Call them what you like, Broken Families are still a TRAGEDY!

Yes, liberals value family, but not enough to recognize that a broken family is a tragedy. Divorce is actually worse than death as far as the grieving process goes- especially when there are children, custody battles, parental support, and alimony involved. And homosexuals raising children? That is tragic, not something to be celebrated.

Maybe if we'd *recognize* that a broken family is a tragedy we would be more willing to say, pay taxes for WIC so that the single mother working a minimum wage job actually has the ability to choose life. Maybe we'd have more men willing to stick around and help raise the children they cause because the condom broke while they were stupidly using sex only for recreation. Maybe, just maybe, we'd be raising men instead of a generation of cowardly wimps who choose homosexuality and suicide over real life.

Suffering and tragedy is valuable- but only if we recognize that it exists.

Another view on Gay Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts: Caught in the Culture Wars:

Conservative and objective as I am, there is wisdom here.  Not kicking boys out for what *might* just be a passing confusion, makes sense.

But I no more want my son to go camping with homosexuals than I want to just "let slide" the special needs homosexual who hit on him this year in the 4th grade (a situation that will sort itself out as the boys are separated next year).

A new crazy conspiracy theory

Free to read (with registration over any two week period), the plot by the elite rich in New England, America, to eliminate as many resource hogs as possible and grab more resources for themselves.

The trouble with this conspiracy theory- it was actually published by the Guttmacher Institute in 1970.

The crowd has become the mob

It is amazing how intolerant of other cultures those asking for tolerance have become. The only thing more amazing in this story, is how nobody noticed that the name of the Founder of the Legion of Christ, had the same root word in his name as the spanish word for "sissy". And of course- he was convicted of clergy abuse.

Are Babies Atheists?

Are Babies Atheists? |Blogs | NCRegister.com:

Been talking a lot about atheism lately, an interesting look at the apologetics surrounding this claim.

I'm a bit on the fence.  In my wife's daycare, there are certainly kids who ask the question "who is God?"

But the same kid is the one who shows he already knows the most in so many other ways, so maybe it is just a language difficulty, especially with non-religious parents who simply avoid the issue.

Every single Catholic Family I know

Wrong time of year, but good joke:



The Stanford Nutting Holiday Special is just like EVERY single Catholic Family I know! Merry KwanzaHaunakahRamadan to you too!

Non-Catholic and third world midwife recommends NFP to villagers.

The rejection of misogyny led this midwife to reject chemical birth control in Indonesia, where the government teaches the motto "dua anak cekup" (two children enough) to schoolchilden and forces women to use IUDs that can't be removed safely and mandates shots of birth control drugs.

The dogma of subjectivism

The Atheist Orthodoxy that Drove Me to Faith | Strange Notions:

A convert to Catholicism explains how atheism can only be maintained, by ignoring a huge body of evidence.

Very Few Atheists in Fox Holes | The American Catholic

Very Few Atheists in Fox Holes | The American Catholic:


A very interesting article on a recent study in Science 2.0 on religious faith- do combat conversions persist?  Apparently, it is highly subjective and dependent on personal experience.  Those who take glory in war, no, combat conversions do not persist.  But those who grow to hate war, conflict, and fighting- many WWII veterans found a faith that persisted for now up to 70 years.

Certainty, Rationality, Fundamentalism, Philosophy, and Zen Catholicism

The line between rationality and irrationality isn't faith. It is certainty. Fundamentalists of any stripe are dead certain they are correct. Certainty is dangerous. Certainty is not compatible with either Rational Religion or Science.

And Certainty is what creates Hell.
As Einstein observed:

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute -- then it's longer than any hour. That's relativity!

It occurs to me that moral relativity creates its own hell. It is entirely possible that the afterlife of Catholicism and Tibetan Buddhism is indeed just an effect of a dying brain- but that doesn't make it any less real to the brain that is experiencing it. Just because you can explain a miracle or curse, doesn't make it any less of a miracle or a curse.
As 2000 years of research into Near Death Experiences in the Tibetan Book of the Dead explains, time no longer exists for you once you are dead. If you have a yidyam, a savior- even an evil one- you will be tempted to go to their place. But place, as John Paul II is entirely the wrong way to look at it- it is instead, a State of Mind. What if the afterlife, as we experience it, is *both* joining with the divine (or the evil) AND the final "letting go" where the brain freezes all memory into a permanent state, and can learn nothing more due to the lack of oxygen to keep the cells "alive and growing"?

In this way, if you are so certain as to become disobedient in this life- then your certainty, frozen at the moment of death, is what will create Hell for you.

Likewise if you are so open to faith and belief that you die happy- truly in joy at the prospect of worshiping God forever- then Purgatory/Bardo will freeze your brain into that happiness for all eternity.

There is of course one other option, according to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, that Christianity has no knowledge of- If you are truly committed to Atheism, and able to resist the temptations of the Gods and Demons- then you are rewarded with reincarnation, another spin at the wheel of life. This is what the Dali Lama preaches and apparently, has accomplished repeatedly (that's how you get to be the Dali Lama). But another interpretation of that is this- that Atheists have missed the point in life, and therefore, are sent back to get another chance. And that is Hell in and of itself.

Having contemplated the last things, I return to certainty and the scientific method. The scientific method requires that any given hypothesis, even a scientific law, be open to new evidence. Certain people are not open to new evidence- as my T-shirt in my Senior Picture back in high school loudly proclaimed "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts". This is NOT a scientific way of thinking- it is more faith based than a Westboro Baptist claiming not to be a Christian but rather a reincarnation of the bodyguards of King David. I wish somebody had warned me about certainty when I was young. Rational thinking has no room for certainty, no room for ideology, no room for blind obedience. The Truth must find YOU, you are incompetent to find the truth on your own.

On the science of human brain development

Twice now, due to my posting the story about the Lesbian Statutory Rapist, people have called the entire idea of statutory rape into question.
Turns out that while indeed there is no set age for this, there is some science behind it.
We now know the human brain doesn't stop developing for nearly twenty five years after birth, and there is a HUGE cognitive difference in understanding between a fifteen year old and an eighteen year old.
for the popularization.
for the MRI images
for the white paper
There still isn't a "magic number" that divides adulthood from childhood, the individual development of the prefrontal cortex can be complete as early as 17, as late as 25, and the bell curve centers on 21.
But it isn't just "backwater prudes" either, there actually is some science behind it. A 15 year old is incapable of consent for *very real brain development related reasons*.

And I still say a state that tries to turn seduction into rape when sex didn't occur, is ridiculous. But based on this research, so are the states that claim age of consent as young as 12.

How to Find God | John C. Wright's Journal

How to Find God | John C. Wright's Journal:

Went looking for opinions on the Litany of Tarski, and found this.  BTW, John C Wright considers the Litany of Tarski to be "utterly primitive" in that any philosopher that rejects it, is not to be trusted.

Father claims 15 year old girl is capable of consent in Lesbian Rape Case

Father claims 15 year old girl from another family is capable of consent:

I'm beginning to really like the change in Florida's government.  First they stop handing out welfare checks to junkies.  Now they are treating Lesbians under the same rules as Heterosexuals, gasp, what a concept!  Don't sign this petition unless you are FOR statutory rape of younger girls by predatory lesbians.

How many 18 year old boys have been prosecuted for having sex with 16 year old women under "minors can't give consent"?    Special treatment for lesbians?  Please, no.

How we die is more important than how we live

No, this isn't a post about the afterlife. It is a post about how we end this life. The fear of suffering in America is quite large. Which is odd, because in America, there is almost no suffering. Nothing like in the rest of the world, anyway. There is a reason people still risk their lives to come here, undocumented, to become the equivalent of slaves, earning less money than it takes to survive. We may no longer be the land of opportunity, but we are certainly the land of no suffering. If you are in pain, we've got a wide variety of medications to make it better. If you are a pregnant teenager- there are tons of charities that would love to help you keep or adopt out your baby. If you are poor, there's always SNAP food stamps- so much so that the real problem with malnutrition in America is people getting fat off of the bad nutrition of cheap calories and food insecurity where they binge 3 weeks a month and starve the 4th. And if all of that isn't enough- Washington and Oregon offer legal suicide in the last 6 months of life (really, to anybody who can convince a doctor that they are in the last 6 months of life) and now 18 states legally offer abortion past birth up to the first breath (though a doctor was just convicted of going past that, and five others are either under investigation or arrested for infanticide). America has truly defeated the problem of suffering. And yet, fear of it drives people into Atheism daily- and Nones are the fastest growing religion. Why? Respond in the combox.

Difficulties with Adam and Eve

Difficulties with Adam and Eve:

Father Longenecker is on fire today.  This one is on the difference between a difficulty and a doubt.

Help My Kids Still Aren’t Catholic!!

Help My Kids Still Aren’t Catholic!!:

A convert to Catholicism shows us why kids are no longer Catholic.

6 Reasons Christianity is Commonsensical (Part 1) | Catholic Rebel

6 Reasons Christianity is Commonsensical (Part 1) | Catholic Rebel:

And the linked previous topic:
http://catholicrebel.blogspot.com/2013/05/relatively-absolute-part-1.html">Relativity cannot be Absolute

This is written better than anything I could have written.

Political Correctness takes another step forward

As the Gay Brownshirts take over the DOJ. J. Edgar Hoover would be so proud!

Family Research Council Inhuman

The tip of the iceberg is revealed in this video.

Given Gosnell and Karpan

And attracting a new crowd to this blog, I thought maybe I should post a link to This poem I wrote a while back that explains why I am pro-life.

Hosts files, the ultimate way to fight back against popup spam

On my work computer, I have limited access, so I can't do this. But on my home computer- I downloaded 5 large Hosts files, combined them, and now 99% of Popups never reach the servers that they are programmed to go to. Also takes care of the "Zedo.com" bug that has been plaguing Catholic advertising-supported websites lately.

Which cousin would you do without?

Did They Believe in Birth Control?

Asks the question.  My father came from a good Catholic family of 4 boys and 3 girls.   Medium sized for the time.  His mother had more than 30 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren now.

My Dad had 2 boys, who both had sons, 5 grandchildren.

Who is the worse off?

The Chaplet of Tarski Fatima

In my discussion on another post, I brought up my personal translation of the Atheist/Rationalist Litany of Tarski into Catholic terms. That brought up an idea in my head for a new prayer for Catholics and Atheists to pray together. I call it the Chaplet of Tarski Fatima, based on the major influences of this prayer; and it is especially suitable for situations where you have both Atheist and Catholic family members, and a Catholic family member dies. I suggest praying it along with the Rosary, and it is based on the beads of the Rosary. I want no credit for this, and so I am formatting the rest of this blog posting in such a way to encourage cut and paste sharing.

--------------

The Chaplet of Tarski Fatima

The Catholics in the group should start. On the Crucifix, one Nicene Creed, preferably the new 2011 translation if you're doing it in English.

On the first Our Father Bead, the Catholics should pray the Fatima Prayer: "O my Jesus, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy." The Atheists should respond "If I am shown evidence of the supernatural, let me not claim that it is not evidence."

On the next three beads, all should pray together, the Catholic Litany of Tarski: "Lord, help me to believe that which is Truth, to not believe that which isn't truth, and do not let me be attached to those beliefs I may not want.", for the repose of the souls of the dead.

On the next Our Father Bead, repeat the Fatima Prayer/Evidence Pledge.

The first decade should be dedicated to discussing truth in charity. Repeat a decade of the Catholic Litany of Tarski, ending with the Fatima Prayer/Evidence Pledge.

The second decade should be dedicated to the Truth statement of St. Ambrose: "Man does not find the Truth, the Truth finds Man". Repeat a decade of the Catholic Litany of Tarski, ending with the Fatima Prayer/Evidence Pledge.

The third decade should be dedicated to Clarke's Law: Magic is just technology we don't understand yet. Repeat a decade of the Catholic Litany of Tarski, ending with the Fatima Prayer/Evidence Pledge.

The Fourth Decade should be dedicated to the Catholic version of how to judge a miracle- by its effects, not by its causes. Repeat a decade of the Catholic Litany of Tarski, ending with the Fatima Prayer/Evidence Pledge.

The Fifth Decade should be dedicated to the Rational Life- the foundation of all rights, of all government, and of science itself. Repeat a decade of the Catholic Litany of Tarski, ending with the Fatima Prayer/Evidence Pledge.

Catholics: End with one Our Father, for the repose of the dearly departed. Atheists, end with one *atheist version* of the Litany of Tarski, reformulated to whatever fact is most troubling to your mind at this point (the following is only an example):
If Proposition A is true,
I desire to believe that Proposition A is true;
If Proposition A is not true,
I desire to believe that Proposition A is not true;
Let me not become attached to beliefs I may not want.
-------Update
Based on my discussion with Bill S. in the comments, I have removed the earlier version of the Catholic Tarski Interpretation, and have substituted one that is closer to the original.

Money has to serve, not rule

As Pope Francis pointed out to Ambassadors to former Soviet countries the real danger in Capitalism is how the concept of profit destroys humanity. Money is a tool, an invention of mankind; but it can be a bit of a combination between Frankenstein and overseer. The unlimited seeking of Profit can destroy families, religion, even freedom itself. The very rich aren't free- they are constantly worried about the Return on Investment. I've even seen this at lower levels in my own Knights council, trying to teach the virtue of generosity.

Fundamentalist Atheism

Strange Notions is a new Disqus site run by Brandon Vogt to try to discuss Rationality and Reason with Athiests.

He may well succeed with some, but there is one subset of atheism he will never succeed with. On Richard Dawkin's spectrum of theistic probability, those with a score 6 and above often fall into something I term fundamentalist atheism. Many of them come from fundamentalist Christian backgrounds, if not in their generation, then within three generations of their recent past.

Fundamentalist Atheism starts with the assumption that the supernatural doesn't exist and that the natural world is all there is, and runs with it, denying any data to the contrary.

I've always been one to consider the natural to be a subset of the supernatural- that is the only real difference between the natural and the supernatural to me is the line of the shared scientific knowledge of mankind. A scientist, therefore, if he is to learn anything new about the universe, needs to have his primary focus on the supernatural- those items which are currently *beyond* natural knowledge, in hopes of bringing them into natural knowledge. As a theist, I am not threatened by that- in fact I celebrate it, for such explanations make my job as an evangelist easier, not harder, for the most part.

But the fundamentalist atheist can never be a true scientist- for he denies there is anything beyond *current science*. Like the feminist biologist I recently met who truly thought the science and engineering behind premature birth survival rates hadn't advanced since 1989 (and thus, was going with a viability line of 26 weeks for her personal morality surrounding abortion!). Such opinions are not based in reason, they are based in political correctness and being even more ignorant of morality than a Westboro Baptist. The really scary part for them is a universal God implies a universal morality, and that, they cannot even let themselves consider.

For such denial of the existence of "non scientific evidence", I see no possible way to dialogue.

But there is hope for the site. I recently ran into two very interesting comments, one on the site, the other in an Amazon book review. Apparently, anti-Catholicism and anti-Atheism are the last two politically correct bigotries. Anything a famous atheist tweets, any moral pronouncement by the Catholic Church, will quickly be criticized by secular post-Christian, post-modern society.

The moral of the story

Best of the Web Today: The IRS's Nonprofit Helper - WSJ.com:

If you want to engage in political hyperbole without being partisan and without attracting the bigotry of the IRS, be a 501c(8), not a 501c(3) or 501c(4).

It is official, life now begins- at first breath

Doctor found guilty of murder in Philadelphia abortion case - CNN.com:

Guilty of some murders anyway- out of the 8 counts of infanticide and one count of third degree murder, he's apparently only guilty of two counts of infanticide and the third degree murder.

The rest?  Those babies he stabbed in the back of the neck to stop them from moving weren't viable under the law.

How does abortion help the exploitation of women?

I've said it before- pro-choice is pro-rape. Two articles this morning in Lifesite News, an admittedly pro-life news outlet, emphasize this point. Rape is minimized when men can avoid paying for the natural product of being sexually irresponsible. Is it any wonder that women are being forced into clinics like these two in Pennsylvania and New Mexico where not just abortion, but infanticide are common and saying "no" to an abortion after the initial papers are signed just gets it done quicker and more dangerously? Or this clinic in New York that has a history of sending post-abortive women to the hospital for their incompetence?

To be pro-choice today, is to be for feeding women into the immensely profitable abortion industry. And that industry becomes even more profitable with sexual trafficking and exploitation of women, which insures more pregnant women being forced into abortions and situations they don't want.

Sliding goalposts right down the slippery slope

It is now official the beginning of life in Pennsylvania is no longer birth, but the first breath taken. How they have proven that those three babies whose murders were thrown out of court in the Gosnell trial did not take a breath before their spinal cords were snipped with scissors is beyond me. But they just moved the goalposts once again on us. And we have moved a step closer to genocide.

A logical analogy that WILL fall on deaf ears

Homosexuality & Diabetes: An Unspoken Likeness | Crisis Magazine:

How are homosexuality and diabetes related?  Both are about disordered appetites pushed by genetic predisposition- and both can equally be overcome with willpower.