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Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Did angels really carry the Holy House of Mary to Loreto, Italy?
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
What do Galileo, Mozart, Descartes, Cervantes, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux have in common? They all traveled hundreds of miles to step inside the Virgin Mary’s house, which is preserved inside a basilica in the small Italian town of Loreto.
Catholic pilgrims have flocked to the Holy House of Loreto since the 14th century to stand inside the walls where tradition holds the Virgin Mary was born, raised, and greeted by the angel Gabriel.
In other words, if it is actually the house of Nazareth, it is where the “Word became flesh” at the Annunciation, a point on which the history of humanity turned.
There is an often-repeated story that angels carried the Holy House from Palestine to Italy and while modern listeners may doubt the legend’s veracity, historic documents have vindicated the beliefs of pious pilgrims over the centuries — with an ironic twist.
Tradition holds that the Holy House arrived in Loreto on Dec. 10, 1294, after a miraculous rescue from the Holy Land as the Crusaders were driven out of Palestine at the end of the 13th century.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Catholic pilgrims have flocked to the Holy House of Loreto since the 14th century to stand inside the walls where tradition holds the Virgin Mary was born, raised, and greeted by the angel Gabriel.
In other words, if it is actually the house of Nazareth, it is where the “Word became flesh” at the Annunciation, a point on which the history of humanity turned.
There is an often-repeated story that angels carried the Holy House from Palestine to Italy and while modern listeners may doubt the legend’s veracity, historic documents have vindicated the beliefs of pious pilgrims over the centuries — with an ironic twist.
Tradition holds that the Holy House arrived in Loreto on Dec. 10, 1294, after a miraculous rescue from the Holy Land as the Crusaders were driven out of Palestine at the end of the 13th century.
Continued below.
Did angels really carry the Holy House of Mary to Loreto, Italy?
What do Galileo, Mozart, Descartes, Cervantes, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux have in common? They all traveled hundreds of miles to visit Mary’s house in Loreto, Italy.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Disability advocates sue Delaware over allegedly ‘discriminatory’ assisted suicide law
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Several disability and patient advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Delaware on Dec. 8 alleging that Delaware’s new physician-assisted suicide law discriminates against people with disabilities.
In May 2025, Delaware passed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026, allows patients to self-administer lethal medication.
The 74-page complaint alleges that the new law is unconstitutional under both Delaware and federal law and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, among other challenges.
Plaintiffs include the Institute for Patients’ Rights; The Freedom Center for Independent Living, Inc., in Middletown; the Delaware chapter of ADAPT; Not Dead Yet; United Spinal Association, the National Council on Independent Living; and disability advocate Sean Curran.
The lawsuit, which names Gov. Matthew Meyer and the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services as two of several defendants, said that “people with life-threatening disabilities” are at “imminent risk” because of Delaware's new law.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
In May 2025, Delaware passed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026, allows patients to self-administer lethal medication.
The 74-page complaint alleges that the new law is unconstitutional under both Delaware and federal law and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, among other challenges.
Plaintiffs include the Institute for Patients’ Rights; The Freedom Center for Independent Living, Inc., in Middletown; the Delaware chapter of ADAPT; Not Dead Yet; United Spinal Association, the National Council on Independent Living; and disability advocate Sean Curran.
The lawsuit, which names Gov. Matthew Meyer and the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services as two of several defendants, said that “people with life-threatening disabilities” are at “imminent risk” because of Delaware's new law.
Continued below.
Disability advocates sue Delaware over allegedly ‘discriminatory’ assisted suicide law
Several disability and patient advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Delaware on Dec. 8 alleging that Delaware’s new physician-assisted suicide law discriminates against people with disabilities.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
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‘Persecuted and thriving’: Catholic priest on resilience of Christians in Nigeria
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Christians in Nigeria continue to demonstrate resilience and vitality amid violent assaults by extremist groups such as Boko Haram, a priest from the West African country has said.
In a recent interview with Christian Peschken of EWTN Germany, CNA’s news partner, Father Maurice Emelu, now a U.S. citizen and founder of Gratia Vobis Ministries, describes the extraordinary ability of faith in Nigeria to blossom “in harsh soil.”
“In Nigeria, faith grows in the very places where life tries to break it. Our people are not romanticizing pain; they are discovering Christ in it,” Emelu said. “The Church thrives not because our challenges are small but because grace is stubborn. Grace has a way of blooming in harsh soil.”
In an attempt to describe the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, he said, “Suffering here has a face… Violence and killings happen with such astonishing frequency that one feels it isn’t real. People tell me many killings never even reach the media. The pain is simply unbearable.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
In a recent interview with Christian Peschken of EWTN Germany, CNA’s news partner, Father Maurice Emelu, now a U.S. citizen and founder of Gratia Vobis Ministries, describes the extraordinary ability of faith in Nigeria to blossom “in harsh soil.”
“In Nigeria, faith grows in the very places where life tries to break it. Our people are not romanticizing pain; they are discovering Christ in it,” Emelu said. “The Church thrives not because our challenges are small but because grace is stubborn. Grace has a way of blooming in harsh soil.”
In an attempt to describe the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, he said, “Suffering here has a face… Violence and killings happen with such astonishing frequency that one feels it isn’t real. People tell me many killings never even reach the media. The pain is simply unbearable.”
Continued below.
‘Persecuted and thriving’: Catholic priest on resilience of Christians in Nigeria
Father Maurice Emelu, founder of Gratia Vobis Ministries, told EWTN Germany that the faith in Nigeria has the extraordinary ability to blossom “in harsh soil.”
www.catholicnewsagency.com
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Pew study: Religion holds steady in America
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The number of American adults who identify with Christianity, with another religion, or with no religion have all remained steady, a new Pew Research Center report finds.
Surveys conducted since 2020 have generally found that about 70% of U.S. adults identify with a religion. The numbers have slightly fluctuated, but there has been no clear rise or fall in religious affiliation over the five-year period.
A Pew Research Center study, Religion Holds Steady in America, summarizes the latest trends in American religion and examines religion among young adults. The report is based on Pew’s National Public Opinion Reference Survey(NPORS), which has annually surveyed a random sample of U.S. adults since 2020. It also draws from the U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS), which surveyed 36,908 adults from July 17, 2023 to March 4, 2024.
The report also uses data from the General Social Survey and the American Time Use Survey.
The research revealed that after Pew found a decline in Christianity in the country from 2007 to 2020, the decline has halted and there is a stable presence of Christianty and religion in the nation.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Surveys conducted since 2020 have generally found that about 70% of U.S. adults identify with a religion. The numbers have slightly fluctuated, but there has been no clear rise or fall in religious affiliation over the five-year period.
A Pew Research Center study, Religion Holds Steady in America, summarizes the latest trends in American religion and examines religion among young adults. The report is based on Pew’s National Public Opinion Reference Survey(NPORS), which has annually surveyed a random sample of U.S. adults since 2020. It also draws from the U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS), which surveyed 36,908 adults from July 17, 2023 to March 4, 2024.
The report also uses data from the General Social Survey and the American Time Use Survey.
The research revealed that after Pew found a decline in Christianity in the country from 2007 to 2020, the decline has halted and there is a stable presence of Christianty and religion in the nation.
Young women’s religiosity shifts
Continued below.
Pew study: Religion holds steady in America
American adults who identify with Christianity, with another religion, or with no religion have all remained steady, a new Pew Research Center report finds.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, Frederick Haynes, launches bid to fill her congressional seat
- By Michie
- General Politics
- 0 Replies
Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, senior pastor of the 13,000-member Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, who counts Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, among his flock, launched a bid to fill her District 30 congressional seat Monday after she formally announced her run for the U.S. Senate on the same day.
The announcements from both Haynes and Crockett came just a day after he delivered a politically charged sermoncritical of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court, with Crockett in the audience. He would later pray for Crockett, asking God to protect her and give her courage.
“She's Jasmine putting injustice in jeopardy. She's Jasmine. She's cool. She's calm, collected, and a Crockett,” Haynes told his church as he claimed the 44-year-old staunch liberal politician is “the nation’s congresswoman.”
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
The announcements from both Haynes and Crockett came just a day after he delivered a politically charged sermoncritical of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court, with Crockett in the audience. He would later pray for Crockett, asking God to protect her and give her courage.
“She's Jasmine putting injustice in jeopardy. She's Jasmine. She's cool. She's calm, collected, and a Crockett,” Haynes told his church as he claimed the 44-year-old staunch liberal politician is “the nation’s congresswoman.”
Continued below.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, Frederick Haynes, launches bid to fill her congressional seat
Rev Frederick Douglass Haynes III, senior pastor of the 13,000-member Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, who counts Rep Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, among his flock, launched a bid to
www.christianpost.com
A look at how world’s 5 Communist countries are cracking down on Christians: report
- By Michie
Governments in the world’s five remaining Communist countries are intensifying control over Christian churches, according to an analysis by a persecution watchdog, which says churches are facing growing legal, financial and operational restrictions under regimes in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam.
Authorities in China require churches to register with the state and operate under a system called Sinicization, which mandates that sermons and practices incorporate Chinese cultural elements and Communist Party ideology, according to an analysis by the U.S.-based group International Christian Concern.
Churches in China must also submit to financial audits by government officials and disclose all sources and uses of funding, it adds.
A 2022 regulation known as the Measures for the Financial Management of Venues for Religious Activities empowers Chinese religious affairs departments to inspect and audit church assets, the report explains. Article 43 of the regulation states that relevant government departments may conduct inspections of religious activity sites, it points out.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
Authorities in China require churches to register with the state and operate under a system called Sinicization, which mandates that sermons and practices incorporate Chinese cultural elements and Communist Party ideology, according to an analysis by the U.S.-based group International Christian Concern.
Churches in China must also submit to financial audits by government officials and disclose all sources and uses of funding, it adds.
A 2022 regulation known as the Measures for the Financial Management of Venues for Religious Activities empowers Chinese religious affairs departments to inspect and audit church assets, the report explains. Article 43 of the regulation states that relevant government departments may conduct inspections of religious activity sites, it points out.
Continued below.
A look at how world’s 5 Communist countries are cracking down on Christians: report
Governments in the world s five remaining communist countries are intensifying control over Christian churches, according to an analysis by a persecution watchdog, which says churches are facing
www.christianpost.com
To Speaker Mike Johnson: FACE Act needs a full repeal
- By Michie
- General Politics
- 0 Replies
This week marks a significant turning point in the national debate over political violence, free speech and federal overreach. AFA Action — joined by more than 50 pro-life, family-policy, and religious-liberty organizations — sent a sweeping coalition letter to Speaker Mike Johnson urging immediate and full repeal of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use physical force, threat of physical force, or physical obstruction to interfere with anyone seeking an abortion, or exercising their First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.
The breadth of this coalition is itself newsworthy. It reflects a growing consensus across the conservative movement that this law is no longer a neutral safeguard but a deeply politicized weapon that undermines constitutional rights.
For decades, critics of the FACE Act have warned that its vague language and broad prosecutorial powers make it ripe for abuse. But the coalition letter represents a new level of urgency. These 50+ organizations are not merely raising concerns — they are sounding the alarm that the FACE Act has become a serious and escalating threat to peaceful citizens whose only “crime” is acting on their deeply held convictions.
The assault on Charlie Kirk underscores the urgency
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use physical force, threat of physical force, or physical obstruction to interfere with anyone seeking an abortion, or exercising their First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.
The breadth of this coalition is itself newsworthy. It reflects a growing consensus across the conservative movement that this law is no longer a neutral safeguard but a deeply politicized weapon that undermines constitutional rights.
For decades, critics of the FACE Act have warned that its vague language and broad prosecutorial powers make it ripe for abuse. But the coalition letter represents a new level of urgency. These 50+ organizations are not merely raising concerns — they are sounding the alarm that the FACE Act has become a serious and escalating threat to peaceful citizens whose only “crime” is acting on their deeply held convictions.
The assault on Charlie Kirk underscores the urgency
Continued below.
To Speaker Mike Johnson: FACE Act needs a full repeal
The coalition has now done its part by speaking with one unified voice The question is whether Speaker Johnson and Congress are prepared to do theirs
www.christianpost.com
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Is skepticism even rational at this point?
- By Michie
- Missions, Evangelism & Witnessing
- 0 Replies
The Christian God has always been defined as timeless, immaterial, and who caused matter into existence. Skeptics continue to claim, however, that there isn’t enough evidence to warrant reasonable belief in the existence of God. With modern science, I believe that denying the inferences to God can only be sustained by playing skeptical games. Let me explain why.
I am reading the currently released English translation of an international bestseller, originally written in French (2021) by Michel-Yves Bollore and Olivier Bonnassies. The research is comprehensive. Their purpose is not to defend a particular religious belief. The authors unpack how in the history of science inferential indicators of God were often discouraged, but not for scientific reasons. In God, the Science, the Evidence: the Dawn of a Revolution, they explained:
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
I am reading the currently released English translation of an international bestseller, originally written in French (2021) by Michel-Yves Bollore and Olivier Bonnassies. The research is comprehensive. Their purpose is not to defend a particular religious belief. The authors unpack how in the history of science inferential indicators of God were often discouraged, but not for scientific reasons. In God, the Science, the Evidence: the Dawn of a Revolution, they explained:
“This phenomenon” of defending skepticism when challenged by the subject of God was also critiqued by the authors saying, “instead of stimulating thoughtful discussion, the subject often provokes reactions ranging from annoyed indifference to ridicule, contempt, and even violence.”[2] I am being convinced that a skeptic is suppressing inferential knowledge of God for personal reasons. Furthermore, it’s not difficult to discern how the rhetorical games of skepticism are necessary to keep denials going.
Continued below.
Is skepticism even rational at this point?
I am convinced that skeptics are suppressing inferential knowledge of God for personal reasons
www.christianpost.com
Skillet's John Cooper talks legalism, absolute truth and ‘demonic’ label on new Christmas song
- By Michie
When a small, yet vocal group of critics labeled Skillet’s new Christmas single, a rock 'n’ roll version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” as “demonic,” frontman John Cooper didn’t react defensively. Instead, he laughed. Because, in his words, the response felt familiar and something he's been navigating for almost his entire life.
The 50-year-old Grammy-nominated artist grew up in a deeply conservative Christian home where rock music — especially Christian rock — was viewed as a spiritual danger.
“I grew up in a very fundamentalist home,” he told The Christian Post. “I went to Bill Gothard seminars as a young person because my family was so into that stuff.”
His late mother, who died from cancer when he was 15, remains one of the most important figures in shaping his spiritual foundation. She was, in his words, a “Jesus fanatic” who taught him the Bible and helped him memorize Scripture.
“I've got nothing negative to say about my mom in the world. She was amazing,” he said.
But his upbringing, the singer shared, also included a strain of legalism.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
The 50-year-old Grammy-nominated artist grew up in a deeply conservative Christian home where rock music — especially Christian rock — was viewed as a spiritual danger.
“I grew up in a very fundamentalist home,” he told The Christian Post. “I went to Bill Gothard seminars as a young person because my family was so into that stuff.”
His late mother, who died from cancer when he was 15, remains one of the most important figures in shaping his spiritual foundation. She was, in his words, a “Jesus fanatic” who taught him the Bible and helped him memorize Scripture.
“I've got nothing negative to say about my mom in the world. She was amazing,” he said.
But his upbringing, the singer shared, also included a strain of legalism.
Continued below.
Skillet's John Cooper talks legalism, absolute truth and ‘demonic’ label on new Christmas song
Skillet frontman John Cooper responds to accusations that the band s new Christmas single is demonic and shares why he s unapologetic about sharing the Gospel and the truth, no matter the cost
www.christianpost.com
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Inspired texts outside the protestant canon
- Controversial Christian Theology
- 2 Replies
Im
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5–6, NKJV)
....with the historical account from Macabees confirmation:
"So there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them."
We should define what is considered " inspired ". There is a criteria;
For the Old Testament, the traditional key criterion for canonicity and inspiration was the author being a recognized prophet or messenger of God, often referred to as prophetic authority. This is why books are commonly attributed to Moses (a prophet) and the named prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as figures like King David (whose Psalms are considered prophetic) and King Solomon (wisdom books), all of whom were considered God's spokesmen in some capacity. The overall acceptance of the text by the Jewish community as divinely authoritative was also essential.
Thanks for sharing!
Im glad you did. The Apocrypha is largely considered uninspired because its books were written during the Intertestamental Period, after the cessation of recognized prophecy, and they were never accepted into the authoritative Hebrew canon (the Tanakh) by the Jewish people, which further implies a lack of divine, prophetic authority. Additionally, the book of Malachi sets the stage: for silence.....I didn't realise I posted something like this already
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5–6, NKJV)
....with the historical account from Macabees confirmation:
"So there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them."
We should define what is considered " inspired ". There is a criteria;
For the Old Testament, the traditional key criterion for canonicity and inspiration was the author being a recognized prophet or messenger of God, often referred to as prophetic authority. This is why books are commonly attributed to Moses (a prophet) and the named prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as figures like King David (whose Psalms are considered prophetic) and King Solomon (wisdom books), all of whom were considered God's spokesmen in some capacity. The overall acceptance of the text by the Jewish community as divinely authoritative was also essential.
Thanks for sharing!
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