LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY zarq)

Reports indicate the Vatican is considering banning all gay men from joining the clergy even if they accept a vow of celibacy.

From A Globe of Witnesses: an editorial discussing why the Church needs gay priests to survive.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ellid)

Or, you knew this was coming the instant that Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/27/newton_parishioners_hold_vigil_to_protest_pastors_resignation/


Father Cuenin, BTW, was one of the earliest and most vocal critics of Cardinal Law and his mishandling of the pedophile scandal. I'm amazed he lasted this long

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

"For a Christian parent, you've got some areas of concern that they're teaching things opposite to your faith..."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cheap_laugh)

For your edification:
Societies worse off ‘when they have God on their side’

Societies worse off ‘when they have God on their side’
By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.

According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.

The study counters the view of believers that religion is necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society.

It compares the social peformance of relatively secular countries, such as Britain, with the US, where the majority believes in a creator rather than the theory of evolution. Many conservative evangelicals in the US consider Darwinism to be a social evil, believing that it inspires atheism and amorality.

Many liberal Christians and believers of other faiths hold that religious belief is socially beneficial, believing that it helps to lower rates of violent crime, murder, suicide, sexual promiscuity and abortion. The benefits of religious belief to a society have been described as its “spiritual capital”. But the study claims that the devotion of many in the US may actually contribute to its ills.

The paper, published in the Journal of Religion and Society, a US academic journal, reports: “Many Americans agree that their churchgoing nation is an exceptional, God-blessed, shining city on the hill that stands as an impressive example for an increasingly sceptical world.

“In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY matraia)

FEMA offers program to reimburse religious groups that helped during the hurricanes:

Story here, from CNN

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ccroft)

The Times, England: "RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.

According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.

The study counters the view of believers that religion is necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society.

It compares the social peformance of relatively secular countries, such as Britain, with the US, where the majority believes in a creator rather than the theory of evolution. Many conservative evangelicals in the US consider Darwinism to be a social evil, believing that it inspires atheism and amorality. ( read more... )

URL: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1798944,00.html

A few months ago, I posted a discussion of the specific ideology taught in dominionist curricula, including the A-Beka curriculum program used in many dominionist private school and homeschool communities.

This particular thread has gained a bit of new relevance, between California officially disallowing admission of students solely educated using A-Beka curriculum due to its educational content being below state minimum standards and a legal case involving groups trying to push a textbook commonly used in A-Beka biology courses.

Hence, I'm going to post my own little analysis of just WHY California would find it unsuitable for kids entering college level courses (I actually stated in the original thread this was likely to happen) and how this could hurt Pennsylvania students in the long run if dominionists get their way.

( Analysis follows; please feel free to mirror wildly )

EDIT: As this is a two-part series, I'm including the link to part 2 here.