discuss Mounting Evidence of Radical Islam
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, murdered at least twelve people and wounded twenty-one inside Fort Hood in Texas yesterday, while, according to eyewitnesses, "shouting something in Arabic while he was shooting. One man says his daughter heard the shooter exclaim "Allah Akbar" as he opened fire. Yesterday morning, neighbors said Hasan handed Qurans and donated his furniture to anyone who would take it. He was also a member of Homeland Security Panel advising Obama. We look at all of the evidence with Robert Spencer.
4:00 – God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades
In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression. Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the Pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate.
4:40 – Iran Hostage Crisis Begins – 30 Years Ago This Week
It was 30 years ago this week that the Iran hostage crisis began. We talk with Mark Bowden, author of the definitive history of the Iran hostage crisis, America's first battle with militant Islam. On November 4, 1979, a group of radical Islamist students, inspired by the revolutionary Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. They took fifty-two Americans hostage, and kept nearly all of them hostage for 444 days. In Guests of the Ayatollah, Bowden tells this sweeping story through the eyes of the hostages, the soldiers in a new special forces unit sent to free them, their radical, naïve captors, and the diplomats working to end the crisis. Bowden takes us inside the hostages' cells and inside the Oval Office for meetings with President Carter and his exhausted team. We travel to international capitals where shadowy figures held clandestine negotiations, and to the deserts of Iran, where a courageous, desperate attempt to rescue the hostages exploded into tragic failure. Bowden dedicated five years to this research, including numerous trips to Iran and countless interviews with those involved on both sides.
5:00 – Life After Death: The Evidence
Unlike many books about the afterlife, Life after Death makes no appeal to religious faith, divine revelation, or sacred texts. Drawing on some of the most powerful theories and trends in physics, evolutionary biology, science, philosophy, and psychology, Dinesh D’Souza shows why the atheist critique of immortality is irrational and draws the striking conclusion that it is reasonable to believe in life after death. He concludes by showing how life after death can give depth and significance to this life, a path to happiness, and reason for hope.
5:40 – Fort Hood Shooter – Mainstream Media Refuses to Discuss Mounting Evidence of Radical Islam
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, murdered at least twelve people and wounded twenty-one inside Fort Hood in Texas yesterday, while, according to eyewitnesses, "shouting something in Arabic while he was shooting. One man says his daughter heard the shooter exclaim "Allah Akbar" as he opened fire. Yesterday morning, neighbors said Hasan handed Qurans and donated his furniture to anyone who would take it. He was also a member of Homeland Security Panel advising Obama. We look at all of the evidence with Robert Spencer.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Abortion doctor: 'Am I killing? Yes, I am'
Dr. Curtis Boyd is no stranger to controversy. In 1973, Boyd opened the Fairmount Center, which was the first abortion clinic in Texas. (Watch video here)Boyd is the only doctor in North Texas who will perform late-term abortions to women up to six months pregnant.
"We see patients from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and across Texas," he said.
Now, the doctor has made a jarring admission.
"Am I killing?" Boyd said. "Yes, I am. I know that."
Boyd said he is an ordained Baptist minister who has now turned Unitarian. He said he prays often.
"I'll ask that the spirit of this pregnancy be returned to God with love and understanding," he said.
Those prayers are vastly different than the ones that are made by members of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee who gather outside his office in hopes to sway women seeking abortions.
"Well, we're certainly disappointed to hear any unborn child will be killed by abortion," said Karen Garnett, with the Catholic Pro-Life Committee. "But, to hear it's a late-term abortion in Dallas, once again, it's particularly devastating."
The doctor opened the Southwestern Women's Surgery Center last week on Greenville Avenue. By law, Boyd must have a surgery center in order to abort a fetus more than 16 weeks along.
But, opposition to the late-term abortions doesn't just come from religious groups. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, whose district is where the surgery center resides, told News 8 he is troubled by the facility as well.
Boyd said he too has been troubled, but said his plight comes from the torment that drives patients to seek his services.
"The hardest ones are the young girls," he said.
Girls as young as nine and ten have come to his clinic, he said.
Death threats have become a norm in Boyd's life. He was a close friend of Dr. George Tiller, who was a Wichita, Kansas abortion doctor murdered in May.
"I don't want the fate that befell Dr. Tiller, but I'm not going to be deterred because what I'm doing is important," he said.
Boyd said he tries to make his phone numbers and address as private as possible and has heavy security.
Thomas More Law Center Attorney Running for U.S. Congress
Brian Rooney, an Iraq War veteran and conservative constitutional lawyer, today announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Michigan's 7th Congressional District. The seat is currently held by liberal Mark Schauer, who has consistently voted with Nancy Pelosi to expand government and bail out Wall Street, while ignoring the everyday concerns of the people of Michigan. "I am running for Congress because of my children," said Rooney. "As a husband and father, I can no longer sit back and hope that someone else will take care of the mess that career politicians have wrought on our state and nation. The out of control spending of the peoples' hard earned money has driven our deficit to nearly $1.5 trillion and our national debt to $12 trillion. These are no longer real numbers, but a plaything to be used for pet projects and social engineering by the elites in Washington D.C."
Rooney, who re-enlisted in the Marines Corps after September 11, served in Iraq from 2004-5. His Marine Corps experience taught him an important lesson that is lost on today's Congress, "When I was an officer, I would always teach my Marines - like I was taught - that wherever we went, we had to leave the place better off than the way we found it. I've carried this belief with me outside the Corps as well. Every generation has been given an America better than what was given them, but my children will not have that benefit with Mark Schauer's voting record," said Rooney.
Rooney now works as a constitutional lawyer at the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative law firm dedicated to the defense and promotion of life, religious freedom, and a strong national security.
"Mark Schauer and his like-minded friends in Congress have betrayed over 200 years of American history as they take over private companies, fire CEOs, and bail out Wall Street Fat Cats. The reward for working families is 15% unemployment," said Rooney. "We need to get Michigan and America back to work, and that starts with replacing Mark Schauer with someone who will represent the interests of the people of the 7th District , not Washington Special Interests."
Brian Rooney is married to his high school sweetheart, Tiffany, and they live in Dexter, Michigan with their three children.
Today on Kresta - Nov. 5, 2009
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 5
4:00 – Money for Art: The Tangled Web of Art and Politics in American Democracy
Taxpayers jeered when Obama poured $80 million of “stimulus” funds into the National Endowment for the Arts—but wait until you hear where the money is going! NEA grants are funding nude simulated-sex dances and porn films. At the same time, ten Republican senators have written to the NEA Chairman expressing concern that the Obama administration may have violated federal law by trying to use the agency for political purposes. The charges stem from an Aug. 10 teleconference in which the NEA's communications director urged members of the arts community to help Obama's efforts by creating art to support Obama’s various agendas. David Smith is author of a new history of government and art and is here to tell us how the NEA strayed from its original mission of fostering national pride and virtue through art.
4:40 – The Price of Proposition 8
Support for Proposition 8, the democratically established marriage amendment in California, has come with a heavy price for many individuals and institutions that think that marriage should remain the union of husband and wife. Publicly available sources, including evidence submitted in a federal lawsuit in California, show that expressions of support for Prop 8 have generated a range of hostilities and harms that include harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry. Because the issue of marriage is still very much alive in California and throughout the nation, the naked animus manifested against people and groups that supported Prop 8 raises serious questions that should concern anyone interested in promoting civil society, democratic processes, and reasoned discourse on important matters of public policy, such as marriage. We look at the price of Proposition 8 with Thomas Messner.
5:00 – Catholics Win Big in ’09 Elections – Wins in ME, NJ, and VA
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governor's race over Democrat Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled triumph for a party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008. Elsewhere, Maine voters rejected a state law that would allow same-sex couples to wed. If supporters had prevailed, it would have marked the first time that the electorate in any state endorsed gay marriage. Gay “marriage” has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gary Bauer has the analysis.
5:20 – Kresta Comments
5:40 – A Christmas Carol
The latest edition of A Christmas Carol is set to hit theaters tomorrow. The film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 story of the same name is written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Jim Carrey in a multitude of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge as a young, middle-aged, and old man, and the three ghosts who haunt Scrooge. The 3-D film was produced through the process of performance capture, a technique Zemeckis has previously used in his films The Polar Express and Beowulf. Steven Greydanus has seen it and has the review.
4:00 – Money for Art: The Tangled Web of Art and Politics in American Democracy
Taxpayers jeered when Obama poured $80 million of “stimulus” funds into the National Endowment for the Arts—but wait until you hear where the money is going! NEA grants are funding nude simulated-sex dances and porn films. At the same time, ten Republican senators have written to the NEA Chairman expressing concern that the Obama administration may have violated federal law by trying to use the agency for political purposes. The charges stem from an Aug. 10 teleconference in which the NEA's communications director urged members of the arts community to help Obama's efforts by creating art to support Obama’s various agendas. David Smith is author of a new history of government and art and is here to tell us how the NEA strayed from its original mission of fostering national pride and virtue through art.
4:40 – The Price of Proposition 8
Support for Proposition 8, the democratically established marriage amendment in California, has come with a heavy price for many individuals and institutions that think that marriage should remain the union of husband and wife. Publicly available sources, including evidence submitted in a federal lawsuit in California, show that expressions of support for Prop 8 have generated a range of hostilities and harms that include harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry. Because the issue of marriage is still very much alive in California and throughout the nation, the naked animus manifested against people and groups that supported Prop 8 raises serious questions that should concern anyone interested in promoting civil society, democratic processes, and reasoned discourse on important matters of public policy, such as marriage. We look at the price of Proposition 8 with Thomas Messner.
5:00 – Catholics Win Big in ’09 Elections – Wins in ME, NJ, and VA
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governor's race over Democrat Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled triumph for a party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008. Elsewhere, Maine voters rejected a state law that would allow same-sex couples to wed. If supporters had prevailed, it would have marked the first time that the electorate in any state endorsed gay marriage. Gay “marriage” has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gary Bauer has the analysis.
5:20 – Kresta Comments
5:40 – A Christmas Carol
The latest edition of A Christmas Carol is set to hit theaters tomorrow. The film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 story of the same name is written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Jim Carrey in a multitude of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge as a young, middle-aged, and old man, and the three ghosts who haunt Scrooge. The 3-D film was produced through the process of performance capture, a technique Zemeckis has previously used in his films The Polar Express and Beowulf. Steven Greydanus has seen it and has the review.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
From the Bizarro File
You'd have thought a fur coat would have been the ultimate bear necessity.But not for the unfortunate Dolores who has lost all her body hair and has just been left with a few tufts around her head.
Vets have been left baffled by the condition of the bespectacled bear, who lives at a zoo in Leipzig.
Big Night for Catholic Values
Catholic League president Bill Donohue offers the following observations on yesterday’s electoral results:The Catholic Church led the fight in Maine against those seeking to reinvent marriage, and won: the vote was 53-47 to repeal the state’s gay marriage law. Bishop Richard Malone deserves credit for fighting against those who sought to restructure this vital institution. Those who favor the right of two men to marry are now 0 for 31 in the states. The people have spoken. The time has come for homosexuals to pack it in.
Those who champion gay marriage and abortion-on-demand lost in New Jersey and Virginia, posting more wins for Catholic values. Jon Corzine supports the right of two men to marry and is a radical on the question of abortion. Creigh Deeds is worse: he once opposed partial-birth abortion but later switched in favor of it; similarly, he said he was opposed to gay marriage but then campaigned against a state constitutional amendment to ban it. At least Corzine was honest. In any event, the defeat of Corzine and Deeds is a victory for marriage and children.
There is one piece of unfinished business: the defeat of health care legislation that forces the public to pay for the killing of children in utero, and eliminates conscience rights for doctors and nurses. The bishops have spoken clearly on this subject. While they want health care reform, and are especially vocal about the need to help the poor, they will not support any bill that funds abortion. Nor will they support any legislation that vitiates conscience rights. President Obama, who says he is opposed to any health care bill that funds abortion, and is against nixing conscience rights, has never once registered any displeasure with current bills that do just that. Deeds tried to fool the people, and look what happened to him—he got creamed.
It was a big night for Catholic values. Hope everyone gets the message.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
I never thought I would praise "The View" in a blog post, but this is a largely pro-life discussion on abortion. Barbara Walters refers to a "right to life", Sherri Shepherd says she was pressured by Planned Parenthood to get an abortion when she was 17 (insinuating that they wanted her money), and Joy Behar calls abortion "gross".
The outrageous statement comes when Behar calls the "real immorality" in abortion is the profit. Yes, Joy, we can agree that it is immoral to profit from murder, but the insinuation is obvious - the act of abortion itself is not immoral. And that is indeed outrageous.
The outrageous statement comes when Behar calls the "real immorality" in abortion is the profit. Yes, Joy, we can agree that it is immoral to profit from murder, but the insinuation is obvious - the act of abortion itself is not immoral. And that is indeed outrageous.
Today on Kresta - Nov. 4, 2009
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 4
4:00 – November: The Month of Indulgences / 2010 Calendar of Indulgences
It is during November that the Church meditates on the Communion of Saints, which is the charitable link with the faithful who have already reached heaven (Church Triumphant), the faithful departed who are still expiating their sins in Purgatory (Church Suffering) and of the pilgrim faithful here on earth (Church Militant). "In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1475). There are many indulgences, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, that can be obtained during the month of November. We look at these opportunities with Steve Kellmeyer, creator of the calendar of indulgences.
4:20 – Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason
On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, the Frenchman René Descartes, the most influential and controversial thinker of his time, was buried after a cold and lonely death far from home. Sixteen years later, the French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France. Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about the remains of a philosopher who was hounded from country to country on charges of atheism? Why would Descartes' bones take such a strange, serpentine path over the next 350 years—a path intersecting some of the grandest events imaginable: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, the mind-body problem, the conflict between faith and reason? Their story involves people from all walks of life—Louis XIV, a Swedish casino operator, poets and playwrights, philosophers and physicists, as these people used the bones in scientific studies, stole them, sold them, revered them as relics, fought over them, passed them surreptitiously from hand to hand. Russell Shorto is here to explain.
5:00 – Lessons From Yesterday’s Election?
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans yesterday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governor's race over Democrat Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled triumph for a party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008. Elsewhere, Maine voters rejected a state law that would allow same-sex couples to wed. If supporters had prevailed, it would have marked the first time that the electorate in any state endorsed gay marriage. Gay “marriage” has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Paul Kengor has the analysis.
5:20 – A Catholic View of Literary Classics – Part 6 of 10: The Picture of
Dorian Gray
We continue our 10-week series examining Classic Literature from a Catholic perspective. Acclaimed literary biographer Joseph Pearce is the editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions and will be our guide. We will ensure that traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence, instead of the feminist or deconstructionist readings that often proliferate in other series of 'critical editions'. As such, they represent a genuine extension of consumer choice, enabling educators, students, and lovers of good literature to buy editions of classic literary works without having to 'buy into' the ideologies of secular fundamentalism. Today, we examine Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
5:40 – The Vampire, "Twilight" Craze – What Does This Say About Faith?
Fr. Robert Barron of Word on Fire has some good insights on how hugely popular vampire stories and movies such as "Twilight", seek, unsuccessfully, to provide a "bloodless substitute" to the Catholic understanding of spiritual truth and eternal life. We explore the topic with Fr. Barron.
5:50 – EWTN To Be Made Available in HD
EWTN Global Catholic Network will become available to all U.S. affiliates in HD beginning Dec. 8. The Faith never looked so good! “EWTN is the only Catholic television network available in this format,” said EWTN President and CEO Michael Warsaw. “We chose to launch HD in December so we could bring our viewers all the beautiful images of the Christmas season using the most advanced technology. We chose December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, to honor Our Lady, who has conveyed so many blessing upon this Network.” We talk with Michael about this latest development at EWTN.
4:00 – November: The Month of Indulgences / 2010 Calendar of Indulgences
It is during November that the Church meditates on the Communion of Saints, which is the charitable link with the faithful who have already reached heaven (Church Triumphant), the faithful departed who are still expiating their sins in Purgatory (Church Suffering) and of the pilgrim faithful here on earth (Church Militant). "In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1475). There are many indulgences, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, that can be obtained during the month of November. We look at these opportunities with Steve Kellmeyer, creator of the calendar of indulgences.
4:20 – Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason
On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, the Frenchman René Descartes, the most influential and controversial thinker of his time, was buried after a cold and lonely death far from home. Sixteen years later, the French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France. Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about the remains of a philosopher who was hounded from country to country on charges of atheism? Why would Descartes' bones take such a strange, serpentine path over the next 350 years—a path intersecting some of the grandest events imaginable: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, the mind-body problem, the conflict between faith and reason? Their story involves people from all walks of life—Louis XIV, a Swedish casino operator, poets and playwrights, philosophers and physicists, as these people used the bones in scientific studies, stole them, sold them, revered them as relics, fought over them, passed them surreptitiously from hand to hand. Russell Shorto is here to explain.
5:00 – Lessons From Yesterday’s Election?
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans yesterday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governor's race over Democrat Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled triumph for a party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008. Elsewhere, Maine voters rejected a state law that would allow same-sex couples to wed. If supporters had prevailed, it would have marked the first time that the electorate in any state endorsed gay marriage. Gay “marriage” has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Paul Kengor has the analysis.
5:20 – A Catholic View of Literary Classics – Part 6 of 10: The Picture of
Dorian Gray
We continue our 10-week series examining Classic Literature from a Catholic perspective. Acclaimed literary biographer Joseph Pearce is the editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions and will be our guide. We will ensure that traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence, instead of the feminist or deconstructionist readings that often proliferate in other series of 'critical editions'. As such, they represent a genuine extension of consumer choice, enabling educators, students, and lovers of good literature to buy editions of classic literary works without having to 'buy into' the ideologies of secular fundamentalism. Today, we examine Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
5:40 – The Vampire, "Twilight" Craze – What Does This Say About Faith?
Fr. Robert Barron of Word on Fire has some good insights on how hugely popular vampire stories and movies such as "Twilight", seek, unsuccessfully, to provide a "bloodless substitute" to the Catholic understanding of spiritual truth and eternal life. We explore the topic with Fr. Barron.
5:50 – EWTN To Be Made Available in HD
EWTN Global Catholic Network will become available to all U.S. affiliates in HD beginning Dec. 8. The Faith never looked so good! “EWTN is the only Catholic television network available in this format,” said EWTN President and CEO Michael Warsaw. “We chose to launch HD in December so we could bring our viewers all the beautiful images of the Christmas season using the most advanced technology. We chose December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, to honor Our Lady, who has conveyed so many blessing upon this Network.” We talk with Michael about this latest development at EWTN.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Report details harassment and 'anti-religious bigotry' after Prop. 8 passage
A think tank has compiled and analyzed reports of the harassment, intimidation, and “gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry” shown in reaction to the successful passage of Proposition 8. If partisans of marriage redefinition continue to increase in power, the analysis warns, those who seek the preservation of marriage as a union of man and wife may risk paying a price legally, socially and economically. The Heritage Foundation’s Oct. 22 report “The Price of Prop 8,” authored by researcher Thomas M. Messner, said that many individuals and institutions who defend the nature of marriage as a union between a man and a woman have paid a “heavy price.”Militant opponents of Prop. 8 targeted supporters with a range of hostility, including “harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry,” the report stated.
Vandalism included a brick thrown through the window of an elderly couple who put a “Yes on 8” sign in their lawn. Another senior citizen with a pro-Prop. 8 bumper sticker had her car’s rear window smashed.
A statue of the Virgin Mary outside one church was vandalized with orange paint. Swastikas and other graffiti were scrawled on the walls of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco. At Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Riverside, signs were twisted into the shape of a swastika.
A heavy object wrapped with a “Yes on 8” sign was used to smash the window of a pastor’s office at Messiah Lutheran Church in Downey.
Sign theft targeting Prop. 8 supporters was significant, with one source estimating about one-third of the 25,000 signs distributed were stolen or vandalized before the end of the campaign.
Phone calls, e-mails and mailings also targeted supporters of Prop. 8. The messages made accusation of bigotry and used vulgar language. One e-mail threatened to contact the parents of students at a school where a particular Prop. 8 supporter worked.
One individual supporter was the subject of a flier distributed in his town. The flier included his photo and name and the amount of his donation to the pro-Prop. 8 campaign. It labeled him as a “bigot” and reported his association with a particular Catholic church.
Increased support for Prop. 8 among African Americans and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, known as Mormons, also resulted in their communities being targeted.
Racial epithets were used at anti-Prop. 8 protests, while Joe Solmonese, head of the Human Rights Campaign, targeted the Mormons.
On the Dr. Phil show, responding to a Mormon questioner, he replied: “We are going to go after your church every day for the next two years unless and until Prop 8 is overturned.”
An anti-Prop. 8 advertisement depicted two Mormon missionaries invading the home of a lesbian couple, ransacking their belongings and tearing up their marriage license.
“Anti-Mormon malice reached a new level when someone mailed packages containing suspicious white powder to Mormon temples in California and Utah,” Messner said.
Jose Nunez, a new U.S. citizen, was waiting to distribute signs outside his Catholic church when a man grabbed several signs and fled. He pursued the thief, who reportedly yelled “What do you have against gays?” and punched him in the face.
Nunez suffered a bloody eye and wounds to his face and required 16 stitches under his eye.
Employees of businesses were targeted by some protesters. Some employees resigned, while others took leaves of absence. Some business owners lost business because they had donated to support Prop. 8.
While deeming boycotts a “time-honored form of activism,” the Heritage Foundation’s report commented: “No individual should be compelled to choose between making a living and participating in democratic processes affecting fundamental matters of public concern, such as marriage.”
California law requiring the disclosure of personal information of individuals who donate $100 or more to a ballot measure campaign have made such displays of hostility easier, the report said. Several websites were designed to use the information to identify and target Prop. 8 supporters.
While acknowledging that many Prop. 8 opponents have rejected such abuses, Messner argues that the ideology underlying the outrage is a cause of hostility.
“Arguments for same-sex marriage, although often couched in terms of tolerance and inclusion, are based fundamentally on the idea that limiting marriage to the union of husband and wife is a form of bigotry, irrational prejudice, and even hatred against homosexual persons who want the state to license their relationships. As this ideology seeps into the culture, belief in marriage as the union of husband and wife will likely come to be viewed as an unacceptable form of discrimination that should be purged from society through legal, cultural, and economic pressure.”
“Individuals or institutions that publicly defend marriage as the union of husband and wife risk harassment, reprisal, and intimidation—at least some of it targeted and coordinated,” Messner continued.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
Today on Kresta - Nov. 3, 2009
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 3
4:00 – The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions
Militant atheism is on the rise. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have dominated bestseller lists with books denigrating religious belief as dangerous foolishness. And these authors are merely the leading edge of a far larger movement–one that now includes much of the scientific community. A secular Jew, David Berlinski nonetheless delivers a biting defense of religious thought. An acclaimed author who has spent his career writing about mathematics and the sciences, he turns the scientific community’s cherished skepticism back on itself, daring to ask and answer some rather embarrassing questions. He joins us.
4:40 – Thou Shalt Laugh 4
The phenomenon began back in 2006 when producers Hunt Lowry and Jonathan Bock took a step of faith and brought forth the proposition that the world was ready for comedy of, by, and for Christians. Other comedy concerts had entered the video arena, mostly to lie dormant on video store shelves. Thou Shalt Laugh, aided by a proper distribution campaign, sparked an interest that has generated more sales than any other Christian comedy DVD. In an era when laughs are so often mined from anatomical riffs, and the grosser the comedy, the bigger the box office grosses, here came a refreshing and, I’m glad to add, funny alternative. The franchise has been so successful that we now have Thou Shalt Laugh 4. Host John Tesh is with us.
4:45 – Catholic Education in Focus: Saint Catherine’s Academy
St. Catherine of Siena Academy in SE MI has been a project in the works for many years. The purpose of the school was to answer Cardinal Maida’s call for secondary Catholic educational institutions in the northwest section of the Archdiocese of Detroit, a portion of the Archdiocese that was being underserved. First, Detroit Catholic Central High School was constructed in Novi to respond to that call, fulfilling this educational need for the boys of the region. The idea of a girls’ high school that would be located in close proximity to the boys’ school was conceived immediately following the construction of Catholic Central. The mission of the girls’ high school is to provide the sisters of Catholic Central’s boys with a rigorous academic program and robust spiritual formation, adhering closely to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. We talk with Chairman of the Board Pat O’Mera.
5:00 – The Family as the Path to Holiness
Everyone is called to follow God’s plan for their life. That could be a call to married life, single life, or religious life. Janet Smith joins us to look particularly at one of these vocations – the married life. How does the family – the domestic Church – bring us holiness? We answer that question and many more as we examine the family as a path to holiness.
5:40 – Kresta Comments
4:00 – The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions
Militant atheism is on the rise. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have dominated bestseller lists with books denigrating religious belief as dangerous foolishness. And these authors are merely the leading edge of a far larger movement–one that now includes much of the scientific community. A secular Jew, David Berlinski nonetheless delivers a biting defense of religious thought. An acclaimed author who has spent his career writing about mathematics and the sciences, he turns the scientific community’s cherished skepticism back on itself, daring to ask and answer some rather embarrassing questions. He joins us.
4:40 – Thou Shalt Laugh 4
The phenomenon began back in 2006 when producers Hunt Lowry and Jonathan Bock took a step of faith and brought forth the proposition that the world was ready for comedy of, by, and for Christians. Other comedy concerts had entered the video arena, mostly to lie dormant on video store shelves. Thou Shalt Laugh, aided by a proper distribution campaign, sparked an interest that has generated more sales than any other Christian comedy DVD. In an era when laughs are so often mined from anatomical riffs, and the grosser the comedy, the bigger the box office grosses, here came a refreshing and, I’m glad to add, funny alternative. The franchise has been so successful that we now have Thou Shalt Laugh 4. Host John Tesh is with us.
4:45 – Catholic Education in Focus: Saint Catherine’s Academy
St. Catherine of Siena Academy in SE MI has been a project in the works for many years. The purpose of the school was to answer Cardinal Maida’s call for secondary Catholic educational institutions in the northwest section of the Archdiocese of Detroit, a portion of the Archdiocese that was being underserved. First, Detroit Catholic Central High School was constructed in Novi to respond to that call, fulfilling this educational need for the boys of the region. The idea of a girls’ high school that would be located in close proximity to the boys’ school was conceived immediately following the construction of Catholic Central. The mission of the girls’ high school is to provide the sisters of Catholic Central’s boys with a rigorous academic program and robust spiritual formation, adhering closely to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. We talk with Chairman of the Board Pat O’Mera.
5:00 – The Family as the Path to Holiness
Everyone is called to follow God’s plan for their life. That could be a call to married life, single life, or religious life. Janet Smith joins us to look particularly at one of these vocations – the married life. How does the family – the domestic Church – bring us holiness? We answer that question and many more as we examine the family as a path to holiness.
5:40 – Kresta Comments
Monday, November 2, 2009
New Video: Rev. Wright Praises Magazine’s ‘No Nonsense Marxism’
Rev. Jeremiah Wright on Marxist Magazine: "You dispel all the negative images we have been programmed to conjure up with just the mention of that word socialism or Marxism." At the end off the clip Wright describes America as the "Land of the greed and home of the slave."
Emergency Webcast Tonight to Combat Imminent Passage of Abortion-Funding Healthcare
Eminent pro-life leaders from across the nation will be speaking tonight during an emergency Stop the Abortion Mandate nationwide webcast, designed to educate people to the dangers of the abortion-funding healthcare bill and show how they can help stop it.
The live webcast is being run by the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition, an alliance of over 70 pro-life and pro-family organizations across America who have joined together to help stop legislation that pro-life leaders have called the largest expansion of abortion since Roe. v. Wade.
The event aims to give the latest details from Washington, where abortion industry lobbyists and their friends in Congress may attempt to ram abortion-funding legislation through the House as early as this week.
The event also aims to detail how abortion is funded by the bill, despite the Obama administration's denials, and to show people how they can work against this bill to keep many of the pro-life advances of the past years from being undone.
The one-time-only live webcast event is taking place tonight at 9PM Eastern (6PM Pacific, 7PM Mountain, 8 PM Central.) To sign up for this free event, go to http://stoptheabortionmandate.com/webcast/.
Invited speakers include Rep. Chris Smith, David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, Kristen Day of Democrats for Life, and Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee. Previous speakers have included Mike Huckabee, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.
The previous StoptheAbortionMandate webcast on July 22 was the largest pro-life webcast in history, with 36,000 listeners.
The live webcast is being run by the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition, an alliance of over 70 pro-life and pro-family organizations across America who have joined together to help stop legislation that pro-life leaders have called the largest expansion of abortion since Roe. v. Wade.
The event aims to give the latest details from Washington, where abortion industry lobbyists and their friends in Congress may attempt to ram abortion-funding legislation through the House as early as this week.
The event also aims to detail how abortion is funded by the bill, despite the Obama administration's denials, and to show people how they can work against this bill to keep many of the pro-life advances of the past years from being undone.
The one-time-only live webcast event is taking place tonight at 9PM Eastern (6PM Pacific, 7PM Mountain, 8 PM Central.) To sign up for this free event, go to http://stoptheabortionmandate.com/webcast/.
Invited speakers include Rep. Chris Smith, David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, Kristen Day of Democrats for Life, and Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee. Previous speakers have included Mike Huckabee, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.
The previous StoptheAbortionMandate webcast on July 22 was the largest pro-life webcast in history, with 36,000 listeners.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
Michael Savage says Larry David is the "most divisive, demonic character in the history of the media." Now, you probably know the instance Savage is referring to, however, this kind of juvenile, name-calling, hate-filled rhetoric is harmful - to intellectual honesty, to political discourse, to the spirit, and to the soul.
Instead, let's read what Bill Donohue wrote about the incident. Bill has never been one to pull any punches, but he does it with fact, history, comparison, pressure and wit. Not vitriol and name-calling.
Instead, let's read what Bill Donohue wrote about the incident. Bill has never been one to pull any punches, but he does it with fact, history, comparison, pressure and wit. Not vitriol and name-calling.
Today on Kresta - Nov. 2, 2009
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 2
4:00 – Abortion and the Latest in the Health Care Reform Debate
In an extraordinary call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts to almost 19,000 parishes across the country. "Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them," the insert states. It urges readers to contact Senate leaders so they support efforts to "incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights" in health reform legislation. "If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed," it adds. The insert highlights the Stupak Amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that, it states, "addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights." We look at abortion and health care with Kay Cole James of the Gloucester Institute.
4:20 – A Cracking of the Heart: Coping With the Loss of a Child
After losing a loved one, "pay attention to the ways in which your relationship continues." So advised Sarah Horowitz in an interview she gave the day before her unexpected death. In A Cracking of the Heart, David Horowitz explores the legacy of his extraordinary daughter's short life, and narrates his quest for a deeper understanding of the child he lost. A remarkable woman and gifted writer, Sarah was afflicted with a birth condition that, while complicating and ultimately shortening her life, never affected her dreams. From an early age, she displayed inspiring courage in facing her own difficulties and boundless compassion for the underserved and overlooked in many communities, from an autistic niece in her own family to uneducated children in Africa. Now her father chronicles the separation through political and familial conflicts, and their slow reunion. Alternately searing and uplifting, it reconciles what could have been with what is, taking the reader through a father's love, frustration, admiration, and grief, to what lies beyond. David Horowitz joins us.
4:40 – The Catholic Citizen in America Today
The Catholic Citizen in America Today. Why bother? Does my voice really matter? The Gospel of Life Committee at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, MI has invited theologian, author, and leading intellectual George Weigel to answer those questions. We look with George at what it means to be a Catholic citizen in America Today.
5:00 – Kresta Comments
5:20 – All Saints Day / All Souls Day
On the first two days of November, as daylight shrinks in the Northern Hemisphere and frost turns vegetation brown, the Church leads us to confront the mystery of death. These days remind us that love is stronger than death, that Christ’s death for us means that our beloved deceased who believed in Christ are very much alive. They may be among those whose lungs breathe the exhilarating air of heaven and whose eyes gaze upon the glory of God. In this case, they help us through their prayers. Yet they may also be among those whose lungs were not ready for breathing and whose eyes were not ready for the brilliance of the beatific vision, whose body carried an infection that needed to be eliminated. In which case, we must help them through our prayers. Our loving intercession can hasten the purification and preparation necessary for the full enjoyment of their inheritance. We look with Marcellino D’Ambrosio at the feasts of All Saints and All Souls.
4:00 – Abortion and the Latest in the Health Care Reform Debate
In an extraordinary call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts to almost 19,000 parishes across the country. "Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them," the insert states. It urges readers to contact Senate leaders so they support efforts to "incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights" in health reform legislation. "If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed," it adds. The insert highlights the Stupak Amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that, it states, "addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights." We look at abortion and health care with Kay Cole James of the Gloucester Institute.
4:20 – A Cracking of the Heart: Coping With the Loss of a Child
After losing a loved one, "pay attention to the ways in which your relationship continues." So advised Sarah Horowitz in an interview she gave the day before her unexpected death. In A Cracking of the Heart, David Horowitz explores the legacy of his extraordinary daughter's short life, and narrates his quest for a deeper understanding of the child he lost. A remarkable woman and gifted writer, Sarah was afflicted with a birth condition that, while complicating and ultimately shortening her life, never affected her dreams. From an early age, she displayed inspiring courage in facing her own difficulties and boundless compassion for the underserved and overlooked in many communities, from an autistic niece in her own family to uneducated children in Africa. Now her father chronicles the separation through political and familial conflicts, and their slow reunion. Alternately searing and uplifting, it reconciles what could have been with what is, taking the reader through a father's love, frustration, admiration, and grief, to what lies beyond. David Horowitz joins us.
4:40 – The Catholic Citizen in America Today
The Catholic Citizen in America Today. Why bother? Does my voice really matter? The Gospel of Life Committee at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, MI has invited theologian, author, and leading intellectual George Weigel to answer those questions. We look with George at what it means to be a Catholic citizen in America Today.
5:00 – Kresta Comments
5:20 – All Saints Day / All Souls Day
On the first two days of November, as daylight shrinks in the Northern Hemisphere and frost turns vegetation brown, the Church leads us to confront the mystery of death. These days remind us that love is stronger than death, that Christ’s death for us means that our beloved deceased who believed in Christ are very much alive. They may be among those whose lungs breathe the exhilarating air of heaven and whose eyes gaze upon the glory of God. In this case, they help us through their prayers. Yet they may also be among those whose lungs were not ready for breathing and whose eyes were not ready for the brilliance of the beatific vision, whose body carried an infection that needed to be eliminated. In which case, we must help them through our prayers. Our loving intercession can hasten the purification and preparation necessary for the full enjoyment of their inheritance. We look with Marcellino D’Ambrosio at the feasts of All Saints and All Souls.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Benedict Asks - We Oblige
Pope: Spread the Word Using New Media
Benedict XVI is encouraging media professionals to take up the challenge to use the new technologies of the digital age to spread the word of God, while keeping the content unaltered.
The Pope said this upon receiving in audience participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, who met this week in Rome to work on a pastoral instruction that will demonstrate a willingness to dialogue with the "digital culture.
"The last document of pastoral guidance for the Church's communicative commitment -- "Aetatis Novae" -- was issued in 1992.
The plenary was the first one presided over by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, who was named president of the council in 2007.
"A genuine revolution is taking place in the realm of social communications," the Pontiff said to the participants in the assembly, "of which the Church is ever more responsibly conscious"
Read more here...
Benedict XVI is encouraging media professionals to take up the challenge to use the new technologies of the digital age to spread the word of God, while keeping the content unaltered.
The Pope said this upon receiving in audience participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, who met this week in Rome to work on a pastoral instruction that will demonstrate a willingness to dialogue with the "digital culture.
"The last document of pastoral guidance for the Church's communicative commitment -- "Aetatis Novae" -- was issued in 1992.
The plenary was the first one presided over by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, who was named president of the council in 2007.
"A genuine revolution is taking place in the realm of social communications," the Pontiff said to the participants in the assembly, "of which the Church is ever more responsibly conscious"
Read more here...
Today on Kresta - October 30, 2009
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 30
4:00 – Divorced from Reality: We’re from the Government, and We’re Here to End Your Marriage
The decline of the family has now reached critical and truly dangerous proportions. Family breakdown touches virtually every family and every American. It is not only the major source of social instability in the Western world today but also seriously threatens civic freedom and constitutional government. G. K. Chesterton once observed that the family serves as the principal check on government power, and he suggested that someday the family and the state would confront one another. According to our guest, that day has arrived. We talk with Stephen Baskerville about the government and its role in marriage.
4:20 – Be to Me a Father and a Priest
Fr. Peter Stravinskas says his priestly ministry has been far more challenging, interesting, and multi-faceted than he ever imagined when entering seminary. He says “Although teaching in, administering, and establishing Catholic schools (elementary, secondary, university, and seminary) have been a constant from my first days as a seminarian, I have also worn many other “hats”—from serving as a pastor, vocations director, and bishop’s secretary, to public relations work for the Church, to writing and lecturing on timely topics throughout the country and abroad, to founding a community of secular clergy devoted to the new evangelization, liturgical renewal, and Catholic education. He is here to look at the many ways in which he has been a priest, and his reflections on that vocation, without which the Church cannot exist.
5:00 – Will the Recession Doom the Last Sunday Blue Laws?
A handful of state legislatures have declared it's closing time for Sunday alcohol sales restrictions, saying an extra day of sales could give their foundering budgets a much-needed shot of revenue. Those states — Georgia, Connecticut, Texas, Alabama and Minnesota — enjoy overwhelming voter support for an extra day of sales, but face opposition from members of the Christian right, who support the few remaining Blue Laws still in effect in the U.S. Proponents of Sunday sales argue that state budgets are under plenty of pressure too and that by allowing people to buy beer, wine or liquor on Sunday at grocery or package stores, states could reap millions of dollars in tax revenue. Two years ago, Dan Hungerman, Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, released a study that shows that both society and religion have been hurt by the repeal of blue laws. Has anything changed with the recession?
5:20 – Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus
You might reasonably wonder why anyone would shoulder a heavy backpack, grab a walking stick and hike across Spain. Whatever happened to planes, trains and automobiles? But Father Dave Pivonka knew that the Camino—the ancient pilgrim path to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago—offered an opportunity to focus on God in the stripped-down environment typical of the religious journey known as a pilgrimage. Fr. Dave takes us along with him, eager to show that God wants to take care of you whether or not you can see down the road or, if tired and sore, you're tempted to quit. His Camino hike holds real lessons for our own life's journey.
4:00 – Divorced from Reality: We’re from the Government, and We’re Here to End Your Marriage
The decline of the family has now reached critical and truly dangerous proportions. Family breakdown touches virtually every family and every American. It is not only the major source of social instability in the Western world today but also seriously threatens civic freedom and constitutional government. G. K. Chesterton once observed that the family serves as the principal check on government power, and he suggested that someday the family and the state would confront one another. According to our guest, that day has arrived. We talk with Stephen Baskerville about the government and its role in marriage.
4:20 – Be to Me a Father and a Priest
Fr. Peter Stravinskas says his priestly ministry has been far more challenging, interesting, and multi-faceted than he ever imagined when entering seminary. He says “Although teaching in, administering, and establishing Catholic schools (elementary, secondary, university, and seminary) have been a constant from my first days as a seminarian, I have also worn many other “hats”—from serving as a pastor, vocations director, and bishop’s secretary, to public relations work for the Church, to writing and lecturing on timely topics throughout the country and abroad, to founding a community of secular clergy devoted to the new evangelization, liturgical renewal, and Catholic education. He is here to look at the many ways in which he has been a priest, and his reflections on that vocation, without which the Church cannot exist.
5:00 – Will the Recession Doom the Last Sunday Blue Laws?
A handful of state legislatures have declared it's closing time for Sunday alcohol sales restrictions, saying an extra day of sales could give their foundering budgets a much-needed shot of revenue. Those states — Georgia, Connecticut, Texas, Alabama and Minnesota — enjoy overwhelming voter support for an extra day of sales, but face opposition from members of the Christian right, who support the few remaining Blue Laws still in effect in the U.S. Proponents of Sunday sales argue that state budgets are under plenty of pressure too and that by allowing people to buy beer, wine or liquor on Sunday at grocery or package stores, states could reap millions of dollars in tax revenue. Two years ago, Dan Hungerman, Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, released a study that shows that both society and religion have been hurt by the repeal of blue laws. Has anything changed with the recession?
5:20 – Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus
You might reasonably wonder why anyone would shoulder a heavy backpack, grab a walking stick and hike across Spain. Whatever happened to planes, trains and automobiles? But Father Dave Pivonka knew that the Camino—the ancient pilgrim path to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago—offered an opportunity to focus on God in the stripped-down environment typical of the religious journey known as a pilgrimage. Fr. Dave takes us along with him, eager to show that God wants to take care of you whether or not you can see down the road or, if tired and sore, you're tempted to quit. His Camino hike holds real lessons for our own life's journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
