It has been suggested that it is a tragedy for Evangelicals to pray and fast regarding the new pope as called for by Rick Warren.

While it might not be an issue worthy of fasting over as it doesn't look like most of the top contenders to the papal throne have themselves missed too many meals and won't exactly be living in a state of self denial given their opulent surroundings should they get the job, offering up a quick prayer on the matter won't hurt. 

After all, the individual selected will play a significant role in steering that interpretation of the Christian faith closer towards true Biblical religion or further away into the assorted errors tempting all that call upon the name of the Lord in one fashion or the other.

What is so wrong with a Protestant praying for the selection of at least a level-headed Pope that adheres to the shared commonalities of Christian doctrine and respects the rights of existence and expression of those he disagrees with?  

I guess there are those thinking the atrocities committed during the Thirty Years War by both sides were a good thing.  

Nothing wins souls to your vision regarding Christ and His message like a good pillaging and the ravishing of a few unwilling maidens.  read more »

In this era of hyperterrorism where every Tom, Dick, and Abdul with a grudge against society because of a rotten childhood blows up a bus or shoots up a post office, many are not too concerned about the activities of other outcasts striving to save the spotted owl or kangaroo rat with methods outside accepted political procedure since the most violent terrorists create the more pressing security concerns.  However, simply because radical environmentalists aren’t known for eliminating their opposition with explosives, that does not mean that this movement challenging many of the presuppositions of modern technocratic society is not worthy of our attention.

The radical environmental movement began in opposition to the growing establishmentarian attitude of mainstream environmental groups such as the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, the Izaak Walton League, the Defenders of Wildlife, the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Parks & Conservation Association, and the Environmental Policy Institute who are collectively referred to as “the Group of Ten (Scarce, 16).  These organizations take a relatively pragmatic stand towards the preservation of the nation’s environmental treasures.  For example, some of these mainstream groups agreed to let the government construct Glenn Canyon Dam in Arizona, and in other instances, these groups have been modest in the amount they demand be set aside for preservation.    read more »

In one classic science fiction plot, antagonists attempt to gain control of the future by attempting to alter the past.  Though it might not be as exciting as a Dalorian speeding at 88 miles per hour, maniacal forces in our own reality are attempting to accomplish nearly the same thing by drastically reconceptualizing our understanding of history.

Part of the way history is publicly  remembered and allowed to exert an influence over the cultural milieu is through the erection of assorted monuments and memorials.  This is itself a practice that, in part, traces its origin back through the pages of sacred scripture.  

In Joshua 4:5-7, the representatives of the tribes of Israel are instructed as to the following: “Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you.  In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant...These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

This is not the only incident in Scripture where the believer is admonished to respect assorted physical historical commemorations.  In Proverbs 22:28, the child of God is admonished to remove not the ancient landmark.  read more »

The Maryland referendum on gay marriage has been decided for now. However, the mindset and motivations leading up to such a decision are still in need of analysis and examination.

A couple of observations relating to it can be made regarding a column by Elbridge James of Progressive Maryland published in the 10/27/11 Gazette newspapers of suburban Maryland.

For starters, it is thoroughly established that Elbridge James is Black and borderline racist. He mentions his ethnic identity at least nine times in a piece of no more than 300 words.

Some of these references have very little to do with the topic at hand he is attempting to address.

For example, James writes, "Because I travel the state regularly speaking to Black voters of all ages and experiences on a variety of issues facing African Americans, I consider myself pretty plugged into the Black community." He concludes, "Continue to count on me when looking at African American support."

From his tone, one might assume this pigmentation narcissist was addressing a topic focusing particularly on HIS people such as sickle cell anemia awareness and prevention. It is in fact an oration in support of gay marriage.  read more »

One can tell the holidays that herald the conclusion of the year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) are upon us.  

Most can tell this by the crispness in the air or from the days growing noticeably shorter.

However, if your name and address has made it into the databases of Christian Evangelical direct marketing, you may also know Christmas time is coming because of an annual appeal received from Prison Fellowship Ministries on behalf of the organization's Angel Tree Project.

In most instances, those that send Christmas cards tooting their own horns at least have the decency to change up the content each year.  

The same cannot be said of the part of the Angel Tree Project appeal designed to guilt recipients into compliance.

Contained with the mailing is what the unsuspecting will perceive as a handwritten message from a convict begging for a gift for his daughter.

According to the letter, there was still nine years left on the inmate's sentence and he would not be able to play a role in his daughter's life for nearly an entire decade.

However, since at least 2005 and perhaps even as far back as 2003, Prison Fellowship has been sending the exact same note.

As such, shouldn't "Richard" (if that is even his name) nearly be ready for release if he has not already departed the Big House?  It is 2012, after all.  read more »

Considerable consternation erupted online over actor Gene Hackman striking a homeless person.

The headline initially informing of such was formulated without a modifier or a more colorful description such as "crazed deadbeat" or "lewd indigent" in order to make Hackman appear to be this vile individual that makes a habit of accosting the downtrodden or deriving some kind of buzz from doing so.

Quite the opposite seems to be true. From the complete account, Hackman was actually protecting his wife and the vagrant properly got what was coming to him.

Why should we care that Hackman's attacker was homeless?

Would the public have been informed of this incident if the assailant domiciled in a more traditional mode of habitation?

As in regards to race and ethnicity, many leftists will so romanticize destitution that they cultivate the perception that those characterized by this economic plight or social condition can do no wrong.

If so, are the hypertolerant going to insist that they would allow some filthy, possibly disease ridden, bum to put his hands all over their wives, daughters, or dinner dates they are hoping to impress?

The Declaration of Independence insists that, in terms of fundamental being, all men are created equal.  read more »

On the masthead page of the Nov. 2012 issue of Monitor On Psychology, there was a cartoon published.

In this illustration, one Indian says to another, "That was nice, but I don't want to make it in a regular thing."

Seated in the background are the Pilgrims.

It is no doubt hoped readers will conclude this was a depiction of the first Thanksgiving Day feast in the New World; but given the state of the education system, that might be too much to hope for.

Some will likely laugh, relating to how they themselves have endured numerous dinners and parties this festive time of year they didn't mind attending but would rather not have to endure again in the future if given a choice.

However, the Monitor On Psychology is a flagship publication of the American Psychological Association.

This front organization seeks to turn either every depravity known to man into a mental illness the individual has no control over or excuse it in some fashion altogether.

Therefore, would these otherwise political correct leftists have published a cartoon where a Pilgrim forefather made a similarly snide remark about not wanting the Indians over again any time soon?

by Frederick Meekins

Upon leaving the confines of the Earth's atmosphere and entering the vastness of space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is alleged to have remarked, "Where is God?"  This was said out of a sense of mockery that the Lord of the universe could not be found in the final frontier rather than an honest inquiry from a soul awed by a majesty of the cosmos. 

Several decades later, God might very well reply, "Where is the Soviet Union?"  That nation, once referred to as the "evil empire" because of the threat it posed to human freedom, has become a shadow of its former self.  This former superpower decayed from its own internal rot resulting primarily from the regime's rejection of the Judeo-Christian worldview as epitomized by that state's promulgation of revolutionary Communism.

Had Colonel Gagarin and his Soviet comrades been more willing to approach the issues in a more objective manner without the rose colored glasses of their Marxist ideology (perhaps "red" would have been a more fitting characterization) and without suppressing the conclusions that such evidence leads to, the world might have been sparred a Cold War costly in terms of both dollars and human lives.  Even now nearly two decades later, the world still struggles to forge a global order and stands ready to fall into international chaos at any possible moment.
 read more »

Often in their attempt to engineer our lives whether we want them to or not, contemporary liberals have a tendency to hand down any number of psychosocial laws or principles since most of them view us as little more than animals to herd into a corral. It seems that their behavior is often just as predictable.

For example, one of the cardinal principles to understanding contemporary liberalism is that the policies that they initially enact as voluntary will ultimately be enforced as mandatory..

Gaining in popularity in large cities and metropolitan areas across the United States is an occasion called “Car-Free Day.” It is pretty much as it sounds. For no other reason than that they have duped most into believing that they are better than everybody else, social planners have told us that we are suppose to voluntarily forego the use of our personal automobiles for a day in favor of public transportation and bio-locomotion (forms of transit such as walking where we want to go or riding a bike).

Eventually, this will go from occasional and voluntary to mandatory and permanent. Some will denounce such a conjecture as typical conservative and conspiracy fearmongering.

But is it? It seems more like rational analysis of the mass media.  read more »

It sounds like a ludicrous claim.  But the 80’s cartoon G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero might just be the Rosetta Stone to understanding early 21st century culture and politics.

In the series, the troops of the terrorist organization determined to take over the world are referred to as “vipers”.

It seems those using that same name are on the verge of threatening human freedom here in the real world.  However, now it seems it might not be so easy to tell the difference between those claiming to be good guys and the bad guys.

Americans have begrudgingly grown accustomed to TSA operatives in the name of airline safety inflicting an assorted array of abuses upon travelers ranging from having to remove shoes, to being forced to drink the breastmilk intended for their infants, the public spilling of colostomy bags, and to hearing their toddlers scream at the top of their lungs as the tots are molested by security apparatchiks placing their hands where anyone else would be placed on an offender registry and forced to live their remaining days under a bridge.  read more »