TV Anchorwoman in Norway Fired for Wearing a Cross

TV Anchorwoman in Norway Fired for Wearing a Crossby Pravoslavie.ru –
Can a chain with a cross be a reason for dismissal from one’s office? Apparently so, if you live in Norway and are a staff member of NRK, a state TV-and-radio broadcasting company, reports La Republica. Siv Kristin Saellmann—a popular TV news anchorwoman in Norway—was suspended from her job for appearing on the air with a Cross (1.4 centimetres long) on her necklace.

Some viewers – mainly members of a local Muslim community – protested against this, claiming that “a necklace with a Cross insults Islam” and “this symbol does not guarantee impartiality of the TV channel”.

The journalist, one of the best known and the most popular on the Norwegian public television, was suspended and prohibited from hosting her programs, “lest she should be a source of discord and crimes”.[Read more…]

If You Like Your God, You Can Keep Him

It's not a choice, it's a Childby Betsy McCaughey –
On Nov. 1, the Gilardi brothers, devout Roman Catholics who operate their own fresh produce business in Ohio, won round two in a battle against the White House. The Obama administration tried to claim that freedom of religion means freedom to pray, not necessarily to practice your beliefs. Once you leave church, you have to obey government regulations, even when they conflict with your faith.

Francis and Philip Gilardi insisted on living their beliefs as they run their business. For a decade, they’ve provided health insurance for their 400 employees but excluded abortion drugs, contraception and sterilization because they conflict with Catholic teachings.

However, the Obama administration requires all health plans to provide them. On Jan. 2, 2013, the Gilardi brothers sued in federal court, asking for temporary protection from the $14 million annual penalty they would face for not complying. [Read more…]

Creation and the Heart of Man: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Environmentalism

Creation and the Heart of Man: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Environmentalismby John Couretas –
Beginning today, Acton is offering its first monograph on Eastern Orthodox Christian social thought at no cost through Amazon Kindle. Through Tues., Nov. 12, you can get your free digital copy of Creation and the Heart of Man: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Environmentalism(Acton Institute, 2013). The print edition, which runs 91 pages, will be available later this month through the Acton Book Shop for $6. When the free eBook offer expires, Creation and the Heart of Man will be priced at $2.99 for the Kindle reader and free reading apps.

A summary of Creation and the Heart of Man:

Rooted in the Tradition of the Orthodox Church and its teaching on the relationship between God, humanity, and all creation, Fr. Michael Butler and Prof. Andrew Morriss offer a new contribution to Orthodox environmental theology. Too often policy recommendations from theologians and Church authorities have taken the form of pontifications, obscuring many important economic and public policy realities. [Read more…]

The Encounter with Christ, Man’s Desire for God

Encounter with Christ, Desire for Godby Pope Francis –
Everything in our life, today just as in Jesus’ time, begins with an encounter.

There is a phenomenology of nostalgia, nóstos lagos, feeling called home, the experience of feeling attracted to what is most proper for us, most consonant with our being … Everything in our life, today just as in Jesus’ time, begins with an encounter. An encounter with this Man, the carpenter of Nazareth, a man like all men and yet different. The first ones, John, Andrew, and Simon, felt themselves to be looked at into their very depths, read in their innermost being, and in them sprang forth a surprise, a wonder that instantly made them feel bound to him, made them feel different …

We cannot understand this dynamic of encounter which brings forth wonder and adherence if it has not been triggered … by mercy. Only someone who has encountered mercy, who has been caressed by the tenderness of mercy, is happy and comfortable with the Lord … [Read more…]

‘Righty or Lefty?’ Quiz: Leftist Indoctrination of School Children

Leftist Indoctrination of School Childrenby Kirsten Andersen –
A Colorado parent is outraged after she says her twelve-year-old son was given a detailed and biased political survey asking about his views on controversial issues from health care to same-sex ‘marriage.’

The political survey was called “Righty or Lefty,” and asked students to rank their views on a ten-point scale, with one being the “extreme liberal” end of the scale and ten representing “extreme conservative” views. Each question presented examples of the “extreme liberal” and “extreme conservative” position on a given topic before asking for the student’s opinion.

For example, regarding health care, the worksheet explained:

“Liberals believe that all Americans are entitled to health care when they need it. Since health insurance is very expensive, liberals believe that the government should help those who cannot afford it. Liberals believe that taxes should be increased, if necessary, to pay for health care. [Read more…]

ObamaCare: Obama Lied, Our Health Coverage Died

ObamaCare: Obama Lied, Our Health Coverage Diedby Neil Munro –
President Barack Obama told his enthusiastic supporters Monday night that he never promised what video recordings show him promising at least 29 times.

The videos show Obama promising 300 million Americans that “if you like your health-care plan, you will be able to keep your health-care plan, period.”

But that’s not what he really said, Obama announced Monday in a speech to about 200 Organizing for Action supporters, gathered at the St. Regis hotel in D.C. “What we said was you could keep it if it hasn’t changed since the law was passed,” he told Obamacare’s political beneficiaries and contractors.

That claim is not supported by his videotaped statements, which don’t include any mention of his new “if it hasn’t changed” exception. [Read more…]

ObamaCare Lies and the Silence of the Left

ObamaCare Lies and the Silence of the Leftby Clarice Feldman –
There is widespread fury at the lies which were used to sell ObamaCare, a more than 2,000-page piece of legislation no one read before it was passed, a law opposed by the majority of voters which was crammed down our throats without a single Republican vote. The law essentially was a mishmash blank slate which left it to the administration’s HHS head, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to write as she pleased and the president to — by Executive order — pay off with exemptions and special treatment those cronies and rent seekers not already paid off in the legislative and regulatory process.

Whether this law will continue to pass judicial scrutiny remains to be seen, but what is obvious at this early date is that the press and the public figures who promoted it are lying low as the tsunami of voter rage builds. [Read more…]

An Orthodox Christian Moral Case for Property Rights

Orthodox Christian Moral Case for Property Rightsby Fr. Gregory Jensen –
As a pastor, I’ve been struck by the hostility, or at least suspicion, that some Orthodox Christians reveal in their discussions of private property. While there are no doubt many reasons for this disconnect, I think a central factor is a lack of appreciation for the role that private property can, and does, play in fostering human flourishing.

It is through the wise and prudent use of our property that we are able to give ourselves over in love to the next generation and so give them the possibility of likewise transcending a purely material way of life through an act of self-donation. Economists Terry Anderson and Laura Huggins, in Property Rights: A Practical Guide to Freedom and Prosperity  (Hoover Institution, 2009), are right when they remind us that while not a panacea, “property rights to oneself (human capital), one’s investments (physical capital), or one’s ideas (intellectual capital), secure claims to assets” and so “give people the ability to make their own decisions, reaping the benefits of good choices and bearing the costs of bad ones.” [Read more…]

Atheism is a Mental Disorder

St. Nektarios of Aeginaby St. Nektarios of Aegina –
Atheism is a mental disorder: it is a terrible ailment of the soul that is difficult to cure. Atheism is a passion that severely oppresses whomever it seizes. It holds in store many misfortunes for its captive, and becomes harmful not only for him but also for others who come into contact with him.

Atheism denies the existence of God. It denies that there is a divine Creator of the universe. It denies God’s providence, His wisdom, His goodness, and, in general, His divine qualities. Atheism teaches a falsehood to its followers and contrives false theories concerning the creation of the universe. It professes, as Pythia upon a tripod,1 that the creation is an outcome of chance, that it is perpetuated and preserved through purposeless, random interactions, that its splendor transpired spontaneously over time, and that the harmony, grace, and beauty witnessed in nature are inherent attributes of natural laws.

Atheism detracts from God, Whom it has denied, His divine characteristics, and, instead, bestows them and His creative power to lifeless and feeble matter. [Read more…]

Liberal Child Abuse – Pro-Abortion Democrats Pretend To Care About Children

Liberal Child Abuse - Obama Pro-Abortion Presidentby Tom Trinko –
A key moment so far in the shutdown drama was when Harry Reid, the liberal Democrat head of the Senate, stated that he didn’t care if children with cancer missed out on medical care.

While this shocked many, the simple fact is that liberals tend to be very much unconcerned about children.  After all, liberals are keen supporters of killing children before they’re born, and sometimes even after, so the thought that liberals are more concerned with their own political power than with children shouldn’t be surprising.

Historically, liberals talk a good game about children — using them to justify bigger government and more power for liberals over our lives — but they don’t ever walk the walk. Aside from having far fewer children than conservatives — witness the concern about the “birth gap” — liberals are also very big fans of abortion, which always kills a child, and they tend to lean towards prioritizing career over parenting. [Read more…]