I sympathize a lot with victim’s groups. Each and every one of us has someone that has hurt us badly sometime in our life. That is, sadly, part of the human condition since the Fall. And, when we are hurt, we want the other person to hurt every bit as badly as we do. Actually, […]
Archives for March 2010
Paedophilia, the Roman Catholic Church, and forgiveness
Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI issued the latest apology from the Roman Catholic Church for multiple cases of pædophilia (yes, I prefer the British spelling) in yet another country. This time it was Ireland. So far, the Roman Church has had to apologize for major scandals in the USA, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, the Netherlands, and […]
Down’s syndrome and the Virgin Mary
From Beliefnet: A Philadelphia reader passes along this deeply moving essay by a Catholic mother of a Down syndrome child, responding to some vandals who stole photos of Down children from a website, and reposted them making fun of the kids and their condition. Excerpt: This attack was also painful because of the callous lack […]
If the Lord of the Rings trilogy were written today
One pair of 3D glasses to rule them all (CNET) — The good news about the 3D TVs coming out this spring and summer is that they’ll come packed with two pairs of 3D lenses. The bad news? Those plastic glasses work only with the brand of TV with which they’re shipped. That means that […]
The Confession of Saint Patrick of Ireland
Most people who think of Saint Patrick of Ireland think of him on this day. They dress in green, eat some corned beef and cabbage, and maybe drink some green beer and Irish whiskey. But, most know little of Saint Patrick. So, you can let Saint Patrick tell you about himself. Below is a short […]
A real life example of our current healthcare system and our “Christian” response
In the discussion of healthcare changes, one of the most often made arguments is that somehow God “hates” forced charity–despite the fact that the Old Testament Law specified quite a few taxes and Jesus said that we need to pay Caesar’s taxes without complaint–and that the Church is the one who ought to handle works […]
For the basketball fanatics among us
Tony Campolo, Glenn Beck, and heresy
Over the last couple of days Father Orthoduck and I have been discussing short-term missions, theology, and social justice. Let me now return to short-term missions with a quote from the article by Tony Campolo that was cited earlier. In this quote, Tony Campolo provides the link between Glenn Beck’s disdain for government and private […]
Glenn Beck and social and economic justice
Recently Glenn Beck said on his radio shows that if their priest or pastor or preacher is using the terms economic or social justice that they should leave their local congregation. To make sure that you do not think that Father Orthoduck is misquoting Glenn Beck, please go here to read his defense on his […]
Short-term missions, social support, and Tony Campolo
I am a supporter of short-term missions. However, my blog post of the day before yesterday did not make that clear. I have seen at least two people called to long-term missions because they served on a short-term mission team. My problem is not with short-term missions per se. My problem is with under-trained teams […]