Mr. President, Leave Our Church Alone!

From the time of his first campaign for President of the United States in 2008, it should have been glaringly apparent of Barack Obama's disdain for religion, and religious people. In April of 2008 he said, "and it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

No, Mr. Obama. We do not cling to our religion because we are bitter or frustrated. We cling to our religion because it gives us hope. It gives us inspiration. It gives us strength that we can not find anywhere else or from any other source. We believe in and trust Our Savior, Jesus Christ, because He gives us what no man, no government, no earthly king or leader could ever hope to give us. No one or any one thing can ever, or could ever take the place of Our King and His Church.

We can quote from the Declaration of Independence, the truth which is “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Yet Mr. Obama, on at least two different occasions, you could not bring yourself to say “endowed by their Creator”, which was another glaring example of your disdain for religion. We, who “cling to our religion”, know that our lives, our liberty, and our rights all come from the Creator of all that is seen, and all that is unseen. You may find it hard to believe, but we know that these come from Him, and have never come from any earthly government, king, or leader.

Yet, we have seen many, many examples of earthly governments, kings, and leaders do all within their power to try to eliminate and destroy those God given rights and freedoms, which were never theirs to bestow or to deny.

When those governments and those leaders denied those God given rights to the people, they didn't merely deny those rights to the people, they were also denying God.

When you ask... when you demand... that the Catholic Church, and Catholic institutions around this country, deny their conscience, deny their beliefs, deny their morality, and discard over 2,000 years of teaching, then you are asking us... you are demanding that we deny our God and His Church.

That is something that we can not do, and that we will not do... not today... not tomorrow... not ever. We will not deny Jesus Christ, and His Church for you or for anyone. But rest assured Mr. Obama, that come this November, I... and many more like me... fully intend to deny you at the ballot box.

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan Speaks Out Against HHS Mandate (Video Link)

Let me try this again. When I posted this earlier, the video could not be show on my blog. Even though the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) website gave a code to embed the video, and even offered to direct post the video to blogger. So, I apologize to those of you who came here expecting to find the video.
So, here is the link to the video on the USCCB website, where you can go watch it:

 http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

Again, my apologies to you all!

My Computer Is Wheezing (Sidebar Poll)

OK...not really wheezing. 

It is beginning to give indications...strong indications...that it is on it's last legs. So to speak. It is beyond slow and uninstalling and re-installing the OS is not making any difference. It is maxed out on installed RAM ( a whopping 2 GB), and I have removed every unnecessary software and background programs that I can.

I can not complain, as this old Compaq has served me well over the last 7 plus years I have had it.

So, I would appreciate your participation in the poll on the upper right sidebar, by choosing which brand you would buy.

I didn't choose a Mac, because frankly, I can't afford it. I did include Compaq in the poll, simply because this one has been so reliable.

If you choose "other" or want to explain your choice, you can send me an email here. Please put "Computer Poll" as the subject.

Thanks!

This Is The Santorum I Know

The following is an excellent post from "Creative Minority Report". Click the link below to read it:

This Is The Santorum I Know

The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Santorum Understands Something the Other Republicans Don't

Just read the excerpt from The American Spectator article on Rick Santorum to see one of the many reasons I support Rick Santorum for President of the United States:

• More or less alone among the Republican candidates, Santorum has consistently highlighted the ways in which government policies make it harder for families to navigate the economy. Most of the others have focused solely on the ways that, for instance, the tax code makes it harder for corporations to find success and remain internationally competitive. Taxes, regulations, and other policies, though, don't just shape the business climate. They also affect households in countless ways.

Click on the link below to read the whole article at The American Spectator:

The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Santorum Understands Something the Other Republicans Don't

Defiance: Catholic World Report

The Catholic governor of Maryland joins the gay-marriage juggernaut.

The following is an excerpt from an editorial on "Catholic World Report":

• One would think this state of affairs might shock bishops into a reassertion of their authority under canon law. But for the most part it doesn’t. Cardinal Raymond Burke’s position remains a lonely one. The head of the Vatican’s Supreme Court has said repeatedly that bishops have not only the right but the duty to withhold Communion from defiant Catholic public figures for the good of souls, the prevention of scandal, and the protection of the sacraments. To the familiar argument from bishops that withholding Communion is contrary to proper pastoral practice, Cardinal Burke says, “What would be profoundly more sorrowful would be the failure of a bishop to call a soul to conversion, the failure to protect the flock from scandal, and the failure to safeguard the worthy reception of Communion.” 

Click the link below to read the entire editorial article, which we wholeheartedly agree with:

Defiance: Catholic World Report

ZENIT - Anti-Christian Censorship and New Media

Read this report from ZENIT regarding censorship of Christian content from Apple, Google, Facebook and others. The study was done by the organization National Religious Broadcasters. Read the article from ZENIT by clicking the link at the bottom of this post, or by clicking the post title. 

If you want to read the entire report on the study "True Liberty In A New Media Age" from the National Religious Broadcasters you can click here to read it in pdf format. Please note that the report is 47 pages.

ZENIT - Anti-Christian Censorship and New Media

Comfort In Christ or Comfort In Self?

Note:The following was first posted in August 2005 on our blog "Church Under Attack".

There is a most disturbing trend today, and that trend is going unnoticed and unchallenged by a great number of people, especially, in the Christian Community at large. It is something that has began slowly, and continues to grow at an alarming rate, and within every community in the United States, Canada, and around the world in general. That trend is called “Political Correctness”(PC), and people have been beguiled into being “PC” at the expense of their own self-respect, and even more disturbing to the point of denying their faith, and even being ashamed of their faith.

An even more alarming trend, is that “PC” has governments from the local, to the state, provincial, and national levels passing laws with the intent of inhibiting, and in most cases prohibiting Christian morals and Law being expressed from the pulpit. If a Catholic priest or Protestant minister gives a sermon in which homosexuality as seen in God's Law is the subject, they can be charged in many places with inciting “hate crimes”(as if perpetrators of hate crimes need inciting), and face fines and/or jail time. If a Christian opposes heterosexual couples living together outside the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony they are seen as repressive, puritanical, and “old fashioned”. Christians opposing abortion are seen as being “invasive of privacy”. Does Freedom of Religion no longer apply in Christian teaching on morality? Does only freedom from religion apply? Sadly, the answer to both questions is... yes.

This trend raises several questions. Why have people, particularly Christian, people remained so deafeningly silent with the passage of these laws? Why are we allowing ourselves to be so blinded by “PC” that we will not see that we are being told to deny GOD in a very open and yet subtle way? Why do we remain silent on these issues? Why do we want to seem “nice”, “progressive”, or “open minded” when these are code terms for denial of God? Why do we use the feeble excuse, that it “doesn't matter because it doesn't affect me”?

When Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, the great Bishop of Smyrna, was martyred, he was asked to deny Christ by the proconsul, and he refused. When threatened with the “wild beasts” by the proconsul his reply was, “Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous”. In essence, Polycarp proclaimed himself Christian, and refused to exchange God and Eternal Life for what was absolutely evil and unholy. Where is this Spirit of Faith today? Does it exist? I am afraid it exists in too far small numbers anymore, especially with todays “PC” mentality. It is apparent, that today there would be a very, very few who would and could stand like Saint Polycarp did, like Saint Ignatius of Antioch did, like the Apostles did, and not “repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil”.

We have become unwilling, even afraid to call sin just what it is...SIN! We don't do this for the other person, no not at all. We do it for self! Because self has become more important to us than God! We want people to think of us as “nice”, as “kind” and we think only of how we appear to people, when we should be more concerned about how we appear to God! Whenever we say that what God calls sin, is not sin, but, that it is alright, it's OK, then we are denying God and God's Law! When we say what someone else does has no affect on us, we just lied to ourselves, because by saying evil is just, we have called God unjust, and that most assuredly does affect us!

Granted, we are not called to judge, we are not to condemn, because “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”. Yet, we ARE called to correct and by not correcting we fail to properly instruct those who falter. We as Christians should place our trust in God who will uphold His Law and those who follow His Law through Christ Jesus and not deny Him by any word from man or man's law.

Luke 17:1-3 He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

1 Peter 4:14-16 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour.

Copyright © 2005-2011 Steve Smith. All rights reserved.

Why I Won't Watch (or Listen To) The 9-11 Memorial Service

With this being the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9-11, one would hope that it would be a somber, reverent occasion. Somber it may be, but hardly any reverence is to be expected. 

This ten year "memorial service" has had reverence thrown out the front door, when Mayor Bloomberg decided to exclude the clergy. Not only that, the New York Police Department and Fire Departments have also been excluded as well. As far as I know, the Port Authority Police won't be there either.

As it has been so aptly pointed out numerous times by people more well known than myself, the police and fire departments weren't exactly invited the day of the attacks, but they showed up....did their jobs...and many lost their lives as a result.

It has also been pointed out, that Mayor Bloomberg's predecessor Rudy Giuliani made it a point to call Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York. Cardinal Edward Egan went immediately where for the next several days he would be anointing the dead, distributing rosaries to workers as they searched for survivors, and presiding over funerals. 

As a Christian, I can not fathom a memorial service with no clergy. I can fathom no memorial service where the police, firemen, and other first responders are excluded from giving honor and remembrance to their fallen comrades.

Do the politicians really and truly believe that they can take the place of excluded clergy? Do they think that they can take the place of the NYPD and NYFD to offer proper remembrance and honor to all the fallen first responders? Do the politicians think that they can comfort those who lost parents, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters?

I sure don't have as much faith in politicians as polticians seem to have faith in themselves. I expect this memorial service to turn into a political fiasco. I have a feeling, that this is going to turn into one big political campaign rally, with ample reminders from the media and the politicans present, that President Obama was the one who "got" Osama bin Laden, the "mastermind" behind the attacks.

Nope. If the NYPD, NYFD, first responders and the clergy are excluded, this is one American who won't be watching the politicians puff out their chests and make their grand proclamations. I have had enough of their grandstanding as it is. Don't need any more.

Proof "Pro-Choicers" Use Nazi Ideology / Documentary Anti-Abortion Pro-L...

This short video reinforces what I have always thought regarding the evils of abortion and euthanasia. Both are from the ideologies and practices of Nazi Germany and have no place in any civilized society.

Little Catholic Bubble: Why is the Left Ignoring Church Burnings and 'Near...

Below is a very good guest post on the blog "Little Catholic Bubble" by Lisa Graas. It's a very good post well worth the read as it asks why the Left and the mainstream media is so deafeningly silent on the plight of Christians in the Muslim dominated countries.

I follow both blogs, so be sure to read them and be especially sure to read the post by Lisa as indicated below.

Little Catholic Bubble: Why is the Left Ignoring Church Burnings and 'Near...: "Many of you are familiar with Lisa Graas and her work, both from her comments here and from my blog roll. She is an amazing lady, and the s..."

Poll: Should There Be Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood?

Poll: Should There Be Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood?

There is a story on the CBS News (New York) about Senator Frank Lautenberg leading a rally supporting federal funding of Planned Parenthood. On that news story page, there is a poll you can vote on to express your support or opposition to the fedral government funding Planned Parenthood.

I am happy to report that I voted "No" to the federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

Go to that story now, and vote No to the funding of Planned Parenthood.

Christian couple lose foster ruling over views on homosexuality - Telegraph

Christian couple lose foster ruling over views on homosexuality - Telegraph

Judges suggest that this Unied Kingdom couple's views on sexual ethics might harm children. They were told by the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission that their moral views might "infect" a child.

Apparently it is deemed just fine to "infect" a child with the immoral view that homosexuality is acceptable. Upholding Christian beliefs in the so-called "justices" view however is what is immoral.

It is the court system itself that is immoral in this case.

Click the link above to read the entire article.

Obama says he will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act | LifeSiteNews.com

Obama says he will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act | LifeSiteNews.com

It seems that Obama has decided he doesn't need the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of a federal law. He has decided that "parts of the Defense of Marriage Act are unconstitutional", and has decided that the Justice Department will no longer defend the act in court, but that it will be left up to individual states, groups, and organizations to defend it. Of course, Attorney General Eric Holder agrees with him wholeheartedly. 

Supposedly, Obama still "opposes" same sex marriage, yet White House press secretary Jay Carney today said that he is “grappling with the issue.”

I don't get it. Is this not the same administration who sued the state of Arizona for passing an Immigration Enforcement law (which is identical to the Federal Law by the way) that proposed to enforce illegal immigration laws which the federal government won't enforce?

So now, the administration wants the states and groups to go to court to enforce federal law which the administration will not enforce?

It seems this administration has a penchant for choosing what laws to enforce, and which ones to ignore. They seem to be leaning moreso to ignoring than enforcing federal laws

This is the same administration which in recent days, has weakened the rules protecting healthcare workers who object to abortion due to their religious and moral beliefs.

This administration has shown a complete lack of courage and willingness to enforce federal laws, and is intent on showing that there is no moral compass guiding this administration and the so-called justice department at all.

Vote For the 2011 Bloggers Choice Awards

The time is right to vote for the 2011 Bloggers Choice Awards. Once again, I was nominated by some kind soul and I do appreciate it!

However, I would like to ask all of the readers to the Faith of the Fathers Blogs, to vote for my favorite Catholic blog, "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" by Father John Zuhlsdorf, known as Father Z to those who regularly read his blog. 

I never miss a day reading his blog, and in fact, I use a service to tweet his posts to my twitter account so those who follow me on twitter can read his posts, and I use the same service to share his blog posts on Facebook, too. His blog is also listed on the right hand sidebar of Faith of the Fathers Blogs under the heading "My Favorite Catholic Blogs" (they are in alphabetical order so scroll down to find WDTPRS).

To vote for Father Z's blog you can click here to vote. You will have to sign up to cast your vote, but don't worry. They don't share your email and do not send you any kind of spam or unwanted emails. So go vote for Father Z now!

And if you don't read his blog, then you are missing out my friends!

If by some chance you'd also like to vote for me (you CAN vote for more than one blog, it would be nice to see THREE Catholic blogs take the top three spots) you can vote for me by clicking here. I'd be happy to get more than the 4 or 5 votes I got last year!

Regardless of who else you vote for, please do cast a vote for Father Z's blog first. He has a strong start at the moment, and I for one would like to see him finish strong because to be honest, the man truly deserves it for all of his hard work!!

A Couple of Reading Suggestions From Our Blogs

Here are two reading suggestions for those of you new to our blogs. Some are buried way deep in the archives, and only get read by accident now and then.

The first is by Marie, posted on April of 2006. It is called "Spiritual Priorities". Here is a snippet: "To help us visualize what we have placed as all important let us do this test......If you were told that you had only 48 hours to live, what would you be impelled to do? Go out and buy the latest scandal sheet in order that you know who is divorcing who or what star is squabbling with another? Would you go to your local blockbuster video and DVD store and order reruns of your favourite soap opera's then sit glued to your sofa as you spend the remaining hours of your life in front of the telly?" This is on the "Spirituality and Mysticism" blog.

The second is by me, Steve. It is called "Too Smart For The Church?" It was posted on February of 2006. Here is a snippet: "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”." And this one is on the "Spiritual Warfare" blog.

I seem to be stuck in 2006 on these two suggestions, but I encourage you to explore the archives. There are some good posts there, especially those by Marie.

What do they mean by choice?

They mean that they view abortion as birth control. They see it as the means to save the government money. They mean that they want to eliminate the poor, the minorities, and others they deem as a financial drain and as unfit for society.

As reported on LifeSiteNews.com on October 26, 2010 (which can be read by clicking here), regarding the federal healthcare reform, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, appearing on the Bill Pless radio show, said "I think it's important, Bill, to understand that unlike some other issues of cost, birth control is one of those issues that actually saves the government money. So an investment in covering birth control actually in the long run is a huge cost savings because women don't have children that they weren't planning on having and all the sort of attendant cost for unplanned pregnancy.

"So we actually feel that covering birth control is not only the right thing to do for women, it's good for women, it's good for their health care, but it's frankly good public policy."

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her attempt to justify the contraceptive funding in the stimulus bill said that preventing births "will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

So, in essence, no babies from the poor in our country, means huge savings to the state and federal governments, and also means that those pro-choice elitists won't have to see or deal with the poor.

For instance, Ron Weddington, the co-counsel who successfully argued the Roe vs.Wade decision before the United States Supreme Court, wrote a letter to the then-president-elect Bill Clinton urging him to "eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of our country" by liberalizing abortion laws."

World Net Daily, on May 13, 2006 reported on Weddington's letter to Clinton after the letter was included in an exhibit by the legal watchdog group, Judicial Watch. According to the report Weddington also included in the letter the following statements to the president-elect (all the statements below appear on World Net Daily's story which can be read by clicking here) :

"No, I'm not advocating some sort of mass extinction of these unfortunate people. Crime, drugs and disease are already doing that. The problem is that their numbers are not only replaced but increased by the birth of millions of babies to people who can't afford to have babies.

"There, I've said it. It's what we all know is true, but we only whisper it, because as liberals who believe in individual rights, we view any program which might treat the disadvantaged differently as discriminatory, mean-spirited and ... well ... so Republican."

"Having convinced the poor that they can't get out of poverty when they have all those extra mouths to feed, you will have to provide the means to prevent the extra mouths, because abstinence doesn't work. The religious right has had 12 years to preach its message. It's time to officially recognize that people are going to have sex and what we need to do as a nation is prevent as much disease and as many poor babies as possible."

"Think of all the poverty, crime and misery ... and then add 30 million unwanted babies (there had been 30 million abortion in the United Sates up to that point in time) to the scenario. We lost a lot of ground during the Reagan-Bush religious orgy. We don't have a lot of time left."

"The biblical exhortation to 'be fruitful and multiply' was directed toward a small tribe, surrounded by enemies. "We are long past that. Our survival depends upon our developing a population where everyone contributes. We don't need more cannon fodder. We don't need more parishioners. We don't need more cheap labor. We don't need more poor babies."

In a study from the Guttmacher Institute, which is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood, it was reported that among American women who obtained abortions, the proportion who lived under the federal poverty level went from 27% in 2000 to 42% in 2008. The report did not look at Planned Parenthood's campaign of encouraging abortions among poor women and women of racial minority groups. It did note however that only 36% of the women receiving abortions were white.

I will not delve into how this all lives down to the exacting standards of Planned Parenthood's founder Margaret Sanger, who, in her 1939 Negro Project said "We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out the idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members." 1

Sanger also wrote the following:

"It is a vicious cycle; ignorance breeds poverty and poverty breeds ignorance. There is only one cure for both, and that is to stop breeding these things. Stop bringing to birth children whose inheritance cannot be one of health or intelligence. Stop bringing into the world children whose parents cannot provide for them. Herein lies the key of civilization. For upon the foundation of an enlightened and voluntary motherhood shall a future civilization emerge." 2

"It is said that a fish as large as a man has a brain no larger than the kernel of an almond. In all fish and reptiles where there is no great brain development, there is also no conscious sexual control. The lower down in the scale of human development we go the less sexual control we find. It is said that the aboriginal Australian, the lowest known species of the human family, just a step higher than the chimpanzee in brain development, has so little sexual control that police authority alone prevents him from obtaining sexual satisfaction on the streets." 3

You can read other quotes from Margaret Sanger, at the pages of Diane Dew (A Pro-Life Perspective) by clicking here.

So, when they say “pro-choice” they mean “pro-death” and “pro-hate”.

1. Linda Gordon, "Woman's Body, Woman's Right" (New York: Grossman, 1974, 1976) 332-333.

2. Sanger, "What Every Boy and Girl Should Know", 1915, p. 140

3. Sanger 1920, p. 47

Philadelphia Abortionist Charged With 8 Counts of Murder

Dr. Kermit Gosnell allegedly made millions of dollars over 30 years performing as many illegal, late term  abortions as he could according to prosecutors in Philadelphia. Grand jury findings allege that he made $10,000 to $15,000 a night performing these abortions.

Catering to minorities, immigrants, and poor women, Gosnell, 69, was charged with 8 counts of murder in the deaths of a patient and seven babies who were born alive and then killed with scissors prosecutors said Wednesday. Two employees of the clinic run by Gosnell were also charged with murder.

Prosecutors say that state regulators in Pennsylvania ignored complaints about Gosnell and had failed to inspect or visit his clinic since 1993.

Doctor Allegedly Killed Babies With Scissors: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Read more at myfoxphilly.com

Read and download the Grand Jury findings here.

New Faith of the Fathers Poll

Who has had the most influence on your faith?
	Mother
	Father
	Both Parents
	Grandparent(s)
	Sibling(s)
	Other Relative or Friend
	Priest
	Religious (Sister, Friar, etc.)
	Saint
	The Holy Father
pollcode.com free polls

Saint Quote of the Day Poll!

Two days are left to vote on the Saint Quote of the Day poll "Who are your favorite saint quotations from?" The choices to vote for are:

Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Saint Francis de Sales
Saint John Vianney
Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Therese of Lisieux
Saint Catherine of Siena
Saint Thomas Acquinas
My patron saint (Name in the poll comments)
I like them all

Click the link below to vote in the poll located on the right sidebar.

Saint Quote of the Day Poll!