Yesterday, I mentioned that two billboards in New York City were carrying on the Christmas Wars. Meanwhile, some billboards in Tennessee are carrying a very different religious message: “proclaiming May 21, 2011, as the date of the Rapture.” The Rapture is going to be a great day for God’s people but awful for everyone else, … Read more
Samuel Gregg of the Acton Institute says that Pope Benedict XVI’s new book-length interview, Light of the World, reveals him as a full blown Christian radical. The word “radical” comes from the Latin radix, meaning “root.” It’s in this sense Benedict is radical. His pontificate is about going back to Christianity’s roots to make, as … Read more
This thorny topic dovetails nicely with Jeff Tucker’s morning piece about transparency, leaks, and the new Missal… Bill O’Reilly recently called for the head of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange — or at least life in prison. Sarah Palin says he should be hunted like Bin Laden, and Hilary Clinton says he and his organization have endangered many … Read more
Recently, the American Atheists put up this billboard along the route to the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City: David Silverman, the president of American Atheists, confuses me with his explanation for picking this particular battle now: “Every year, atheists get blamed for having a war on Christmas, even if we don’t do anything,” he … Read more
I’m shamelessly stealing something The Anchoress did last year. Throughout the season of Advent, she posted a number of Christmas gift ideas that not only make shopping less hectic but support good Catholic groups and noble causes. So each week of Advent I’m going to highlight a few items that I believe Catholics — and … Read more
At Our Sunday Visitor, our friend and longtime Vatican analyst Russell Shaw says Pope Benedict XVI’s new book-length interview reveals a pontiff who understands his role, and its limitations. When Seewald says the Catholic Church’s membership of 1.2 billion and its geographical extension throughout the world make him “the most powerful pope of all time,” … Read more
Also, Merry Christmas! Oh, and Happy New Year! I think I may have just discovered the winner of the “most extraordinary link to be found on the Interwebs” contest for November (and a strong candidate for “Best Link of the Year,” as far as I’m concerned): Free downloads of the complete organ works of Johann … Read more
The new TSA regulations are on everyone’s minds, it seems; it was a big topic of conversation at our Thanksgiving dinner. But over at the Daily Beast, American Muslim author Asra Nomani is proposing an alternative that makes many people cringe: profiling. Nomani lays out her case: We have to talk about the taboo topic … Read more
Pakistani Christian mother-of-four Asia Bibi was sentenced to death earlier this month for “insulting Islam.” This morning, her request for a presidential pardon was blocked by a state court, even after at least two government officials said she was innocent. The Lahore high court today barred [President Asif Ali] Zardari from pardoning Bibi in a … Read more
Last week, The New York Times ran an interesting story about the effects of constant electronic stimuli on learning and attention in children. Students have always had distractions and time-wasters, but computers, cell phones, iPods, and electronic games represent a whole new level of stimulation — and studies show that these make for profound challenges … Read more
Apologies for the gap in service… Below is part nine of the ten-part serial “Catholics in Action,” which originally appeared in Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact in 1952-53. This set of stories dealt with Catholic Social Doctrine as it is lived out in regular people’s lives, often without any politics whatsoever. As always, these pages … Read more
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I’m still more or less stuffed from yesterday’s feast, which I think means I did it right. Feel free to supplement today’s round-up with tales from your own holiday, interesting reads you found over the break, or whatever else is on your mind. You too can make your very … Read more
Things are going to be slow around InsideCatholic today, as the staff is celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. On behalf of the entire team, we wish you a blessed day, full of gratitude for the gifts God has bestowed on all of us. In case you’re in a reading mood, here are a few interesting links… … Read more
Things are going to be slow around InsideCatholic today, as the staff is celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. On behalf of the entire team, we wish you a blessed day, full of gratitude for the gifts God has bestowed on all of us. In case you’re in a reading mood, here are a few interesting links… … Read more
Also, Merry Christmas! Oh, and Happy New Year! I think I may have just discovered the winner of the “Most Extraordinary Interweb Link of the Month ” for November (and a strong candidate for “Best Link of the Year,” as far as I’m concerned):
If you happen to live in or near northern New Jersey, there’s an event coming up this Saturday that you’ll want to catch. Talented young Catholic singer/songwriter Tim Margiotta is holding an album release concert in celebration of his debut CD, “Make a Venture.” If you enjoy neo-folk or alt-country, but wish you could find … Read more
The Minnesota couple asking people to vote about whether they should abort their child has said they never intended to have an abortion at all. Frankly, I was waiting for this. According to a CNN article, husband Peter Arnold said he wanted “to stimulate conversation about the politically charged subject”: Arnold told CNN he bought … Read more
Newly elected USCCB president Archbishop Timothy Dolan gave an interview with the New York Times where he spoke about his surprise election, the pope’s recent comments on condoms, and what he sees as the biggest obstacles facing the Church: He said the bishops would not stop speaking out on political issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and immigration. … Read more
When a mother takes the life of her child — especially after birth — it flies in the face of what we believe about the maternal instinct. An article at Scientific American highlights some new research on the subject, and it’s raising eyebrows. Dario Maestripieri has spent most of his career studying maternal behavior in primates. In particular, … Read more
For those who hadn’t heard, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, are making a repeat appearance on Oprah this afternoon. The sisters were the focus of an episode back in February, and the response was apparently so positive that they were asked back again. According to the sisters: We have accepted this … Read more