A WordPress Blog-THE CHURCH MILITANT Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse. ALL CONTENT FROM HTTPS://RATHEREXPOSETHEM.BLOGSPOT.COM MOVED TO THIS NEW BLOG, MAY 2020
Celebrate diversity! The new Europe is dawning, and what a beautiful sight it is!
“Parabiago, sets fire to the paper nativity scene in the church: the flames damage a 17th century organ, making the building unusable,” translated from “Parabiago, dà fuoco al presepe di carta nella chiesa: le fiamme danneggiano un organo del ‘600, edificio inagibile,” by Orlando Mastrillo, la Repubblica, December 15, 2023 (thanks to Medforth):
A column of black smoke was seen coming out of the entrance: the inhabitants’ attempts to limit the damage were useless. A North African was stopped, spotted with a burning stick in his hand, wandering around the country
A fire seriously damaged the church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Santa Elisabetta di Villastanza, a hamlet in the municipality of Parabiago, this afternoon, Friday.
The flames apparently started from the nativity scene housed in the religious structure, set by a man of North African origins who then ran away through the streets of the hamlet, stopped shortly afterwards by local police officers as he wandered around in a state of confusion.
As soon as the people present in the square in front noticed the smoke coming out of the main door, the firefighters were called while some citizens living in the area attempted to put out the flames with fire extinguishers, but to no avail.
The paper nativity scene caused high flames and smoke which damaged the wooden parts and also a 17th century organ. It took the Legnano firefighters a while to get under control of the fire.
Several witnesses said they saw a young man leaving the church with a burning stick in his hand and in a short time he was identified and stopped by the local Parabiaghese officers.
Mayor Raffaele Cucchi arrived on site to see what happened with his own eyes and expressed harsh words of condemnation for the gesture: “It is an attack on our traditions, our religion and our culture. The fire caused extensive damage to the seventeenth-century organ and to the entire church which will now not be available to the faithful of Villastanza a few days before Christmas.”
“Even Osama bin Laden was allowed to pass through Qatar.”
After Islamic terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center, the Islamic terror state responsible for saving the mastermind of the attack bought 10% of the city’s surviving major skyscraper
Now, the Empire State Building is bowing to its Qatari masters.
Here’s a section of the 9/11 Commission Report which addresses the Qatari role in 9/11.
(Ramzi) Yousef (one of the key figures in the World Trade Center bombing) was captured in Pakistan following the discovery by police in the Philippines in January 1995 of the Manila air plot, which envisioned placing bombs on board a dozen trans-Pacific airliners and setting them off simultaneously.Khalid Sheikh Mohammed—Yousef’s uncle,then located in Qatar—was a fellow plotter of Yousef’s in the Manila air plot and had also wired him some money prior to the Trade Center bombing. The U.S. Attorney obtained an indictment against KSM in January 1996, but an official in the government of Qatar probably warned him about it. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed evaded capture (and stayed at large to play a central part in the 9/11 attacks)
The 9/11 Commission Report is a bit cagey about specifics, but there were news reports that went into more detail.
American officials say the FBI and CIA just missed capturing the al Qaeda leader believed to have organized the 9/11 attacks — and now believed to be planning a new attack against Americans — because it appears he was protected and tipped off by a member of the royal family in Qatar, Abdullah Bin Khalid al-Thani.
In 1996, the FBI tracked Mohammed, under indictment on charges of terrorism, to Qatar’s capital city, Doha, and was within hours of capturing him.
Cloonan, who was the lead FBI agent on the case, said a specially equipped government executive jet, complete with blacked-out windows, was standing by to transport Mohammed.
“We had located Khalid Sheikh,” Cloonan told ABCNEWS. “We were prepared to fly the plane in and to take him out.”
But Cloonan says Mohammed was tipped off shortly after Qatar officials were told of the plan and headed for the airport.
The FBI then wrote a stern letter to Qatar after the Clinton administration nixed a plan to just grab KSM.
The C.I.A. officer believed, however, that if the United States officially asked for the assistance of the Qatar government, Mr. Mohammed would be tipped off, since it appeared that he was living in Doha under the government’s protection.
Back in Washington, counterterrorism officials at the National Security Council said they shared that worry. Senior counterterrorism officials already knew about the past support for Islamic extremists by one Qatar official, Sheik Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani, Qatar’s minister of religious endowments and Islamic affairs. This was the same official who had repeatedly allowed Arab extremists who had fought in Afghanistan to live on his farm.
White House officials agreed with the C.I.A. about the inadvisability of going directly to the Qatar government for help. So they began considering a plan to grab him secretly.
At the request of the N.S.C., the Pentagon developed a plan calling for the military to snatch Mr. Mohammed. That plan was taken to the Deputies Committee, an interagency group during the Clinton administration that was made up of high-ranking officials from major departments and agencies, including Justice, Defense, State and the N.S.C. But Pentagon had devised a plan on such a large scale that it was was rejected, according to former counterterrorism officials. The only alternative was to go to the Qatar government…
But Qatar never paid a significant diplomatic price for its support of Mr. Mohammed. About the only rebuke it received was a private one in the form of a stinging letter from Louis Freeh, then the F.B.I. director, to Qatar’s foreign minister.
One government minister is believed to have harbored as many as 100 Arab extremists — including many veterans of fighting in Afghanistan — on his farm in Qatar during the mid-1990’s. There have been reports that even Osama bin Laden was allowed to pass through Qatar.
These days, Qatar is in the headlines over its backing for Hamas, but it’s always been a state sponsor of terror. And yet it’s bought up so many of our political elites, that none of them dare to speak out against it.
After the Taliban betrayal and Oct 7, Qatar is still treated as an ally, rather than the enemy that it is, and Al Jazeera like a news organization instead of the terrorist propaganda network that it is.
A regime with ties to Al Qaeda, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood is getting the Empire State Building to shine its lights.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., discusses the ongoing probe into the Biden family's business dealings and former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticizing the congestion tax.
So much sorrow and anguish. The sorrow for those fiendishly murdered on October 7, when Hamas killers came down like wolves on the fold, on the helpless innocent kibbutzim, and beheaded babies, burned children alive, gang-raped, tortured, and murdered young girls, the women whose breasts were sliced off, the men whose genitalia were cut off and eyes gouged out. The children murdered in front of their parents, the parents in front of their children. The killers’ laughter as they shot women in their vulvas, cut open a pregnant woman’s stomach to murder her baby before killing her, the hilarity of kicking a head, like a soccer ball, in the yard, the filming one another as they raped or mutilated or murdered. What fun! The Hamas operative who called his mother to excitedly tell her: “Mom, I killed ten Jews! I killed ten Jews with my own hands.”
Then there is the anguish of the families of the hostages. Of the original 245 believed to have been taken, how many has Hamas killed? The Israelis have recovered the bodies of eight hostages, and believe that twenty other hostages have been murdered by Hamas. Is it your child or children, your mother or your father or your sister or your brother, who is still alive, or has been killed? You may find out about your relatives next week, or you may not find out for months to come, depending on negotiations over another hostage-for-prisoner swap that may, or may not, take place. Now you have a new worry — fear that soldiers in the IDF itself might misidentify your relative held hostage as a member of Hamas. Three Israelis have already been killed from such a mistake. You have no idea what it would take — say, the killing of Yahya Sinwar — to prompt Hamas to summarily execute hostages. Will it be your relative, or someone else’s, or two dozen at once, who will receive a bullet in the back of the neck?
Two sisters, Dafna and Ella Elyakim, who were taken on October 7, were finally released in the hostage-for-prisoner swap and were met by their mother. I was particularly touched by the very tight embrace, the hug between the three of them, signifying “we must never be separated again.” More on their reunion can be found here: “This mother was reunited with her daughters after campaigning for their release on X,” Jerusalem Post, November 28, 2023:
Maayan Zin – an Israeli mother whose two daughters Dafna Elyakim, 15, and Ella Elyakim, 8, were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and brought into Gaza as hostages – had been rallying on their behalf on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), demanding their release from Hamas captivity.
Her nightmare came to an end on Sunday after Israel secured their release, among the 17 people released by Hamas on the third day of the war’s “pause” in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners.
The family’s emotional reaction was captured on video and shared by Zin on social media.
You can see Maayan, Dafna, and Ella embracing in a video here.
And you can see all three — the mother and her two just-freed daughters — even more tightly entwined, in the photograph posted here.
That’s what cut me to the quick. That’s what I wanted you to see.
In a new statement issued on Monday, Pope Francis formally endorsed the practice of priests blessing same-sex couples, stating that anyone seeking God’s love and compassion should not have to undergo a “moral analysis” in order to be granted it.
This marks a major departure in Vatican doctrine.
“One should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing,” said the document from the Vatican.
However, the shift in policy does not alter the church’s position on marriage.
It states unequivocally that such blessing requests from homosexual couples should not be turned down, and it also mentions how anyone pursuing a transcendent relationship with God and those seeking his compassion or mercy should not be subjected to “an exhaustive moral analysis” as a prerequisite for obtaining it, offering a comprehensive explanation of the term “blessing” in scripture.
“Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God,” the document reads. “The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live.”
“It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered,” the Pope added.
The Vatican also maintains that a marriage is an unbreakable bond “between a man and a woman.”
In 2021, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican said that “God cannot bless sin,” so the church was unable to approve of a marriage between two males or two females.
Even the progressive Pope Francis seemed taken aback by the uproar the statement had caused, despite the fact that he had given his formal approval for its release. He dismissed the official who had written it shortly after it was published and reportedly started to prepare for a reversal.
The Vatican stated in the updated document that the church must avoid engaging in “doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”
It emphasized that everyone involved in “irregular” couplings, homosexual or heterosexual, is living in sin. However, it also expressed that this fact should not rob them of God’s compassion or love.
“Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it,” the document continues.
As a “huge step forward” and a “dramatic shift” from the Vatican’s 2021 stance, the new statement was highly praised by Rev. James Martin, a notable advocate for greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics.
The document “recognizes the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God’s presence and help in their committed relationships,” the Reverend said in an email. “Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages.”
However, some Evangelical Christians and other social media users online have criticized the new stance, saying that the Pope is just trying to appease the progressive left and liberals. They have also accused him of overstepping his power and attempting to change Biblical doctrine.
Photo via: X (Twitter) @Franklin_Graham
Fundamentally anti-christian. Catholic marriage is between a man and a woman. If an institution such as the Catholic church and a leader such as the Pope have lost faith in their own conviction and cannot show some spine, who on earth will save us from woke insanity ?
Pope Francis has just reportedly encouraged non-sacramental blessings for homosexual “couples.” But what about the many Bible verses describing homosexuality as a grave evil meriting damnation unless there is repentance?
As a Catholic, I have found this pontificate very disturbing, as woke globalist Francis seems bent on encouraging people to commit Hell-meriting sins in the name of false “mercy” and “love.” Now, the pope is only infallible when he meets certain specific prerequisites in Canon Law, and he does not have the power to alter official doctrine anyway, but people who aren’t aware of these facts can be easily confused by Pope Francis’s silly letters and comments. That includes the latest reported nonsense, which is the pope’s approval for giving homosexual “couples” blessings.
Some people might say that, since the pope has apparently distinguished the sacrament of marriage from blessings given to homosexual couples, this really doesn’t represent an attack on biblical and Church teaching. They would be wrong. Considering how strong the language used about active homosexuality is in the Bible, how clearly it is stated that such a sin merits death, no Catholic priest should encourage a homosexual to think that his active and regular participation in such a sin is on any level justifiable. This is not cruel. It is not loving to encourage people to destructive behaviors. It is more loving to help them seek truth and forgiveness, for the sake of both their souls and their bodies (homosexuals are at a higher riskof STDs, for instance, and LGBTQ individuals have consistentlybeen foundwith higher anxiety and depression, and ahigher riskofsuicidal thoughts.).
The new Vatican document builds on a former letter from Pope Francis indicating blessings of homosexual unions can be given in some circumstances. The Dallas Morning News reported:
The new document repeats that rationale and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman. And it stresses that blessings should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or even with the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.
But it says requests for such blessings should not be denied full stop. It offers an extensive definition of the term “blessing” in Scripture to insist that people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy should not be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” as a precondition for receiving it.
The Dallas Morning News quoted the document: “Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God.” It continued, “The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live.” The pope concluded, “It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.”
Presuming this translation is correct — and previous actions of the pope’s indicate this is quite possible — Francis has again issued a doctrinally flawed and misleading document. Blessings aren’t just a “means to increase … trust in God.” They are a mark of approval for a person’s actions, and an encouragement to continue those actions. Of course God loves everybody. But it is perfectly clear in Catholic teaching that we ourselves can make the choice either for heaven or hell (see Matt. 25). For Scripture says of the New Jerusalem that there “shall not enter into it any thing defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:27).
So what does the Bible, the inspired Word of God, say specifically about homosexuality? Let’s look at a few verses. From St. Paul:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error…Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them. — Romans 1:25-27, 32
St. Paul also addresses homosexuality in the First Letter to the Corinthians. He explains that people who practice certain sins cannot be part of God’s kingdom:
Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God. —1 Corinthians 6:9-10
This translation is accurate but can be a little confusing. To be clearer, the original Greek word being translated here as “liers with mankind,” ἀρσενοκοῖται, means literally “men engaged in sexual activity with the same sex.” So it would be equally accurate to translate ἀρσενοκοῖται as “homosexuals.”
Homosexuality is addressed in the Old Testament too. Leviticus 18:22 says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” But the most famous Bible story about homosexuality is that of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 19, two disguised angels visit Abraham’s nephew Lot, a resident of the town, to warn him that Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed for their sins. A mob of men shows up at Lot’s house (Genesis 19:5) to demand that he send out his male guests (the angels) “that we may know them.” To “know” someone is often used in the Old Testament to describe or refer to sexual relations (for instance, see Genesis 4:1).
Lot, who seems to be a good host but a highly questionable father, offers, “I have two daughters who as yet have not known man: I will bring them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that you do no evil to these men” (Genesis 19:8). The Sodomites refuse Lot’s startling offer and instead become so importunate for the male guests that they almost break down the doors. The angels rescue Lot and blind the Sodomites.
Sodom and Gomorrah are subsequently destroyed with “brimstone and fire” by the Lord God (Genesis 19:24). The older name for homosexuality is “sodomy” because of this Bible story. In other words, it was always understood by Christians, until very recently indeed, that the ancient towns were wiped off the face of the earth for their active homosexuality!
Again, the loving thing to do is to invite homosexuals, in all charity, to repentance. Jesus’s healings or interventions twice end in the Bible with the command, “Go and sin no more” (John 5:14, 8:11). Thus should Pope Francis and other clerics, instead of dispensing blessings to active homosexuals, say to them, “Go, and sin no more.”
According to a newly released poll, more than half of young Americans believe that the Jewish state should cease to exist.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll was conducted between December 13th-14th with 2,034 registered voters. 51% of those aged between 18 and 24 years old stated that they believe the long-term solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict would be for “Israel to be ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians.”
However, that statistic is drastically different from Americans aged 65 and over who were questioned. Only 4% of that particular age demographic said that Israel should “be ended.”
Additionally, the survey found that 66% of those aged 18-24 believe that the terrorist attack perpetrated on October 7th was constituted genocide. Meanwhile, another question revealed that 60% think that the attacks were justified due to Palestinian grievances.
The younger demographic was also surveyed on the topic of a ceasefire.
64% of the respondents of all ages favored a ceasefire, but only after all hostages would be released. 67% of those aged 18-24 said that they favored an unconditional deal that would leave things as is.
Overall, despite the outlier answers from the youngest age demographic, 81% of respondents above 24 years old who answered the survey had supported Israel.
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