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Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
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Historically & Theologically Absurd to Compare The Holy Family to Illegal Aliens
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The Holy Family fleeing from one Roman-controlled region to another in the first century is in no way a mandate on whether America has a right to enforce immigration laws.
Last week, a Catholic church in Massachusetts made headlines with its Nativity display — in which Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were replaced by an empty manger and an anti-ICE poster. Now, it seems the church’s pastor is refusing to take down the display for the time being, against the wishes of his church authority.
St. Susanna, located in the Boston suburb of Dedham, “displayed a Nativity scene outside the church with an empty manger and a sign that says, ‘ICE was here,’” Fox News reported Wednesday. The implication, of course, is that the baby Savior was either apprehended or threatened by federal immigration agents.
“The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our church,” the sign below the “ICE was here” poster reads, “followed by contact information for a group that monitors immigration operations in the state.”
Continued below.
thefederalist.com
Last week, a Catholic church in Massachusetts made headlines with its Nativity display — in which Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were replaced by an empty manger and an anti-ICE poster. Now, it seems the church’s pastor is refusing to take down the display for the time being, against the wishes of his church authority.
St. Susanna, located in the Boston suburb of Dedham, “displayed a Nativity scene outside the church with an empty manger and a sign that says, ‘ICE was here,’” Fox News reported Wednesday. The implication, of course, is that the baby Savior was either apprehended or threatened by federal immigration agents.
“The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our church,” the sign below the “ICE was here” poster reads, “followed by contact information for a group that monitors immigration operations in the state.”
Continued below.
It's Ridiculous To Compare The Holy Family To Illegal Immigrants
Casting the Holy Family as modern-day immigrants is historically flawed, and anyone who has actually read the Bible knows it.
thefederalist.com
Catholic bishops in Europe express concern over EU ruling mandating recognition of same-sex unions
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has expressed concern about a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which obliges all member states to recognize so-called "homosexual marriages" legally performed in another country.
In a Dec. 9 statement, the president of COMECE, Bishop Mariano Crociata, warned that the ruling could have an impact on the legal sovereignty of each nation, since the recognition of these unions is mandatory even if they are not valid under a country’s own legal system.
The ruling concerns a same-sex Polish couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record their union in the civil registry. The European court has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from this bond.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
In a Dec. 9 statement, the president of COMECE, Bishop Mariano Crociata, warned that the ruling could have an impact on the legal sovereignty of each nation, since the recognition of these unions is mandatory even if they are not valid under a country’s own legal system.
The ruling concerns a same-sex Polish couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record their union in the civil registry. The European court has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from this bond.
Union between a man and a woman
Continued below.
Catholic bishops in Europe express concern over EU ruling mandating recognition of same-sex unions
Europe's Catholic bishops expressed concern over the Court of Justice of the European Union obliging all member states to recognize same-sex marriage.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
New Orleans Diocese issues Mass dispensation for migrants due to arrest fears
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond announced a Sunday Mass dispensation for migrants fearing deportation amid heightened presence of immigration enforcement officials in the state.
“As I write to you, our immigrant sisters and brothers are facing real fear and anxiety in the wake of an increase in immigration enforcement actions,” Aymond wrote in a Dec. 8 letter.
Aymond is the fifth U.S. bishop to announce dispensations for Catholic immigrants from Sunday Mass. Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge granted the same dispensation in his diocese earlier this week. Bishops in the dioceses of San Bernardino, California; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina, also granted a dispensation this year.
Aymond’s move comes amid the deployment of 250 Border Patrol agents to the region with plans to arrest 5,000 individuals across Louisiana and Mississippi as a part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
“As I write to you, our immigrant sisters and brothers are facing real fear and anxiety in the wake of an increase in immigration enforcement actions,” Aymond wrote in a Dec. 8 letter.
Aymond is the fifth U.S. bishop to announce dispensations for Catholic immigrants from Sunday Mass. Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge granted the same dispensation in his diocese earlier this week. Bishops in the dioceses of San Bernardino, California; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina, also granted a dispensation this year.
Aymond’s move comes amid the deployment of 250 Border Patrol agents to the region with plans to arrest 5,000 individuals across Louisiana and Mississippi as a part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”
Continued below.
New Orleans Diocese issues Mass dispensation for migrants due to arrest fears
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond announced a Sunday Mass dispensation for migrants fearing deportation.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Trump to create sanctions plan for Nigeria, congressman says
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
U.S. President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to increase pressure on the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a leading member of Congress.
President Trump “ “is in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,” according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as “ground zero,” and the “focal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today.”
Smith, a Catholic who chairs the house Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, mentioned the plan during his Dec. 9 speech at “The Emergency Summit on Crimes Against Christians,” organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit that aids persecuted Christians. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Rep. Marlin Stuzman, R-Indiana, also spoke at the event.
The veteran New Jersey congressman praised Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and affirmed that “Religious freedom will now be at the forefront of the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
President Trump “ “is in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,” according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as “ground zero,” and the “focal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today.”
Smith, a Catholic who chairs the house Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, mentioned the plan during his Dec. 9 speech at “The Emergency Summit on Crimes Against Christians,” organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit that aids persecuted Christians. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Rep. Marlin Stuzman, R-Indiana, also spoke at the event.
The veteran New Jersey congressman praised Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and affirmed that “Religious freedom will now be at the forefront of the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.”
Continued below.
Trump to create sanctions plan for Nigeria, congressman says
President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to pressure the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a member of Congress.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Federal government cuts off aid to Texas Catholic Charities
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has suspended Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley from receiving federal funding, according to the charity group.
The Catholic Charities group is the charitable branch of the Diocese of Brownsville and is part of Catholic Charities USA and Caritas Internationalis.
The charity is located in South Texas and operates the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen. The migrant shelter is run by Sister Norma Pimentel, known popularly as “the immigrants’ nun.” Pimentel and the center offer immigrants awaiting court hearings shelter and food before they travel to meet relatives in other cities and states.
The nonprofit reported in a statementthat the organization learned that the government "temporarily suspended” its "eligibility for federal funding pending a further determination."
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
The Catholic Charities group is the charitable branch of the Diocese of Brownsville and is part of Catholic Charities USA and Caritas Internationalis.
The charity is located in South Texas and operates the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen. The migrant shelter is run by Sister Norma Pimentel, known popularly as “the immigrants’ nun.” Pimentel and the center offer immigrants awaiting court hearings shelter and food before they travel to meet relatives in other cities and states.
The nonprofit reported in a statementthat the organization learned that the government "temporarily suspended” its "eligibility for federal funding pending a further determination."
Continued below.
DHS cuts off aid to Texas Catholic Charities
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has suspended Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) from receiving federal funding, according to CCRGV.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
‘God Is Doing Something’—Lee Strobel Investigates Whether Miracles Happen in New Documentary ‘The Case for Miracles’
- By Michie
A new documentary by Lee Strobel titled, “The Case for Miracles,” aims to provide evidence that miracles similar to those that are recorded in the Bible do indeed take place today. The documentary will be in theaters Dec. 15–18.
Strobel recounts how investigating the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection transformed him from an atheist to a Christian. Today, he believes miracles still occur and outlines four criteria he uses to verify credible cases: medical documentation, multiple eyewitnesses, lack of natural explanation, and whether the event happens in the context of prayer.
“If I see those four things together, depending on the circumstance, I can be persuaded that, yes, God has intervened supernaturally today in his creation,” Strobel told ChurchLeaders.
Strobel shares scientifically documented studies from Mozambique and Brazil—published in a secular, peer-reviewed medical journal—showing dramatic improvements in hearing and vision immediately after Christian prayer. Strobel does admit that fraud, coincidence, placebo, and spontaneous remission exist but cannot account for many well-evidenced cases.
Continued below.
churchleaders.com
Strobel recounts how investigating the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection transformed him from an atheist to a Christian. Today, he believes miracles still occur and outlines four criteria he uses to verify credible cases: medical documentation, multiple eyewitnesses, lack of natural explanation, and whether the event happens in the context of prayer.
“If I see those four things together, depending on the circumstance, I can be persuaded that, yes, God has intervened supernaturally today in his creation,” Strobel told ChurchLeaders.
Strobel shares scientifically documented studies from Mozambique and Brazil—published in a secular, peer-reviewed medical journal—showing dramatic improvements in hearing and vision immediately after Christian prayer. Strobel does admit that fraud, coincidence, placebo, and spontaneous remission exist but cannot account for many well-evidenced cases.
Continued below.
'God Is Doing Something'—Lee Strobel Investigates Whether Miracles Happen in New Documentary 'The Case for Miracles'
A new documentary by Lee Strobel, “The Case for Miracles,” provides evidence that miracles similar to those in the Bible do take place today.
churchleaders.com
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Trump backs Senate GOP bill to give Americans $1,500 checks for health care — here’s who qualifies
- By Job 33:6
So what exactly is the "real solution"? That the federal government will pay for our health insurance?“I absolutely agree with President Trump that we need to redirect subsidies from insurance companies and give patients the power,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told The Post.
“Republicans want real solutions that actually make health care affordable and put money in families’ pockets. I applaud the president for his leadership on this issue,” added Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and introduced the legislation with Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
Trump backs Senate GOP bill to give Americans $1,500 checks for health care — here’s who qualifies
To qualify, enrollees’ household income must be no more than 700% of the poverty line for their family size.nypost.com
We do need to stop funneling taxpayer dollars to wealthy insurance companies.
I thought that was what the Trump administration wanted to avoid doing?
"I don't want to give insurance companies any money" he says. And yet, the money is being given directly to Obamacare enrollees which of course are giving money to health insurance companies of the Obamacare marketplace.
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