March of Dimes silent on abortion as therapy

Not a
mention of abortion. This article says that
they always understate abortion.

And I never heard about "consanguineous marriage," the custom of Muslim men
marrying cousins or nieces.

More than 94 percent of serious birth defects occur in middle- and low-income countries, many of which lack basic programs to curb birth defects, such as improving maternal nutrition. By comparison, the United States has cut deaths from birth defects nearly in half since 1980 through a combination of prevention and treatments, especially surgery.

Perhaps by "treatments", they are including abortion.

Cultural practices also increase the rate of genetic disorders, the "Global Report on Birth Defects" found. Seven of the 10 countries with the highest birth defect rates are Muslim nations with a tradition of intermarriage of blood relatives, accounting for at least 20 percent of deformities there. In addition, the report said, the advancing average age of child-bearing women worldwide increases the risk of conditions such as Down syndrome.

Public School agenda

Granted, this is San Francisco, but here are 5
teachers who are still striving for normalcy.

Notice that the poster gives no support to normal kids. Apparently it is from
normal kids that a safe space must be provided. But read the fine print, and we
find out that support and resources are available. I hesitate to wonder what
that might mean.

Since they use the same pink triangle symbol that the Nazis had homosexuals
pin to their outer clothing, they seem to be invoking the same fear for a need
for safety. Are there Nazis in San Francisco making them wear pink triangles? Or
does the homosexual agenda see the unconverted masses as ready to annihilate
them?

Looks like more agenda to make unnatural sex a matter of civil rights.

Five teachers at San Leandro High School have refused to abide by a school district order to display a rainbow flag poster in their classrooms.

Last week, WorldNetDaily reported that the five teachers refused to display the poster because of their religious beliefs. But SLUSD superintendent Christine Lim said the policy calling for the poster to be displayed in classrooms is designed to make schools safe for homosexual students.
"This is not about religion, sex, or a belief system," Lim told the San Francisco Chronicle. "This is about educators making sure our schools are safe for our children, regardless of their sexual orientation."

According to Knight, the heated debate going on at San Leandro High is not about safety at all. "This is about bullying people and saying you will kneel down and bow to the Baal god of homosexuality -- or we'll make your life very miserable," he says.

The CFI spokesman maintains the school district is demonstrating intolerance toward the five teachers who are choosing not to display the posters -- and those teachers, he adds, are courageous for standing up to the mandate.

And it is wrong, Knight adds, to force teachers into a situation that implies their approval of an unsafe and unhealthy lifestyle. "When you put a rainbow poster up in your classroom, you're lending the authority of the teacher to the gay-rights movement," he explains. In essence, says Knight, the district is saying: "Kids, go ahead and try this behavior. Even your teacher is for it."

Unsafe, unhealthy, unnatural. Yet I bet they restrict smoking to within 500
feet from the the school.

Muslim = Power + Control = Submission with no escape

Morroco, another bad place.

Proselytizing is forbidden in Morocco. Any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is illegal. According to Article 220 of the Moroccan Penal Code, any attempt to stop one or more persons from the exercise of their religious beliefs or from attendance at religious services is unlawful and may be punished by 3-6 months' imprisonment and a fine of $10 to $50 (115 to 575 dirhams).

The article applies the same penalty to "anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion."

The documents which were seized in an apartment of an alleged foreign missionary, who suddenly disappeared, also revealed the existence of secret spiritual schools to teach Moroccans the concepts of Christianity.

The article also explained that these missionaries were backed by powerful messianic churches belonging to the American Bible Belt, close to George W. Bush.

Are they Hordes or Children? I can't decide which.

I thought this guy was their prophet. Seems they think he was their god.
But even then, what a horde culture!

The Danish Red Cross said on Monday it was evacuating two of its employees from Gaza and one from Yemen.

"There have been concrete threats against our employees. The fact that they are Danish nationals has made the difference," Danish Red Cross spokesperson Anders Ladekarl said.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening on its website, the Foreign Ministry called for Danes to be cautious in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran, Syria and Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The Foreign Ministry has advised Danes in the Middle East to "show extra vigilance" because of rising tensions over a Danish newspaper's publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

The 12 drawings - published in September by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and republished in a Norwegian paper this month - included an image of the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse.

Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet, even respectful ones, out of concern that such images could lead to idolatry.

Believe me, it will not lead to idolatry.

Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Denmark last week, and Libya has closed its embassy in the Danish capital.

On Monday, masked gunmen took over an European Union office in Gaza City to protest the caricatures.

A Norwegian aid group on Monday said it was withdrawing its two Norwegian representatives in Gaza after the threats, but that operations would be maintained by eight local staff.

Ivar Christiansen, spokesperson for Norwegian People's Aid, said: "We have seen fliers with threats against Swedes and Danes. We haven't seen anything in writing against Norwegians, but decided to be cautious."

Consumers in many predominantly Muslim countries were boycotting Danish goods.
Denmark-based dairy group Arla Foods said the consumer boycott of its products in the Middle East was almost total.

"All Arla's customers in the region have cancelled their orders, and sales have come to a standstill in almost all markets," Jens Refslund, foods production division manager, said in a statement.

Arla Foods products have been removed from shop shelves in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Europe's largest dairy group said.

Free Speech anyone?

Saintly miracle.. Santo Subito

The Vatican may have found the "miracle" they need to put the late Pope John Paul one step closer to sainthood -- the medically inexplicable healing of a French nun with the same Parkinson's disease that afflicted him.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Catholic Church official in charge of promoting the cause to declare the late Pope a saint of the Church, told Reuters on Monday that an investigation into the healing had cleared an initial probe by doctors.

Oder said the "relatively young" nun, whom he said he could not identify for now, was inexplicably cured of Parkinson's after praying to John Paul after his death last April 2.

"I was moved," Oder said in a telephone interview. "To think that this was the same illness that destroyed the Holy Father and it also kept this poor nun from carrying out her work."

To me, this is another sign of God's creativity," he said, adding that the nun worked with children.

He said Church investigators would now start a more formal and detailed probe of the suspected miracle cure.

God as they like it

I never realized so many TV shows have sprung from popular culture:

Joan of Arcadia,

Ghost Whisperer,

Three
Wishes,

Touched by an Angel,

Highway to Heaven,

FX's Rescue Me,

The Book of Daniel.

My freshman dorm included one of those stock college characters: a red-headed girl with a shaky grip on identity—one month she's a Wiccan, the next she's recovering some repressed memory, then she's back to singing in the church choir. Watching television on a Friday night feels a lot like that lately—lots of diffuse spiritual energy going in no particular direction. In TV-land, Friday is the new Sunday, the night for seekers to try out the latest celluloid church.

Abstinence doing well

Catholic Relief Services. It was awarded $6.2 million to teach abstinence and fidelity in three countries; $335 million in a consortium providing antiretroviral treatment; and $9 million to help orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDs. The group offers "complete and correct information about condoms" but will not promote, purchase or distribute them, said Carl Stecker, senior program director for HIV/AIDS.

World Relief, founded by the National Association of Evangelicals. It won $9.7 million for abstinence work in four countries.

For prevention, Bush embraces the "ABC" strategy: abstinence before marriage, being faithful to one partner and condoms targeted for high-risk activity. The Republican-led Congress mandated that one-third of prevention money be reserved for abstinence and fidelity.

"This drive for abstinence is putting a lot of pressure on girls to get married earlier," said Dr. Abeja Apunyo, the Uganda representative for Pathfinder International, a reproductive health nonprofit group based in Massachusetts.

"For years now we have been trying to tell our daughters that they should finish their education and train in a profession before they get married. Otherwise they have few options if they find themselves separated from their husbands for some reason," Apunyo said.
An AIDS program pastor in Uganda explained his abstinence teaching to unmarried young people.

"Why give an alternative and have them take a risk?" asked the Rev. Sam Lawrence Ruteikara of the Anglican Church of Uganda, a U.S. grant recipient. "This person doesn't have a sexual partner, so why should I report too much, saying that in case you get a sexual partner, please use a condom. I am saying, please don't get a sexual partner — don't get involved because it is risky."

U.S.-backed programs have spread abstinence and faithfulness education to more than 13 million people in Uganda, according to the State Department. Officials promote the nation as an "ABC" model, with its HIV infection rate down by more than half in a decade.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said that on a tour of Uganda in January he saw pro-abstinence rallies and skits praising Bush, and U.S.-supported groups conducting house-to-house testing, care and counseling.

"The good news about the faith-based groups is not only the passion they bring to the work, but it is the moral authority and the extended numbers of volunteers they can mobilize to get the word out," Smith said.

RU486 is cheaper for the hospitals and clinics

"The cost of RU486/PG abortion, for example, is not cheaper for women, but it is much cheaper for the hospitals and clinics..."

At a news conference on 17 May 2002, Dr Richard Hausknecht, medical director of Danco, the company which manufactures RU486 for the American market, admitted, "it (RU486) is not safer than a surgical abortion".

"As Abortifacient procedures go RU486 is not at all easy to use. In fact it is more complex to use than the technique of vacuum extraction...a woman who wants to end her pregnancy has to "live" with her abortion for at least a week using this technique. It's an appalling psychological ordeal". (Edouard Sakiz, Chairman Roussel-Uclaf August 1990)

Although the use of RU486 is growing steadily, vacuum aspiration is still the commonest method of abortion in England and Wales (16). Of the 184,993 abortions carried out in 2002, 149,262 (80.68%) were by vacuum aspiration.
Scotland

How does RU486 work?

RU486 is a synthetic steroid which works by blocking the effects of progesterone, the natural hormone which is required to maintain the lining of the uterus during pregnancy. RU486 starves the womb of progesterone, the lining of the womb breaks down, and it is lost along with the developing embryo or foetus.

Up to four visits to a hospital or clinic are necessary to complete the process. The success rate of RU486 on its own is not high. Some studies have it as low as 54% (3) and RU486 is therefore often used with a prostaglandin, typically Gemeprost (a synthetic hormone-like chemical given by vagina), which induces powerful contractions of the uterus and causes the dead embryo or foetus to be expelled from the womb.

For pregnancies up to nine weeks' gestation Mifepristone (600mg) is normally taken by mouth on its own. If the embryo or foetus has not come away within 36 to 48 hours, a prostaglandin (Gemeprost) is given.

For pregnancies of 13 to 24 weeks' gestation, Mifepristone (600mg) is taken by mouth. This is followed by a prostaglandin (Gemeprost) by vagina (1mg every three hours up to 5mg). If abortion does not occur 24 hours after the start of treatment, a repeat course of Gemeprost (up to 5mg) will be given.

In both cases, if the treatment fails, the baby will be aborted by a surgical method, either vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage.

The main contra-indications for RU486/prostaglandin abortions, which exclude women from having them are:
women who smoke
those over 35 years of age
women under 18 years of age
those who have asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, fibroids, glaucoma, ulcers, colitis, arthritis, epilepsy, kidney disease, pulmonary and cardio-vascular disorders, and suspected ectopic pregnancy.

Side effects Use of RU486/prostaglandin may cause any of the following: haemorrhage requiring blood transfusion, severe pain requiring strong pain killers, incomplete abortion, rupture of the uterus, vaginal bleeding, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, muscle weakness, dizziness, flushing, chills, backache, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, palpitations, rise in temperature and fall in blood pressure.

Seeing is believing

Good news / Bad news. Because of the picture provided by ultrasounds, more English woman are finally
starting to see the "fetus" as their unborn baby. We'll take anything we
can get. But the church has been saying this for how long? These folks needed a
sign. Blessings to those who had no sign, but still believed.

The leader of the 4.1 million Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, called on politicians last night to heed the evidence of a growing demand for a rethink on abortion policy, to include The Observer's findings. 'There has been a moral awakening over the last few years about abortion; the British public have been undergoing a reality check,' said his spokesman, Dr Austen Ivereigh. 'The Cardinal sees in this moral awakening a growing unease with, and erosion of, the idea of abortion as simply a woman's right.'

A majority of women in Britain want the abortion laws to be tightened to make it harder, or impossible, for them to terminate a pregnancy.

Evidence of a widespread public demand for the government to further restrict women's right to have an abortion is revealed in a remarkable Observer opinion poll.

Increased awareness of the realities of abortion, and the impact of ultrasound images of a 23-week-old foetus smiling and grimacing, have made people change their views, said Ivereigh. The latter 'very dramatically showed that what had been depersonalised in many people's minds as a foetus was clearly seen to be a baby, a human being in formation, and that has come as a shock to many people', he added.

Catholic divorce expectations for moody folks

Cristina Odone, The Observer columnist and former editor of the Catholic Herald, said: 'This is a huge sea change. Here he is saying ... compassion is more important than dogma. It's an incredible change of the mood.'

But I hear him saying...

..the Pope said it was very important that annulment rulings emerge in a reasonable amount of time. Some couples who apply for annulments have to wait four or five years for a decision, meaning their lives as Catholics are essentially on hold.

Change of mood. The Vatican has a mood? Compassion is more important than
dogma? Now that would be odd. Dogma is compassion for the long haul.

Priest possessed

Jane Doe first met Gorak in New Jersey, where he became a spiritual adviser to her and her husband, the suit alleges. The couple moved to Florida shortly after Gorak was transferred to Resurrection Church in Lakeland in 2004.

Soon after, Gorak pestered the woman, frequently showing up for long, unannounced visits, the suit alleges. She complained to the Lakeland pastor, who told her he would take action, the suit claims.But on Oct. 12, 2004, Gorak kicked in the door of her house and sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit claims.

What de hell?

It's the war stupid.. Our country's a little too up tight

What part of "bad attitude" don't you understand? Commie
vegans. We're watching you.

For example, more than two dozen government surveillance photographs show 22-year-old Caitlin Childs of Atlanta, a strict vegetarian, and other vegans picketing against meat eating, in December 2003. They staged their protest outside a HoneyBaked Ham store on Buford Highway in DeKalb County.

An undercover DeKalb County Homeland Security detective was assigned to conduct surveillance of the protest and the protestors, and take the photographs. The detective arrested Childs and another protester after he saw Childs approach him and write down, on a piece of paper, the license plate number of his unmarked government car."

They told me if I didn't give over the piece of paper I would go to jail.

As for Caitlin Childs' protest against meat eating, the files obtained by the ACLU include the DeKalb County Homeland Security report on the surveillance of Childs and the others. The detective wrote that he ordered Childs to give him the piece of paper on which she had written his license tag number, telling her that he did not want her or anyone else to have the tag number of his undercover vehicle.

The detective did not comment in his report about why his license tag number was already visible to the public.

Tounges anyone?

Today's seminar -- from 8:30 a.m. until about 3 p.m. -- will focus on the prayer tongues and the prayer language of the Holy Spirit, usually referred to as speaking in tongues.

"We're doing it because we're wanting people to know about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we're wanting people to experience it so they can grow in their walk with the Lord," she said.

See also...

Which Saints spoke in gibberish? This came only from the mountain
communities of Appalachia .

I know Pope John Paul II was nice to the Charismatics. He was a kind man,
perhaps turning a blind eye to "tounges", "fainting" (falling backwards; aka
Benny Hinn Ministries), "holy laughter", and "pogoing in the spirit"
(jumping up and down).

Nicely said

From Australia...

No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life," he said.

Jewish author Sholem Asch said Jesus was "the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man".

"Everything he ever said or did has value for us today and that is something you can say of no other man, dead or alive."

He did not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion still do. He said he himself was the way.

Jesus sneezed, yawned, probably hiccuped, walked on water, raised the dead and claimed to forgive sins. That's unique.

His followers thought he was truly human and fully divine. The trick was that he did not subtract deity, but added humanity to the equation.

He liked the bad guys -- the tax gatherers, drunks and other sinners.

My friend Pastor Kim Thoday says: "If Jesus is our window on to God, then the only conclusion is that God has this same bias, this same emphasis, this same compassion for those who are the casualties of the dominant cultural, political and religious order."

If Jesus had never been born, Western civilisation would not exist in its current form.

But some of the things people say about Jesus are ridiculous. He was not just a great moral teacher. There's no morality in claiming to be the Son of God . . . unless, of course, it's true.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it well: "If Jesus Christ is not true God, how could he help us? If he is not true man, how could he help us?"

Writer H.G. Wells said although he was not a traditional believer, "I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very centre of history."

Walgreens again

Walking the talk.

Four pharmacists who refused to sign a pledge promising to dispense the morning-after birth-control pill sued Walgreen drug stores Friday, alleging they were illegally fired.

In response to the rule, Deerfield-based Walgreen asked pharmacists to pledge in writing that they would fill prescriptions for contraceptives such as the morning-after pill. The plaintiffs were suspended indefinitely without pay when they refused to sign the pledge in November.

Also see.. Walgreens

Off Topic: No smoking near fireworks

Oops...

Sounds different coming from Guatemala

The Guatemalan Episcopal Conference on Friday elected as new president, Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini, defender of popular causes, foe of the FTAA with the US, and against irrational exploitation of natural resources.

As president he replaces Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruno and will be the link with the Vatican as well as Church delegate to the government and Guatemalan society.
The bishop severely criticizes the Free Trade Treaty with the US and, in an interview with Prensa Latina, he said all the legal and tax advantages are given to the transnationals and the treaty will only further impoverish Guatemalans.

The new Episcopal Conference president is also a staunch defender of migrant rights, actively opposing the new US law criminalizing those without documents and the wall along its border.
"It´s outrageous that a country of immigrants, like the United States, that says it is a defender of liberties, could construct such a frontier wall," he told Prensa Latina.

No family pet would be operated on by a vet without approval

The Right Reverend Joseph Devine, Bishop of Motherwell, has taken a stand against what he described as “immoral” government policy, which allows girls under the age of 16 to have abortions without the knowledge of their parents.

Bishop Devine spoke of the court’s decision saying: "No family pet would be operated on by a vet without approval from a parent in the household."

He continued: "Yet their 13-year-old daughter is not afforded the same parental care and support as she prepares to undergo a traumatic abortion."

The pro-abortion group Marie Stopes International responded by saying that the rights of a teenager, where different to those of a pet.

Devine said that: "The inconsistency and hypocrisy of the government is breathtaking."

He continued by saying: "On the one hand, as part of its respect agenda, the government quite correctly demands greater accountability from parents for the actions of their children. It then adopts a conflicting position by keeping parents in the dark about their teenage daughter's abortion plans.

The Bishop of Glasgow, the Most Reverend Mario Conti, has also written a pastoral letter condemning the moral decline of society. 65,000 copies of the letter have been prepared and will be sent this weekend to the 500 Catholic churches in Scotland, as well as to Catholic households.

Mozart Mass C Major "Credo"

Incredible.

Happy Birthday Jan. 27, 1756

Back when men were men (the Gloria) and women were women (Laudamus te) and
God was honored like God.

Monsignor Clueless does Hooters

As part of a private opening party, Monsignor Isidore Rozycki, the head Catholic priest for the Greater Waco area, plans to bless the chain's newest location at New Road and Interstate 35.

The 63-year-old priest says he knows some people might think it's odd for a man of the cloth to bless a restaurant best known for waitresses who wear tight tops and short shorts.

Rozycki also knows the move may draw the ire of other local religious leaders.
About 60 local ministers signed a letter this fall in which they expressed their disapproval of the restaurant. They said they oppose Hooters because it exploits women and bases its marketing campaign on sexual innuendo.

OK, he knows this place of sexual display and fun might seem odd because it
is exploitive and markets sexual innuendo. He must have a good reason for
pubilicly breaking ranks with 60 Christian ministers... let's see what he's
thinking.

“You bless the building so it will be a safe haven, so that the families that enter will be blessed, so the employees will be blessed as they support their families.”

The families will be "blessed". No further information regarding what that
blessing might be. Aren't the customers mainly guys rather than families at
Hooters? And the employees will be "blessed" as they support their families. Is
the employment picture in Waco really so dire, that college women are forced to
work at Hooters to support the families? I doubt it.

He pointed to the biblical story of Jesus eating with a tax collector, even though men in that profession were considered among the worst of sinners. He says he doesn't see how attending the Hooters event is any different. “God's image is in all of these folks,” Rozycki said.

Well yes, but Jesus always added "go your way and sin no more". Msgr.
Clueless is blessing a new operation that has a growing future, not advocating
"sin no more". What does God's image have to do with supporting a pandering to
sex during lunch?

People who go to the restaurant with lust in their hearts are sure to find what they are looking for, Rozycki said.

Sure to find what they are looking for. I'm sure that just adds to the
"fun" atmosphere. Are there many of us walking without a little lust in our
hearts? Not me unfortunately.

“I look it as a very fun place. It was a place of laughter. You forget about the tensions and stress of daily life and get an opportunity to laugh with friends. And it's great food.”

Laughing, fun, good food, hooters. Err.. it's the hooters part causing the
laughing and fun Father. And the fact the college girls are providing you laughs
and fun and hooters for a pay check. They don't really think you are so witty
and fun. You buy their time for the duration of lunch. Get real.

“I like to make people laugh,” said Rozycki

“I think it shows we are just catching up with bigger cities,” the retired priest added. “We can't be narrow-minded. People won't accept that anymore. If they don't get it here, they'll go somewhere else. I think Hooters is just one of those commodities people should use in moderation.”

People as commodity. Now he's getting to the point.

This is all fine if Rozycki weren't a Priest. One who can't see that the
girls are paid to laugh and strut for tips. One who makes them feel better about
what they are doing, and makes the customers feel better about what they are
paying for.

Rozycki also pointed out that Hooters offers tuition assistance and has helped college students earn money to put themselves through school.

Do you know why they do this Mr. Fun? So they can continue to attract young
college women to please you for an hour. Would it be as much fun if they
provided extended health insurance to retired grandmothers with sizable
hooters and those cute short pants? Perhaps from the local Rest Home? A different kind of "fun" I know.

He's one mixed up funny guy. Perhaps he should read the story about St.
Francis and the prostitute. St. Francis thought more of the woman's dignity, and
her own dignity in God's image, than this wacko Waco's Padre.

I think we
should pray to St. Padre Pio for this Monsignor. They should have a little talk.

I want to be a nun

(just kidding) But I can't. I would have to submit to the Church to
verify the calling. I think they would convince me to find other ways for Joseph to minister
to God's people.

Being Catholic is also a calling that must be verified.

Here are some
folks who can't wait for something. In that there is nothing here to wait
for, they are absolutely right.

Bishops may wag their fingers and threaten excommunication, but Catholic women called to ordination feel their time has come.

These women say they don’t want to abolish the global church; they simply want to reform it.

Those so ordained now minister in a variety of contexts, some informal and others quite traditional, save for lack of approval by church authorities.

“Basically, [that phrase] is exactly how I see myself as a woman priest,” said the Rev. Victoria Rue of Watsonville, Calif., ordained last summer on the St. Lawrence Seaway. “I don’t see myself being other or better or in a higher state than anyone else.”

“I felt it would be good to talk more and maybe to expose the archbishop to some of our ideas about why we are doing this and how much we feel part of the Roman Catholic church and have no intention to leave or bring about a split,” Nicolosi said. “Also the frustration we feel that some of these actions of ours that are done with very good intentions are punished very severely but other actions [such as sexual abuse and its cover-up] are hidden or the church tries to work around it.”

Yup, here's the tie-in. They have good "intentions", but are punished.
Somehow sexual abuse was not punished 40 years ago. Therfore their time has
come.

“Where do we go to be women priests?” asked Rue, who teaches theater and comparative religions and women’s studies at San Jose State University in California.

We go to where the people are, and we identify ourselves as women priests. Not to further the divide between cleric and lay, but to bring people together.” Rue, 58, plans to continue to minister to her house church, and reach out to the local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community as well as to university students.

O yes! The gender confused to the gender confused.

Lane, who converted to Catholicism at 17, said, “I also think that from the beginning of my call to participate in the church through my baptism, I was called to minister to folks who are exhibiting oppressive behaviors. To be Christian is not to be at the center of society, it is to challenge injustice in whatever form that injustice is manifest, whether it’s racism, sexism, institutional inequality. And I see women’s ordination as yet another inequality that keeps the church from fully realizing itself.”

Dear Abby, the Church does not realize itself.

Nicolosi is clear that she sees herself as a Roman Catholic but wants the church to carry out “what Vatican II has started:

an opening to the world,

greater inclusivity,

more emphasis on the local parish and national churches;

priesthood that would include men and women,

married or not,

also gays and lesbians.”

Sounds like hell.

Noticed on "Tischreden"

Amatuers

The demons were smarter 2,000 years ago, compared with these imposters.

Police say the nature of the vandalism at the Vale Church, which is on an ancient pagan ritual site, indicates a so-called black Mass may have been held in the church, the Guernsey England Press said Wednesday.

..and a message scribbled on the wall: "God If U exist Kill Yourself."

"If U exist"... I think they're sure of at least that one thing.

Too bad he protests and stands apart

He's a good entertainer. And made a good movie. Too bad he is unable to
absorb a larger Truth. Too bad he is one of so many.

He is a good reminder of the very good work that can be and is being done,
even with a portion of the whole. So powerful is the Fullness of Salvation that
is appropriated piecemeal.

St. Michael the Archangel Chapel is being built in Pennsylvania's Mt. Pleasant Township. The church is part of a Catholic movement that rejects Vatican II -- the liturgical reforms adopted in the early 1960s.

The Gibsons have chosen as their church leader a former priest who is no longer in good standing with the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, Pa., the newspaper said.

The Rev. Lawrence Persico, vicar general of the Diocese of Greenburg, told the Tribune the Gibsons' church would not be recognized as Roman Catholic.

"A Catholic church, to be truly in communion with Rome, must be in communion with the diocesan bishop," Persico said. "I don't know where they get their legal authority. It's not a Roman Catholic church, no matter what they say.

"Union with Rome and the Holy See is very important if you're going to be a Roman Catholic. It's essential."

Off Topic: Another thing I didn't know

Sought after because of its rarity, ambergris can float on the ocean for years before washing ashore.

Worth up to $20 a gram, Mr Wright's find on a South Australian beach could net his family US$295,000 (£165,300).

"[But] after 10 years, it's considered clean and all you're getting then is the wonderful musky, very sweet perfume, which I've got to say is ultra smooth - it's unbelievable."

Leon Wright and his wife took home a 14.75kg lump of ambergris, found in the innards of sperm whales and used in perfumes after it has been vomited up.


Initially, ambergris is a soft, foul-smelling waste matter that floats on the ocean.
But years of exposure to the sun and the salt water of the ocean transform the waste into a smooth, exotic lump of compact rock that boasts a waxy feel and a sweet, alluring smell.

What an ecumenical meeting sounds like..

Guess which "tradition" needs to change

Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican’s top ecumenical official, lined up during the distribution of Communion to receive a blessing from Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright.

The exchange was hardly revolutionary, since it is standard practice in Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogues; and, truth be told, after a few moments of patience as the Communion line stalled, Kasper “pulled rank” and moved directly to Wright for his blessing.

Nevertheless, the fraternal symbolism packed drama, especially in light of the crisis in Anglican-Catholic relations over the ordination of an openly gay Episcopal bishop in the United States and the approval of a rite for blessing same-sex unions by an Anglican province in Canada.

Wright later said it will be a “treasured memory.”

In the same spirit, Catholic Bishop Kevin Dunn of Hexham and Newcastle, England, invited Wright to preach the homily at a Jan. 14 Catholic Mass, and prayed with Wright before the distribution of Communion.

Dominican Fr. Fergus Kerr, editor of the noted theological journal New Blackfriars, flatly asserted that the Catholic church is so badly divided that “we can’t risk much more ecumenical reception at the present time.”

“I am deeply convinced that the big issue upon which the future of the church depends is collegiality,” Jesuit Fr. Ladislas Örsy of Georgetown University said at one point. “It’s the only way to break through this excessive centralization.” Dominican Sr. Geraldine Smyth of the Irish School of Ecumenics warned of a trend towards a “hardened canopy of identity.”

Several participants expressed dissatisfaction, and even personal pain, over the inability of Catholics and Protestants to share the Eucharist. John Wilkins, former editor of The Tablet, called it “intolerable.”

Others complained about what they saw as abuses of ecclesiastical authority. “Catholics have beautiful language about the church, but there’s a gap between the rhetoric and reality,” Connolly said, citing the sexual abuse crisis in particular.

Many participants argued that ecumenical progress is dependent upon Catholic reforms, especially concerning the Vatican and the papacy.

Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese, former editor of America magazine, said that the Catholic church needs ecumenism in order to reform itself, since it’s often easier for Protestants to talk to the Vatican than for some Catholic theologians.

This invitation-only gathering of 140 Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Orthodox and a handful of representatives of other traditions sought to answer these challenges.

Boy, I hate the word "tradition". It makes as much sense as calling
folks
living their 2,000 year Faith being called "traditionalists". It makes
minimal
Catholic's Scripture and Tradition. And sounds like the tradition of
cranberry
sauce at Thanksgiving dinner.

But really, is there
anything the Anglicans, Methodists, Orthodox
and handful of representatives
of other traditions, are expected to do? It
would seem ecumenical means only
Catholic change.

The whole ecumenical world is waiting for the
Catholics to catch up with
them. I don't think that's how it will
work:
"We must achieve full unity of the Church and reconciliation
among
Christians, even at the cost of submitting our own will to the will of
the
Lord," the Pope said.

Everyone, not just the Catholics,
participants in Ecumenical
martyrdom

Jesus is getting very too common

I don't know if Jesus is bothered, but I am. Like naughty kids that
have found out there is really no authority than can stop them, things will get
worse and worse.

Kanye West, with a crown of thorns atop his head, poses as Jesus Christ on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old is nominated for eight awards, including album of the year for his sophomore album, "Late Registration."

"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained," he says. "My misery is your pleasure."

The strangest tangent of the Rolling Stone story, however, is when West says he's addicted to pornography. He remembers first seeing his father's Playboy magazine when he was 5 years old.
"Right then," West says, laughing, "it was like, `Houston, we have a problem.'"

Anglican saints

Yet another thing I didn't know. Anglicans proclaim
saints.

Episcopalians from a church where the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall worshipped are asking their denomination to name him a saint.

Members of St. Augustine's Church in Washington, D.C., will seek initial approval for the honor Friday from delegates to the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Among other contemporary Episcopal saints are the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Florence Nightingale.

This re: Florence
Nightingale

While working in the poorer districts of London, Miss Nightingale encountered a Roman Catholic priest, Henry Edward Manning (later Cardinal Manning), who was working among the poor of London. She was impressed by the assistance he gave to many who had nowhere else to turn, and they became friends for life. She was greatly attracted by Roman Catholicism, but rejected much of its theology, and so reluctantly decided against joining it.

Pets causing grief

I must be quite insensitive. I am sympathetic to anyone who is grieving. Here’s a man offering care and compassion to those in grief. OK. But what are they
praying about do you think?

St. Francis loved animals because they
were God’s creatures. This looks like something quite
different.

Concentrating on persons with the same intensity
sometimes shown to pets, would be a good remedy for what ails us.

"A lot of pet owners view their dogs and cats as members of the family," said Michael Davidson, director of veterinary medical services at the school. "If they lose a pet, it has the same sort of emotional impact as losing a child or a spouse. We need to recognize that."

To Gierka, a publications manager at NCSU, the role of pet chaplain is needed in a society that has not yet accepted the human-animal bond as a valid relationship, which is often felt most acutely in death.

His approach to chaplaincy is inter-faith. Reared a Roman Catholic, Gierka is now a member of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh. He said he's careful not to impose any religious view on the pet owners he counsels, but to bring in spiritual elements if they so desire.

Last year, for example, his friend Pam Carpenter lost her cocker spaniel, Niki. Gierka offered to conduct a memorial service, playing classical guitar pieces and reciting spiritual prayers. He encouraged Carpenter and her husband to share memories of Niki.

TV: Catholics have to get it right, faster

"May our planning and our eventual congress help Catholic television to be a type of nervous system for the Church," the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications concluded, "a system which helps to inform, to energize ... the Church to an ever more perfect unity and to the continuing work of evangelization."

"...we thought it might be a good idea to respond to requests from around the world to be a forum for planning and, indeed, helping to implement such coordination and cooperation. ... In no field more than broadcasting and telecasting is there more need for networking: networking so that common programming can be offered throughout the world, networking so that training facilities can be offered on an international basis, networking so that ideas and programs can be shared."

In his speech to the committee Archbishop John P. Foley recalled that, although there are many "Catholic television initiatives, there are often insufficient resources in programming, finance or trained personnel to keep them all in operation. One of the factors that seem to be missing is coordination and, indeed, cooperation."

We need help.

so that the world may believe

"I greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today's Angelus. During this Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity, let us ask the Lord to grant that all his followers may be one,
so that the world may believe (cf. John 17:20-21).

Venture out of our Christian circle, and the non-believers will bring up
our Christian divisions as proof that Faith is silly. For insight, take a look at this thread of people on the fringes who are looking for a reason to
believe.

If they decided to look into a faith, which one would they
choose? We are responsible for giving them this stumbling block in their
Salvation journey. It seems sure we will have to answer for that.

It is hard to imagine what the world would be like if Jesus' Word
had one voice. Until he returns, as the Pope advises, our duty is to work toward
that vision to make the best use of grace to fulfill Jesus'
prayer.

While necessary ecumenical efforts may go on for lifetimes,
two other faith areas give hope. And in each case, our prayer for them can help
it happen.

The Pope wants us to pray. There still are a few days
left in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

1)
Although I
don’t hear it mentioned much anymore, Faith is a gift. Jesus said "No one can
come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draw him” (John 6:44). We can pray
that in pure mercy, the Father would call again folks that have so far only
found stumbling blocks. Each prayer will tip the scales.

2)
It
still seems right to me that all these denominations, with lesser means of
Salvation, still allow people to pray as they are able. Through circumstance or
ability, perhaps this is the only environment today in which these people can
handle their stage of their journey.

Those that require
understanding, can advance to the Church as they continue their search. As
understanding increases, they are bound in truth to come home.

For those to whom understanding is too difficult, then obedience will serve
them as well. The humility to obey is for everyone in short supply. Through
these 2,000 years innumerable Saints have found faith through obedience alone.
Here also our prayer on their behalf can tip the scales in favor of their
souls.

The only thing stopping chaos.. procreation

This article from a lawyer is a bit too long (no surprise there). But he
does hit upon the only thing keeping marriage from becoming everything and
nothing... procreation.

The Church asks all getting married to be open to new life. Whether
that
is probable as with young fertile folks, or improbable with old folks
except for the miracle of Sarah.

Is it not amazing how one component, preserved by Catholics, inspired by
the Holy Spirit, safeguards everything.

The reproductive aspects of marriage will also cause issues. Not because marital corporations will change the way the law deals with children in divorce situations , but because allowing same-sex unions will eliminate the presumption of reproduction that underlies traditional marriage.

Big deal, respond gay marriage proponents, who will point out that nobody looks at the reproductive capabilities of male-female couples before allowing them to marry, even after child-bearing age.

Except for the Catholics :)

However, this argument ignores the fact that reproduction is only a presumption of marriage, but a very useful one, just like the presumption that minors (no matter how precocious) are incapable of consenting to sexual intercourse.

If the presumption of reproduction is no longer needed, then there is no real reason to prevent incestuous marriages. And once gays can get married in same-sex unions, why can't heterosexuals? And if my friend can marry her friend to get spousal benefits, why can't I do the same thing for my widowed mother? Or my sick, unemployed brother?

If marriage is not at least presumptively about reproduction anymore, there is no real reason to disallow any of these things. This is not an endorsement of incest, but if marriage is no longer about sex (hetero, reproductive or otherwise), intra-family marriages cease to be a problem.

Colin P.A. Jones is a U.S. lawyer and professor at Doshisha University Law School in Kyoto, Japan. A longer version of this article will appear in a future issue of the Independent Review. Contact us at insight@sfchronicle.com.

Funny and sad "christian" TV

To me these clips are
funny and sad. To the audience who sends in their money to these vipers it is
serious... a serious problem.

Any of God's children who are sucked in to this charade posing as a church,
are obviously vulnerable children. The ones doing the sucking had best remember
the message:

"But whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to
stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about
his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea."

Gary Busey, Benny Hinn crusade, Dyan Cannon, John Hinkle, Rexella Van Impe, Chuck Ohman, Jan Crouch, Rev. DS Mundell, Paul Crouch, Pastor Fred Price, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)

Bishops to Jeb: Stop it

Florida's Roman Catholic bishops urged Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday to reconsider the death warrants he signed for a pair of convicted killers scheduled for execution in the next two weeks.

The governor, a Catholic convert, has rejected similar appeals in the past.

''Reflecting on the continuous exposure to violence in society, which hardens the hearts and minds of even our youngest members, we reiterate our plea for respect for life, even for those who are guilty of violence,'' the bishops said in a public statement.

They expressed sympathy for the victims' families but said ``their pain and incomprehensible loss of life cannot be wiped away by another death.''

Exactly.

Pedophilia mistake from Cardinal Francis George

What is the underlying reason people who should know better keep using the word
pedophilia? Are they wrong, or just ignorant?

From the Chicago Sun-Times...
Noted in Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam from Catholic World News

A few minutes later, though, he reveals that during the October visit, he did ask Vatican officials to delay the release of a papal document on homosexuality in the priesthood.

"We asked them not to publish it, but to delay it -- to wait -- otherwise it would color the visitations," George says. The problem, in his view, was that the document would be released in the midst of official Vatican "visitations" to U.S. seminaries to check, among other things, for "homosexual culture" on campus.

"The document itself goes back almost 10 years. The visitations grew out of the discussions in April 2002 between the [American] cardinals and the [Vatican] curia," about the sexual abuse crisis in the United States. "We said, 'If you do this, it will be taken as a commentary on the visitations and we'll get into this whole business that the gay community is so sensitive to of, 'You're blaming us for the pedophilia.'"

From Websters:
Since the age of consent is often higher than the upper age limit in the definition of clinical pedophilia, underage sex, i.e. sexual activity with underage adolescents, is not, in general, clinical pedophilia. While such activity may be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, it frequently exemplifies only borderline pedophilia, or far more commonly, no pedophilia at all, because the person's attraction is not specifically to persons that young. The terms hebephilia and ephebophilia are sometimes used to describe attraction to youths or adolescents, distinct from attraction to children.
Pederasty is underage sex, especially anal sex, between male adults and male adolescents or children. The North American Man-Boy Love Association advocates legalization of pederasty.

So what is going on here? 80% of the Priest problem was with teen boys probably
past puberty. Boys and male Priests = homosexual, especially on the part of the
older man.

It can not be that on a level playing field, Cardinal George would find some
public relations advantage to using the taboo term pedophilia vs. the culturally
friendly “homosexual”. I would also give the Cardinal credit for knowing the
difference, especially since studies and advice have certainly been given to him
as he tackles the scandal as a Church leader.

Why embrace the
taboo and ignore culture’s friend?

In light of his desire to delay the papal document on homosexuality, combined with his mischaracterization of the vast majority of the scandal, I think he is misdirecting us, or his conscience thinking.

If it is us he is attempting to misdirect, shame on him. If it is his thinking, then the solution is as close as his bookstand dictionary.

As usual, I may be wrong. I hope I am wrong.

Revolution Jesus

"Son of Man" portrays Christ as a modern African revolutionary and aims to shatter the Western image of a placid savior with fair hair and blue eyes.

"We wanted to look at the gospels as if they were written by spindoctors and to strip that away and look at the truth," director Mark Dornford-May told Reuters in an interview.

"The truth is that Christ was born in an occupied state and preached equality at a time when that wasn't very acceptable."

Preached equality?

...and challenge Western perceptions of Christ as meek, mild and European.

I just know that if I live long enough, I will see Jesus claimed by everyone,
and known by few. The new "normal" thing to do, like wearing a helmet for all
outdoor activities. That will be scary, and there will be martyrs.

Besides the "blue eyes" talk, these folks try to create a Jesus that is
not placid, meek, and mild. A revolutionary. Perhaps a Che Guevara Jesus for
some, and a Hitler Jesus for others. Our ability to talk about the same Son of
Man outside the Catholic Church will be full of discord and conflict. Maybe I'm
wrong.. I hope so.

"Christ in Majesty" will come at one particular time,
and not before.

Tongues: I don't like the idea, now there is Baptist friction also

Trustees of the International Mission Board voted in November to bar future missionaries, from using a "private prayer language," or speaking in tongues in private. Previously, missionaries were discouraged from speaking in tongues publicly, but their private prayer was not monitored.

Southern Baptists are trying to reverse several years of stagnation in membership growth, partly through an ad campaign called "Caring People" that is meant to soften their image.

As far we know, Jesus didn't do it. When the apostles did it, all the
people in the crowd understood them in their own native language.

When modern folks do it, I think they are delusional. Of course, there's a
chance I am wrong.

Today's girls

We've made a world for our girls in which the pornography industry has become increasingly mainstream,

in which Planned Parenthood's response to the oral-sex craze has been to set up a help line,

in which the forces of feminism have worked relentlessly to erode the patriarchy -- which, despite its manifold evils, held that providing for the sexual safety of young girls was among its primary reasons for existence.

And here are America's girls: experienced beyond their years, lacking any clear message from the adult community about the importance of protecting their modesty, adrift in one of the most explicitly sexualized cultures in the history of the world. Here are America's girls: on their knees.

Bet you can't stomach the whole book review turned
article. But just scanning through it, explains what a
sorry Popular Culture we have abandoned our children to.

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

Nearly 90% of Italians call themselves Catholics, but more than two-thirds favour legal recognition for unmarried couples despite opposition from the Church, according to a study sociologists say is evidence that Italians tailor their religion tofit their lifestyles.

"It's tailor-made religion," Domenico De Masi, a sociologist at Rome's La Sapienza university, said on Thursday. "We take from the pope whatever suits us. The parts that are outrageous get taken out."

Catholicism is very prohibitionist, and therefore a person has to create her own beliefs; otherwise it's impossible," said Virginia Liberini (22) a student in Rome who said she is a Catholic.She cited the Church's ban on condoms."It's counterproductive, even on a sanitary level," added Liberini, who is not a student of De Masi's.

About 73% of Catholics favour abortion when the foetus appears to be malformed, and 62% approve of it in the case of rape, according to the survey."At no time in history has there been such a strong split between what people want and what the Church wants," De Masi said.

Elisa Bevilacqua, a 23-year-old medical student, said she is a Catholic who goes to Mass "most of the time," and is in favour of abortion and legal rights for unmarried couples."I believe very much in the Christian message, which I think is based on love and forgiveness," Bevilacqua said. "I don't think this clashes with being in favour of abortion." - Sapa-AP

We are a Church for sinners, thank God.

They thought they were building a House of God

Again they're turning churchs into condos.

The 16,000-square-foot church could be carved up into 16 units, with underground parking spots. The main worship space would be split into two levels. ''I would love to have this kind of detail in my home" Truong, 37, said, looking up at the arched ceiling and ornate wood carving on the walls. ''We're betting others will, too."

That "ornate carving" was not done for you're living room. Whoever the
craftsmen were, they're turning over in their graves.

It's just wrong. Better to tear the church down.

Things are really wonderful

There are many reasons to thank God.

And if there is still much to be done and to hope for, let us not forget that God has given us much on the path to unity. For this reason, we are grateful to him for these gifts. The future is before us.

Today begins the by-now traditional Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an important appointment to reflect on the tragedy of the division of the Christian community and to pray with Jesus himself "that they may all be one so that the world may believe" (John 17:21).

We also do so here, in harmony with a great multitude in the world.

Things could be so much worse, except for the grace of God. So really, things are wonderful.

Our Holy Father says pray this week.

Bad boys get 5 years in the South, but Stoning in the North.

Nigeria's government is planning a specific ban on same-sex marriages, with five years in jail for anyone who has a gay wedding or officiates at one.

"In most cultures in Nigeria, same-sex relationships, sodomy and the likes of that, is regarded as abominable."

Homosexual sex is already illegal and in the north offenders can be stoned.

Some parts of the world don't fool around. I prefer the U.S.A.

Off Topic: Looks like a swap

An Iraqi government official said Iraq has recommended that US authorities release six of the eight Iraqi females in military custody, adding that it was not part of a bid to free a kidnapped American journalist.

An official from the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry, which sits on the commission, said on Thursday the call to free the women was not made in response to demands from Carroll's kidnappers.

US officials have refused to comment on whether any of the women are set to be released.
Earlier, the Iraqi Justice Ministry said that US forces would release six Iraqi women prisoners but that the move was not related to the demands of Carroll's kidnappers.

If we will swap with the terrorists, because of the autonomy of Irak's
government, then it is really near the end.

EU more than a coin.. watch out Poland and Baltic States

MEPs from all the main political groups demanded sanctions against countries such as Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Polish prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said last year that homosexuality is unnatural. Latvia has included an amendment in its constitution restricting marriage to a man and a woman, while Estonia has proposed legislation banning same-sex marriages. Poland and Lithuania have also banned “gay pride” parades.

The EU has a problem with this?

Some MEPs have called for Poland to have its EU voting rights suspended for its lack of tolerance of homosexuality. Others want to go even further. “Where EU countries breach the human rights of gay and lesbian people, the council of ministers must consider action to suspend member states’ membership of the EU,” said Michael Cashman, a British Labour MEP. Cashman is the president of the Parliament’s “intergroup” on gay and lesbian matters. He is also vice-president of the British organisation Gay & Lesbian Humanists (GALHA). On its website the latter organisation declares that it “fight[s] against Catholic-inspired homophobia [...] which still exists in some European states – notably ultra-Catholic Lithuania and Poland.”

Still exists!

GALHA not only fights “ultra-Catholicism.”

Just stop this "closure". We are scary enough.

Protestant leaders in Austria have called on the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger to suspend the death penalty and spare the life of an elderly convict on death row.

And a Catholic sister who has spent her life counselling both those who commit, or are victims of, capital crime says that Christian supporters of the judicial executions are perverting the message of Jesus Christ.“

A country which uses the death penalty violates its citizens’ human dignity,” the Evangelical Church in Austria said in advance of the scheduled execution of 76-year-old Clarence Ray Allen on 17 January 2006.

'Dead Man Walking' nun keeps up the fight against executions.

Russia, one pharmacy at a time

A pharmacy in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg has decided to ban one of their major sources of revenue — condoms.

Now it sells only medicine that has been blessed, children’s food, hygienic goods that, according to the archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, Vikentiy, who personally led the consecration ceremony, have now doubled their effectiveness.

The pharmacists say that the decision to stop selling contraceptives — which accounts for 10 percent of their profit — is their personal contribution to improving the demographic situation in Russia. The Yekaterinburg diocese has described the deed of the Urals businessmen as heroic and hopes that other stores will follow suit.

Even the Pope must must whisper when discussing Islam

From "The Jerusalem Post"

This is the first time I recall where he made an immediate statement. And I'm still struck by it, how powerful it was. ... the Holy Father, in his beautiful calm but clear way, said well, there's a fundamental problem with that [analysis] because, he said, in the Islamic tradition, God has given His word to Muhammad, but it's an eternal word. It's not Muhammad's word. It's there for eternity the way it is. There's no possibility of adapting it or interpreting it.

This basic difference, Pope Benedict continued, makes Islam unlike Christianity and Judaism. In the latter two religions, "God has worked through His creatures. And so, it is not just the word of God, it's the word of Isaiah, not just the word of God, but the word of Mark. He's used His human creatures, and inspired them to speak His word to the world."

Jews and Christians "can take what's good" in their traditions and mold it. There is, in other words, "an inner logic to the Christian Bible, which permits it and requires it to be adapted and applied to new situations."

Whereas the Bible is, for Benedict, the "word of God that comes through a human community," he understands the Koran as "something dropped out of Heaven, which cannot be adapted or applied."

This immutability has vast consequences: it means "Islam is stuck. It's stuck with a text that cannot be adapted."

As "Spengler" of Asia Times points out, even the pope "must whisper" when discussing Islam. It's a sign of the times.

More insight into something we need to understand.