Opinion: The Undeniable History of the Democratic Party

The modern Democratic Party seems unable and unwilling, to separate itself from the evil history of it's past. An evil past which it continues to this day.

The Democratic Party, was responsible for the forced removal of the Cherokee and other Southeastern Native American Nations, to Oklahoma.

The Democratic Party was responsible for seceding from the Union of the United States, and starting the Civil War for the sole reason of slavery.

The Democratic Party was responsible for the creation of the Ku Klux Klan, and all the repression and murder it brought upon black citizens, Catholics, Jews, and all whom it considered "less than human".

The Democratic Party was responsible for the Jim Crow laws throughout the South, that denied people of color equal rights, and equal access.

The Democratic Party was responsible for the evil of abortion and all of the inherent horrors that it brings to the most innocent and vulnerable among us.

The Democratic Party, was responsible for the acceptance of the evil called "assisted suicide", and pushes for the acceptance of this atrocity nation wide.

The Democratic Party has now passed a bill into law in New York, that allows for the murder of babies up until the moment of birth, and state legislatures including Vermont, Virginia, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and more are also calling for such legislation, under the guise of “women's healthcare”.

The Democratic Party has the undeniable history of promoting hate, discrimination, death, and destruction throughout it's entire existence.

Tell me how the Democratic party "cares" about people again. Their historical actions in the past proves that “care” is all a complete and total lie.

Prayer to End Abortion

Note: This prayer was written by Father Frank Pavone, National Director Priests for Life.

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,

And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,

Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son.

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

Today I commit myself

Never to be silent,

Never to be passive,

Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,

And never to stop defending life

Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

And our nation once again becomes

A nation with liberty and justice

Not just for some, but for all,

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I'm Tired

I'm tired.

Tired of all the hate. Tired of all the encouragement of division from the media, the President, and the race baiters.

I am tired of special treatment of some, and a lack of mercy for others.
I am tired of being labeled a racist and a hater for the sole reason of being a white, southern male, and Catholic Christian.

I am tired of spoiled  politicians and "celebrities" whose only concern is for themselves and their careers.

I am tired of those who belittle  us for our faith, our love for country, and our moral integrity.

I am tired of those who want to tell us about their worries and concerns, but demand we keep quiet about ours.

I am mostly tired of those who do not value life from the cradle to the grave, and are so willing and able to take it.

I am tired that we all ask why, yet we fail to turn to God for the answers and the direction we need.

Aren't you tired, too?

Syrian Female Refugees on Sale on Facebook

The following excerpts are from AINA.org:

• A few thousand euros are enough to buy Syrian women, including minors, who have fled their war-torn country and are living in refugee camps, Arab human rights groups have denounced.
• The groups are sounding the alarm on the plight of women who are on sale as "Syrians up for marriage" on Facebook.
• This phenomenon is not new. Last year, reports alleged that Syrian women living in refugee camps in Jordan, Turkey and Iraq had been sold to men from Arab countries, in particular from the Gulf area. Rights groups also denounced cases of violence and sexual harassment in which victims were as young as 12 and 13 years of age.
• The Facebook page publicizing Syrian refugees who could be bought as wives was closed on Thursday after hundreds of activists and human rights' lawyers protested. But it had thousands of followers between May 17-21 including prospective clients interested in the women who were portrayed with little on. Some posts showed the picture of women "looking for a husband" with a brief profile on their chastity and their ability in domestic work.
• But to get a better insight into the "goods" on sale, men had to send an email to start negotiations. According to Arab NGO Kafa, which has repeatedly denounced the phenomenon, clients mostly hail from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and Bahrain.
• Among the announcements was one publicizing "refugee girls of all ages and religious confessions" to satisfy all applications from Sunnis, Shiites and Christians in a climate of growing religious polarization.

Read more by clicking below:
Syrian Female Refugees on Sale on Facebook

From The Dignitatis Humanae Institute: The abandoned Christians of Wenzhou: the Chinese Government steps up the intimidation

Note:The following is a press release from The Dignitatis Humanae Institute

Rome, 28 April 2014

Thousands of Chinese Christians have united in the city of Wenzhou to form a 24-hour human shield around the Sanjiang Christian Church, amidst threats from the Communist authorities to demolish the building. The three-story Church is one of ten places of worship to have been listed for demolition in the Zhejiang province, considered China's most Christian region. This is the second time in two weeks the Christians of Zhejiang have flocked to protect their Church from the machinations of the local Communist party.

Though attempts to close down Christian Churches are nothing new in China, the Sanjiang Church stands as an officially-sanctioned place of worship by the Communist government, and is, in theory, entitled to the legal protection of Article 36 of the Chinese constitution:

"Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. The state protects normal religious activities."

In spite of a mounting campaign of intimidation and suppression, China's thriving Christian community is growing at an exuberant rate, with research from the University of Purdue foreseeing an estimated 247 million Christians living in China by 2030. Under the rule of Mao Zedong, China was declared an atheist state, and a campaign of violence was waged against the mere one million Christians that then lived in China. When the Cultural Revolution was brought to an end in 1976, a degree of tolerance began to take form. Nevertheless, heavy restrictions remain on Christian worship. Only the state-approved, state-monitored, state-restricted 'Three Self Patriotic Movement' is considered a legal form of Christianity, with non-conformist congregations and underground 'house Churches' subjected to brutal recriminations.

Speaking in support of the Christians defending Sanjiang Church, Luca Volontè, Chairman of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute said:

"All the lessons of history demonstrate to China the futility of forcing Christians to choose between faith and country. The Christian awakening of millions of Chinese citizens is not a form of political process but rather the peaceful desire to learn and to worship Our Lord. After bold statements from Western leaders - including David Cameron and Angela Merkel - on the duty to defend Christians from persecution, the international community cannot abandon the Christians of Whenzou to this very public campaign of coercion and suppression."

The Dignitatis Humanae Instituteaims to uphold human dignity based on the anthropological truth that man is born in the image and likeness of God and therefore has an innate human dignity of infinite worth to be upheld. The Institute promotes this understanding by supporting Christians in public life, assisting them to present effective and coherent responses to increasing efforts to silence the Christian voice in the public square.

North Carolina Governor Threatens to Veto Pro-Life Bill, GOP Responds | LifeNews.com

The following excerpts are from LifeNews.com:

• North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said today he will veto a bill that would hold abortion facilities to stricter limits if the state legislature approves it and sends it to his desk.
• Abortion backers oppose the bill because they say other abortion clinics may not be able to comply and could be forced to close down. Planned Parenthood said its four centers may be forced to close. The bill passed the Senate, 27-14.
• The Family, Faith and Freedom Protection Act would place limits on the funding of abortions by any health plan that received public money, would require clinics to meet more stringent physical standards, would require doctors performing abortions to be physically present during the entire procedure, would ban the possibility of sex-selective abortion and fine abortion practitioners for doing such abortions. It would also allow any health care provider to not participate in abortion-related procedures.
• McCrory’s office said the Republican governor would block the measure from taking effect “unless changes and clarifications are made addressing our concerns.”

Read more by clicking below:
North Carolina Governor Threatens to Veto Pro-Life Bill, GOP Responds | LifeNews.com

Federal judge blocks implementation of new Wisconsin abortion law : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

• A federal judge has blocked implementation of a new Wisconsin law that requires abortionists to have admitting privileges at a hospital.
• Judge William Conley granted a 10-day stay on the new law, allowing time for abortion supporters to challenge the hospital-admitting requirement. The judge’s decision did not block a separate provision of the law that requires an ultrasound examination prior to abortions.

Read more by clicking below:

Federal judge blocks implementation of new Wisconsin abortion law : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

Pope Francis Expresses Profound Grief For Attack In Boston

Vatican City, 16 April 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis, through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., has sent a telegram to Cardinal Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap, archbishop of Boston, Massachusetts, USA in response to the attack that took place yesterday afternoon in that city during its annual marathon causing three deaths and leaving over 100 wounded.

“Deeply grieved by news of the loss of life and grave injuries caused by the act of violence perpetrated last evening in Boston, His Holiness Pope Francis wishes me to assure you of his sympathy and closeness in prayer. In the aftermath of this senseless tragedy, His Holiness invokes God’s peace upon the dead, his consolation upon the suffering, and his strength upon all those engaged in the continuing work of relief and response. At this time of mourning the Holy Father prays that all Bostonians will be united in a resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21), working together to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations yet to come.”

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Too Smart For The Church?

There are many traps, dangers, and pitfalls that we as Christians must face in our daily lives. Events happen to us that are often out of our control. Sickness, accidents, natural catastrophes, even financial difficulties or hardship are often beyond our control, or not due to a self-inflicted cause. Yet, there is one trap that we must be on guard for, and that we must not allow ourselves to fall into our spiritual growth. That trap is, when we begin to think that we have all the answers regarding our faith, and that there is nothing more that we can learn.

We have all seen those individuals or groups of individuals, who think that there is nothing more for them to learn about our faith, that they have grown spiritually as far as it is humanly possible for them to grow. These self-assured people think nothing more can be acquired by them from the study of Holy Scripture, the writings of the Saints, nor from the instruction and guidance of the Church. We have even seen some proclaim themselves the only “true Christians”, the only “true Catholics”. They have fooled themselves into thinking that they have all the answers, that they have all the truth, and that anything other than what they know, what they believe is inherently wrong or ill conceived. As a very holy priest I know says, “some think themselves more Catholic than the Church”.

We should remember, that there is always something new for us to learn. It is not from our own understanding, our own intelligence that we learn, but, what we learn is what is revealed to us through Holy Scripture, the writings of the Saints, and from the Church by the actions and teaching of the Holy Spirit. No one man or woman has had all revealed to him or her by the Holy Spirit, but, each has had some revealed unto them by the Holy Spirit.

Now we all know that the fullness of revelation is in Christ,and He has revealed all. Yet there are aspects of the Faith, and of God that we do not fully understand or comprehend, because as a creation of God we are limited as to our ability to comprehend and understand God. For God is infinite, He cannot be contained or limited by space or time, we on the other hand, are finite, confined by both space and time. In Romans 11:33-35 we are told, “O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him?”

Further, there are aspects of God and the Faith He has given us, that have been revealed to us, but, because of our limits, we do not fully grasp those aspects. These are what we call the Mysteries of Faith. In “The Pocket Catholic Dictionary” by Father John A. Hardon, S.J., we are given this explanation for mystery, “a divinely revealed truth whose very possibility cannot be rationally conceived before it is revealed and, after revelation, whose inner essence cannot be fully understood by the finite mind. The incomprehensibility of revealed mysteries derives from the fact that they are manifestations of God, who is infinite and therefore beyond the complete grasp of a created intellect. Nevertheless, though incomprehensible, mysteries are intelligible. One of the primary duties of a believer is, through prayer, study, and experience, to grow in faith, i.e., to develop an understanding of what God has revealed”.

That last sentence within that definition is by far the most important instruction to all believers “the primary duties of a believer is, through prayer, study, and experience, to grow in faith,” and to “develop an understanding of what God has revealed”. We should therefore always strive to learn and grow in our faith and belief, and we should always remember that when we pray, when we study, and when we experience growth in our faith, it is because God, through the Holy Spirit has been our teacher, our instructor.

If we fall into the snare set for us by the enemy, into the wrong thinking that we can grow no more, that we have learned all there is to know of God, then we endanger ourselves, we endanger our faith, and we endanger those around us and their faith as well. Many is the man or woman who have followed the teachings of one who gives the appearance and assurance of having found all the truth and been led astray into the errors of heresy, apostasy, and schism. When we think there is nothing more to be revealed to us, through scripture, the Saints, or through the Church, then we are in effect saying that God through the Holy Spirit cannot teach us or guide us, as we need no teaching or guidance from Him who has all Knowledge.

Now we all know that when Saint Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus, that he was a Pharisee, and that he himself had been trained in the Law of Moses. He had been a great persecutor of Christians, and was converted by Christ Himself on the road to Damascus. Yet, Paul who was an intelligent and well educated man, had to be instructed on the “Way” by Peter. Of Paul's instruction after his conversion we read in Galatians 1:17-18, “Neither went I to Jerusalem, to the apostles who were before me: but I went into Arabia, and again I returned to Damascus. Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem, to see Peter, and I tarried with him fifteen days.”

We know that when Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin, and when they gave testimony to the Sanhedrin regarding Christ, we realize that they were taught and led by the Holy Spirit, as Acts 4:13 says, “Now seeing the constancy of Peter and of John, understanding that they were illiterate and ignorant men, they wondered; and they knew them that they had been with Jesus”.

Do not allow yourself to be led astray into thinking that you know all there is to know of God and His Son. We are all always learning. Something may be revealed to you, that I have not yet understood. As well, something may be revealed to me, that you have not yet understood. There are things that have been revealed to the Church, and things yet to be revealed to the Church by the Holy Spirit for the knowledge and understanding of all. We dare not think, we dare not believe that we have reached the pinnacle of spiritual maturity, for there is still much growing we must all do. The Holy Spirit is not stagnant, the Holy Spirit is always moving, always teaching, always enlightening.

The seed of faith is planted in our hearts. Do we water and feed that seed, or do we let it wither and die? Do we let it grow a little, and then turn all attention from it, allowing it to grow for awhile, then wither before it can bear fruit? Do we allow it to grow, then let our pride fill us up with our falsely perceived “perfect knowledge”, and kill that faith after only a little fruit was born from it? Would you who are parents want your child to be raised with no instruction, no correction, no guidance, no discipline? No? Then why do you think God would want His children to do so?

Some who are parents of teenagers get exasperated, when those teenagers try to grow up too fast, and begin to think they know more about what is best for them than their parents do. What I like to call the “13 going on 30 Syndrome”. That is the same thing that happens to us, when we begin to think that we know more about faith and God than the Church, or anyone can teach us. We know what is better for us than they do. Well, we don't. The bottom line is, no matter where you, I, or anyone else is on our path of Faith, we are still immature children that should always seek, always search for, that truth, that maturity, that is God.

Copyright © 2006 - 2013 Steve Smith. All rights reserved.

Some quotations below to reflect on:

"The Word of God is in your heart. The Word digs in this soil so that the spring may gush out."--Origen

"You are reading? No. Your betrothed is talking to you. It is your betrothed, that is, Christ, who is united with you. He tears you away from the solitude of the desert and brings you into his home, saying to you, "Enter into the joy of your Master."--Saint Jerome

"If one carefully reads the Scriptures, he will find there the word on the subject of Christ -- de Christo sermonem -- and the prefiguration of the new calling. He is indeed the hidden treasure in the field -- the field in fact is the world -- but in truth, the hidden treasure in the Scriptures is Christ. Because he is designed by types and words that humanly are not possible to understand before the accomplishment of all things, that is, Christ's parousia (coming)." -- Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

“You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.” -- Saint Augustine of Hippo

“The Scriptures are in fact, in any passage you care to choose, singing of Christ, provided we have ears that are capable of picking out the tune. The Lord opened the minds of the Apostles so that they understood the Scriptures. That he will open our minds too is our prayer.” --Saint Augustine of Hippo

"Anyone who wants to be always united to God must pray often and read the Bible often. For in prayer it is we who are speaking to God, but in the readings it is God speaking to us.”--Saint Isidore of Seville

"Let us study while we are on earth that Reality which will stay in our minds also when we are in heaven".--Saint Jerome

From The Dignitatis Humanae Institute: UK: "Creeping Towards Liberticide"

Note: The following is a press release from The Dignitatis Humanae Institute

Rome, 20 January 2013

Step by step, with each successive loss at whichever court of appeal, the freedom of Christians to act in accordance with their faith and their conscience is being steadily but systematically eradicated within the United Kingdom.  The latest demonstration of this destruction can be seen in the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in four separate cases of British Christians; each sanctioned differently by their employer in a way which would have been unacceptable had they been a follower of any other religion.

The cases of Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin concerned the freedom to wear a crucifix in the workplace. In one pyrrhic victory, the Court deemed that British Airways did indeed infringe Mrs Ewieda's rights.  Conversely and contradictory, Mrs Chaplin's choice to wear a crucifix at work was denied on health and safety grounds, despite evidence given that exceptions had been made for employees of other faiths, and no risk to safety could be proven.

Freedom of conscience was dealt two blows in the cases of Lillian Ladele and Gary McFarlane.  Mrs Ladele, a civil registrar for ten years, saw the conditions of her work change dramatically when homosexual civil partnerships were made legal in 2004. Islington Borough Council sought to make an example of her, and subsequently dismissed her from work.  Similarly, Mr McFarlane had gone to his superiors to express his doubt (not refusal) of his own ability to provide therapy for same-sex couples.  Rather than seeking to accommodate Mr McFarlane, his employers dismissed him for gross misconduct.

In both these cases, the practice of reasonable accommodation was entirely possible.  Accommodations within the workplace are commonplace for a wide-ranging variety of reasons and indeed other councils and employers have shown the broad-minded maturity to do so.  Despite this, the Court ruled that dismissal was a 'proportionate' measure for failing to adhere to what it called, ironically, equality and diversity policies.

In response to the court rulings, Founder of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, Benjamin Harnwell, spoke of the far-reaching consequences:

"The cases of Mrs Chaplin, Mrs Ladele and Mr McFarlane exacerbate what is already becoming common practice throughout Britain, an enforced curtailment of the liberty of Christians to act according to their own religious conscience in the workplace.  This slow creep towards 'liberticide' has risen to the point where people of specifically Christian faith are not merely treated with hostility but now met with instant dismissal.

"There is now a disturbing paradox being exercised in Britain; that in the name of plurality and tolerance, the previous custom of accommodation is being replaced with a legal requirement to adhere to a monopolistic secular conformity.  The precedents set here will surely open the doors to further attacks against the Christian conscience within the workplace, namely the freedom of pro-life medical practitioners to refuse to perform abortions.  We must now hope and pray that if these cases are taken to appeal before the Grand Chamber, those entrusted with the responsibility to defend religious freedom, enshrined by Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, will not make a further mockery of the human dignity that God has entrusted them to protect."    

The Dignitatis Humanae Institute aims to uphold human dignity based on the anthropological truth that man is born in the image and likeness of God and therefore has an innate human dignity of infinite worth to be upheld. The Institute promotes this understanding by supporting Christians in public life, assisting them to present effective and coherent responses to increasing efforts to silence the Christian voice in the public square.

Disappointed In Some Catholics

Catholics Looking Down Their Noses At Catholics In Poor Countries

As some of you may or may not know, I am on Facebook, and have a page on Facebook (423 "Likes" currently) called "Faith of the Fathers" (surprise) that relates to these blogs and shares the blog posts there. I also have joined some other Catholic groups including one called "Catholic Church".

It is a good group, and shares lots of information, and it posts photographs of different Catholic parishes from around the world. Late last night, a photo of a parish in Malaysia was posted. That is the photo of the parish at the top of this post.

I was appalled at the number of so-called "good Catholics" who went out of their way to belittle and malign this parish, and maybe (I will give a slight benefit of the doubt) without realizing it, also belittled the people and even questioned their faith in so doing.

Here are just a few of the samplings of what was said. I removed the commenters names as a matter of courtesy :

*This looks like Baptist Church.

*what in the world is this? Masonic temple?

*What a horrible Modernistic "church". It could be used for generic Protestants without a hipccus...

*My comments always get deleted when I tell it like it is. Buildings like these are so disrespectful towards our Lord in the Eucharist.

*A perfect example of the tragedy in architecture in churches since Vatican 2. Just awful.

And the worst one, IMHO:

*Wait a minute - This is a Catholic Church?!? It looks significantly more Protestant to me. Where are the pews - where is the Tabernacle? Why are the seats for the priest and altar servers behind the altar where the Tabernacle should be? Seriously. Abomination of desolation. This is an ugly warehouse with a painting of Jesus in it.

Some of the people from Malaysia felt the need to defend their parish because of what was said. Here are some of their replies:

*That kinda hurts (name removed), since its from my state. Mind you its a muslim majority country, and according to the national gross, its one of the poorest states in the country (Malaysia). This ugly warehouse is where hundreds of devoted Christians pray.

Learn to accept the fact of life that not everyone can afford million dollar building with gold carvings on the ceiling.

*To all, please understand that Malaysia government has double standard law of treating non-moslem followers, they say about liberation but no-liberation of embracing religion, it is still better in my country, Indonesia in case of embracing a religion, but still we have problem to some kind jihadis extremists since our government is soft to them.

*To all my brothers and sisters in Christ I lived in Ranau for 10 years. Their faith are stronger than those, some so call westerners. This place is in the interior and most of the people their were converted to Islam. Yes, this is a catholic church.

*The physical things/appearance of a church do not define what's within... you have beautiful church buildings does not mean your faith is stronger right? Some churches in Interior Sabah (one of the poorest state in M'sia, mind you) may look like a "warehouse"... BUT the most important thing is that our Catholic community grows stronger each year!

*I feel sad for the people of his own Christianity condemned the Catholic church ... for your knowledge ... In Malaysia we do not have a lot of provisions for construction of the church ... they build the church through donations and contribution from the Catholic Christian community only .. they just doing what affordable only .. even though the church is not as beautiful as any other church in the world ... but God will always hear the prayer of his people ...

That's right. Defend it from other Catholics! Catholics primarily from the United States and Canada, who in the safety and security of their country felt it absolutely necessary to disparage a Catholic parish in a country that is predominantly Islamic, and where Christians constitute less than 10% of the population.

Apparently the Malaysian state of Sabah is a poor state where farmers make up the majority of the population there. For a church to be built there donations must be collected from the local Christian population.

What is wrong with you people? Does it make you feel superior in your Catholicity to go out of your way to attempt to make people from a poor country feel that they are not as Catholic as you? Did you sleep better last night, feeling that you told them just exactly what God thinks of them and their parish?

Get off your high horse, and try to at least appear you have a little understanding, a little bit of charity deep down in your heart.

Those people have worked, and worked hard to build a parish where they could worship Our Lord together in unity. They built the very best that they could afford to build in order to worship and honor God. Being in a predominantly Islamic country, they may have to remove the tabernacle and the crucifix to protect them from profanation as is sometimes necessary in other Islamic dominated countries where the Christians are a significant minority.

Try to get yourselves a little educated on the plight of the Church in other countries. Learn what is happening to Christians and their churches in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Read the Asia News here.

Try not buying that pastry or extra coffee for a month and donate that money to some of your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world so that they can build the parishes they so desperately want and need.

Try to help and not be so critical, and go back and try to learn once more what it is to have charity.

And one more thing. This church is beautiful, as is any church where the faithful find Christ Jesus.