Good Question.

"The Christians in the United States, do they care about what’s happening to the Christians here (in the Middle East)?”

Good question. Let's take at look at my denomination. Uh, nope. But 'Laptop' the Canterbury Cathedral cat has died. Oh, the woe!

My friends in the UMC? Yep. They're paying attention.

My brothers and sisters on the other side of the Tiber? Yep, again.

But the meta-questions is, what will we, as Christians, do about it?

Another Great Moment In 'Smart Diplomacy'.

Today's installment: Syria, Christians, and Al Qaeda; oh, my.

Maaloula is a special place. It has been a safe haven for Christians for 2,000 years - until now. It was a place of refuge so secure in its rugged mountain isolation that a dialect of the language of Christ, Aramaic, is still spoken here. But not today.

Its Christian community of 2,000 has fled. In the tight alleyways and streets that wind up the Maaloula's mountainside their language has been replaced by the Arabic of two bitter enemies: rebels from three Islamist groups and the soldiers of President Bashar al-Assad.

...

The rebels claim they took Maaloula to punish the Christians there for supporting the Assad government, a support that is real but tepid. For most Christians in Syria the fear of what Islamists might do if they win this war outweighs any dislike they have for Assad's system.

On Saturday, in a Damascus church heavy with gold and grief, they mourned the Christians killed in the battle. The framed photographs of the dead sat next to the holy icons of the Greek Orthodox faith, some men in the pews bandaged from injuries they'd received. "We blame Obama", one woman in black yelled at me, "he should have the Nobel peace prize taken away from him - he is helping the rebels who killed our Christian brothers".

Read it all.

This being Sunday, let's see what my denomination has to say. Well... uh... there is this standard issue "I do not believe further violence is likely to end the tragedy" boilerplate from The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Politburo President and Pope Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church (tm). But half the statement is just Kate's fawning praise of Obama for taking his smackdown by Putin like a real metrosexual:

I applaud President Obama’s restraint and willingness to look for diplomatic solutions — changing position requires courage of the first order. It is a sign of profoundly care-filled leadership both to test the possibility of other, more creative and life-giving solutions and to put the needs of vulnerable populations ahead of one’s own image or reputation.

Dear Col. Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi...

...Thank You.

Nothing To See Here. It's Only A Dead, Headless Catholic.

Meet the thoughtful, tolerant Syrians Obama is arming, and The Left / Mainstream Media are ignoring.   The President and is buddies have already armed criminals and drug traffickers in our hemisphere, which The Left / Mainstream Media also ignored. So at least they're being consistent.

Jesus Never Said Anything About Living Room Furniture.

As long as the relationship is committed, loving, and monogamous, this guy would make a great Episcopalian.

If Modern Episcopalians Had Been Around When Christ Was Alive...

...We'd still be making sacrifices to Apollo and Jupiter:

Like We Didn't See This Coming.

Yes, Kate, there is a slippery slope: "Family" in Utah sues to decriminalize polygamy based on a famous 2003 gay-rights ruling.

I can't wait to watch the rhetorical gymnastics of the current, single-issue leadership of The Episcopal Church (tm) as they explain why "respecting the dignity of every human being" doesn't apply to folks like Kody Brown and his wives.

Pull up a chair. I'll make the popcorn.

Advocacy Dreamin'.

Proof, as if more were needed, that The Episcopal Church (tm) is far more concerned with mortal politics than immortal souls.

Critical Mass.

No surprise, they do this sort of thing at Mass in Episcopal churches, too. And, like The Anchoress, I find it utterly ruins the sanctity of the Mass.

Pot: "The Kettle Is Black!"

Next time some Episcopalian gets all high and mighty about how our denomination doesn't condone cover-ups of child-molesting clergy (like some other ones do, wink, wink), remind them of this. And take a look who ordained this guy into The Episcopal Church (tm).

If you admit you were sexually indiscreet with a minor, we'll make you a priest. But if admit you were sexually indiscreet with a consenting adult, hey, you get your own TV show!

The Titanic Church (tm).

Now that I've decided to return from one of my occasional, unannounced, self-imposed blogging exiles, I checked in on what's happening over at The Episcopal Church (tm), my D.I.N.O. (Denomination in name only).

It seems the church's Executive Committee and Pope Kate I met recently, and they have some really, really exciting new deck chair arrangements! Nothing about that iceberg, though, or the ship's current 20 degrees down by the bow attitude. Further, they are very annoyed at the folks wanting to abandon ship and trying to steal the lifeboats. Kate and friends are ordering more crew on deck to keep them in their davits. No sense in a panic.

At TEC, it's "Full speed ahead, Comrades!" This ship is unsinkable!

I'm Shocked!.. Shocked!...

Rowan Williams is a profoundly divisive Leftie.

Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness.

But aparrently, a little resume padding is OK if you're standing for Presiding Bishop.

Will anything happen to the first Episcopal Pope because of this. Hell, no. Because theologically, it's no big deal. Just like homosexuality and having 12 items in the 10-items-or-less checkout, Jesus never said anything about embellishing your professional bone fides.

A Small Detail.

American traitor and Al Qaeda lackey Adam Gadahn wants American Muslims to buy guns and start shooting non-Muslim Americans. Really? Really?? There's a glitch in your plan there, Haj Dude - this isn't Britain, or Spain, or Canada, or France, or even California. In America...

We. Shoot. Back.

And unlike all the other places where you've cowed folks into diversity submission, we have a God-given Right to do so.

Indeed.

As of 6:01 last night:


Someone is not a happy Camper...

(note: We have no idea if this is real or Photoshop, or who originated it, kudos to whoever did.

Speaking In Lefty Tongues.

Recently Katherine Jefferts-Schori, Pope of Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (tm), recently visited the Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands. She should have also visited the Dutch Catholic Church as well. Seems they have a lot in common:

In a second interview, RTL quoted Spronck as saying he was aware of Van B.'s pedophilia and membership in Martijn, and even of two instances where the priest had been fined by police for exposing himself in public. But he said he didn't think that was sufficient reason to ban him from the order.

"Removing someone from the order is something you would only do in the case of grave moral transgression, such as rape. There was never any question of that," Spronck was quoted as saying.

Sounds like something Jefferts-Schori herself, or a dozen other "leaders" of The Episcopal Church (tm) might have said. We already know covering up the clerical shagging of 14-year olds doesn't rise to the level of "grave moral transgression" in The Episcopal Church (tm). No, "grave moral transgression" nowadays, at least in The Episcopal Church (tm), are pretty much limited to five things:
Threatening the real estate portfolio of TEC.
Saying people do not have the God-given right to stick their winkie wherever they want.
Saying people do not have the God-given right to vacuum out the consequences when they do.
Refusing to take "global warming" "climate change" as an article of Faith.
Speaking against any part of the Obama agenda.

Defending The Faith.

The good folks over at Maggie's Farm call this 'Christianity with Balls'. If you are a Christian - especially one who takes their catholic and/or orthodox underpinnings seriously - I highly recommend all three of Ann Barnhardt's provocative videos at the link. I know, I know - seems she's a birther. But on the state of the Christian faith today, she is spot on.

So, Mr. Stalin, How Many Saints Does The Soviet Union Have?

There is a God, and he has a delicious sense of irony. Proof: Karol Wojtyla, later known as John Paul II - a man who used his life and his Faith to struggle against godless socialism (first Hitlerian National Socialism, then Marxist Scientific Socialism) - will deliver one more kick to the ash heap of history when he is beatified this May Day.

A little post title history.

Bible Thumping.

My friend Christopher over at Midwest Conservative Journal shows why those who are unfamiliar with Scripture - because they usually don't believe a word of it - should not use it to make a point. Christopher, who does know Scripture, uses it convincingly to make his point.

Will The Left / Mainstream Media Now Worry About The Feelings Of The 'Christian Street'?

French (yes, he said French -ed.) fundamentalist Catholics destroy Andres Serrano's infamous 'Piss Christ' to protest "blasphemy".

While I find Serrano's work repugnant, I find the response in Avignon equally repugnant in a free society. The litmus test here is how The Left / Mainstream Media react/spin this story. Will we hear lots of there-are-limits-to-free-speech lectures from them, just like we did when the 'Arab/Muslim Street' went nuts after the Danish Cartoon kerfuffle? Don't hold your breath.