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The Woman caught in adultery and us

I am an Adjunct Professor in a course called Religions of the World at a state university. It is a freshman level course and is usually taken by people who simply want to learn about other religions. Frankly, some students take it looking for an “easy pass” hoping that the course does not require much coursework. Some are Christians who are really looking for a course more like a missiology... [Read more]

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Some hope for stem cell research

The quote below is from a CNN news article: (CNN) — For the first time, a patient has received a synthetic windpipe that was created in a lab with the patient’s own stem cells and without using human donor tissue, researchers said Thursday. Look carefully at the sentence. The stem cells were the patient’s own stem cells. It looks as though the technology has finally advanced to the... [Read more]

Can Catholics be good legislators in a pluralistic democracy?

As a result of the discussion on Catholic Social Doctrine, one of the readers of this blog brought up a question that has been asked before in the history this nation. Can a Roman Catholic be a member of a government in a pluralistic democracy? Actually, it really brings up the broader question of whether a Christian can be a member of government. Why did this question come up? Well, let’s look... [Read more]

George Weigel on Catholic Social Doctrine

After my blog post on Mattingly and Catholic Social Doctrine, a friend sent a link to an article by George Weigel that was distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Denver. It is an extremely good article. Below are some quotes from the article, though I urge you to follow the link above and read the article for yourself. The 2012 election seems likely... [Read more]

language

A comic that explains free will

One of the persistent charges against God is that he should have been able to design a better system. That is, one of the charges against God is that he must somehow ought to have been able to design a system in which people do not suffer. The arguments over that proposition have gone on for centuries. So, look at the comic above and see the way in which the author defines free will. Notice that free... [Read more]

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Tony Campolo and what causes offense

Fr. Greg posted the following quote from Tony Campolo in response to my web post yesterday. It was said on a college campus when he gave a talk there: “I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a sh*t. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the... [Read more]

Odd coincidences and EMTALA

For a couple of days, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act has been under discussion. Sometimes odd coincidences happen that help illustrate some of the points that one is trying to make. The story below illustrates precisely the reason why EMTALA was passed with strong Republican support and the signature of President Ronald Reagan. Though you will read it on Saturday, the story was... [Read more]

The shootings in Arizona, a time for weeping and a time for quiet reflection

This past weekend, a shooting rampage happened in Arizona. A female Democratic Congressional Representative and a male Republican Federal Judge were killed. I wanted to wait to write something because the news were unclear and because assassinations of this magnitude need careful analysis rather than instant reaction. What I could do, I did. I prayed. I prayed for our nation; I prayed for the families... [Read more]

Mixed feelings about Wikileaks

By now, the subject of Wikileaks has become a phenomenon discussed in many of the world capitals, and certainly a subject of the current news cycle. Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, is being sought both under Intepol and American warrants. What is his crime? Well, it depends to whom you talk? Of course, Sweden only ostensibly wants him on a charge of criminal sexual conduct. However, the... [Read more]

On various political opinions

The post on understanding the range of political expression brought several interesting replies. I call them interesting because they actually help to demonstrate the different, and very strong, opinions in the Christian camp. It will actually help in the discussion. I will not name names, however, one is an Orthodox monk, one is an Orthodox priest, and the third’s Christian identity I do not... [Read more]