Join the Moonies! Read more

Public school teachers could marry! Oh! And mayors too! End the all-male celibate mayor discipline! Speaking of which, those interested in the “How could people possibly get snookered by Maciel?” question should really read the masterpiece of rationalization in the paragraph above. Down below, there’s a discussion going on in the vein of “What did John Paul II know and when did he know it?” variety. People are tossing around various pieces of pseudo-knowledge about John Paul’s various motivations and... Read more

….then he’d be welcomed as a cinematic giant. Meanwhile, in Sweden, more timid dhimmis bring you this quintessentially Swedish moment: It was clear from the beginning that this time the police in Malmoe, Sweden, were under orders not to repeat the sort of behavior they had evidenced when supporters of free speech and Israel’s right to exist tried to demonstrate in the city’s main square on January 25. On that black Sunday, the police did absolutely nothing when a mob... Read more

In which we ponder the revival of mystery in that archetypal example of postmodern storytelling: LOST. Read more

That’s what this… One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. …will mean. It will be sold and “choice” and “dignity”. But when euthanasia is implemented nationwide, it will really be the fruit of bureaucratic minds facing the fact that our economic base will not be geared toward keeping Generation Narcissus alive, but toward rubbing them out as quickly... Read more

Here’re your basic alternative: 1. Read the NY Times and get stupider (subtext: “Eek! Another sign that Benedict is plunging the Church back into a Second Dark Ages!”) 2. Read this or this and actually learn about Indulgences. For starters, they don’t “grant absolution”. That’s your first clue that the NY Times is making you stupider if you listen to it. Read more

…is a history prof at Ohio U. InsideCatholic just re-ran a piece he wrote on the Church’s complex history with the question of slavery. He ticks off some who prefer agitprop to history, but he has the great advantage of having facts on his side. Bottom line: infallibility only covers a very limited number of things. For the rest, the Church is fully human and thoroughly enmeshed in all the weaknesses and trials of what it means to be human.... Read more

Sober killjoy throws much-needed cold water on America’s love affair with utopianism. Our secular messianism has, by dumb luck and the grace of God, never produced the insane toxicities of Euro-utopianism. But if we keep pressing our luck, there’s always a chance we will hit the jackpot. Read more

Bekah writes: For people like me who have trouble balancing internet use with time in God’s Word, I’ve set up a WordPress account with daily readings following the 1-year Catholic Bible plan at Catholic Doors Ministry. Thought you might like to help get the word out. The first post went out yesterday. Now you know! Read more

Sherry Weddell sends along the other side of the picture: a marked revival of Christian evangelization, conversion and discipleship taking place in hard-boiled London! If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere in Europe! English Catholics: stop apologizing and get in there and start pitching. You can do it! Read more