Friday, March 25, 2022
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Profound social change with euthanasia for mental ...
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Profound social change with euthanasia for mental ...: Alex Schadenberg Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Dr Ramona Coehlo An article by Dr Sonu Gaind , Dr Ramona Coehlo , Dr Jo...
Religion Clause: Michigan City Violated RLUIPA In Applying Special ...
Religion Clause: Michigan City Violated RLUIPA In Applying Special ...: In United States v. City of Troy , (ED MI, March 18, 2022), a Michigan federal district court enjoined the city of Troy, Michigan from enfo...
Judge Jackson Should Not be Confirmed to the Supreme Court - The Stream
Judge Jackson Should Not be Confirmed to the Supreme Court - The Stream: As an American of African descent and a great grandson of slaves, I am certainly not opposed to the appointment of a black woman to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States.
This week’s Faith On Trial: Planned Parenthood’s ice cream condom truck
On this week’s program Deacon Mike and Gina discuss Planned Parenthood’s condom give-away using an ice cream truck, among other topics. You can hear the program here:
https://www.iowacatholicradio.com/faith/episode/2ec165d0/ice-cream-truck-32422
Faith On Trial airs every Thursday mornings at 9:30 CT on Iowa Catholic Radio on several central Iowa stations as well as streaming on IowaCatholicRadio.com.
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Next week's guest, Keisha Russell, testifies before the Senate against the confirmation of Judge Ketenji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court
First Liberty attorney Keisha Russell, next week’s Faith On Trial guest, testifies Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee against the nomination of President Biden’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Ketenji Brown Jackson. Faith On Trial airs every Thursday morning at 9:30 CT on Iowa Catholic Radio.
Supreme Court protects prayer in death chamber
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has just protected the right of pastors to pray over the condemned in the execution chamber. In Ramirez v. Collier, John Henry Ramirez asked the Court to allow his spiritual advisor—a Southern Baptist pastor—to pray over him in the execution chamber, including laying hands on him. Becket filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is required to allow prisoners the right to meaningful clergy access in their final moments. This morning the Supreme Court agreed with Becket’s argument. Becket’s brief, which was co-authored by Professor Michael McConnell of Stanford Law School and the Harvard Law School Religious Freedom Clinic headed by Professor Josh McDaniel, was cited extensively by Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion for the Court to explain the “rich history of clerical prayer at the time of a prisoner’s execution, dating back well before the founding of our Nation.”
“Even the condemned have a right to get right with
God,” said Eric Rassbach, vice president & senior counsel at Becket.
“The Supreme Court correctly recognized that allowing clergy to minister to the
condemned in their last moments stands squarely within a history stretching
back to George Washington and before. That tradition matters.”
Prior to 2019, Texas’ policy allowed Christian and Muslim
clergy into the death chamber. In 2019, TDCJ denied prisoner Patrick
Murphy’s request that his
Buddhist priest be allowed into the execution chamber, but after Becket filed a
friend-of-the-court brief, the Supreme
Court halted the execution. TDCJ responded by blocking clergy of all faiths
from the execution chamber. After another Supreme Court ruling in favor of a
second prisoner supported by Becket,
TDCJ changed course again, allowing clergy to be in the execution chamber, but
prohibiting any spoken prayer or slight contact with the inmate. Today’s
ruling said that TDCJ’s policy of silencing clergy runs afoul of federal civil
rights law.
As Becket’s brief showed in
detail, TDCJ’s ban on pastors praying aloud for the condemned or laying hands
on them runs contrary to centuries of religious practice, and even TDCJ’s own
practices until 2019.
Coauthor Prof. McConnell is a frequent advocate before the
Supreme Court, a professor of law at Stanford Law School, the head of the
Stanford Constitutional Law Center, and a former judge of the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. The Harvard Law School Religious Freedom Clinic,
founded in Fall 2020, gives law students hands-on experience providing pro bono
legal services in matters addressing many different religious practices.
Heritage President: Senators Must Reject Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation to Supreme Court
WASHINGTON—Heritage President Kevin Roberts released the following statement Thursday upon the conclusion of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing:
“Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing made clear that she cannot be trusted to uphold the law and follow the Constitution as a Supreme Court justice. Plain and simple, she is unqualified to serve on the court.
“Throughout the hearing, conservative senators exposed her atrocious record and views on issues like crime, immigration, and critical race theory. Her answers were appalling and, at times, downright disturbing. It should deeply trouble all Americans that a judge who wishes to sit on our highest court continues to defend her alarming track record of light sentences for child sex offenders.
“In one of the most absurd moments at her hearing, Jackson even refused to define what a woman is because ‘she isn’t a biologist.’ Her answer exposes Jackson as, at best, unwilling to challenge the radical, anti-truth ideology of the left, and, at worst, sympathetic to it. That ideology is poisoning our legal system, government, and culture, and deserves no support from the Supreme Court.
“Americans
deserve a judge who will follow and uphold the law. Jackson has shown that she
would do the opposite. At a time when Americans are increasingly concerned
about the rule of law and the safety of our children, a vote for Jackson would
signal that our leaders couldn’t care less. Senators must reject her
confirmation.”
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
First Liberty Attorney and FOT guest to testify at Supreme Court nomination hearings
First Liberty attorney and Faith On Trial guest Keisha Russell
will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee at Judge Ketanji Brown
Jackson's confirmation hearing.
President Biden nominated Judge Jackson to replace retiring
Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Keisha Russell
Only a select few organizations and experts in our country are
called to be a part of the confirmation process for a Supreme Court justice,
and First Liberty will have an incredible opportunity to be a voice for freedom
and the rule of law.
Keisha has been called as an expert witness to explain why it’s
essential for a Supreme Court justice to uphold the rule of law and interpret
the Constitution according to its original meaning. She will emphasize that
judges must adhere to principle—not personal preference, politics, or
ideology—when issuing decisions affecting religious liberty and other core
freedoms.
Keisha is our scheduled guest for next week’s Faith On Trial
program, Thursday at 9:30 a.m. CT on Iowa Catholic Radio. She is scheduled to discuss the the nomination of Judge Brown to the United States Supreme Court.
Ninth Circuit rules in favor of Church
SAN FRANCISCO – The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that a city plan prohibiting churches from ground-floor occupancy of buildings in a three-block area of Salinas’ downtown special zone violates federal law.
New Harvest Christian Fellowship had rented space along Main Street in the City
of Salinas for over 25 years, and its growing congregation prompted church
leaders to recognize the need for a larger facility to accommodate ministry
needs. The Church purchased the Beverly building, a larger building in the
downtown corridor, and filed an application with the City for an amendment to
the zoning code and a conditional use permit. The City Council rejected the
application, finding that churches do not contribute to a “vibrant” and “fun”
pedestrian-oriented atmosphere and therefore may be excluded from Salinas’
downtown area.
Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) filed suit on behalf of New Harvest in federal
court to challenge the City’s downtown plan and identify many similar
categories of gatherings that are allowed under the local ordinance while
excluding houses of worship. The facts of the case showed that these preferred
assembly uses are located in the three-block area: two cinemas, a children’s
theatre, and a multi-use facility which holds events such as comedy and music
performances, weddings, quinceañeras, and business conferences.
The lawsuit was filed under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized
Persons Act in 2019. When the district court ruled against the Church last
year, PJI appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit, where Kevin Snider, Chief
Counsel for PJI, argued the case before a three-judge panel.
“This church did not seek special consideration, but simply asked for equal
treatment,” stated Kevin Snider. “Too often the faithful are unfairly pushed
out of prime zones by city officials and find themselves on the outside looking
in.”
Pastor Ignacio Torres of New Harvest explained, “Someone once said, ‘Faith is
spelled R-I-S-K.’ When God spoke to me to buy the Beverly building, many
individuals didn’t understand the reasoning behind New Harvest buying a
building it couldn’t use.”
“PJI uniquely stands ready to defend churches, like this one, that simply could
not defend themselves.”, said Attorney Brad Dacus, President of PJI. “With
offices now coast-to-coast in 17 states, we will continue to work to represent,
without charge, churches who wish to follow their holy calling even if hostile,
intolerant cities vigorously attempt to thwart such callings.”
Pastor Torres stated, “Today once again God has demonstrated His faithfulness.
I will always be extremely grateful to PJI for defending the religious freedom
of people and churches.”
The ice cream truck of condoms … this week on Faith On Trial
Remember when you were a kid how excited you were when you heard the sound of the ice cream truck in your neighborhood? Well, Planned Parenthood has a new take on that: an ice cream truck that dispenses condoms … that’s right, no ice cream just condoms. And they use the phrase “I scream, you scream, we all scream for abortion rights.” Isn’t that nice?
To discuss this latest abortion promo with us Thursday will
be Hugh Brown, executive vice president of the American Life League. So join
Deacon Mike and Gina for what will undoubtedly be a lively conversation this Thursday
at 9:30 CT.
Hugh Brown
Faith On Trial is heard every Thursday morning at 9:30 CT on Iowa Catholic Radio 1150 AM and 94.5 FM Des Moines, 88.5 FM Adel, and 90.9 FM Creston, and streams on IowaCatholicRadio.com where you can hear this program and any that you may have missed.
Planned Parenthood's Condom Truck
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
A popular lie is still a lie
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Child abuse and parental abuse in the schools
By Catholic League president Bill Donohue
Three weeks ago today, I sent a letter to Donna Orem, president of the National
Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), asking her to validate a story about
the organization that was published by Breitbart, an internet media outlet;
copies were sent to members of the board of trustees. She has not replied, thus
I am going public with my concerns.
NAIS is the national accreditation association for private
schools across the country. In my letter I refer to its "queer-inclusive
curriculum," one which constitutes manipulative and highly objectionable
fare. Moreover, it does so in secrecy, intentionally shielding parents from its
contents. Many Catholic parents who send their children to a private
non-sectarian school would be horrified to learn what the curriculum entails,
as would non-Catholic parents.
At a NAIS conference in 2020, a staff member explained to
teachers in a training session what children will be taught.
"Starting in Pre-K we talk about their bodies, the
parts that they were born with, about penises and vaginas and whether they make
somebody a boy or a girl. But also their feelings, what do they feel like
inside, do they feel like a boy or a girl? What does their head say? Do their
heart and their body match up?" Vocabulary lessons include words such as
"the vulva and the labia."
After leading these children to question their status as a
boy or a girl, the schools will then proceed to encourage those who are in
rebellion against their nature. "Students ready to socially transition may
initiate a process to change their name, pronoun, attire, and access to
preferred activities and facilities," the latter meaning locker rooms and
bathrooms.
Books that students can access in their library may
include Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. It includes illustrations
of boys performing oral sex.
All of this is to be done behind the back of parents.
Worse, their children may be expelled from school if parents voice "strong
disagreement" with the curriculum. To top things off, teachers are being
instructed how to deal with "puritan" parents who object. The
condescending attitude is typical of educational elites.
"Puritan Speak" includes phrases such as "That's my job." "They're just not ready." "They're too young to know that." "Won't they lose their innocence?" "But, what if my child is not ready?" "You're just trying to put ideas in their heads." There is nothing "puritan" about these concerns—they are merely expressions of responsible parents.
What these educators are doing to children is child abuse.
What they are doing to parents is parental abuse. This is not sex education: it
is sexual engineering, and it is violative of the rights of mothers and
fathers.
If there is one good thing that the pandemic yielded, it is
the extent to which unsuspecting parents have learned just how morally debased
some teachers and administrators have become. The pushback must continue.
Monday, March 21, 2022
Why Are Ex-Gays (and Ex-Trans) So Dangerous? - The Stream
Why Are Ex-Gays (and Ex-Trans) So Dangerous? - The Stream: The very existence of ex-gay and ex-trans individuals challenges the foundational assumption that people are born gay or trans.
The Via Dolorosa
By Deacon Mike Manno
(The Wanderer) – As I watch the world around me, mankind
seems to be tripping from one crisis to another. There is a war in Europe which
we seem unable to deal with, soaring inflation the likes of which we haven’t
seen for decades, and an aggressive effort by our governmental leaders and
their political allies to attack the Church, its doctrines, teachings, and even
how Christians practice their faith.
And so it is probably
prudent to take a rest from the ongoing travails of ordinary life in today’s
America and experience a spiritual respite and embrace the spiritual during
this Lenten season. We have a little ways to go yet before we celebrate the
Resurrection, a feat which should really tell us who is in charge and remind us
that without a Good Friday there would be no Easter.
Most folks think of
Lent as that time where we need to fast and abstain from meat on Fridays –
actually for our younger readers, it used to be every Friday (ugh) not just in
Lent. But it is a time of penitence and self-reflection, a time when we should
take stock of ourselves and understand what happened two thousand years ago in
a remote outpost of the Roman Empire.
Since that time the
faithful have found numerous ways to mark the anniversary of the Passion. Two
that are popular in the United States today are fish fries and the Stations of
the Cross. Fish fries are nice (thank you, Knights of Columbus), but a better
and more prayerful remembrance is the Stations of the Cross which, at least in
my locale, draw a much smaller crowd than the fish fries.
Several years ago for
another project, I did a little research on the history and development of the
devotion. Here’s a bit of what I found:
While popular today,
the devotion took centuries to evolve into the 14 representations of Jesus’
path to Calvary that we know today.
The origin of the
devotion goes back to the early Christians in the Holy Land that first
memorialized Christ’s Passion by retracing His steps. This wasn’t as easy as it
sounds since in the AD 70s the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and early pilgrims
could only guess at the true locations of the first Good Friday events. But
they did congregate at Pilate’s praetorium where Christ was sentenced to death
and later at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher erected by Constantine in 335.
Early steps (they weren’t called “stations” until 1462) contained as few as
seven points of devotions.
In the fifth century,
as the devotion grew when pilgrims began bringing back relics from the Holy
Land, St. Petronius, bishop of Bologna, built a series of chapels which
reproduced some of the more important shrines in the Holy Land, including
several of what we now call stations.
In 1342 the
Franciscans were given the responsibility as protectors of the shrines in the
Holy Land and pilgrims were given indulgences for visiting Pilate’s house, the
place where Jesus met His Mother, where He met Simon of Cyrene, where He was
stripped of His garments, where He was nailed to the cross and His tomb.
In 1462 an English
pilgrim, William Wey, coined the term “stations” and numbered them at 14;
however, only five corresponded to the ones used today. He also turned the
stations around, beginning with Christ’s condemnation and ending at the tomb,
prior to the time pilgrims followed the path in reverse.
When the Muslim Turks
blocked access to the Holy Land, reproductions of the stations were erected by
the Franciscans; the number of stations varied between seven and 30, although
seven stations was the most popular number.
In 1686 the stations
moved indoors when Pope Innocent XI granted the Franciscans the right to erect
stations in their churches and granted indulgences to those affiliated with the
Franciscans the same as if they had traveled to the Holy Land. In 1726 Pope
Benedict XIII extended the indulgences to all — more about the current
indulgence below.
In 1731 Pope Clement
XII allowed the stations to be erected in all churches, provided that a
Franciscan erected them, and fixed the number at 14.
In 1851 under Pius IX,
the bishops of England were authorized to permit the erection of stations in
churches not affiliated with the Franciscans, and in 1862 Pius expanded that
permission to all churches. During the nineteenth century, the question arose
as to which side of the church the stations should begin. In 1837 the Sacred
Congregation of Indulgences, while not taking sides on the issue, suggested
that beginning on the side where the Gospel is read was the most appropriate.
Of the current 14
stations used today, the three stations representing Jesus falling, Jesus
meeting His Mother, and Veronica wiping Jesus’ face have no scriptural
foundation. In recent times some have added a fifteenth station: Jesus is
raised from the dead.
A plenary indulgence
under the usual conditions, sacramental Confession, Holy Communion, and prayer
for the Pope’s intentions, is still granted to the faithful who devoutly attend
a public presentation of the Stations of the Cross. One other condition is that
the congregation must move from station to station with the person leading the
devotion; however, if that is not possible “it is sufficient that the person
who is leading the exercise move from station to station while the others
remain in their places” (Handbook of Indulgences 63, 4).
So as we move through
Lent, let’s realize that there is more to it than meatless Fridays and fish
fries. Reconnect, if you can, to your parishes’ remembrance of the Road to
Calvary, the Via Dolorosa. If you do, I think that the fried fish the Knights
serve up will taste a bit better.
And, by the way,
Friday March 25 is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. As it is a
solemnity, you are dispensed from your obligation to abstain from meat that
day. Stations first, then enjoy your Friday steak dinner.
Pray for Ukraine.
(You can reach Mike
at: DeaconMike@q.com and listen to him every Thursday morning at 9:30 CT on
Faith On Trial on IowaCatholicRadio.com.)
Look who's cheering for affirmative action
By Catholic League president Bill Donohue
When I was a professor, I told my colleagues how phony they were in supporting affirmative action. None of them were in favor of it when they had a friend or lover who was interested in a faculty opening—it was only when they didn't have someone to plug that they played the game. They didn't disagree.
Nothing has changed since, only today we have the specter of high-ranking white men insisting that more women and minorities be hired. It becomes even more hypocritical when this pitch is made on the eve of their retirement.
The latest phony is David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States. On March 14, he urged the Biden administration not to hire a white guy to replace him. "That's advice I've given to the White House already: that you better not hire another white male...We've had ten white males.''
Ferriero will retire
in mid-April. If he had any integrity he would never have taken the job in
2009. He knew then that all the previous U.S. National Archivists were white
guys, so he should have dropped out in favor of someone who did not share his
anatomy or race.
Dannielle Blumenthal worked at the National Archives for several years while Ferriero was the head honcho. She claims the workplace is "a very structurally racist place (her emphasis)." She ridicules him for his latest virtue-signaling scheme, namely his decision to launch The Archivists' Task Force on Racism. The "Report to the Archivist," released April 20, 2021, is chock-a-block full of all the right code words, "diversity" and "inclusion." Truth to tell, it amounts to nothing but a hill of beans.
As to be expected, the report begins by paying homage to George Floyd, the ex-con drug addict who died following an altercation with a Minneapolis cop after resisting arrest. Then it gets serious, noting a "preponderance" of blacks and other minorities in "lower-status jobs." It also notes "the preponderance of White people in higher-paying, higher-status jobs."
This kind of systemic racism happened on Ferriero's watch, and indeed he must bear at least some of the blame for it. Why didn't he do anything about it? According to Blumenthal, under Ferriero, "racism was built in to the leadership structure. Everyone (or most people) in power were Caucasian."
Ferriero is hardly a freak. We recently published an analysis of ten major corporations, ranging from Goldman Sachs to Walmart, assessing their commitment to diversity and comparing it to their actual track record of hiring minorities. All ten have a lousy history of making good on their much-vaunted interest in hiring blacks, Hispanics and Asians. The ruling class is a white boys' paradise.
When I taught sociology at La Roche College in Pittsburgh (now a university), a left-wing professor of English, who was recently hired, cornered me in the parking lot on a Friday afternoon. He said one of his students was making the case against affirmative action, prompting him to ask if she had been taking my classes. Sure enough she was.
He smiled, self-assuredly, and walked away. I stopped him. "You have a moral obligation to resign immediately," I said. But why, he asked. "Because you took a job from a black person," I responded. His retort was priceless. "I thought I got the job because I was the best person who applied." To which I said, "That's my position—not yours."
The problem with liberals is that they are quick to offer an ethical checklist for others, but always find a way not to apply it to themselves. For example, they love to write about climate change while preparing a speech aboard their private jet. They love to give talks about gun control while their armed bodyguards stand nearby. They love to condemn the construction of a wall on our southern border while living securely in their gated community.
The David Ferrieros of
this world pat themselves on the back for establishing blue-ribbon committees
on racial equality, and then doing nothing about it. They hope no one
notices. We do. Now you do as well.
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