In antiquity, a kiss on the lips was seen as transferring a little bit of one’s spirit to the other person. You have a lot of early — I kind of think of them almost as Greco-Roman Harlequin — novels that speak of the kiss as this transfer of spirit. Christians modify it a bit, to suggest that when Christians kiss each other, they don’t just exchange their own spirit, but also share a part of the Holy Spirit with... Read more

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Many young women, upon meeting us, have asked whether I had “the test.” I interpret the question as a get-home-free card. If I say no, they figure, that means I’m a victim of circumstance, and therefore not implicitly repudiating the decision they may make to abort if they think there are disabilities involved. If yes, then it means I’m a right-wing antiabortion nut whose choices aren’t relevant to their lives. More. Read more

Pimping priest found guiltyQuestion: Shouldn’t that read “Priest found guilty of pimping?” I mean, would you say “Axe Murder Found Guilty?” Or “O.J. Found Innocent?” Oh, never mind.Story.More. WITCHCRAFT is a religion for the weak and oppressed, especially women. It has nothing to do with Satan, nor is it about sex. So says a leading Melbourne witch, Caroline Tully. ORTHODOX RESPONSE TO HURRICANES PASSES $3 MILLIONBaltimore, Md. (IOCC) Following the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina and later Hurricane Rita, the... Read more

On Orthodox People Time! 🙂 Read more

The king of Saudi Arabia says women may eventually be allowed to drive in the kingdom. From Drudge Read more

Did you know that “America” was named for the Italian cartographer, Amerigo Vespucci, who made the momentous discovery that the place on the far side of the Atlantic was not Asia (as most Europeans thought) but a completely different place? 1492 is indeed the year Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but it is also famous for being the year of the re-conquest of Granada. Ferdinand and Isabella finally conquered the last Muslim stronghold in Spain and achieved the final Christian... Read more

ST. PAUL – About 75 Catholic parents of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children released a statement Wednesday evening rejecting church teaching on homosexuality and calling Vatican policies “spiritually abusive.” A group called Catholic Rainbow Parents read a “declaration of wisdom and love” on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Paul before placing a scroll containing the document in the center door of the cathedral. More. Read more

Cultural conservatives and libertarian conservatives are gathering in several camps: • Those who trust the team of God and President Bush above all. • Those who do not trust Bush, in part because of rising evidence that the crony card trumps everything else. • Traditional conservatives — including many in pews — who are insulted that Bush passed over thousands of more qualified candidates (including younger judges, other females and minorities) and that now, to fight the opposition, the White... Read more

The following is taken from a comment I posted on Grace’s [excellent] SITE: In the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean,” during the initial sword fight, Captain Jack Sparks is accused of cheating … quite quickly he responds: “Pirate.” That’s my favorite line. But I hate that line when it’s paraphrased by Bush & Company. It goes something like this … there’s a battle going on, something nutty happens, every sane person cries “foul” … and Bush says: “God.” Even Alfred... Read more