U.S., business appeal on birth-control mandate

(UPDATED)  

Lyle Denniston Reporter

Posted Thu, September 19th, 2013 2:29 pm

SCOTUS blog

UPDATE 4:28 p.m. The Obama administration has taken its own case to the Supreme Court on the birth-control mandate in the new federal health care law. The petition and appendix, a large file, are here; they were filed Thursday afternoon. The government petition raises only an issue under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, not under the First Amendment. The Tenth Circuit Court had struck down the mandate as applied to the arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby, based on RFRA and not on the Constitution. The government petition is docketed as No. 13-354. No number has been assigned yet to the petition described in the post below. (FURTHER UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: The Conestoga petition has now been docketed as 13-356.)
————-
Lawyers for a family-owned woodworking business in Pennsylvania on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to bar the government from requiring the firm to provide birth-control health insurance for its workers, under the new federal health care law. This is the first of multiple cases on the issue that likely will reach the Court out of the sixty-plus cases working their way through lower courts. The new petition (a large file) is here.

The chances are strong that the Court will agree to rule on one or more of the challenges, since federal appeals courts are now split on the question. Moreover, the Obama administration is expected to file its own appeal on the issue, as early as next week.

Read the rest at: http://www.scotusblog.com/2013/09/birth-control-mandate-issue-reaches-court/

Religious Statues Decapitated Outside Church in Gloucester County

September 19, 2013 6:09 PM

Reporting Cleve Bryan

By Cleve Bryan
MALAGA, N.J., (CBS) – Members of St. Mary’s Malaga are in disbelief after vandals smashed the heads off of statues of Virgin Mary and Jesus.
In all, nine statues were damaged including three statues that are about five-feet-tall – Sacred Heart of Jesus, Virgin Mary, and Our Lady of Fatima.
“For a statue to be defamed in this way in this very holy ground and this very holy church it is crushing to me,” says long-time parishioner Cynthia Hetzler.

Franklin Township Police believe the vandalism happened between 2 and 4 a.m. on Thursday. The parish has a 24-hour prayer group so someone is almost always at the sanctuary, but so far no witnesses have come forward.
Investigators say they’ll review surveillance from businesses down the street and are hoping for tips at (856) 694-1415.
Depending on what police learn, Chief Michael Rock says vandalism charges could be upgraded to a hate crime.
“If we could determine that this was the result of a bias incident then obviously the charges will be enhanced,” says Rock.
Spokesperson for the Camden Diocese Peter Feuerherd says upon looking at the damages it seems clear the person responsible has it out for the church.
“These are important symbols of the Catholic faith and in that way when you attack the symbols of faith you attack the faith,” says Feuerherd who assured Eyewitness News the church will go through insurance to have the statues rehabilitated if possible.

Source (CBS Philly) - click here to see the CBS video report: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/09/19/religious-statues-decapitated-outside-church-in-gloucester-county/

7 Reasons Why Pope Francis Worries Some Catholics & Why They Shouldn't Worry

Thursday, September 19, 2013

 

Aggie Catholics

 

It seems our new Holy Father, Pope Francis, rubs a number of Catholics the wrong way. He certainly isn't the first Pope to do so, but the difference is he troubles a much different group of Catholics than our previous Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI did.

Some said Benedict was a "conservative" and that he wasn't open-minded, caring, loving, or other accusations. These are not accurate descriptions and he doesn't deserve to be accused of such things. Rather, he (like Francis) is CATHOLIC. That means he doesn't fit into the neat political framework of being either liberal, conservative, progressive, traditionalist, moderate, etc.

Take these quotes from BXVI for example - most would call them "liberal":

**"It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the church's pastors wherever it occurs."

**“It is theologically and anthropologically important for woman to be at the center of Christianity. Through Mary, and the other holy women, the feminine element stands at the heart of the Christian religion.”

**"the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an unregulated capitalism"

**"If we refuse to share what we have with the hungry and the poor, we make of our possessions a false god. How many voices in our materialist society tell us that happiness is to be found by acquiring as many possessions and luxuries as we can! But this is to make possessions into a false god."

So, what label should we put on Benedict? How about Catholic. Just as Benedict shouldn't be reduced to political labels, neither should Francis. It isn't fair to either of them.

Why is it that Francis gets some people upset? I think there could be several reasons and here are 7 of them.

1. Many Catholics are stuck in a model of catechetical formation. This means they see the work of the Catholic Church is to hand over doctrines and teachings. While this is one important role, this isn't the mission of the Church. The mission of the Church is to make followers of Jesus. This is done by evangelization. Evangelization must be centered on relationships. Our relationship with another (through word and witness) helps someone form a relationship with Jesus. If some get the mission of the Church wrong, then they won't understand the focus Francis has on making disciples as one that is in the heart of the Church. Doctrinal formation necessarily must follow the proclamation of the Gospel. NOT the other way around.
2. Francis is frequently speaking to those on the fringes of the Church and outside the Church - not those who are already faithfully Catholic. If he doesn't focus on what many Catholics find are the most important issues (culture war topics (e.g. abortion, sex, etc.) then he must not care about them. This is false. He has said he is a child of the Church and accepts all the Church teaches. If he doesn't focus on them, it is because he knows that he will drive more away than he will attract if he starts with those topics.

READ THE OTHER FIVE HERE: http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2013/09/7-reasons-why-pope-francis-worries-some.html

A Big Heart Open to God

The exclusive interview with Pope Francis

Thinking Faith

Pope Francis and
Antonio Spadaro SJ

Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome. The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal. Father Spadaro conducted the interview on behalf of La Civiltà Cattolica, Thinking Faith, America and several other major Jesuit journals around the world. The editorial teams at each of the journals prepared questions and sent them to Father Spadaro, who then consolidated and organised them. The interview was conducted in Italian. After the Italian text was officially approved, a team of five independent experts were commissioned to produce the English translation, which is also published by America.

Father Spadaro met the pope at the Vatican in the pope’s apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where he has chosen to live since his election. Father Spadaro begins his account of the interview with a description of the pope’s living quarters.

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The setting is simple, austere. The workspace occupied by the desk is small. I am impressed not only by the simplicity of the furniture, but also by the objects in the room. There are only a few. These include an icon of St. Francis, a statue of Our Lady of Luján, patron saint of Argentina, a crucifix and a statue of St. Joseph sleeping. The spirituality of Jorge Mario Bergoglio is not made of “harmonised energies,” as he would call them, but of human faces: Christ, St. Francis, St. Joseph and Mary. The pope speaks of his trip to Brazil. He considers it a true grace, that World Youth Day was for him a “mystery.” He says that he is not used to talking to so many people: “I can look at individual persons, one at a time, to come into contact in a personal way with the person I have before me. I am not used to the masses,” the pope remarks. He also speaks about the moment during the conclave when he began to realise that he might be elected pope. At lunch on Wednesday, March 13, he felt a deep and inexplicable inner peace and comfort come over him, he said, along with a great darkness. And those feelings accompanied him until his election later that day. The pope had spoken earlier about his great difficulty in giving interviews. He said that he prefers to think rather than provide answers on the spot in interviews. In this interview the pope interrupted what he was saying in response to a question several times, in order to add something to an earlier response. Talking with Pope Francis is a kind of volcanic flow of ideas that are bound up with each other. Even taking notes gives me an uncomfortable feeling, as if I were trying to suppress a surging spring of dialogue. READ THE REST HERE: http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130919_1.htm

Mary of Nazareth: How Coordinating a Faith-Based Film Event Could Change Your Life

By Lisa Hendey - Posted on September 17, 2013

For the past few weeks, you’ve heard us sharing the good news about the beautiful movie Mary of Nazareth which will be opening on October 1st around the country. The unusual thing about this movie — along with its beauty and ability to be a true tool of the New Evangelization — is the fact that all screenings are being organized and sponsored by volunteers. Ignatius Press, the film’s distributor, is actively seeking parishes and individuals who will step forward in faith to bring this lovely film to their communities. They provide all the tools you need to make your screening a great success, but it’s up to you and I to prayerfully consider how we might be a part of sharing this stunning film with our friends and loved ones.

To encourage you to consider volunteering, today I’m sharing a recent conversation I had with someone just like us — a busy, working wife and mom — who organized a similar screening of the film Restless Heart a few years ago in her home town. What Marsha discovered was not only the joy of sharing a movie with friends. Indeed through her efforts, she was able to raise over $6,000 for a crisis pregnancy center in her community! Imagine making this happen in your home town, and supporting your parish, school or organization at the same time…
I hope you enjoy this interview. For additional information, visit the Mary of Nazareth website.

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - September 19, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on September 19

4:00 – 6:00 – Catholic Relief Services and the Population Research Institute Come Together to Air Their Differences AND We Analyze the Pope's Lengthy Interview in America Magazine that is Capturing the World's Attention Today

Big show today as we bring together representatives from Catholic Relief Services and the Population Research Institute to discuss the controversy raised in a 100+ page report issued by PRI criticizing some of the work of CRS in Africa. We try to shed light and get to the heart of the disagreement. Also, a lengthy interview that Pope Francis granted America Magazine is sending shockwaves around the world - and great amounts of misreporting. We look at what was ACTUALLY said and what he did not say.

The Danger of Martha’s Vindication

by Dan Burke Wednesday, September 18, 2013 8:30 AM   

National Catholic Register

I have noticed a troubling trend in past years when the Gospel reading about Mary and Martha’s encounter with Christ surfaces. Of course we all know the passage:

“Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

What usually happens when this passage is discussed is that the speaker or writer immediately comes to the defense of Martha. Some point out that she was a saint (which she was), and others note that she was simply seeking to serve Jesus (which she was). I can’t know the individual motivations behind this tendency, but, regardless, the softening of Martha’s error in judgment runs contrary to what the Holy Spirit is working to reveal to us here.

We know that Martha is a good and holy woman, who is doing a good thing in her desire to serve Christ. Yet Jesus’ rebuke in this passage is harsh — which should not cause us to recoil, but instead inspire us to lean in and pay close attention.

Imagine yourself in Martha’s shoes, rushing around to care for Jesus with diligence and love. Christ knew the inner workings of her heart. He knew her desires, intent and concerns. He had the opportunity to honor her efforts, but he didn’t; quite the opposite.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/dan-burke/the-danger-of-marthas-vindication#ixzz2fJ7z7oq3

"What the Pro-Life Movement Must Do In the Next 10 Years to End Abortion"

Video source: Youtube and LifeNews

Sept. 18, 2013

 

Giants CB Prince Amukamara: ‘Some People Call Me The Black Tim Tebow’

Nebraska Alum: 'I Am A Virgin. I'm Not Ashamed To Say That'

September 18, 2013 5:02 PM     

Giants corner Prince Amukamara kneels on the field after defeating
the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on
Feb. 5, 2012 in Indianapolis. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

 

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – 

Tim Tebow is long gone from this town.

He was released by the Jets on April 29 and is now nothing more than an afterthought in New York.
But Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara is now being compared to Tebow, who was released by the Patriots on Aug. 31.
The comparison doesn’t have to do with their play on the field, but rather their actions off the field.
Big Blue’s first-round draft pick in 2011 told Muscle and Fitness that he never drinks alcohol, and is committed to staying celibate.
With that has come a nickname.

“Yeah, some people call me the black Tim Tebow,” the 24-year-old told the magazine. “I am a virgin. I’m not ashamed to say that.”
The Super Bowl XLVI champion is engaged, and he met his fiancee when he was out dancing at SL in the Meatpacking District – although it took some encouragement from his peers.
“(Teammates) Corey Webster and Aaron Ross made me go back,” Amukamara told Muscle and Fitness. ”They were like, ‘Go say something to her!’ And they were cheering me on. She thought we were all rowdy and drunk and she didn’t pay us any attention. Then, later, I was waiting for Ahmad (Bradshaw) and she came by and we struck up a conversation.
“I asked her for her email address because when someone asks for your number, it might be too personal and you might not want to give it. But if you ask for their email address, they’ll give it. I was right.”
Amukamara will likely imbibe for the first time in the coming months.


Prince Amukamara (Photo by D Dipasupil/

Getty Images for H.H. Brown Shoe Company)

“I still haven’t had a drink,” the Nebraska alum said. “I told my fiance that I’ll probably take my first drink at my bachelor party. I grew up Catholic, so it just started out as one of those things. I’d think, ‘If I do this, maybe I can get to heaven,’ so I said no drinks, no sex, all the big things.”

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - September 18, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on September 18

4:00 – 6:00 – Direct to My Desk
Today we open the phone lines and let you set the agenda with your questions and comments. As always, we have topics we will bring up for discussion but the show only works with your input. Some topics include the complete lack of any context when reporting in “priestly sex abuse,” an Evangelical leader saying Catholics are not Christians, the continued ignorance over the Pope’s remarks on celibacy and the trend of young people knowing less and less about religion in general. Be ready to call 877-573-7825.

This looks thrilling: a glimpse at the new IMAX movie “Jerusalem”

September 17, 2013 By Deacon Greg Kandra

The Deacon's Bench

 

See the Holy Land as never before, thanks to the wizards at National Geographic.
From HuffPo:

Jerusalem is one of the world’s most important cities, held sacred by three religious traditions, and it’s now possible to virtually visit its holy places in an unprecedented way thanks to the vision and daring of the team behind “Jerusalem,” a new IMAX film presented by National Geographic Entertainment.

Producers Taran Davies, George Duffield, and Daniel Ferguson faced huge challenges to gain access to sacred spaces as well as the airspace above the holy city, which is usually a no-fly zone. They stated in a press release, “Our goal is to look at the roots of the universal attachment to Jerusalem: Jewish, Christian and Muslim. We hope the juxtaposition of these different religions and cultures — all with profound spiritual and historical connections to the city — will reveal how much Jews, Christians and Muslims have in common and inspire all of us to better understand each other.”

But how to tell the story of Jerusalem without just focusing on politics? Enter three teenage girls from each faith: Farah Ammouri, a Muslim, Nadia Tadros, from a Greek Orthodox and Catholic family, and Revital Zacharie, a Jew.

Ferguson asked each of the girls to take him (separately) on a one-day tour of Jerusalem, which he filmed. “What was really amazing was that they would bring me to some of the same places in the city and tell me entirely different things. Revital would point out Jewish history, but when I asked her if she knew about the Christian or Muslim attachment to the same places, she didn’t. The same was true of the other girls.”
Benedict Cumberbatch narrates the film, and Dr. Jodi Magness of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill features as lead archaeologist.

Read more about the project here.

Check out the trailer at Deacon Greg's website: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2013/09/this-looks-thrilling-a-glimpse-at-the-new-imax-movie-jerusalem/

Putin won by appealing to our reason, not to our emotions

Thanks to our flawed educational ventures, rational argument is almost unknown to us
TheChristians.com
Sep 17, 2013

President Putin: Flummoxed by his argument, his foes attacked him personally.

            

It is hard to deny that Russian President Vladimir Putin hit a home run last week, in appealing directly to the American people through an op-ed piece in the New York Times not to launch a missile attack on Syria. Some conservative commentators said he made his case resoundingly. Liberals, while deploring it, had to concede that it was exceedingly well written. But what made it well written was the fact it was well reasoned.

Rational argument has almost disappeared from Western political discussion, principally because it has almost disappeared from Western education. We are enjoined not to think but to feel. The White House rationale for a missile attack on Syria, for instance, consisted almost entirely of videos of children who suffered and died from nerve-gas. Heart rending they certainly were, but the prevention of further attacks will not depend on what we feel, but on what we think, and what in consequence we do. Putin knows this, and so at one time did we. That's why his line of reasoning came to many as such a refreshing, even startling, change.

His article sets out four propositions:

1. The reason there has been no world war since 1945 lies in the veto power within the United Nations Security Council which assures that the council can only act unanimously.

2. The U.N. charter puts legal limitations on the right of any single power to start a war.

3. An American attack on Syria would not meet those conditions.

 4. Hence an attack of Syria without Security Council approval would be illegal and possibly trigger a world war. Therefore, Americans, please dissuade your government from doing this.

If you can't beat the argument, beat the man

The liberal response has consisted almost wholly in a personal attack on Putin himself. Who, after all, was he to talk about rights and morality? Look at his record. All of which may be emotionally understandable, but did nothing whatever to refute his central contentions. It was the old argumentum ad hominem – if you can’t defeat a man's argument, attack the man himself instead.

 - See the rest at: http://thechristians.com/?q=node/641#sthash.vlglxNv4.dpuf

Blessed are the peacemakers, you jerk!

A continuing rise in road rage may reflect a waning of religious faith and discipline
TheChristians.com
Sep 13, 2013

What would Jesus do?

Road rage is on the rise says the Washington Post, which polled people around the District of Columbia. It found the proportion of drivers admitting to often feeling “uncontrollable anger” at a fellow driver had doubled since a 2005 poll, to 12 percent.

The American Automobile Association got a similar result when it tracked police reports through the 1990s: traffic disputes that got violent rose 50 percent across America over one five-year period. According to a new Canadian study of eight years of complaints posted on Roadragers.com, the acts which most often trigger road rage are: cutting in and weaving (comprising 54 percent of posts), speeding (29 percent) and hostile displays (25 percent).

What’s causing it?

Underlying explanations differ widely depending on the source: sociologists suggest our sense of community is breaking down. Psychologists suspect that driving imparts a dangerous mix of entitlement and invincibility. Leon James, a University of Hawaii professor and author of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving, told the Post their 12 percent who admitted to road rage were just the honest ones. James’ own tests found 30 percent admitting to raging, while 85 percent had experienced it from other drivers, making James believe almost everyone rages.

But surely both numbers could be true: a smaller percentage of aggressive drivers impact many non-ragers as they weave through crowded traffic lanes. When they cut off another of their ilk, there is mutual rage: i.e. the New Jersey detective who recently shot and killed another driver, or the man and woman who waved a knife and gun at each other from separate vehicles on a D.C. expressway in March.

- See the rest at: http://thechristians.com/?q=node/631#sthash.P8RD4AVh.dpuf

"I saw a scene of utter cruelty": Eyewitness account of Syrian jihadists beheading a foe

Warning: Hide the children; the photo at the end of this post is very graphic.

Jihadwatch.com

The idea that we would even be considering aiding these jihadis, and are already giving them weapons, is unconscionable. It will forever be a blot on the history of the United States. Even if Islamic supremacists write those histories, the theme of this chapter will be the spectacular success of their disinformation campaign in the U.S., and how they got the U.S. Government to come to the aid of al-Qaeda within twelve years of 9/11.

"Witness to a Syrian Execution: 'I Saw a Scene of Utter Cruelty,'" by Patrick Witty in Time, September 12 (thanks to Anne Crockett):

All wars are vicious, but the civil war in Syria seems every day to set new standards for brutality. As the fighting rages in its third year, increasing numbers of atrocities are committed by soldiers and fighters from forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad, as well as armed rebels and Islamic militants from the numerous, loosely aligned groups opposing Assad. The violence is frequently sectarian in nature, with fighters claiming they act in defense of their faith, be it Sunni, Alawite, Shiite or any of the other sects that contribute to Syria’s religious landscape.The perpetrators of atrocities themselves often use digital cameras or smartphones to photograph or film their acts of torture and murder, uploading the images to the Internet. These images and videos are used for propaganda, and their authenticity is often impossible to verify. It is very rare that a group of fighters from either side gives a professional photojournalist from a country outside Syria full and unfettered access to chronicle an atrocity as it unfolds. The images above are products of that access.
What follows is a harrowing series of photographs of Islamic militants publicly executing, by decapitation, a young Syrian in the town of Keferghan, near Aleppo, on August 31, 2013.
Because of the danger in reporting inside Syria, it was not possible to confirm the identity or political affiliation of the victim. Nor are we certain about the motivation of his killers. One eyewitness who lives in the area and was contacted by TIME a week after the beheadings said that the executioners were from ISIS, an Al-Qaeda franchise operating in Syria and Iraq.

Yes, their motivation is an utter and absolute mystery.

TIME obtained the images exclusively from a photographer who was recently in Syria. This decapitation was the last of four executions he documented that day. TIME has agreed not to publish the photographer’s name, to protect him from repercussions when he returns to Syria. What follows is an edited account of his experience:

 Read the rest at http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/09/i-saw-a-scene-of-utter-cruelty-eyewitness-account-of-syrian-jihadists-beheading-a-foe.html

 

Posted by Robert on September 12, 2013 5:50 PM

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - September 16, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on September 16

4:00 – Kresta Comments – Is the Pope Catholic? Two Columnists Say “No”

4:20 – Helping Disabled Catholics Access the Fullness of the Faith
The National Catholic Partnership on Disability is an organization that works collaboratively and effectively with the USCCB, dioceses and archdioceses and Catholic ministries across the country.  The mission is to help create access to faith for Catholics with disabilities.  This work is broad and deep, and includes creating specialized resources for faith formation and sacramental preparation, outreach to Hispanic families, as well as a vibrant program to support families facing an unexpected prenatal diagnosis, among many others.  NCPD estimates there are about 14 million Catholics with some kind of a disability that need more access to the faith. Executive Director Jan Benton joins us. 

5:00 – Tea Party Catholic: The Catholic Case for Limited Government, a Free Economy, and Human Flourishing
Over the past fifty years, increasing numbers of American Catholics have abandoned the economic positions associated with Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and chosen to embrace the principles of economic freedom and limited government: ideals upheld by Ronald Reagan and the Tea Party movement but also deeply rooted in the American Founding. This shift, alongside America’s growing polarization around economic questions, has generated fierce debates among Catholic Americans in recent years. Can a believing Catholic support free markets? Does the Catholic social justice commitment translate directly into big government? Do limited government Catholic Americans have something unique to contribute to the Church’s thinking about the economic challenges confronting all Catholics around the globe? Samuel Gregg draws upon Catholic teaching, natural law theory, and the thought of the only Catholic Signer of America’s Declaration of Independence to develop a Catholic case for the values and institutions associated with the free economy, limited government, and America’s experiment in ordered liberty. 

5:40 – Kresta Comments – Is the Pope Catholic? Two Columnists Say “No”

 

 

Dad Wears Short Shorts to Teach Daughter a Lesson, Becomes Online Celeb

By Beth Greenfield, Shine Staff | Parenting
Yahoo
 
A Utah dad got so fed up with his teen daughter’s too-short shorts that he taught her a fashion lesson she'll never forget. Scott Mackintosh publicly modeled his own version of his daughter's Daisy Dukes and, in the process, became an Internet hero.

“I simply did this in hopes that my daughter would know of my great love for her and that she knows of her great worth,” Scott Mackintosh told the Deseret News about the photo of himself in cutoffs, which has since become a Tumblr sensation.  “Now that it has gone viral, I hope that young women everywhere understand their great worth. I will look like an idiot any day if that point gets across."

The story behind the trail of Mackintosh's short-shorts photo is as old as the Internet, beginning when his daughter posted it on Tumblr; and as of Thursday it has received over 130,000 notes from fans of the image.

“My mom told me to change my ‘slutty’ shorts before we went to dinner,” was how daughter Myley described the photo. “I said no. So my dad cut his jeans to fit in. We went to dinner and then mini golf like this.”

Then Mackintosh, a father of seven, published his side of the story on his wife's blog, Becky Mack’s Blog of Mild Chaos. He wrote:

“I know the world has varying degrees of what is modest and what is not when it comes to clothing. In our family we have pretty definite modesty guidelines; No mid-drift or low-cut shirts, no short-shorts, short skirts and we even go as far as saying no sleeveless shirts unless playing sports or on the beach. Having raised four daughters and three sons, I’m a bit protective. Some may call me old fashion, but I call it “A Dad who loves his daughters” (and sons too) I know some of you may be rolling your eyes and that’s okay, my daughter does it all the time. I’m a firm believer that the way we dress sends messages about us, and it influences the way we and others act.”

Continue reading here...   
Video below

 

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - September 13, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on September 13

4:00 – 6:00 – Direct to My Desk
Today we open the phone lines and let you set the agenda with your questions and comments. As always, we have topics we will bring up for discussion but the show only works with your input. We look at the latest way the mainstream media is butchering a story about a papal statement and why the mainstream media can’t get how to report on the Church and Pope Francis, we answer a listener’s response on the yoga discussion we had earlier this week, and more. Be ready to call 877-573-7825.

Helium balloons lift aviator Jonathan Trappe Up for transatlantic trip

American who has used the method to cross the Channel and the Alps takes off from Maine suspended by 370 balloon   

• Staff and agencies
• The Guardian, Thursday 12 September 2013 14.46 EDT                



Jonathan Trappe soars in his bid to become the first man to cross the

Atlantic in a balloon cluster system. Photograph: Paul Cyr / Barcroft USA

An American aviator has begun the first attempt to cross the Atlantic suspended by hundreds of coloured balloons. Jonathan Trappe took off from Caribou, Maine, on Thursday morning as his capsule was lifted by 370 helium-filled balloons in heavy fog and he headed east from the US.
The concept may sound like the story from the Disney film Up but Trappe, 39, specialises in cluster ballooning and was the first person to cross the Channel and the Alps using the method.

The transatlantic trip could be as long as 2,500 miles (4,000km) and take between three and five days. Depending on the weather, he could land anywhere between Iceland and Morocco.
Trappe is relying on state of the art weather data from the meteorologist who advised Felix Baumgartner on his record-breaking skydive from the stratosphere last year. The latest weather reports suggested winds would take Trappe to western Europe.

"Weather is absolutely the most dangerous factor," said Trappe, speaking immediately before launch. " It's the only thing that will carry me across, but bad conditions could also ruin the attempt or endanger my life."

Read the rest here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/12/helium-balloons-jonathan-trappe-up-transatlantic

Pope Francis tells atheists to abide by their own consciences

God's mercy has no limits, says pope in 2,500-word letter to Italian newspaper answering questions from non-believer   

• Lizzy Davies in Rome

theguardian.com, Wednesday 11 September 2013 14.19 EDT

Pope Francis, who called for Christians to engage in 'sincere and rigorous dialogue'
with atheists. Photograph: Zuma/Rex Features

As letters to the editor go, it was certainly out of the ordinary, stretching to more than 2,500 words and not one of them veering on the irate or indignant. But the missive received by Eugenio Scalfari, co-founder and former editor of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, nonetheless made it into print on Wednesday – on the front page and under the impressively brief byline of "Francesco".
Responding to a series of questions asked in the summer by Scalfari, who describes himself as an interested "non-believer", Pope Francis used his trademark conciliatory tone to discuss the Catholic church's attitude to atheists, urging those who do not share his faith to "abide by their own conscience" and reminding them God's mercy "has no limits".

Expressing the belief that it was important for Christians to engage in "a sincere and rigorous dialogue" with atheists, Francis recalled Scalfari had asked him whether God forgave those "who do not believe and do not seek to believe".

"Given – and this is the fundamental thing – that God's mercy has no limits, if He is approached with a sincere and repentant heart," the pope wrote, "the question for those who do not believe in God is to abide by their own conscience. There is sin, also for those who have no faith, in going against one's conscience. Listening to it and abiding by it means making up one's mind about what is good and evil."

Now in his sixth month as pontiff, Francis has made a conciliatory style and pragmatic openness to dialogue with groups on the margins of the church's traditional activities one of his trademarks.
In May, however, relaxed remarks during a homily, which appeared to imply that non-believers could be "saved" if they did good, prompted a swift clarification from the Vatican that he meant nothing of the kind.

Read the rest here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/pope-francis-atheists-abide-consciences

Judge’s Ruling Makes North Dakota First to Ban Abortions Based on Down Syndrome

 

by Steven Ertelt | Bismarck, ND | LifeNews.com | 9/12/13 12:37 PM

A judge’s ruling dismissing part of an abortion center’s lawsuit against a North Dakota law that bans abortions on disabled unborn children on the basis that they are disabled makes the state the first to have such a ban in place.

With the governor’s signature on the ban earlier this year, North Dakota has become the first state to ban abortions based on genetic “defects” like Down Syndrome. When diagnosed before birth, such genetic abnormalities prompt couples to have abortions 90 percent of the time.

The state legislature approved the measure and Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed it in March.
The measure would also ban abortion based on gender selection, an issue of increasing concern in the United States has people from nations like China and India migrate to the United States and bring their cultural preference for boys with them.

Now, a judge has dismissed the legal challenge to a portion of the law the state’s lone abortion business challenged in its lawsuit. IN an AP report, the abortion center claims that’s okay with it since it reportedly doesn’t do abortions for those reasons anyway. However, it provided no proof that it asks abortion clients if they are having an abortion because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome or another condition.

Read the rest at: http://www.lifenews.com/2013/09/12/judges-ruling-makes-north-dakota-first-to-ban-abortions-based-on-down-syndrome/