In praise of John Shelby Spong

“John Shelby Spong… I recognized his face right off the bat.

“God bless him. He needs it – as we all do.”

That was how I started my response.

It wasn’t as if I went looking for something, and rather, had briefly

Peter Schiff exposes a TEA Party fatal flaw at Occupy Wall Street

In a YouTube video entitled “Peter Schiff nails Wall Street Protesters,” Peter Schiff asks one of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators the following question – verbatim: “Wouldn’t you like to get in the 1%? You don’t want more money?“

By asking that question, Mr. Schiff makes a very critical error. In fact, it’s a very simple one to understand. Not everyone will be the 1%. By adding more to the category identified as “the 1%,” it suddenly becomes more than 1%.

As the video progresses, Mr. Schiff continues rhetorically down that deeply and fundamentally flawed path, so that by the end of the video, the conclusions he infers from the statements he makes seem to make reasonable, rational and logical sense. They are, however, founded upon logically flawed premises.

I posit that most viewers would not even casually consider such a blatant problem.

Video follows the break.

Not a “real” Catholic blog

Whatever does “that” mean?

Oh… nothing.

Yeah, I’m Catholic.

Yes, I blog.

But I don’t write about religion, particularly. Nor do I write about the Church, the Pope, theology or stuff like that. It’s not that I have any opposition to so doing – writing about such topics – but that

KFC & Coke with the New York Yankees! Honestly?

In an earlier entry, I had opined about why someone might want to work for Huntsville Hospital. As I had also noted, a related search term that led to this blog – “Why do you want to work at Huntsville Hospital” – was my source of inspiration for that particular entry.

In this entry, what I would like to do is to further define some standards and terms used to describe honesty, and then ask some critical questions about behavior those terms may describe.

Doubtless, there are numerous terms that can be used to describe one’s particular ability to tell truth. Among them are honesty, veracity, forthrightness (I really like that one), candor, accuracy, fidelity, constancy, certainty, factual, actuality, original, reality, verity, veracity, indisputable, uprightness, candid, and more.

And yet, for all the words that we use to describe truth, the question often remains whether we are truthful when we are not always forthcoming with ALL information.

For example, is it absolutely necessary to give every minute detail of every event in order to be truthful?

To answer that question, let’s consider the question “Which Major League Baseball team has won the most World Series?”

Perhaps the most straightforward answer would be

A Cute Story

County Mayo is a part of Ireland that was hallowed by St. Patrick’s ministry there.

They tell the story of a dramatic conversion of an Irish chieftain by the name of Ossian.

A huge crowd assembled in a field to witness Ossian’s baptism. St. Patrick arrived

On Marriage, Human Relations, and Society

At it’s core, marriage is a state of human affairs permitted and governed by the state.

In this context, the word “state” refers to governmental authority. Governmental authority in the United States is defined as being the will of the people as determined by the ballot.

Why does the state regulate human affairs?

It is because of an overriding sense of justice, an overwhelming sense of right and wrong. It is because to “do wrong by” another person is a transgression of an inherent social contract that occurs at the very core of humanity, one which is by its very nature unspoken, yet fully known in the human heart.

Why, for example, on any playground the world over, can we

Publisher sues “faith healer” Benny Hinn: Violated contract’s “Morality clause”

Helpful hint for Benny Hinn:

KEEP YOUR PENIS IN YOUR PANTS!

NOT your twice-divorced neighbor’s wife’s pants!

Benny said, “I forcefully, categorically, and absolutely renounce the lies that have been spread about me and want to set the record straight with you. There is nothing inappropriate or morally improper about my friendship with Paula White. There has been no immorality whatsoever!”

Hey, Benny... answer this question for us, bro. Were your penis AND your hands, or any other part of your body anywhere else other than on your person?

Hell no, man! We got the pics, bro! Your hand was in hers! So the only question that remains is, “What other body parts were in or on her body parts?”

Huh?

C’mon, bro Benny… man up. Were you sexual with her?

It’s time for some brutal honesty here, man.

Are you a

Theology Throwdown

A regular visitor and commenter upon my blog – one whom I also appreciate – recently posted a remark that, “Catholics pray to Mary, and Jesus said, “no man comes to the Father except through me.”

Never mind the fact that that sentence is like a metaphorical mix – or rather, a mixing of one’s metaphors. It’s like asserting that a ‘stitch in time saves a cat’s nine lives,’ or ‘a penny saved is no use crying over spilled milk.’ It’s totally discombobulated.

That remark was prefaced with the statement that

Chicago exorcist: The ‘evil one’ is very real

Logically, one cannot disprove the negative.

Think about that a little while.

Chicago exorcist: The ‘evil one’ is very real – Chicago Sun-Times.

BY KATIE DREWS, ChicagoCatholicNews.com – Jan 18, 2011, 10:45AM

As the official exorcist for the Archdiocese of Chicago, it’s the Rev. Jeffrey Grob’s job to expel demons from those cursed by the devil. But when it comes to demonic possession, Grob is the first to admit

Pope blesses special lambs on Feast of St. Agnes

I am humbled to be adopted into the family of God, and equally humbled to be a part of this historical family of faith and tradition.

Each family has traditions, and none are without significance or meaning. Just as the Almighty on several occasions told various Israelites to ‘stack a pile of rocks at this location to remind your children of the wonderful things God has done for you’ (my paraphrase) – in other words, He instructed them to start a tradition – each beautiful thing, every ceremony, celebration, and word has significance, and meaning that is designed to remind us of His goodness and attributes. Incense? Prayers of the Saints! Red color? The precious Blood.

Read on to learn about one of the special traditions!

Pope blesses special lambs on Feast of St. Agnes

The Basilica of St. Agnes outside-the-walls/ An archbishop's pallium

Pope blesses special lambs on Feast of St. Agnes
By Alan Holdren, Rome Correspondent

Rome, Italy, Jan 21, 2011 / 05:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).

- After an unusual journey, a pair of lambs destined for great things were blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in a traditional ceremony at the Vatican on Jan. 21.

The soft, pure wool from the little lambs will be used to make