Kyrie Eleison

California Catholic Daily - Clearly shaken by the experience

A Chico man is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly trying to run down a sidewalk counselor with an SUV outside a Planned Parenthood abortion center in Chico.
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With the help of witnesses, who took down the license plate number of the SUV, a Chico police officer was able to identify the suspect and track down his address, the newspaper reported. “Officers detained, interviewed, and arrested Haver at his home,” said the Post. “Haver was transported to the Chico Police Department Holding Facility for prisoner intake. At the holding facility, however, Haver had a medical emergency which required him to be transferred to Enloe Medical Center for treatment.”

Police would not give details of the “medical emergency,” but said it required them to call an ambulance, the Post reported. “Officers decided the best course of action would be to release Haver on a citation to appear in court. …”

Lt. Carrillo, the Post reported, “said it appears Haver became enraged over the picture of the aborted fetus, lost control of his emotions and tried to strike Canfield with his vehicle.”

This kind of behavior demands a Federal investigation. Clearly, there is a conspiracy afoot and RICO charges should be explored. There is a pattern of hatred by pro-aborts against pro-lifers. Hate crime legislation should be considered. I am sure the White House will release a statement soon…..

I am just becoming familiar with LOGOS software.  I recently purchased the version designed for Catholics available from Steve Ray at his site http://www.bibletheology.com/.  It is very powerful, but perhaps the biggest criticism is lack of Catholic content.  I suspect there are several reasons, an important one being critical mass.

LOGOS has started an effort to to adress the need for more Catholic materials (click here for the info).  Their current specifically Catholic content is available vie their Catholic Content Guide.

I have only recently started using LOGOS, and that is because I wanted more Catholic content first.  With this new effort, I took the plunge.  Perhaps you might consider as well.  The greater the demand for Catholic resources, the harder it will be to ignore it.

I will certainly keep you posted on my experiences with the product and the company.

Christian Murdered for Drinking Tea from a Muslim Cup : DFW Catholic.org

International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org) has learned that radical Muslims running a tea stall beat a Christian man to death for using a cup designated for Muslims on May 9. The young man, Ishtiaq Masih, had ordered tea at a roadside stall in Machharkay village, Punjab, Pakistan, after his bus made a rest stop.

When Ishtiaq went to pay for his tea, the owner noticed that he was wearing a necklace with a cross and grabbed him, calling for his employees to bring anything available to beat him for violating a sign posted on the stall warning non-Muslims to declare their religion before being served. Ishtiaq had not noticed the warning sign before ordering his tea.

The owner and 14 of his employees beat Ishtiaq with stones, iron rods and clubs, and stabbed him multiple times with kitchen knives as Ishtiaq pleaded for mercy.

Go and read Our Historically Challenged President by Victor Davis Hanson. Here is a clip to motivate you:

In his speech last week in Cairo, President Obama proclaimed he was a “student of history.” But despite Barack Obama’s image as an Ivy League-educated intellectual, he lacks historical competency, in areas of both facts and interpretation….

It is not simply an embarrassment that Obama doesn’t understand about the history of which he speaks, it is dangerous.  He draws incorrect inferences because his facts are wrong.  He is at serious risk of making policy based on dramatically incorrect assumptions about the way the world has worked.  OR he is comfortable with his bias, and is trying to make the history fit his skewed views.

H/t to Subvet

It is always good when a story turns positive.  There was news recently of a home bible study coming under attack for code violation in San Diego County.  Well that story has turned for the better and it is worth sharing.

From California Catholic Daily:

San Diego County officials agreed Wednesday to rescind a cease-and-desist order issued to a pastor holding a small Bible study in his home. In a letter to the pastor, the county’s chief administrative officer apologized for the incident involving a code enforcement officer who issued the order after reportedly asking the pastor’s wife inappropriately probing questions about the study.

The letter informed Pastor David Jones and his legal counsel Dean Broyles, president of the Western Center for Law & Policy, an Alliance Defense Fund allied organization, that the order was wrongfully issued and that the county would conduct a thorough review of its assembly ordinances and code enforcement officer training.

“Christians should not be punished simply for holding a Bible study in their home, so we are very encouraged by the county’s response and their commitment to immediate corrective action,” said Broyles. “We look forward to working with the county to ensure that the clarification of its ordinances and training of its personnel are implemented promptly and efficiently so that all citizens of San Diego can be assured that their constitutional rights are protected, whether they’re holding Bible studies or hosting Boy Scout meetings.”

I am starting a new Q & A series for this blog.  In teaching confirmation classes, or in writing short pieces for the parish bulletin, I come across different questions that I answer.  I am going to share the answers here.  I will provide answers that are in line with Catholic teaching.  All feedback and discussion is welcome.  I will start with a piece on IVF.

What does the Church teach about IVF?

IVF is a procedure for creating human beings outside of the marital conjugal act.  It involves harvesting eggs and sperm cells – often from the two people who will be the child’s parents, but sometimes including external donors for one or both parents.  The eggs and sperm are combined in a laboratory to create new lives that can be implanted into a woman’s womb three to five days after fertilization.  Embryos not used are destroyed or frozen.  Embryos can be screened genetically, and those not meeting the parents’ criteria are implanted. Several embryos usually are implanted increasing the odds of a multiple pregnancy.  In such cases, one or more of the children are often be aborted.

In determining the morality of IVF, and related reproductive related moral issues, the Church looks to two constant principles of the natural law.  First, every human being is to be given the dignity due to them as human beings, including the fundamental right to life from conception to death.  Second, the sanctity of and meaning of marriage must be protected.  In looking at marriage, the Church focuses on the unity and fidelity of marriage, and the role of the conjugal act in procreation within the loving context of marriage.

The Church clearly and consistently teaches that IVF is immoral.  While a couples desire to create and share a new life itself may be good, the means provided by IVF are counter to the moral law in three areas.  First, the human person created by the union of egg and sperm is treated as something that can be created and/or destroyed at the will of the parents or scientist/technician.  This is evident in the eugenic screening of embryos.  This is even more obvious in the casual destroying and freezing the unused embryos.  No human being should be frozen – deprived of nutrients, shelter, and opportunity to grow.  Few are used.  The rest perish or fall under the scientist’s knife.

If IVF avoided the disrespect and disregard for the children created, it would still be immoral.  First, any IVF procedure that involved more than the consenting spouses within a marital relationship would violate the unity and fidelity of the marriage.  It would be clearly wrong to involve the use of eggs or sperm from someone outside of the marriage.  Children and parenthood are the rightful fruit of marital love.  Introducing a third person (egg and/or sperm donor) is a violation of this relationship.

The Church teaches that even IVF using only the eggs and sperm of the married couple wanting to be parents immoral.  The Church has consistently recognized that the marital conjugal act, designed by God, serves two purposes – unitive and procreative.  Conception, pregnancy, children, and parenthood are properly the fruit of the conjugal act performed within the loving embrace of a married couple.  Through this act God invites married couples to share with him in the creation of new human beings.  With IVF there is science producing the procreative element of that act in a series of sterile procedures (often including the sin of masturbation) and involving at least one additional person essential to conception other than the marital couple.  IVF rips the procreative function from the conjugal act and replaces it with a technician’s procedure for harvesting, screening, freezing, and implanting.  The fruit of love is replaced by a quality control process that involves more death than life.

Additional Resources

Dignitas Personae (Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith)

Donum Vitae (Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith)

Begotten Not Made: A Catholic View of Reproductive Technology

The moral status of in vitro fertilization (IVF) Biology and method

I am saddened at the tragedy of George Tillers life violently ended. I offer my prayers for his soul and the conversion of his murder’s heart from the evil he has committed.  Murder is always wrong - whether abortionist or unborn, all life is sacred.

As for the meaning for the pro-life movement, I will wait for the evidence and stand by the words of Cardinal O’Connor.

If anyone has an urge to kill someone at an abortion clinic, they should shoot me… It’s madness. It discredits the right-to-life movement. Murder is murder. It’s madness. You cannot prevent killing by killing.

~ John Cardinal O’Connor
(h/t Pro Ecclesia and Mark Shea)

Latest video/commercial from Catholic Vote:

It may be time to stop buying Judy Blume books.  Here is something that surprised me, and made so clear that Judy Blume, whatever her past insights, clearly does not get it now.

Posted at The Catholic Key Blog from a Planned Parenthood Action Fund email:

My “Friend”, Cecile Richards at Planned Parenthood Action Fund writes to me today (she writes several times a week) -

Friend — There are very few writers who have helped more young people grow up and grapple with their changing bodies and emotions than Judy Blume, the amazing author of Blubber, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and Forever. I count myself among her biggest and most grateful fans — and am so lucky to call her my friend. I’m honored to relay her message about motherhood to you today. — Cecile

And here’s Judy’s message for Mother’s Day:

Dear Friend,

If you are the daughter whose mom had the guts to give you the answers to questions you couldn’t quite figure out how to ask…

If you are the son whose mother raised you to love and respect your sisters and wives and daughters…

If you know a mother who is struggling to raise strong, independent, and confident children in the face of unbelievable odds…

…Say thanks. Say thanks this Mother’s Day with a gift that honors her courage by making a donation to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in her name. I guarantee you that she’ll be pleased. I know I would be.

I’m a mom, and I’m also a writer and an activist. Nothing has made me prouder than seeing my own children — and really, all young people — grow up to be healthy, educated, and in charge of their bodies and their lives. That’s where Planned Parenthood comes in. There is no organization that I know of that supports motherhood and all that it means more than Planned Parenthood. That’s why I’m honoring moms everywhere with my gift to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund today.

It’s not easy to be a mother these days. And right now — with more and more women seeking care from Planned Parenthood health centers — we need to do all we can to support them. By honoring a mother in your life with a gift to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, you’ll be making a gift that protects and advocates for the health of millions of mothers and families. That’s a gift any mother will appreciate.

Sincerely,

Judy Blume
on behalf of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Me, I’m more thankful that my mother’s “courage” got me born in one piece.

This came across my email inbox, and I thought it worth sharing for a chuckle or two.

To Employees:

As the CFO of this business that employees 140 people, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way.

To compensate for these increases, I figure that the Clients will have to see an increase in our fees to them of about 8%. Since we cannot increase our fees right now due to the dismal state of our economy, we will have to lay off six of our employees instead. This has really been eating at me for a while, as we believe we are family here and I didn’t know how to choose who will have to go.

So, this is what I did.

I strolled through our parking lot and found 8 Obama bumper stickers on our employees’ c ars and have decided these folks will be the first to be laid off. I can’t think of a more fair way to approach this problem.

These folks wanted change; I’m giving it to them.

Sincerely,

The Boss

The tomb is empty!

Our Salvation has risen!

Sing praises to Jesus Christ our Savior and King!

Thanks be to God, Alleluia! Alleluia!

 Obama to Turkey:

“I’ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is, although as I mentioned we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values,” said the president.”

Is THIS the change people voted for?

Do you think he delights in telling people that we are not a Christian nation?  I do.

America is a Christian nation.  The best parts of America come from that Christianity (read the Declaration of Independence or Gettysburg address for some examples).  America is indeed at risk of losing her Christian status, but it is not yet gone.  Of course, electing leaders like Obama (who still hasn’t found a Church to attend), moves us down that path.  Do you think he considers himself “post-Christian” since he stopped regularly going to any Church?

More than 90 dead in Italian earthquake | Reuters

A powerful earthquake struck a swathe of central Italy as residents slept on Monday morning, killing more than 90 people and flattening whole towns.

At least 50,000 people have been made homeless, officials said.

Most of the dead were in L’Aquila, a 13th-century mountain city about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome, and surrounding towns and villages in the Abruzzo region.

Please pray for those who have died and who are suffering as a result of the earthquake in Italy.

California Catholic Daily - “For the enjoyment of the student body”

More than 400 students showed up to view a hardcore pornographic film on Thursday night, April 2, at the University of California at Davis. The triple-X rated film was offered under the auspices of the Associated Students Entertainment Council, which is funded by mandatory student fees.

The film’s producer, Digital Playground of Van Nuys, said in a March 31 news release, “Over 2,000 excited students cheered and clapped throughout recent screenings at UCLA, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Southern Connecticut State University.” Digital Playground is making the film available free to university students “with the intention of breaking down the popular notions of what adult movies are capable of,” said the release.

Pornography is wrong on two fronts. First, it is objectively sinful to willingly choose to watch pornography for the point of sexual gratification. All visual images, but particularly those that are emotionally or sexually charged, can come to mind unbidden for years to come. The effect on these students will not be short lived, though it may go unnoticed.

Two, pornography objectifies particularly women. It can objectify men as well, but the primary audience for porn is male. The greater the spread of pornography the more women are reduced to mere objects in the mind and behavior of the porn watcher. This objectification does not only affect how the watcher affects women, it arrests their sexual and emotional development at an essentially adolescent stage. The University does a serious disservice to its students by encouraging this.

The idea that this is somehow that a University does not censor student entertainment is ludicrous. Universities have disallowed previous events for one reason or another. A Nazi propaganda would not be permitted, a snuff film would not, and until now, pornography would not be permitted. Further, this is not simply “permitting” this is put forward by the Associated Students which is a group that students are required to fund.

First the data, then the analysis.  Here is the data:

Catholic Senator Helps Defeat Amendment that Would Ensure Crisis Pregnancy Centers Are Eligible in National Volunteer Bill

Senator John Ensign proposed an amendment to the the National Service bill, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, a bill meant to encourage volunteerism. Senator Ensign was worried the Obama administration would not include Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the Non-Profit Capacity Building Program, an amendment to the bill that would pay legal fees for volunteer organizations.
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The Senate did reject the amendment 56-41. Only nine of twenty-six Catholic Senators supported the amendment.
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The nine Catholic Senators voting to support the Ensign amendment were; Murkowski (R-AK), Martinez (R-FL), Risch (R-ID), Brownback (R-KS), Bunning (R-KY), Vitter (R-LA), Johanns(R-NE), Voinovich (R-OH), and Casey (D-PA). This is the second pro-life vote Senator Casey has cast since being publicly admonished by his local ordinary, Bishop Martino.

The Catholic Senators opposing the Ensign amendment are Senators; Begich (D-AK), Dodd (D-CT), Kaufman (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Harkin (D-IA), Landrieu (D- LA), Collins (R-ME), Mikulski (D-MD), Kerry (D-MA), McCaskill (D-MO), Menendez (D-NJ), Gillibrand (D-NY), Reed (D-RI), Leahy (D-VT), Cantwell (D-WA), Murray (D-WA). Senator Kennedy did not vote.

One Nation Under God - Proudly Bringing Faith Into the Voting Booth

Yesterday, pro-life Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) offered an amendment to the budget bill that would protect the conscience clause for health care workers, which is currently under review and may be rescinded by President Obama.

The Coburn amendment stated, “To protect the freedom of conscience for patients and the right of health care providers to serve patients without violating their moral and religious convictions.”

The amendment was rejected 41-56. Sixteen Catholic Senators failed to recognize the importance of this regulation which would guarantee the rights of conscience for all Americans.
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The nine Catholic Senators voting to support the Coburn amendment were; Murkowski (R-AK), Martinez (R-FL), Risch (R-ID), Brownback (R-KS), Bunning (R-KY), Vitter (R-LA), Johanns(R-NE), Voinovich (R-OH), and Casey (D-PA). This is the third pro-life vote Senator Casey has cast since being publicly admonished by his local ordinary, Bishop Martino.

The Catholic Senators opposing the Coburn amendment are Senators; Begich (D-AK), Dodd (D-CT), Kaufman (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Harkin (D-IA), Landrieu (D- LA), Collins (R-ME), Mikulski (D-MD), Kerry (D-MA), McCaskill (D-MO), Menendez (D-NJ), Gillibrand (D-NY), Reed (D-RI), Leahy (D-VT), Cantwell (D-WA), Murray (D-WA). Senator Kennedy did not vote.

Look at the consistency of those anti-life Catholic Senators in lock step standing against those who stand for life (In case you hadn’t noticed - it was the same group in both cases).

All 25 senators claim to be Catholic, but it is hard to tell by their votes.  Here are three questions that can be answered with the data at hand and a bit of digging into party affiliations. Note, all three tables refer to senators who voted in the above bills.

1. Can someone tell that Catholic teaching is pro-life by how the Catholic senators voted?

No.  Take a look at this table:

Sadly, 64% of Catholic senators voted anti-life and the correlation between being a Catholic Senator and voting pro-life on these bills i -0.08. There is essentially no relationship (0 indicates no relationship, 1 indicates a perfect positive relationship and -1 a perfect negative relationship). You cannot tell that Church teaching is pro-life by how Catholic senators voted here.  Or perhaps better put, one cannot tell that Catholic senators as a group are Catholic by how they voted here.

2. Do Democrats stand for anti-life and Republicans for pro-life?  If so, how strong is the relationship?

Yes and the relationship is extremely strong.

The correlation between being a Democrat senator and voting pro-life on these bills is -0.87. There is a nearly perfect negative relationship between being a Democrat in the Senate and voting pro-life.  If anyone is deluded on the impact of voting for Democrats in the hope that they might support life issues, let these numbers clear up the misconception: 93% of the Republicans vote pro-life, 95% of Democrats voted anti-life.

2. Are Catholic senators in the two parties similar to one another on pro-life voting or do they more closely match their parties?

They closely match their parties - not one another.

Catholic senators voted as their parties did in 92% of the cases.  There was one exception for each party.  Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania started to vote pro-life again after he had previously abandoned the unborn. Bob Claims to be pro-life, but has a 65% anti-life NARAL rating.  Susan Collins a Republican from Maine bucked both faith AND party (this woman is completely confused with a 100% anti-life NARAL rating).

Sadly, one cannot tell if a senator is Catholic based on their pro-life voting record.  However, one can predict with tremendous accuracy that a Republican will be pro-life (93%) and conversly that a pro-life senator will be Republican (93%).

What can we conclude?  Can we say that Catholic Democratic senators Democrats in spite of their faith?  Being a Democrat overwhelmingly points to an anti-life position, and an anti-life position is counter to the Catholic faith. Therefore, Catholic Democratic senators remain Democrats in spite of their faith.  What is more, nearly all actively vote with the elements that are counter to that faith.  These Catholic Democrat leaders have in fact been lead down the primrose path, and those that follow them and support them are journey together with them.

It is not too late for them, or for you if you supported them.  The time is beyond ripe for faithful Catholics who remain in or voted for the Democrats to leave the party that abandoned them.  I left the Democratic party because I could no longer be complicit in the willful destruction of innocent life that the Democratic party.  I hope that fellow Catholics who choose life over death do the same.

Gene-engineered viruses build a better battery | Technology | Reuters

Researchers who have trained a tiny virus to do their bidding said on Thursday they made it build a more efficient and powerful lithium battery.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that this new kind of technology does not bode well for the future.  There are at least two HUGE issues.

First, if they can get the viruses to build batteries, what else have they trained engineered them to do? Hmmm?  Can anyone say weaponized?  And if not yet, I am sure the gray matter behind the black ops thought about it faster than I did.If it

Second, anyone ever hear of the law of unintended consequences?  Didn’t these guys watch the monster movies I saw when we were growing up?  Scientist develops new technology, creature, or what have you only to learn that we can’t control these creations (or worse yet, evil minds turn them against us)?  Did anyone else catch that?

Experts Agree Giant, Razor-Clawed Bioengineered Crabs Pose No Threat

Patrick Madrid has posted this a couple of times. Check it out. Then answer the ultimate question, what does it mean?

Catholic Culture : News Briefs : Pope to G20 leaders: Don’t abandon the poor

In a letter to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Pope Benedict urged the leaders of the world’s 20 wealthiest nations not to turn their backs on the world’s poorest nations.

The Pontiff noted that the G20 accounts for “90% of the world’s gross production and 80% of world trade.” Calling for solutions to the crisis in which the poorest nations have a voice, and exhorting wealthy nations not to adopt nationalistic or protectionist policie, the Pope wrote:

The current crisis has raised the spectre of the cancellation or drastic reduction of external assistance programmes, especially for Africa and for less developed countries elsewhere. Development aid, including the commercial and financial conditions favourable to less developed countries and the cancellation of the external debt of the poorest and most indebted countries, has not been the cause of the crisis and, out of fundamental justice, must not be its victim

When the economic crisis hit late 2008 the US and other industrialized companies leapt with an eagerness and ferocity to tackle the problem that the world has seldom if ever witnessed previously.  This enthusiasm for tackling difficult problems was noticeably lacking in 2007 when the G7, G8, G20, G8 (it was still G8 then) met.  The hot issue (hot enough to get Bono excited) was debt relief for Africa.  The economic world leaders made tepid promises (nothing like what was really needed), and then reneged on the inadequate offers they made.

When our own wealth is at stake, justice be damned - we pull out all the stops.  Never mind the everyday man (much less the poor of the third world), we have to save these massive banks and international conglomerates.  Hmm, AIG - save ‘em, Africa - blank ‘em.

When crises like these hit, it always hurts the poor disproportionately.  Take the following examples:
Let’s say that a billionaire looses half his wealth.  This is not good, but I would lay down dollars to donughts that he will survive, and in style. 

Let’s say someone less wealthy but not bad off, say someone making $150K with $100K in home equity looses the home equity AND takes a 33% salary shave.  Yikes!  Not so good.  He may lose the house, but in the end he will probably make it through OK.

Now imagine the poor fellow making $40K with no savings and debt - and he loses his job and can’t pay the rent. This is bad.  I’m not sure that there is much concern about “style” here the focus will be on surviving.

Now imagine the poor of the third world.  They don’t have it as good as the third example.  Put that in your economic think tank and consider it.  And here is your wake up call, folks: the poor of the world are of equal dignity to you and me.  The third world child who will die tomorrow is as valuable as you are and as I am.

So while we run around trying to save ourselves, perhaps we should heed what Pope B16 has to say. It is time we run just as fast to help the poor as you do the rich. Even, or rather, ESPECIALLY if you are the rich. Period.