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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.
Young Priests Are Breathing New Life into Traditional Catholic Practices
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
During the seventies, most American Catholic bishops, priests and laypeople rapidly abandoned the traditional devotions and trappings that had sustained the Church for generations. Those who objected often felt like strangers in their own spiritual homes.
Three recent studies indicate that this trend is finally coming to an end.
The new study confirms two earlier ones. The first was “The Class of 2025: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood,” conducted by Georgetown University in 2024, and focused on those about to be ordained. The other study was released by “The Catholic Project” in 2022.
The 2022 study gave rise to an article from Pope Francis’s confreres at the Jesuit journal America, “U.S. Catholics are More Liberal. Young Priests are More Conservative. Can the Synod Help Us Overcome Our Divisions?”
Continued below.
www.tfp.org
Three recent studies indicate that this trend is finally coming to an end.
Three Studies, One Conclusion
Younger priests, on average, are more traditional than the older men they will replace in the coming decades. That is the conclusion of a new study titled “Morale, Leadership, and Pastoral Priorities: Highlights from the 2025 National Study of Catholic Priests.”The new study confirms two earlier ones. The first was “The Class of 2025: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood,” conducted by Georgetown University in 2024, and focused on those about to be ordained. The other study was released by “The Catholic Project” in 2022.
The 2022 study gave rise to an article from Pope Francis’s confreres at the Jesuit journal America, “U.S. Catholics are More Liberal. Young Priests are More Conservative. Can the Synod Help Us Overcome Our Divisions?”
Consigning Felt Banners to Storage Bins
Continued below.
Young Priests Are Breathing New Life into Traditional Catholic Practices - TFP.org
During the seventies, most American Catholic bishops, priests and laypeople rapidly abandoned the traditional devotions and trappings that had sustained…
www.tfp.org
How a Profound Moment at Mass Helped an Atheist Discover His Call to the Priesthood
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
"...at that moment, He planted the seed of my vocation."During Mass, Ángel David understood God’s call for his life.
This is the story of a Mexican seminarian who discovered his vocation to the priesthood after his parents’ profound conversion and his family’s journey from atheism to faith.
From Practical Atheism to Encountering God
Ángel grew up in a large family that considered itself religious but lived what he calls “practical atheism,” essentially ignoring God’s presence in everyday life.Along with his four siblings and his parents, he acknowledges,
Everything changed when his parents decided to return to the faith, receive the sacraments, and marry in the Church. From that moment on, the family became actively involved in evangelization.
His family’s renewed Christian life became the fertile ground where his vocation first began to take shape.
The Moment He Discovered His Calling
Continued below.
How a Profound Moment at Mass Helped an Atheist Discover His Call to the Priesthood
"...at that moment, He planted the seed of my vocation."
www.churchpop.com
Iowa man receives life in prison for 2023 stabbing of Nebraska priest
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
An Iowa man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he pleaded guilty in October to stabbing a Nebraska priest to death in 2023.
Kierre Williams last month pleaded guiltyto the assault that claimed the life of Father Stephen Gutgsell. Williams broke into the rectory of St. John the Baptist Parish in Fort Calhoun on Dec. 10, 2023, and stabbed Gutgsell, who later died of his injuries at a hospital.
Williams himself was arrested shortly thereafter. He originally argued that he was not guilty of the murder by reason of insanity before changing his plea to guilty last month.
Washington County Chief Deputy Attorney Erik Petersen said in court this week that the murder “shattered the innocence” of the small town of Fort Calhoun.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Kierre Williams last month pleaded guiltyto the assault that claimed the life of Father Stephen Gutgsell. Williams broke into the rectory of St. John the Baptist Parish in Fort Calhoun on Dec. 10, 2023, and stabbed Gutgsell, who later died of his injuries at a hospital.
Williams himself was arrested shortly thereafter. He originally argued that he was not guilty of the murder by reason of insanity before changing his plea to guilty last month.
Washington County Chief Deputy Attorney Erik Petersen said in court this week that the murder “shattered the innocence” of the small town of Fort Calhoun.
Continued below.
Iowa man receives life in prison for 2023 stabbing of Nebraska priest
Kierre Williams last month pleaded guilty to the assault that claimed the life of Father Stephen Gutgsell.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Which states are most and least charitable? New study answers
Well - getting into red vs blue didn't take long.
Who woulda thunk it?!?
Here are the top 10 as identified by the study with a column added for red, blue or purple state.
Results are...... *drumroll*
In the top 10 the top 2 states are red, 3 are purple, the remaining 5 are blue.
One thing that did strike me when looking at the full results. The south has a reputation for being hospitable, but it doesn't appear to translate into being charitable.
Who woulda thunk it?!?
Here are the top 10 as identified by the study with a column added for red, blue or purple state.
Results are...... *drumroll*
In the top 10 the top 2 states are red, 3 are purple, the remaining 5 are blue.
One thing that did strike me when looking at the full results. The south has a reputation for being hospitable, but it doesn't appear to translate into being charitable.
| # | State | Total Score | Volunteering Rank | Giving Rank | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 69.49 | 2 | 6 | Red |
| 2 | Utah | 68.59 | 1 | 19 | Red |
| 3 | Maryland | 65.16 | 20 | 3 | Blue |
| 4 | Minnesota | 64.72 | 5 | 15 | Blue |
| 5 | Virginia | 63.42 | 28 | 1 | Purple (leans blue) |
| 6 | Colorado | 63.17 | 11 | 8 | Blue (was purple, now solid blue since 2016) |
| 7 | Delaware | 62.38 | 8 | 18 | Blue |
| 8 | Maine | 61.20 | 6 | 31 | Purple (split electoral votes, mixed statewide behavior) |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 61.07 | 12 | 12 | Purple (true swing state) |
| 10 | Oregon | 60.68 | 7 | 35 | Blue |
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Trump suggests he’ll release Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ if elected: ‘I’d have no problem with it’
- By iluvatar5150
- News & Current Events (Articles Required)
- 233 Replies
I wonder if it's got anything to do with this:
Epstein mentions Trump in email sent Thanksgiving Day 2017. Here's what it says.
In email exchange about his plans for Thanksgiving in 2017, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mentioned Donald Trump. Here's what he said.
www.usatoday.com
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Dems cave after gaining nothing for weeks-long shutdown
- By Michie
- General Politics
- 0 Replies
Who was responsible for the longest government shutdown in history? Look no further than those enraged at the news that it may soon end. “The Democratic base is seething,” reports Politico. Liberal social media is on fire Monday, with activists, pressure groups, and wannabe Democratic senators and presidents falling over one another to condemn the deal in ever-louder terms.
On Monday night, the Senate passed legislation by a 60-40 vote that would fund the government through January 30. The House then passed the bill 222-209, and President Trump signed the government funding package late Wednesday night.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and House Progressive Caucus leader Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) both promised to vote against the bill in the House, and even Democratic senators are slamming their eight colleagues who voted to reopen the government.
Their basic contention is that their Democratic colleagues effectively caved by flipping their votes for nothing more than a promised future vote on extending Obamacare subsidies — a Santa’s pack full of leftist sweets. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is expected to schedule a vote on an Obamacare bill prepared by Democrats sometime in mid-December.
But progressives are furious at failing to obtain their objective in the shutdown, which was to force the Republican majority to vote for the $1.5 trillion in new health care spending, which Republicans have never voted on before. If the Democrats’ gambit had succeeded, it “would have been the first time a minority party, Democrat or Republican, successfully extracted policy concessions by shutting down the government. That’s never happened before, and it ain’t happening now,” said Quena González, senior director of Government Affairs at Family Research Council, in comments provided to The Washington Stand.
Continued below.
washingtonstand.com
On Monday night, the Senate passed legislation by a 60-40 vote that would fund the government through January 30. The House then passed the bill 222-209, and President Trump signed the government funding package late Wednesday night.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and House Progressive Caucus leader Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) both promised to vote against the bill in the House, and even Democratic senators are slamming their eight colleagues who voted to reopen the government.
Their basic contention is that their Democratic colleagues effectively caved by flipping their votes for nothing more than a promised future vote on extending Obamacare subsidies — a Santa’s pack full of leftist sweets. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is expected to schedule a vote on an Obamacare bill prepared by Democrats sometime in mid-December.
But progressives are furious at failing to obtain their objective in the shutdown, which was to force the Republican majority to vote for the $1.5 trillion in new health care spending, which Republicans have never voted on before. If the Democrats’ gambit had succeeded, it “would have been the first time a minority party, Democrat or Republican, successfully extracted policy concessions by shutting down the government. That’s never happened before, and it ain’t happening now,” said Quena González, senior director of Government Affairs at Family Research Council, in comments provided to The Washington Stand.
Continued below.
Dems Cave after Gaining Nothing for Weeks-Long Shutdown
Who was responsible for the longest government shutdown in history? Look no further than those enraged at the news that it may soon end. "The Democratic base is
Can democratic Socialism save America?
- By Michie
- General Politics
- 0 Replies
This week, I am not responding to a question but expressing my personal views on the implications of the rise of democratic socialism in America.
Robin Hood is a legend in English folklore based on the illegal and daring exploits of a good-hearted crusader for the common man, or peasants. His heroic character is considered to symbolize resistance to abusive authority and heavy taxation.
Over the years, books and movies based on this fictional character have romanticized the idea of taking from the rich (always portrayed as greedy, selfish, and corrupt), with altruistic motives, of course, to redistribute to the poor and oppressed victims. Robin Hood was never portrayed as greedy, selfish, or corrupt, only kind, just, benevolent, and generous — the perfect protector and redistributor of wealth to the masses.
It sounds very much like the modern platform of democratic socialism.
In my 2021 book, Seven Gray Swans, I offered a biblical analysis of seven key trends that I labeled as gray swans. In the simplest of terms, a gray swan is an obvious danger that we tend to ignore. My list included, among others, universal basic income, social scoring, biometric IDs, and democratic socialism.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
Robin Hood is a legend in English folklore based on the illegal and daring exploits of a good-hearted crusader for the common man, or peasants. His heroic character is considered to symbolize resistance to abusive authority and heavy taxation.
Over the years, books and movies based on this fictional character have romanticized the idea of taking from the rich (always portrayed as greedy, selfish, and corrupt), with altruistic motives, of course, to redistribute to the poor and oppressed victims. Robin Hood was never portrayed as greedy, selfish, or corrupt, only kind, just, benevolent, and generous — the perfect protector and redistributor of wealth to the masses.
It sounds very much like the modern platform of democratic socialism.
In my 2021 book, Seven Gray Swans, I offered a biblical analysis of seven key trends that I labeled as gray swans. In the simplest of terms, a gray swan is an obvious danger that we tend to ignore. My list included, among others, universal basic income, social scoring, biometric IDs, and democratic socialism.
Continued below.
Can democratic Socialism save America?
The threat of democratic socialism is no longer an outlier
www.christianpost.com
Israeli security forces arrest 4 ISIS supporters preparing ‘great war of the end of days’ in Jerusalem
- By Michie
Four residents of East Jerusalem were arrested for preparing terror attacks against Jews while being influenced by the Islamic State terror group (ISIS), the Israel Police and the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet announced on Friday.
The four Palestinian men, all in their 20s and who live in Jerusalem’s Beit Safafa neighborhood, were preparing for large-scale attacks, intended to bring about “the great war of the End of Days.”
Police said they were arrested after a weeks-long investigation, and that a handgun and additional military gear were confiscated during the arrest.
According to the authorities, the suspects were influenced by ISIS propaganda material shared online, including execution and atrocity videos.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
The four Palestinian men, all in their 20s and who live in Jerusalem’s Beit Safafa neighborhood, were preparing for large-scale attacks, intended to bring about “the great war of the End of Days.”
Police said they were arrested after a weeks-long investigation, and that a handgun and additional military gear were confiscated during the arrest.
According to the authorities, the suspects were influenced by ISIS propaganda material shared online, including execution and atrocity videos.
Continued below.
Israeli security forces arrest 4 ISIS supporters preparing ‘great war of the end of days’ in Jerusalem
Four residents of East Jerusalem were arrested for preparing terror attacks against Jews while being influenced by the Islamic State terror group ISIS , the Israel Police and the domestic
www.christianpost.com
A Conversion Journey
- By Chesterton
- The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox
- 6 Replies
When I became Orthodox, our church still printed a small, paper newsletter thing. People were invited to share their conversion stories in it. I thought about doing that once or twice, but when I started trying to arrange my thoughts, I realized I had a lot to say, and it might take up the entire space of the newsletter, lol. Just because I have a lot to say doesn't mean it's interesting or important to anyone else, but I'll share what was important to me during my conversion. Anyone is welcome to share comments or questions, or to discuss your own related thoughts and experiences.
I hope I'm not seen as being self-indulgent and talking about myself too much. I'd like to post more often in TAW but I usually don't have much to say. Anyway, some people enjoy knitting, some enjoy golf, etc. I sometimes enjoy writing.
Posts might not be in chronological order, I might think to put in something that I'd earlier forgotten. Posts almost certainly won't come with regularity, since, you know, we all have lives. (So I hereby reserve the right to bump. ) And I promise I'll be serious later, but there is a bit of seriousness in the goofy part below.
I hired a consulting firm to give me advice on where to start the story. After about three weeks, we had a meeting and they said "at the beginning". I found that advice lacking, and I'm currently in arbitration to get my money back. Nay, I shall start at the very beginning.
Conception came as an astonishing surprise. I didn't know what had just happened, but I felt a warmth. Also, although I didn't experience them myself, I had a vague sense that my coming into being was somehow accompanied by a sense of love and pleasure. "That's a most excellent way to start existing" thought I. So though I didn't have a brain, my nous "saw that it was good". Through no effort of my own, and though I had done nothing to deserve it (since there was no "I"), I'd been given life, some kind of wonderful, mysterious gift. Later on I would find out it's the greatest gift.
Within a few hours, the sense of self-awareness began increasing. Having a name wasn't strictly necessary, but I felt I needed one, if nothing else just to "be my own man", so to speak. So I thought of myself as "Chesterton". Sounded nice enough. I had considered a few other names. I even momentarily considered "Muhammad", but decided it was a lousy name. Muslims will tell you that we're all conceived as Muslims, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even without a sense of smell, that name smelled like trouble.
Years later I would learn that, by the wildest of coincidences, or God's providence, my parents had already given me the name Chesterton even before my conception. (Good thing I came packaged with that non-default chromosomal setup.) But every coincidence is just that; a co-incidence.
And so, a young zygote named Chesterton began his journey.
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(Okay, for the record, this is not why the story is long. I guess I just thought I'd make it longer.)
I hope I'm not seen as being self-indulgent and talking about myself too much. I'd like to post more often in TAW but I usually don't have much to say. Anyway, some people enjoy knitting, some enjoy golf, etc. I sometimes enjoy writing.
Posts might not be in chronological order, I might think to put in something that I'd earlier forgotten. Posts almost certainly won't come with regularity, since, you know, we all have lives. (So I hereby reserve the right to bump.
) And I promise I'll be serious later, but there is a bit of seriousness in the goofy part below.Preface
I hired a consulting firm to give me advice on where to start the story. After about three weeks, we had a meeting and they said "at the beginning". I found that advice lacking, and I'm currently in arbitration to get my money back. Nay, I shall start at the very beginning.
Chapter Zero
Conception came as an astonishing surprise. I didn't know what had just happened, but I felt a warmth. Also, although I didn't experience them myself, I had a vague sense that my coming into being was somehow accompanied by a sense of love and pleasure. "That's a most excellent way to start existing" thought I. So though I didn't have a brain, my nous "saw that it was good". Through no effort of my own, and though I had done nothing to deserve it (since there was no "I"), I'd been given life, some kind of wonderful, mysterious gift. Later on I would find out it's the greatest gift.
Within a few hours, the sense of self-awareness began increasing. Having a name wasn't strictly necessary, but I felt I needed one, if nothing else just to "be my own man", so to speak. So I thought of myself as "Chesterton". Sounded nice enough. I had considered a few other names. I even momentarily considered "Muhammad", but decided it was a lousy name. Muslims will tell you that we're all conceived as Muslims, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even without a sense of smell, that name smelled like trouble.
Years later I would learn that, by the wildest of coincidences, or God's providence, my parents had already given me the name Chesterton even before my conception. (Good thing I came packaged with that non-default chromosomal setup.) But every coincidence is just that; a co-incidence.
And so, a young zygote named Chesterton began his journey.
----------
(Okay, for the record, this is not why the story is long. I guess I just thought I'd make it longer.
)
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‘The Carpenter’s Son’ director defends Nicholas Cage Jesus film, spiritually impacted by it: ‘Not for everyone’
- By Michie
Writer-director Lotfy Nathan wants viewers to see “The Carpenter’s Son” as a bold artistic experiment; a “supernatural thriller” exploring the unrecorded years of Jesus’ youth.
But for most Christian audiences, the film is likely to register less as daring and more as deeply disturbing.
The film, starring Nicolas Cage as Joseph (“The Carpenter”), FKA Twigs as Mary (“Mother”) and Noah Jupe as a teenage Jesus (“The Boy”), reimagines Christ’s adolescence as a psychological and supernatural struggle between good and evil.
The film opens with Herod’s soldiers hurling infants into fires in Bethlehem in a frenzied attempt to eliminate the newborn Christ. The Holy Family subsequently flees into exile, ducking Roman patrols and sheltering The Boy from forces seen and unseen. Eventually, they settle in a remote Egyptian village, but the danger never subsides.
Drawing from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal text rejected by the Church centuries ago, Nathan invents scenes in which Jesus kills a child, resurrects insects and leers at a naked woman showering before being tempted by “The Stranger” (Isla Johnston), a devil incarnated as a teenage girl.
Shot in Greece and styled as a gritty period piece during Jesus’ “lost years,” critics have praised its atmospheric cinematography and Cage’s tortured performance, but for Christians who hold Jesus’ sinlessness as central to the faith, the film’s premise will feel blasphemous.
In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Nathan, a British-American writer-director, acknowledged the controversy surrounding the project, noting that everyone has “seemed curious” about his motivation.
“They ask, ‘Is there some kind of agenda?’ But with those who have seen the film, there’s a more nuanced conversation,” he said.
Nathan said the idea came from discovering the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a noncanonical text that imagines the boy Jesus performing miracles and committing acts of violence.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
But for most Christian audiences, the film is likely to register less as daring and more as deeply disturbing.
The film, starring Nicolas Cage as Joseph (“The Carpenter”), FKA Twigs as Mary (“Mother”) and Noah Jupe as a teenage Jesus (“The Boy”), reimagines Christ’s adolescence as a psychological and supernatural struggle between good and evil.
The film opens with Herod’s soldiers hurling infants into fires in Bethlehem in a frenzied attempt to eliminate the newborn Christ. The Holy Family subsequently flees into exile, ducking Roman patrols and sheltering The Boy from forces seen and unseen. Eventually, they settle in a remote Egyptian village, but the danger never subsides.
Drawing from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal text rejected by the Church centuries ago, Nathan invents scenes in which Jesus kills a child, resurrects insects and leers at a naked woman showering before being tempted by “The Stranger” (Isla Johnston), a devil incarnated as a teenage girl.
Shot in Greece and styled as a gritty period piece during Jesus’ “lost years,” critics have praised its atmospheric cinematography and Cage’s tortured performance, but for Christians who hold Jesus’ sinlessness as central to the faith, the film’s premise will feel blasphemous.
In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Nathan, a British-American writer-director, acknowledged the controversy surrounding the project, noting that everyone has “seemed curious” about his motivation.
“They ask, ‘Is there some kind of agenda?’ But with those who have seen the film, there’s a more nuanced conversation,” he said.
Nathan said the idea came from discovering the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a noncanonical text that imagines the boy Jesus performing miracles and committing acts of violence.
Continued below.
‘The Carpenter’s Son’ director defends Nicholas Cage Jesus film, spiritually impacted by it: ‘Not for everyone’
Lotfy Nathan wants viewers to see The Carpenter s Son as a bold artistic experiment; a supernatural thriller exploring the unrecorded years of Jesus youth But for most Christian audiences, the film
www.christianpost.com
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US has struck three Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says
- News & Current Events (Articles Required)
- 196 Replies
Awe well your right I should have just stayed with what I know and that is scripture lol Einstein did not say it.
Did Einstein Say 'The Only Thing More Dangerous than Ignorance Is Arrogance'?
One can't help but wonder what the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, who died in 1955, would say about the many fake quotes attributed to him online.
www.snopes.com
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