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As Churchgoers Wane . . . Germany’s Controversial Tax Prompts Unease

February 13, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on As Churchgoers Wane . . . Germany’s Controversial Tax Prompts Unease

By JAN BENTZ ROME (CNA/EWTN News) — While church attendees dwindle in Germany, questions have arisen once again over the controversial state-imposed church tax — and whether it’s time for the country’s bishops to address concerns around it. “We are in a time when more and more people realize that the financial apparatus Church works well, that the facade is optimal but what is behind it? Where is the true faith?” asked Martin Lohmann, Catholic publicist, author, and spokesman for the advocacy group Christian Action in Germany. “While we have a decreasing of Church membership,” he told Catholic News Agency on February 9, “on the other side we have a raising of Church tax.” When Germans register as Catholic, Protestant,…Continue Reading

Culture Of Life 101… “Contraceptive Brief: Condoms “

February 12, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on Culture Of Life 101… “Contraceptive Brief: Condoms “

By BRIAN CLOWES Part 2 (Editor’s Note: Brian Clowes has been director of research and training at Human Life International since 1995. For an electronic copy of the book The Case Against Condoms, e-mail him at bclowes@hli.org.) + + + “Family planning” experts use several false comparisons to promote the use of condoms, some of which are widely accepted among the public. However, they all have a fatal flaw — they intentionally omit the safest choice. The most popular such argument is the “parachutes and prophylactics” parallel. The condom pushers say that, if your child was in an aircraft that was going to crash, wouldn’t want him or her to have a parachute with them? Of course everyone answers “yes”…Continue Reading

As Alien Criminals Run Free . . . Some GOP Leaders Warm To Obama’s Open-Borders AG Nominee

February 11, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on As Alien Criminals Run Free . . . Some GOP Leaders Warm To Obama’s Open-Borders AG Nominee

By DEXTER DUGGAN PHOENIX — As two illegal aliens allegedly murdered three men in separate incidents in Arizona and Texas in late January, some U.S. Republican senators were pleased with U.S. attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch, a Democrat who pledged support for Barack Obama’s dangerous open-borders policies. Both of the alleged murderers were known to be in this country illegally but reportedly were awaiting action on their cases while they roamed freely under the laxity of the Obama administration. Open-borders proponents such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) strongly support Obama’s perilous policies, which the president is trying to reinforce by getting Lynch confirmed by the Senate as attorney general. As political observers have learned, Obama wants to…Continue Reading

Reconnecting With Mary . . . Our Lady And The New Evangelization

February 10, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on Reconnecting With Mary . . . Our Lady And The New Evangelization

By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY Part 2 The previous article looked at aspects of the growth of Marian devotion in the Church up to the Middle Ages, and now we will look at how the rosary developed though the work of St. Dominic — and how big an impact this had in overthrowing the Albigensian heresy, which, if it had prevailed, would have destroyed medieval society. The first definite evidence for the promotion of what corresponds to the modern rosary is found in the second half of the 14th century, in the work of Blessed Alan de la Roche and his fellow Dominicans; traditionally though, this devotion goes back to the time of St. Dominic himself or even earlier. According to…Continue Reading

A Movie Review . . . “Old Fashioned” Movie Soars Above Any Shades Of Grey

February 9, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on A Movie Review . . . “Old Fashioned” Movie Soars Above Any Shades Of Grey

By REY FLORES Movies can be such a terrific escape from the everyday routine; they can be something we learn from, or they can sometimes be a complete waste of our time. Some are even harmful to our souls. This St. Valentine’s Day weekend two movies are being released, targeting the date movie audience. One film offers us chivalry and chastity, while the other wants to assault us with a pseudo-porn spread of bondage and sadomasochism, designed for mainstream audiences. One film offers an escape and some valuable lessons about romance, while the other movie spews out more sordid sewage from the bowels of Hollywood. Old Fashioned is exactly what today’s men and women need to arm them against the…Continue Reading

A Book Review . . . These Christian Realtors Show Us The True Cost

February 8, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on A Book Review . . . These Christian Realtors Show Us The True Cost

By REY FLORES “God’s amazing grace and tender mercy saved us when we were young boys. And for the last thirty-nine years He’s built our testimony for Him — with lots of ups and downs. And during those rough times….God was right there all along, forging a ‘whatever the cost’ attitude in our hearts” — David and Jason Benham. Whatever the Cost: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully is the new book written by David and Jason Benham, real estate entrepreneurs and public speakers who have truly lived up to the title of their book. Most of you may know about the Benhams from when HGTV canceled their reality TV show, Flip It Forward, last year…Continue Reading

A Book Review . . . Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemy

February 7, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on A Book Review . . . Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemy

By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY Manual for Spiritual Warfare, by Paul Thigpen, Ph.D. TAN Books, 342 pages, leather bound, $24.94; www.tanbooks.com. This book is divided into two parts. The first, entitled “Preparing for Battle,” looks at the biblical and theological foundations for the ongoing warfare between humanity and the Devil, while the second, “Aids in Battle,” offers aids to help believers in this struggle, including scriptural texts and prayers. As Paul Thigpen indicates in his introduction, the “primary purpose of this manual…is to help everyday Catholics recognize, resist, and overcome the Enemy’s attacks in their own lives and the lives of those for whom they bear responsibility.” The chapter headings for the first part include titles such as “Know Your Enemy,”…Continue Reading

A Book Review . . . Lively Characters And Sparkling Conversations

February 6, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on A Book Review . . . Lively Characters And Sparkling Conversations

By MITCHELL KALPAKGIAN The Awakening of Miss Prim: A Novel by Natalie Sanmartin Fenollera (Atria Paperback, Simon & Schuster, 2014), 252 pp.; $15. Available through simonandschuster.com or call 1-866-506-1949. + + + Miss Prudencia Prim, an elegant woman of great refinement, delicacy, and propriety with a Ph.D. in sociology and expertise in Russian art and library science, notices a curious advertisement that piques her interest. Seeking employment, she reads about a position for a librarian to catalogue books for a scholarly gentleman. She is most qualified to assume this responsibility by her training. The job description lists another requirement she finds attractive: “Wanted: a feminine spirit quite undaunted by the world.” Miss Prim senses that she is ideally suited for…Continue Reading

Derail Fast Track!

February 5, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on Derail Fast Track!

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Last November, Republicans grew their strength in Congress to levels unseen since 1946. What united the party and rallied the nation was the GOP’s declared resolve to stand up to an imperious president. Give us powerful new majorities, said John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, and we shall halt these usurpations of congressional power. And, so, what is the first order of business now in the Ways and Means Committee of Paul Ryan and Senate Finance Committee of Orrin Hatch? “The first thing we ought to do,” says Ryan, “is pass trade promotion authority.” Trade promotion authority, or “fast track,” is a synonym for Congress’ surrender of all rights to amend trade treaties, and a commitment to…Continue Reading

Culture Of Life 101 . . . “Contraceptive Brief: Condoms”

February 4, 2015 Featured Today Comments Off on Culture Of Life 101 . . . “Contraceptive Brief: Condoms”

By BRIAN CLOWES Part 1 (Editor’s Note: Brian Clowes has been director of research and training at Human Life International since 1995. For an electronic copy of the book The Case Against Condoms, e-mail him at bclowes@hli.org.) + + + We are all familiar with the liberal rule of thumb “Never waste a crisis.” The AIDS epidemic in Africa and the prevalence of teen pregnancy in the United States have given the “family planners” ideal excuses to spread the condom far and wide, not only in the United States but all over the world. Of course, this is allegedly done for only the purest motives: to fight teen pregnancy and AIDS. But, as happens so frequently, these “solutions” don’t work,…Continue Reading