February 20, 2008
The Tripods are Coming
(Tim Jones)
Kewl! The Tripods,
the science fiction trilogy by John Christopher (real name Samuel
Youd), is one of the stories well known and oft quoted in our
household. My son even named his cat Ozzy, after the character
Ozymandias. We read the books and watched the BBC TV series until the
venerable VHS tape finally gave up the ghost a few years ago. We hadn't
given it much thought for a while, until my son found some video clips
on YouTube. It was fun rediscovering the series and covering old,
familiar ground. I'll have to look around and see if the series may be
found on DVD.
It occurred to me, after reading some comments on YouTube (always an intellectual treat) that the themes of the book could be interpreted as a slam at religion. I'd considered the idea before, but dismissed it, however... that was before Hitchens, Dawkins and Pullman labored to make the world safe for anti-religious bigotry, dragged it out of the closet and onto the New York Times Bestseller list.
For those unfamiliar with the story, the world has been conquered completely by aliens who travel around in gigantic tripods (okay, not terribly original, but consider it flattery to H.G. Wells) and the population are kept in line through the use of an electronic wire mesh "cap" that is stamped onto their cranium around the age of 16 (when young folk typically begin having serious rebellious thoughts) and that makes them content, docile and obedient to the tripods. The cap keeps them from thinking in certain ways, eliminates violent and deceitful thoughts, but also wonder and inventiveness. Human kind is restricted to about an 18th century level of technology. The heroes run away as their "capping day" draws near, in search of a secret enclave of human resistance, based on nothing but a rumor and a map picked up from a "vagrant" (a human whose capping has gone wrong, they are considered insane).
I never interpreted the story as anti-religious, and in fact saw the cap in much broader terms as the common tendency for the Spirit of the Age (any age) to become tyrannical and oppressive, or the readiness of people to give up thinking for themselves in exchange for the promise of peace and safety. These are human themes into which religion of one kind or another might figure... or not.
If the story was meant as a veiled anti-religious screed, it's odd that an unabashed religionist like myself would find so much in the story to relate to and delight in. To me, the Map could just as well represent Holy Scripture, the Resistance the Church, and the Cap atheistic materialism. I always assumed that once a person was capped, religious impulses would be the first thing to go.
I Googled around a bit and couldn't find any blatantly anti-religious sentiments attributable to to Mr. Youd (aka John Christopher), but I'd be interested to hear from someone who may know more.
Visit Tim Jones' blog, "Old World Swine"
Posted by Tim Jones in Books, Film and TV, Religion | Permalink | Comments (40)
June 05, 2007
God Debate On Hugh Hewitt Today
(Jimmy Akin)
(CHT to the reader who e-mailed!
Posted by Jimmy Akin in Religion | Permalink | Comments (17)
July 11, 2006
Quote Of The Day
(Michelle Arnold)
Seems about time to delve into the Great Quotes file again:
"God himself, sir, does not propose to judge man until the end of his days." --Samuel Johnson
Who was Samuel Johnson?
If you like this quote and are eager for more Johnsonian wisdom, check out The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page.
Browsing through the site, I found another gem of Johnson's:
"A man of genius has been seldom ruined but by himself."
Posted by Michelle Arnold in Religion | Permalink | Comments (6)
June 21, 2006
Feel The Solstice!
(Michelle Arnold)
St. Augustine of Canterbury, as distinguished from his more famous predecessor, may have supposed that however bad the state of religion had become in England that at least the Brits were no longer pagan.
If so, he'd be wrong.
St. Augustine of Canterbury, pray for them:
"Cloudy skies, dense fog and spurts of rain did not seem to dampen the energy of smiling revelers who bobbed and swayed to cheerful beats with arms outstretched and shouts of 'Feel the solstice!'
"About 19,000 New Agers, present-day druids and partygoers gathered inside and around the ancient circle of towering stones [of Stonehenge] to greet the longest day in the northern hemisphere as the sun struggled to peek out against a smoky gray sky at 4:58 a.m. ...
"'This is the nearest thing I've got to religion,' said Ray Meadows, 34, of Bristol, England. The solstice 'is a way of giving thanks to the earth and the universe.'
"Meadows, wearing a wreath of pink carnations over long pink hair-wrapped braids, identified herself as a fairy of the Tribe of Frog."
"A fairy of the Tribe of Frog"? Just how exactly does one become a Fairy of the Tribe of Frog? Is one born a frog and become a fairy? Is one adopted by a tribe of fairy frogs? Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted by Michelle Arnold in Religion | Permalink | Comments (17)
June 07, 2006
Into The Lion's Den...
(Michelle Arnold)
An agnostic has learned the hard way that thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matt. 4:5-7).
"A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.
"'The man shouted "God will save me, if he exists," lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions,' the official said.
"'A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery.'"
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Now....
Anyone know how I can nominate this guy for a Darwin Award?
Posted by Michelle Arnold in Religion | Permalink | Comments (23)
May 12, 2006
Mother Oprah
(Michelle Arnold)
Some time ago, an apologist in This Rock mused about the secular world's penchant for tossing out Catholicism and adopting paler images of what had been tossed:
"G. K. Chesterton famously observed that when you stop believing in God, you don't believe in nothing; you believe in anything. Similarly, in the absence of the Catholic Church, you get (before Christ) things that anticipate it or (after Christ) things that are a cheap imitation of it. For instance, Ebay is the modern world's unwitting testament to the Catholic theology of relics. People who laugh over 'primitive' medievals and their interest in the true cross will lay down big bucks to own a pair of John Lennon’s shoelaces. Likewise, what is Oprah but a sort of video testament of the need of the human soul for a mother?"
GET THE STORY. (Scroll to Item 6.)
Lest you think the apologist was exaggerating, take a look at this: In an article titled "The Divine Miss Winfrey?" La Oprah is hailed as "a spiritual leader for the new millennium, a moral voice of authority for the nation."
"She's no longer just a successful talk-show host worth $1.4 billion, according to Forbes' most recent estimate. Over the past year, Winfrey, 52, has emerged as a spiritual leader for the new millennium, a moral voice of authority for the nation.
"With her television pulpit and the sheer power of her persona, she has encouraged and steered audiences (mostly women) in all matters, from genocide in Rwanda to suburban spouse swapping to finding the absolute best T-shirt and oatmeal cookie.
"'She's a really hip and materialistic Mother Teresa,' says Kathryn Lofton, a professor at Reed College in Portland, Ore., who has written two papers analyzing the religious aspects of Winfrey. 'Oprah has emerged as a symbolic figurehead of spirituality.'"
Catholics have the Blessed Virgin Mother; hip materialists have Mother Oprah. The comparison by Professor Lofton between Mother Teresa and Mother Oprah was especially interesting. Mother Teresa once said "I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness." For what do the disciples of Mother Oprah pray?
Posted by Michelle Arnold in Religion | Permalink | Comments (29)
January 24, 2006
Catholic Bumper Stickers
(Michelle Arnold)
Have you ever seen cars with Christian outreach bumper stickers that say things like "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven"? (Here's one site that sells such stickers.) I've often thought I should keep some copies of Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth handy in my car to tuck under the windshield wiper of cars that sport such stickers. I've also thought there'd be a good market among Catholics for Catholic riffs on the standard Christian evangelism stickers. If anyone decides to print some up, here are my contributions to get them started:
- "No Mary, no peace. Know Mary, know peace!"
- "Christians aren't perfect. Yet."
- "If you died today, would you be in purgatory tomorrow?"
- "Real men love Mary."
- "'Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' --Luke 1:43"
- "Your life may be the only church your friends ever attend."
Please add your contributions to the combox.
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January 13, 2006
Christians Stay Home!
(Michelle Arnold)
There is a fine line between the expectation of respect for the sensitivities of religious people and a none-too-subtle attempt to stifle religious expression.
When I went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the group visited the Western Wall, believed to be the remnant of ancient Israel's Temple and Judaism's holiest site. While there I had no problem with the suggestion by the priest leading the group to remove our crosses, crucifixes, and other Christian emblems before visiting the Wall. I tucked mine under my shirt and the priest, who was wearing a baseball cap with a Jerusalem cross, opted not to go down to the Wall.
That is the kind of accommodation for the sensitivity of others that is reasonable. What I find unreasonable is the report that follows:
"A British airline banned its staff from taking Bibles and wearing crucifixes or St. Christopher medals on flights to Saudi Arabia to avoid offending the country's Muslims.
"British Midland International also has told female flight attendants they must walk two paces behind male colleagues and cover themselves from head to foot in a headscarf and robe known as an abaya, the Mirror newspaper of London reported. [...]
"Airline officials, who have sparked outrage, the paper says, explain the Islamic kingdom's strict laws -- enforced by religious police -- prohibit public practice of Christianity....
"BMI spokesman Phil Shepherd said: 'In providing air services people want, demand and use, we have an obligation to respect the customs of the destination country.'
"An airline employee who asked not to be named told the Mirror: 'It's outrageous that we must respect their beliefs but they're not prepared to respect ours.'"
Forcing employees to abandon their own religion's emblems and spiritual comforts while traveling on business for the company is bad enough and outrageous in and of itself. But going beyond that to force employees to take on the customs of another religion (e.g., the abaya), one which they do not profess, is even worse.
In past centuries, the jihadists within Islam attempted to conquer the world through armed conquest. To the extent they succeed in this day and age, it will likely be through the collaboration of the PC Police.
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January 10, 2006
Is God Dead?
(Michelle Arnold)
... or are rumors of his death greatly exaggerated? An American visitor to Europe has written an intriguing editorial on the state of religion in Europe:
"'Common wisdom has it that alcoholics outnumber practicing Christians and that more Czechs believe in UFOs than believe in God -- and common wisdom may be correct,' wrote Nate and Leah Seppanen Anderson in a Prague Post commentary; he's a freelance writer, and she's a political science professor at Wheaton College in Illinois and a specialist in Czech politics and society. Surveys show a sharp decline in church attendance and religious practice in most European countries. A series of Eurobarometer surveys since 1970 in five key countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy) shows that regular church attendance fell from about 40% of the population to about half that figure. Declines were sharpest in predominantly Catholic nations.
"Even so, how do we account for the extraordinary outpouring of grief at Pope John Paul II's death in April and the enthusiasm that his successor seems to evoke? Are these mere public spectacles, signifying nothing about Europe's drift from its religious roots, or are they signs of yearning for something more than peace, prosperity and la dolce vita?"
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December 05, 2005
The Return Of Christmas
(Michelle Arnold)
Christmas is stealthily making its way back into the hurly-burly of the "Winter Holiday" shopping frenzy as canny merchants are catering to the desire of Christian customers to see the word Christmas alongside Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
"The word 'Christmas,' nearly absent in marketing by major retailers in recent years, has been quietly revived by some stores. Retail expert Jim Lucas says they are responding to consumers' desire to make the holidays more personal - whether they observe Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.
"'They are saying this has become very commercial and they want to reclaim the holiday season and make it relevant,' says Lucas, head of strategic planning at ad agency Draft Worldwide.
[...]
"'If you are going to make your earnings on the year because of Christmas, why should you be ashamed to call it Christmas?' asks AFA [American Family Association] President Tim Wildmon."
Steve Kellmeyer recently made the point that Christians themselves are largely responsible for the death throes of Christmas in Western culture.
"For nearly half of the last millennium, Christians have slowly been chipping away at Christmas. Now, in imitation of Alexander the Great who wept because he had no more worlds to conquer, they caterwaul because they have nearly completed their task. Are they upset because it took so long or because it’s almost gone?
"America’s Christians have fought long and hard for this day. Why aren’t they celebrating?"
Perhaps Christmas will finally be reborn as a religious holiday, rather than a secular tug-of-war, when both Christ and the Mass are put back into Christmas.
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December 01, 2005
Dialing For Jesus
(Michelle Arnold)
Did you know that you could ring up Jesus? Well, it's not a direct pipeline to heaven but it is possible to hear a few words from on high each day.
"If you knew Jesus' phone number, would you call him? And by the way, that number is (631) 667-5569.
"A lot of people would, according to Msgr. Frank Gaeta, pastor of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Deer Park and creator of a 24-hour-a-day recorded phone message system called 'Dial a Moment With Jesus.'
"Callers, of course, do not actually have a telephone conversation with the Son of God, but they do hear a three-minute spiritual message recorded by Msgr. Gaeta each day.
"This service has been offered for approximately eight years, first at St. Brigid's Church in Westbury when Msgr. Gaeta was pastor there and now at Ss. Cyril and Methodius; so far there have been 75,000 calls. 'I think people enjoy hearing another voice,' he said."
Now if I could just find the Blessed Mother's phone number....
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September 20, 2005
Buddhist, Jew, Jesus-Freak
(Michelle Arnold)
I thought I was used to the Gospel According to the Celebrity-Du-Jour mishmash of incompatible spiritualities until I stumbled across an interview with actress Goldie Hawn, in which she describes her spiritual practice as a Buddhist-Jew-Jesus-Freak:
"The interesting part of my spiritual life is studying as much as you can. Islam and Buddhism and Hinduism and Shamanism and Judaism, Christianity -- you try to learn what the precepts are, what the religion is, and ultimately, it's based in the same thought, it's based in the same outcome, you know.
"(Whispers) It just has a different façade.
"We go into religion in order to feel warmer in our hearts, more connected to others, more connected to something greater and to have a sense of peace. I think all religions try to do that, but they corrupt themselves. I like Buddhist thought because it breaks that down; it teaches you how to view your thoughts rather than be your thoughts. We live in this crazy world, full of jobs, and we have to be there, be-be-be -- it's a very demanding, taxing world. The result of meditating is watching your thoughts, detachment from your own precepts of what is right and wrong, things that frustrate you, that you can't grasp and want to grasp onto.
[...]
"[Domestic partner and fellow actor Kurt Russell] respects [Hawn's religious beliefs] and I respect his -- but there again, that's not important because you realize it's all a subjective belief system. I don't think 'Well, I can' be with somebody who doesn’t believe what I do, or I can't share my spirituality.' Your spirituality is shared by your actions and your interconnectedness with your family and everybody else. It's not conceptual. What's going to make you whole is your self-reflection and examination of yourself."
Ordinarily, I wouldn't have thought Ms. Hawn's spiritual reflections bloggable. It's the fuzzy-warm trump of feelings that Hollywood spiritualists specialize in. Same-old, same-old. But this quote caught my attention:
"So I would say that for the rest of my life, everything I do has to be with a mode of ethics, good intentions, for a better result for the people closest to me and to the world around me."
The editors at Beliefnet.com found this pearl important enough to use as a pull-quote and compressed it into the line "For the rest of my life, everything I do has to be with good intentions." Not "everything I do must be good," but the suggestion that it doesn't matter what you do so long as you have good intentions.
No wonder that the old saw says that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
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June 15, 2005
Bad Word! Naughty!
(Michelle Arnold)
If you're considering a Christmas present for Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, a former Master General of the Dominican order, might I suggest a case of Ivory soap? He undoubtedly needs it for all of the mouths he apparently would like to scrub clean:
"Dogma is a bad word! But beauty has its own authority, an authority to which every human being responds, and an authority that in no way threatens. We need to find ways of disclosing God's beauty to our contemporaries."
Of all the many quotes that could have been pulled from Vatican correspondent John L. Allen's "The Word From Rome" column this week, which one do you suppose the National Catholic Reporter's webmaster chose to pull for highlighting? Fr. Radcliffe's or this one from Pope Benedict XVI:
"[W]ithout the light of truth, sooner or later every person is in fact condemned to doubt the goodness of his or her own life and the relations that make it up, as well as the validity of his or her commitment to construct something in common with others."
No fair peeking at the story before guessing.
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June 06, 2005
Snoring The Tiber
(Michelle Arnold)
The story sounds like a tall tale to me -- how can a person over the age of reason, and one suffering from senile dementia to boot, be received into the Church without his knowledge or consent? -- but this unique conversion story that is purported to be true did make me laugh:
"James died at an advanced age, and was given a full Roman Catholic funeral with the bells and smells. Joseph was deeply upset over the loss of his dear brother and senile dementia, which had already set in, got progressively worse. Joseph often got confused about things, and at some point, possibly after witnessing all the Catholic ceremonial, became convinced he was a Catholic too.
"'Of course I'm a Catholic ... my brother was a Catholic and we're twins ... how could I not be a Catholic?' was his response to anyone who said he was a Protestant. Now, Joseph's grown-up children were, of course, pleased to hear their father now considered himself a Catholic. The problem was -- he hadn't yet been properly received into the Catholic Church, and wouldn't even listen when his children suggested he be received -- 'I've always been a Catholic,' he would protest. His health was going rapidly downhill too, and he insisted he must be given a Catholic funeral.
"What was one to do? They had a talk with the local RC priest and they had an idea."
Tales such as this, especially those originating several generations ago and thus unverifiable, make the rounds of Catholic circles. You'd be surprised how many I hear from inquirers who want to know if I can explain the tales' illogical points (e.g., the reception into the Church of a sleeping man). All one can do is to point out the principles (e.g., informed knowledge and consent is ordinarily necessary for adult reception) and advise the person to enjoy the story as a Catholic tall tale.
Nod to Dappled Things for the link. I especially liked Fr. Tucker's own tale: "It reminded me of what one of our deacons tells non-Catholic best men at wedding rehearsals: 'When I sprinkle the rings with holy water, make sure not to get any on you, otherwise you automatically become a Catholic.' Then he makes sure to get the horrified Protestant wet during the wedding ceremony.")
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June 03, 2005
Catholic Fundamentalists Of The World, Unite!
(Michelle Arnold)
 |
You scored as Fundamentalist. Fundamentalism represents a movement in opposition to Modernism, stressing the highest importance on foundational religious tradition. Science has brought on corruption of society. God is real and is watching. Scripture leaves little room for interpretation; man is God’s creation. About a quarter of the population in the U.S. is classified as Fundamentalist.
What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com |
I'm a Fundamentalist! Who'da thunk it? Actually, given the nature of the questions, I'm not surprised. The creators of the quiz seem to consider a belief in absolute, objective truths to be the definition of Fundamentalism. If that is the case, my name is Michelle and I'm a Catholic Fundamentalist. There. It's finally out in the open now.
(Nod to Mark Mossa, S.J., for the link.)
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May 18, 2005
Dateline: Jerusalem, Holy Sepulchre
(Michelle Arnold)
Oh, goody. ABC's Elizabeth Vargas -- the journalist who brought you the straight scoop on Jesus and Mary Magdalene's luv-'n-marriage, according to the Gospel of Dan Brown -- is doing a special for 20/20 on the Resurrection of Christ to be aired on Friday, May 20. Guess who will be joining her as special guests?
Did you say Fr. Richard McBrien and (Episcopal) Bishop John Shelby Spong (among others)? How'd you figure it?
Sample Quotes:
McBRIEN: "If they had digital cameras in those days, and they took … tried to take a photo of Jesus, you know, 'Get over there with Peter … would you stand with Mary Magdalene? This would make a great shot. I mean, no one will ever believe this.' You take a photo of that scene and you'd get Peter and Mary Magdalene, but not Jesus."
You'd think a college professor would speak more coherently.
SPONG: "I don't think that most of the resurrection narratives in the New Testament are historical at all. But I don't think there would have been a New Testament or a Jesus movement had there not been some astonishing experience of power that caused these people to see Jesus in a way they had never seen him before."
Translation: "The Gospels are pretty fakey, but those poor misguided souls who spun those fairy tales must have experienced some weird Christ event to get them to make that stuff up."
(Nod to Relapsed Catholic for the link.)
Be sure to wake me when it's over.
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March 20, 2005
BETTY FRIEDAN TO NUNS: "Wear your habits!"
(Michelle Arnold)
Author Helen LaKelly Hunt's interview about her book Faith and Feminism: A Holy Alliance has some nuttiness in it -- such as scolding the Pope for "narrowness" in his approach to feminism -- but it is also interesting to see secular feminists grappling with religion. This anecdote was particularly amusing:
"With Betty [Friedan], she was never against religion. She was always frustrated that feminists projected that. In fact, of the seven people who founded NOW [National Organization for Women], two of them were nuns. And when they had their first press conference, Betty said, 'Wear your habits.' And the nuns said, 'We don’t want to wear our habits because we are here to start a social movement—it’s not about a religious thing.' And Betty said, 'No, I want you to wear your habits for this.' And they said, no, they wouldn’t. And finally Betty said, 'Dammit, wear your habits!'"
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March 04, 2005
The Post-Atheist World
(Jimmy Akin)
Y'know how we're always hearing about the post-Christian world?
Well, there's an element of truth in that--at least when it comes to Europe and to a lesser-extent the English-speaking world.
But Christianity ain't the only religion that's having its troubles.
So's atheism.
CHECK THIS STORY ON THE DECLINE OF ATHEISM WORLDWIDE.
Excerpts:
There seems to be a growing consensus around the globe that godlessness is in trouble.
"Atheism as a theoretical position is in decline worldwide," Munich theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg told United Press International Tuesday.
His Oxford colleague Alister McGrath agrees. Atheism's "future seems increasingly to lie in the private beliefs of individuals rather than in the great public domain it once regarded as its habitat," he wrote in the U.S. magazine, Christianity Today.
Two developments are plaguing atheism these days. One is that it appears to be losing its scientific underpinnings. The other is the historical experience of hundreds of millions of people worldwide that atheists are in no position to claim the moral high ground.
A few years ago, European scientists sniggered when studies in the United States – for example, at Harvard and Duke universities – showed a correlation between faith, prayer and recovery from illness. Now 1,200 studies at research centers around the world have come to similar conclusions, according to "Psychologie Heute," a German journal, citing, for example, the marked improvement of multiple sclerosis patients in Germany's Ruhr District due to "spiritual resources."
Zulehner cautions, however, that in the rest of Europe re-Christianization is by no means occurring. "What we are observing instead is a re-paganization," he went on.
As for the "peril of spirituality," Zulehner sounded quite sanguine. He concluded from his research that in the long run the survival of worldviews should be expected to follow this lineup:
"The great world religions are best placed," he said. As a distant second he sees the diffuse forms of spirituality. Atheism, he insisted, will come in at the tail end.
I found especially interesting this bit:
John Updike's observation, "Among the repulsions of atheism for me has been is drastic uninterestingness as an intellectual position," appears to become common currency throughout much of the West.
When you think about it, atheism is startlingly uninteresting an flat as a worldview compared to either theism or polytheism. It also makes the world a horror show since mankind would be a cosmic accident with nobody up there caring about him.
Hence, if you're an atheist, like H. P. Lovecraft and you think the world is a big horror show due to being God-less, you might do something like . . . write horror stories.
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December 28, 2004
Banal Papal Headlines?
(Jimmy Akin)
The Pertinacious Papist and patriarch of the Magnificent Blossers, Dr. Phil Blosser, has noted the kind of headlines that the pope is getting these days. He gives some examples:
- Pope urges protection of envirnoment (Nov. 10, 2002, Associated Press)
- Pope's Christmas Message: End global violence (from 1998, CNN)
- Pope urges more human rights for Cubans (Dec. 3, 1999, Miami Herald)
- Pope praises continued efforts to eliminate land mines (Dec. 10, 2004, The Catholic News & Herald, Diocese of Charlotte, NC)
While all press is good press, are these really the kinds of headlines that we should be having about the pope, he wonders?
Why not headlines like these?
- Pope: Catholic fornicators playing Russian Roulette with Satan
- Pope to youth: live chastely or risk going to hell
- Pope's Christmas message: repentance key to God's mercy for even most wretched sinners
- Pope: Georgetown University no longer Catholic
READ THE WHOLE PERTINACIOUS POST.
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November 23, 2004
Purgatory In Judaism
(Jimmy Akin)
Sometimes when I tell people that purgatory is not a doctrine Catholics invented but one that predates Christianity (cf., 2 Maccabees 12:44-45) and thus finds a place in historic Judaism they disbelieve me .
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November 11, 2004
Catholic Counties (Or, As They Call Them In Loo-zee-ana, "Parishes")
(Jimmy Akin)
Down yonder a reader points us to a map of where the Catholics are by county. Here 'tis:
Click the image to enlarge.
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November 10, 2004
Where The Wild Things Catholics Are
(Jimmy Akin)
Since we've been looking at maps of the U.S. with different data on them, let's look at where Catholics live.
Click the map to enlarge.
Incidentally, don't forget that population density doesn't tell you overall population. For example, my home state of Texas is less Catholic-dense than neighboring states Louisiana and New Mexico, but its population is so much larger that it has more total Catholics. Rhode Island, by contrast, is the most Catholic-dense state in the nation, but its population is so tiny that most states have more Catholics than it does.
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October 23, 2004
Aaron And Hur (Times Two)
(Jimmy Akin)
You know the biblical story of Moses needing to keep his arms up in order to help the Israelites keep winning a battle?
Well, Moses' arms got tired.
So his brother Aaron and another guy named Hur held them up so that the Israelites would keep winning.
Flash forward 3300 years to today.
John Paul II has a horrible, degenerative disease.
Yet he is a pillar of the Church.
Question: How does he do it alone?
Answer: He doesn't.
He has a couple of Aarons and Hurs holding up his arms (figuratively) to help him.
SANDRO MAGISTER HAS THE STORY.
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