Mother Teresa’s hidden faith struggle, laid bare in a new book that shows she felt alone and separated from God, is forcing a re-examination of one of the world’s best known religious figures.
That is where our conversation with God comes to fruition
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, You said that once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The Lord replied, "My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I Carried You."
A message from Rome hits a nerve in Albany Diocese seeks to address concerns of non-Catholics over Vatican statement about "the true church"
By MARC PARRY, Staff writer First published: Monday, August 27, 2007
ALBANY -- An international controversy over Vatican statements on the primacy of the Catholic church has the Albany Catholic Diocese moving to prevent local fallout.
The uproar revolved around a document that "reasserts the position that only Catholics make up the true church, while Protestants are merely 'Christian communities' and not churches 'in the proper sense,' " as Religion News Service summarized it. The document also spoke of "defects" in non-Catholic churches.
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches responded with a letter saying the statement "takes us back to the kind of thinking and atmosphere that was prevalent prior to the Second Vatican Council" in the 1960s.
Locally, the statement offended some non-Catholic employees of the Albany diocese. They directed that unhappiness to the Rev. James Kane, the diocese's longtime ecumenical officer.
Kane tried to clarify the issues in a memo sent to both diocesan employees and ecumenical officers of non-Catholic denominations around the region.
He had two goals: to stress that there has been no ecumenical backtracking, and to reaffirm the Albany diocese's commitment to ecumenism.
"The document didn't say anything new," Kane said in an interview. "Most ecumenical folks are kind of used to that sort of language from Rome."
Still, some were initially taken aback.
"I was really startled by it," said the Rev. Donna Elia, Kane's ecumenical counterpart for local Presbyterians. "Because I think a lot of progress has been made across denominational lines in terms of building the relationships."
In part, Kane faulted "the secular press" for its tendency to "lump all things that come from Rome on the same plane."
This particular document "was very low on the totem pole in terms of Catholic teachings," he said.
The Second Vatican Council's decree on ecumenism remains the authoritative teaching of the church on the subject, he said.
That argument echoes one Kane made in September. Back then, the controversy was over this quote Pope Benedict XVI cited in a speech: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
That aroused such a backlash that Kane, whose portfolio also includes interfaith relations, typed a letter to all the imams in the Capital Region.
The letter pointed to a groundbreaking declaration about non-Christian religions that came out of Vatican II called "Nostra Aetate." Kane called the declaration, which voices the church's esteem for Islam, more important than any Pope's statements.
George Herrick, ecumenical officer for local Methodists, noted that the latest flap came around the same time as a local ecumenical retreat. The retreat is one of several ecumenical events held on a regular basis in this area.
Local Catholics, Herrick said, haven't shown the my-church-is-better-than-your-church attitude suggested by the Vatican statement. Both Herrick and Elia welcomed the recent letter from Kane, which was written on the 25th anniversary of his appointment as the diocese's ecumenical officer. My experience with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany is extremely positive," Elia said. "They go the extra mile for ecumenical relationships."
I saw an interesting show on Fox news. They had statistics on what percentage of religions were in the world. In our country, the protestants out number the Cathlics by a lot. I don't remember the percentage exactly, but I do know that in this country, the Catholics make up less than 50% of the population. The protestants were over 70% of the population. I really thought that the Catholic's made up much more. Oh, and the Muslim religion makes up about 1%.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Without the Catholic church there would be no Protestant church or reform church. I don't think the teachings of Jesus could been spread as far and as quickly without the help of the Catholic church or the Roman government. Just my opinion....... I'm no theologian. After all, isn't it the Catholic church who chose the books which make up the bible??
Now I sit me down in school Where praying is against the rule For this great nation under God Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights. And anytime my head I bow Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom scene. The law is specific, the law is precise. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all In silence alone we must meditate, God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks. They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong
We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen
7-year rule hurts Israeli farmers Religion requires them to let fields sit fallow BY MATTI FRIEDMAN The Associated Press
KIBBUTZ SDE ELIYAHU, Israel — Beginning next week, Israeli farmers face a strange challenge: How to avoid going bankrupt while observing an ancient biblical commandment ordering them to stop working their fields for a year. First practiced in an era of primitive scythes but still in force in an age of GPS-guided combines, the commandment requires Jewish farmers in Israel to let their fi elds rest every seventh year, just as Jews are required to rest every seventh day. The coming sabbatical starts with the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana, on the evening of Sept. 12 and continues across the nation until the fall of 2008. The sabbatical, known in Hebrew as “shmita,” sparks arguments between mainstream Israelis and strict ultra-Orthodox clergymen, prods the Jewish state into strange arrangements with Palestinian farmers in Hamas-controlled Gaza and forces farmers and rabbis to devise creative loopholes that allow fieldwork to continue without violating the letter of the law. Even nonreligious Israeli growers find themselves respecting the biblical directive so they don’t lose the business of Orthodox consumers. According to an official guide for farmers published by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, the commandment makes the point “that we live in a holy and special land that isn’t like other countries” and “implants in us the knowledge that this land belongs to the Creator of the Universe.” Beyond the lofty language are real problems for growers like Shaul Ginzberg of Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, a communal farm in northern Israel. Ginzberg’s kibbutz grows and processes spices, and in a normal year, 80 percent of sales are to companies that meet exacting ultra-Orthodox standards for kosher food. But those customers won’t buy anything grown by Jews in Israel this year, potentially a devastating financial blow to the kibbutz’s business. To solve the problem, the kibbutz dispatched Ginzberg to Egypt, Peru, Turkey and Hungary to look into growing spices there and marketing them under the kibbutz’s label. Those efforts failed for technical reasons, but the kibbutz did manage to sign a unique agreement in the Netherlands — a Dutch company will provide spices to the kibbutz’s customers while the kibbutz exports its goods to the Dutch company’s customers in Europe. But that won’t be equal to the usual volume of orders, and the sabbatical year will still be diffi - cult for the spice growers. “If we usually work 12 months of the year, this year we might be working six,” Ginzberg said. LOOPHOLE Economic reality has made it virtually impossible to obey the sabbatical commandment. Profit margins on most crops are minuscule, and intensive use of every fi eld is the norm. No farmer can afford to lose a whole year’s income. Recognizing this, moderate Israeli rabbis created a legal loophole to help farmers: They can sell their fields or orchards to a non-Jew for the duration of the year. Under this arrangement, farmers can keep working the land because it’s technically owned by someone who isn’t bound by Jewish law. The vast majority of Israeli farmers take advantage of this practice, including those at Sde Eliyahu, who are religiously observant but not ultra-Orthodox. The loophole allows farmers to make a living and is good enough for most Israelis. But ultra-Orthodox Jews, who interpret Jewish law stringently, have declared the loophole a desecration of the sabbatical commandment. Instead, they are willing to pay more for produce imported from abroad or purchased from Arab farmers. “The Torah says a farmer must leave his fields fallow this year and also says God will provide for his income. God promises a blessing to those who keep the sabbatical commandment,” said Rabbi Meir Bergman, the official in charge of sabbatical observance in the Edah Haredit, an ultra-Orthodox umbrella group. “With all of the sympathy for the farmers’ difficulties, this does not allow us to break the laws of the Torah,” Bergman said. He suggested the government set up a charity fund to provide for farmers during the sabbatical year. The ultra-Orthodox need for produce grown by non-Jews leads them to Palestinian residents of the West Bank and even growers from the Gaza Strip — a rare example of trade with the Hamas-controlled territory. The Jewish commandment is a potential boon for the Muslim farmers of Gaza. Ali Khalil, who heads an association of more than 200 Gaza farmers, said he’s been contracted by Israeli companies to sell $150 million of produce during the sabbatical year. “This chance is only every seven years,” Khalil said. “We benefi t greatly that way because we export to the Orthodox, and it is the best of times also because prices are high.” But the deal is in danger. With Hamas in charge, Israel has closed its border crossings with Gaza and Khalil doesn’t know when he’ll be able to ship his produce. Shlomo Dror, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said the situation has been complicated by the regular shelling of border crossings by Hamas militants. Still, Dror said, the military is looking into letting the sabbatical produce in. In the view of some Israelis, the real point of the sabbatical year has been lost. When the law was given to the agrarian Jews of biblical times, all were affected equally, but today, the commandment directly impacts only the 3 percent of Israelis who make a living from agriculture. Some have suggested that the sabbatical year be seen as a social imperative, spurring people to devote a year to volunteer work or study, or as an ecological lesson on respecting the earth. “You have to look at what’s behind the commandment,” said Alon Tal, a professor at Ben Gurion University and one of Israel’s most prominent environmentalists. “In Judaism, just as people get a day of rest and animals get a day of rest, the land also gets to rest, and that’s a beautiful thing.” SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man pauses next to a vegetable stand Tuesday at the Mahne Yehuda market in downtown Jerusalem. Jewish farmers in Israel are required by their religion to let their fields rest every seventh year, just as Jews are required to rest every seventh day. The sabbatical begins on the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana, which falls on Sept. 12.
I think that the law was originally passes to keep the land productive and at the time the only way to do that was to let the land rest for a year. The law should be changed as it is way out of date.
The Jewish religion is probably the ony one left that 'some jews' follow to the T. And I actually admire them for that. Ya see, God never changes. We try to change God. And as we can see, that ain't working!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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