Is rational discussion possible?

A couple articles at CWN caught my attention today: Malaysian court refuses to acknowledge Muslim's conversion to Christianity and Wear veils, Iraqi Muslim cleric warns Christian women Well, the Church has never lacked persecutors.

Religious "tolerance" on display

OC Register - Religious tolerance on display: "Participants held hands to the strains of the Beatles' "All You Need is Love" while 20 white doves were released." Yikes! Anyone else concerned that the Baby Boomer generation has left us with a "theology of the Beatles?" Perhaps the UCI Academic Senate is pining for a bygone era. I guess the message is - forget what you think God says, you just need the Beatles and everything will be groovy.

Selective reduction

Selective reduction * Bettnet.com Check out the link to Domenico Bettinelli's discussion of the insidious illogic of abortionists. I think that abortion undermines not the humanity of the unborn child, but the nature of the abortionists themselves and our society which allows this.

MPs who back abortion should be banned from Communion, says Catholic leader-News-UK-TimesOnline

MPs who back abortion should be banned from Communion, says Catholic leader-News-UK-TimesOnline: "“The Catholic Church doesn’t bend or sway to meet the position of individual politicians, doctors, or anyone, when it comes to life issues. Why would anyone consider it unusual for the Catholic Church to reiterate its 2,000-year-old position?“" Looks like Scotland has a stand up Cardinal. Kind of interesting that here in California I can hear this, but only a whisper about the USCCB response to the wayward Catholic politicians was covered by Catholic World News, and that's about it (of course, they didn't make much hay about it themselves). Perhaps Cardinals in the US should take Cardinal O'Brein's lead.

Dad tackles man photographing daughter

OC Register - Dad tackles man photographing daughter Check out this news item. The reporter asks if the father is a hero or over protective. My question is whether the reporter is nuts for asking the question that way. The dad was appropriately protecting his kid. Seems pretty brave to me though.

Photo Hunters #59 Colorful

Click on picture for larger image I took this shot at the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia about a month ago. There are peacocks running loose all over (not to mentions some beautiful grounds). If you live in or plan on visiting So Cal, it is definitely worth a visit. They did some film and TV series there as well, including the Fantasy Island intro scene where Tattoo say "Da plane! Da plane!" A list of participants can be found by clicking here.

Word of the Cross - 1 Cor 1:18

Click on picture for larger image I have been wanting to start combining my photos with quotes. Here is my first attempt. You can click on the picture for a larger image. I know at least one person who visits my blog who will likely recognize the cross. :)

Me monk. Me meander.: Public Liturgical Roles: Lectors, Cantors, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion, Cantors and PROPER CLOTHING

Me monk. Me meander.: Public Liturgical Roles: Lectors, Cantors, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion, Cantors and PROPER CLOTHING Check out Fr. Stephanos' thoughts on attire at mass. It is important to keep in mind the profound reasons behind the simple things we do - like dress "up" for Mass.

Photo Hunters #58 Cooking

Click on picture for larger image I went with the process of cooking rather than the alternate "cooked." I took this shot last Saturday as we were enjoying a wonderful sunny afternoon. Looks so good, I think we'll do it again this Saturday. :) A list of participants can be found by clicking here.

Outside Protests Drive Catholic College to Drop Graduation Speaker

The Chronicle: Daily News Blog: Outside Protests Drive Catholic College to Drop Graduation Speaker Here's a bit of good news. A St. Mary's Catholic college in Nebraska drops its pro-abortion commencement speaker. Good for them!

"Be still; know that I am God." (Ps 46:10)

I borrowed this image from The Ironic Catholic. Check out her original post (and everything else at her site)!

Minestrone Soup

I started feeling a slight ear ache on Sunday night, but got knocked on my rear yesterday evening. I couldn't stop shivering. Because of the achy body and stuffed nose, I slept horribly last night. But my wife brought some minestrone soup from one of our favorite Italian restaurants for lunch. Nothing beats a nice bowl of minestrone when fighting a cold.

A Company Named Cerberus

Cerberus to buy 80 percent of Chrysler - Yahoo! News Does anyone wonder why a company names itself after the mythological "hound of hell"? Who starts such a company saying "you know what name really represents us...?" Kind of makes you wonder about their values. Corporations take a lot of care in choosing a name. It is selected to represent a company - to evoke an image. I can't say that "Cerberus" would make me feel too comfortable as an employee. Cerberus' job in Greek mytholigy was to keep the dead in hades and keep the living out. What does that say about Chrysler?

Photo Hunters #57 Five

Click on picture for larger image I've been saving this shot for an appropriate theme. It is one of my favorite shots in the past year. There is a 5 in the numbers up front. A list of participants can be found by clicking here.

First Communion

Click on picture for larger image My son made his first communion last Saturday. I wanted to post on this earlier, but I didn't for a couple reasons. One reason was that I am swamped. The second is that I have more than just joy to share. First the part that was less joyful. The parish decided that they would lead with announcements about not kneeling after Communion. I prefer to have first communion done at a separate, special mass on Saturday morning instead of during the "Sunday" mass on Saturday evening. We also had to leave our two daughters with my parents because communicants sat with parents (not family, as siblings were explicitly excluded) rather than together. Every third child or so carried in butterflies during the procession (what does that have to do with Holy Communion) Then to top it off, my sons first Communion included a bit of liturgical abuse with the children called to gather around the altar during the consecration. As they were coming down from the altar for the sign of peace they handed out roses to the children to give to their parents. Way too much extra-curricular activity takes away from the entire point of the day - it isn't about butterflies or standing with the priest or felt banners or roses for the parents - it is about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and children now at the age of reason able to receive Him. Here is where the joy is. My boy got it. We had spent years talking about this day - he got the point. The day was about the first time he received the body and blood of Jesus Christ, his Lord and God. This day was extremely important to him and he was so reverent at mass. After Communion, in spite of the admonition about kneeling, he fell on his knees - not even bothering with a kneeler! Christ's presence was palpable right then.

You ever get...

Do you ever get in the doldrums. I am not sure that is where I am, but it seems that way. Work kicked up a notch over the past few weeks. This has made me want to avoid other activity. Of course, we still have "special weekends," which means I have to keep going. It is not a fun place to be.

Pope sends Mexico tough abortion message - Yahoo! News

Pretty reasonable article for an AP writer. Pope sends Mexico tough abortion message

Photo Hunters #56 Childhood

Click on picture for larger image As a boy, Tonka dump trucks were the best. This well loved vehicle is my son's. A list of participants can be found by clicking here.

Photo Contest

Click on picture for larger image I recently started entering some of my pictures in photo contests at worth1000.com. I had a few "jury picks" which are like honorable mention. But in my third contest, I came in third place. So I thought I would share. This is a picture of light pillars outside of Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The photo contest was to find colored patterns. This is a not a big deal contest, but it is kind of fun.

Amnesty International Joins Culture of Death

Looks like Amnesty International has decided to side with the culture of death. Rather than fight against abortion, or at the least remain silent, the board has (incorrectly) decided that abortion is a human right (I guess they mean it is the "right to die" if you are a baby). If you support Amnesty International - it is time to send your support elsewhere - to an organization that values the fundamental right to life. If you support Amnesty International, it is time to step up, show you support life and sever your links to that organization. Alternative organizations that respect life are listed below. Here is the contents of an email I just received from Consistent Life on this issue. Check out the article in First Things mentioned below as well. To: All those who signed the petition asking Amnesty International not to take a stand on decriminalizing abortion and pushing governments to allow access in certain circumstances. From: Rachel MacNair, Vice-President, Consistent Life The petition was hand-delivered to the hands of each member of the Board of Directors of the U. S. chapter of Amnesty International on March 23, 2007. I am sorry to report that AI has indeed decided to take this step. You can get more information at http://www.consistent-life.org/ai.html and a good editorial on this at http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=719. The decision was made despite polling of members in the UK that went against it, despite a vote of US members the results of which were never reported, and included explicit censorship of someone wishing to leaflet at the U.S. national conference. Those of us AI supporters who are heartsick about this no longer have a voice, inasmuch as it can be said we ever did. We encourage all US members of AI to telephone them at (212) 807-8400 and ask for the membership department. We have been told that they are keeping track of what this abortion policy decision does to their membership; they anticipate that losses may be offset by gains, so knowing of losses is important. We also suggest the following organizations for those who wish to re-direct their human-rights donation budget: Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC) 4121 Harewood Road NE ~ Suite B Washington, DC 20017 Phone: (202) 529-2991 www.tassc.org info@tassc.org National Religious Campaign Against Torture c/o CCTPP 4500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 Phone: (202) 885-8648 www.nrcat.org campaign@nrcat.org Human Rights First 333 Seventh Avenue, 13th Floor New York, NY 10001-5108 Phone: (212) 845 5200 www.humanrightsfirst.org/ feedback@humanrightsfirst.org Friends Committee on National Legislation (Issues of Torture and Civil Liberties) 245 Second St., NE Washington DC 20002-5795 It would be good to include a note to let these groups know that they are getting funds re-directed from AI and why, to make it less likely that they will move in a pro-abortion direction in the future. Student groups who no longer wish to affiliate with AI but would like to continue their good work might consider setting themselves up as independent organizations, and using informational research from AI along with other human rights groups in order to continue acting and educating on these important issues.

History (?) Channel

I caught some of a History Channel show this evening on "The Real Pontius Pilate." It had a theory and pattern I have been seeing on a great number of these pseudo intellectual channels (National Geographic, Discovery, History). The pattern is all the same - kick dirt on the bible, showing how the enlightened "scientists" of the 21st century know better than eye witnesses and those who knew eye witnesses. The arrogance is astounding and for any who have eyes, the agenda is plain to see. This time (and this theory has been on lots of shows), it is stated as fact that Christ was a target of the Roman governor (in spite of what we read in the Gospels), not the Jewish leadership. You see, they were doing what he wanted. In fact, at one point they came out and said that the biblical account was wrong (though they relied on parts for their evidence). When I see these shows, I typically turn them - but occasionally I watch to know what is being said. This nonsense must be getting watched by a larger audience. These channels are filled with nonsense shows on the Bible. I think they should change their name to "Alternate History Channel" or "Revisionist History Channel"