“Tolerance” as a concept has been so thoroughly bastardized by agendists using the word as a silencing cudgel, that I think many have forgotten what it is actually about: “putting up with” each other, in peace. Tolerance requires not that we “celebrate and support” each other, but merely that we make some room to let the gal or guy next to us — regardless of what they believe — live out their lives. Misuse of the word has sullied it... Read more
There you go, that’s a headline I never imagined writing. Tending to St. James Episcopal Church’s Facebook page typically isn’t a lot of work for the Rev. Dawn Frankfurt, the church’s rector since 2011. That changed last week. That’s when people started posting they were outraged that the church on East Douglas in College Hill was playing host to a “Chili for Choice” fundraiser Jan. 22 – the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that affirmed... Read more
‘I’m not going to kill a healthy baby because I’m sick’ 24 year-old Ashley Bridges, mom to her young son Braiden, was ten weeks pregnant when she discovered that she had an aggressive bone cancer: Bridges underwent surgery to replace her knee and remove the majority of her femur. The doctors also said she should start chemotherapy immediately, but there was a very big risk. […] “They told me what would likely happen to Paisley, that you know, she most... Read more
Paul VI was right to warn against contraception, Pope Francis says: After discussing various threats to the family, including “a lack of openness to life,” he deviated briefly from his prepared remarks, transitioning from English to his native Spanish in order to speak from the heart about the subject. “I think of Blessed Paul VI,” he said. “In a moment of that challenge of the growth of populations, he had the strength to defend openness to life.” In 1968, Pope... Read more
Here we go…Women’s College Cancels ‘Vagina Monologues’ Because It Excludes Women Without Vaginas Yet I am a woman with a vagina, and this becomes an area of my concern when people start saying that I shouldn’t reference or acknowledge that—that it’s in fact bad and intolerant so 20th century to even speak about it. The fact that some trans women don’t have vaginas doesn’t negate the fact that the vast majority of women do. And now, in the name of... Read more
A friend of mine sent me this cute wrap-up of a conversation he had with his little daughters this morning. I reprint it here, with his permission, and am changing their names to protect their privacy, and also because I never got to name girl babies: Car Ride Conversation A Play in One Act ————————- Starring: Annaliese Serra* (7 yrs old) as herself Evangeline deSales* (5 yrs old) as herself Dad, as himself Scene: This frosty morning, driving my girls... Read more
Oftentimes, when I sifting through angry emails or moderating the comboxes and releasing comments from people who would presume to tell me I am going to hell, or that I am “outside of the church” (as an aside, I am fascinated by people who declare that on the basis of a single word, they know all about me and the state of my soul; there are people in Vegas who would pay cash-money to see that trick) I think back... Read more
While introducing readers to a new Patheos Catholic blogger, particularly one who has great writing chops but may have flown under the radars, biographical information can sometimes be a little thin; sometimes research is required. This is not the case with Michael Novak, whose new blog, Coming Down to Earth debuts today with a reminiscence of Lithuania and the Divine Mercy. In Michael’s case, the biographical material is so plentiful it needs its own editor, or I’ll get nothing else... Read more
Echo chambers can be very deceiving. You go into the same sites everyday — the sites you either love, because they validate your thinking, or love to hate because you can show them to others who also hate them, and have your feelings validated, once again — and after a while you fall for an illusion of breadth and width; you begin to think that the 80 or 800 people with whom you agree are the vast silent majority; that... Read more
All day I had hoped to find time to respond to this piece by Frank Bruni in the New York Times wherein he argues that religious liberty must be regulated and sidelined, for the sake of human dignity, particularly his: Christian fundamentalists in this country are practiced at claiming marginalization and oppression. “They’re always saying they’re kept out of the public square, and that’s baloney,” said Marci Hamilton, a constitutional law expert and the author of “God vs. the Gavel.”... Read more
The Anchoress
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