From CNSNews.com:

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Monday over its partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to fight human trafficking–a modern-day form of slavery–because the bishops conference does not use the money to provide emergency contraception and abortion.

Any chance the ACLU will open up its wallet and fight human trafficking?   Nah… too busy flying into Wisconsin to crush Nativity scenes.

The Fidelis Center for Law and Policy announces the launch of a new website – CatholicVote.com – to educate and inspire Catholic voters this fall and beyond.  The site includes a powerful video designed to encourage viewers to prioritize the issues of life, faith, and family.  In addition to the video, the site contains resources on how to register to vote, research on candidate positions, documents from the Bishops and an invitation to join in prayer.
 
The highlight of CatholicVote.com is a powerful 3:30 minute documentary on Catholic contributions to American public life. The video connects the fight for civil rights, human dignity, and the family throughout the history of our country.  The dramatic conclusion of the film urges viewers to “Vote Your Conscience.”
 
“The U.S. Bishops have stated that ‘responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation,’” said Brian Burch, director of CatholicVote.com. “We launched CatholicVote.com to provide Catholics and all people of good will with the tools to both educate and inspire their fellow citizens as they prepare to vote in November.”

To watch the amazing video, visit CatholicVote.com. 

Gerard Baker stinging satire of Obama in the London Times:

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

You know, I really should consider myself blessed just to receive a ballot this year with the anointed one’s name on it. Surely, I will genuflect and bless myself before I enter the ballot box this November.

Time Magazine reports that “Americans of every religious stripe are considerably more tolerant of the beliefs of others than most of us might have assumed, according to a new poll released Monday.”

Good to hear! Apparently, religious people are more understanding of different peoples, less prejudiced, willing to hire and work with people whose views might seem exotic.

But wait! Time wasn’t talking about less workplace discrimination or more harmonious neighborhoods. Their evidence of less tolerance?

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement “Many religions can lead to eternal life.” Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that “no one comes to the Father except through me.” Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity’s path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals’ fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews.

Tolerance, as defined by Time, is believing that adherents of other faith traditions are can enter Heaven. 

So if a Muslim believes that Christians and Jews will not enter Heaven, does that make him intolerant? If a Christian believes that you must believe in Jesus in order to be saved from eternal damnation, is he intolerant?

Tolerance is about kindness and respecting other people and their differences. But courtesy in a poilite society doesn’t mean I must reject a belief that my church is the path to salvation.

So if you think Christianity is intolerant because it makes a demand that you believe in Jesus in order to be saved from eternal fire, well then take it up with Him. Your beef is not with me.

CNSNews.com reports on an interesting ad campaign: 

“America is a country of strong families and strong values,” says a political ad that began airing in 18 states over the weekend. The candidate then goes on to say how he helped move people off the welfare rolls and fought for tax cuts.

It almost sounds like a typical Republican campaign commercial — except this is the first national ad aired by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama since he effectively secured his party’s nomination earlier this month.

The story goes on to quote Tony Campolo, a sociology professor at Eastern University, who speculates that Obama will win 35 to 36 percent of the evangelical vote.

“The older evangelicals, I think about 80 percent, will vote for John McCain even though they aren’t thrilled with him, simply because of the pro-life issue alone,” Campolo, who is also a member of the Democratic National Committee’s platform committee, told CNSNews.com. 

“The younger evangelicals are looking at poverty, the AIDS crisis, the environment and war,” he said. “They give those issues almost as much weight as they give gay marriage and abortion.”

Are they unaware that John McCain is the nominee? Even a Cliff Notes version of this election cycle would remind folks that John McCain is no Tom Tancredo or Ron Paul.

If you’re a pro-life and pro-family evangelical, but agree with the Democrats on the enviroment and poverty and the AIDS crisis, you need be in no dilemma. You vote for John McCain.

McCain is on the left on the environment. He’s emphatic about climate change. Much more so than I want, in fact. Regarding the AIDS crisis, have people forgotten that George W. Bush has opened much more AIDS funding for Africa than anyone had dreamed possible?

Poeple need to throw away this media-driven cartoon version of the GOP. This is not the world of Charles Dickens. John McCain is no Scrooge.

I never met Tim Russert, but I will definitely miss him.  Tributes and stories are pouring in about this great journalist and many focus on the love Tim had for his Catholic faith and his hometown of Buffalo, New York. It’s his love of his faith, his family, and his hometown that makes his so universally loved.

Writing for Newsweek, Jon Meacham wrote:

Many people in Washington and New York spend a lot of time, and even more psychic effort, trying to escape their origins, firmly closing the door on where they came from. (A bishop I knew used to say that such insecurity was horribly debilitating, and had a simple commandment for survival: “Remember who you are.” When I told Russert that story once, he pumped his fist and shouted, “Amen!”) Rather than try to reinvent himself as he grew up and went from worldly triumph to worldly triumph, Russert never lost his sense of place, or his love of tribe. 

How refreshing! Folks in Washington tend to be way too self-important. It’s a bipartisan affliction.

I saw an interview with Cardinal McCarrick where he spoke about Tim Russert’s meeting with Pope John Paul the Great. Here’s an account of the meeting that was written by the Philadelphia Catholic Standard & Times before Tim Russert had unexpectedly died:

The highlight for Russert, a devout Catholic, was a papal Mass in the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel and a private audience with the pope after the Mass. During the audience, Russert’s wife, Maureen, who was pregnant with their son, Luke, asked the Pope to bless the baby. He did so, and said, “When your baby is born, bring him back for another blessing.”

The following year, the Russerts returned to Rome with baby Luke. Thanks to Archbishop Foley, they got a place in the first row at the audience. Luke was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with John Paul’s personal motto, Totus Tuus.

The Pope said, “Very nice, very, very nice,” and took the baby, and kissed him. A treasured memento of the Russert family shows Tim Russert proudly holding his son as the Pope blesses them.

Rest in Peace, my brother. Your commitment to truth and fairness, and your love of faith and family will never be forgotten.

It’s all courtesy of George Soros. From the AP:

“The American Civil Liberties Union announced by far the largest fundraising campaign in its 88-year history Monday, eying a dramatic expansion of its work on social justice issues in relatively conservative states such as Texas and Florida.

Major donors include billionaire financier George Soros, who gave $12 million through his Open Society Institute.

“The purpose is to build a civil liberties infrastructure in the middle of the country – where battleground states are often under-resourced and our efforts are most needed,” Romero said.

The ACLU is the organization most responsible for judicial tyranny (overturning laws or crushing religious displays via lawsuit) and the pernicious strand of secular humanism with hostile anti-religious sentiments than the ACLU.

Secular humanists need not hate religion or people of faith, of course. But the ACLU and their friends at American United for the Separation of Church and State always vilify religious expression in public life.

Hat tip: alliancealert.org

Apparently pastors and ministers think they should have the right to free speech in the churches without the threats of the tax man breathing down their neck.

These ministers want to end Lyndon Johnson’s Pulpit Gag Order…. Free speech in America? What will they think of next?

Daniel Burke writes in the Washington Post about a “Catholic Wind” that emanates from the White House.  From pro-life policies to judges to subsidiarity, Burke cites those closest to the president suggesting that President Bush has a particular affinity for seeing the world through the lens of Catholic teaching.

Of course, this is not to suggest, as the article sometimes does, that Bush’s policies are somehow carved out of the body of Catholic doctrine.  The teachings of the Church on matters of civil government and social doctrine are arrived at principally through right reason.  Of course it’s social teachings are illuminated by Scripture, but they are firmly grounded in an understanding of the natural order of things.

Thus, it is more than plausible that a non-Catholic president could arrive at decisions about respecting human life, stem cells, or subsidiarity without any direct consultation of Catholic “doctrine.”  Thinking with the Church properly understood, is to seek the truth about the world as it is, with the help of science, history, philosophy, theology, etc.

Too often “thinking with the Church” is misinterpreted to require being a professed Catholic, which incidentally, Burke suggests might not be out of the question.

Politico is reporting that Sen. Obama in Pennsylvania today suggested that people frustrated over the loss of jobs in small towns over the last 25 years “cling to guns, or religion…or anti-immigrant sentiment…to explain their frustrations.”

There is nothing surprising about a Democratic presidential candidate exploiting the frustrations of their audience, and acting as if a President can somehow recreate millions of jobs displaced by the dynamics of our economy. But what is most shocking is Sen. Obama’s inclusion of “religion” as a social crutch, or if you will, the opiate of the frustrated, bitter and unemployed. Marx anyone?

His characterization of religious belief offers some insight into his understanding of the role of faith in America. Religion is portrayed not as a free and willful submission to a set of truths revealed by God, but instead as a psychological salve, meant to distract from the social realities brought about by poorly managed public policy.

The comment reeks of elitism, and can’t possibly be received well by millions of rural Americans who proudly live a life of faith and own guns to hunt and protect their families. Perhaps unintended, but the clear message sent was, if you elect me, not only will I get your job back, but I can also rid you of the need to rely so much on religion.

UPDATE: Turns out the speech was not delivered in Pennsylvania, but in San Francisco, at a private fundraiser with wealthy donors. The WSJ editorializes today under The Other Obama:

As political psychoanalysis, this is what they believe in Cambridge and Hyde Park. Guns and God are the opiate of the masses, who are being gulled by Karl Rove and rich Republicans. If only they embraced their true economic self-interest, these pure saps wouldn’t need religion and they wouldn’t dislike non-white immigrants.

This Washington Post publishes an article about a young Catholic couple who actually agree with Pope Benedict and the Church’s moral teachings. The article has this weird Look What I Found in the Wild tone to it. I mean, should you be surprised that a Church that’s been around for 2,000 years would still have faithful followers?

This article is much better fare than most big city newspapers. I mean, at least they found lay Catholics who were interested in the Church. Most news reports set up the villlian Pope against the hip and cool college professor (Fr. McBrien) who “gets it.”

Based on most surveys, reporters as a profession are among the least religious. My friend used to work for NBC News in New York. New to town from Texas, she was looking for a place to go to church and asked around at the office. Not a single person she asked was currently attending church, but they knew where the Catholic churches and Jewish synagogues were. (Alas, she was Baptist.) America is a religious country, but the people who record our history are not.

Jonathan Martin has an article titled “McCain shies away from religion talk” at Politico.com. A key passage:

In an Oprah Winfrey era where soul-baring and expressions of faith are the norm for public figures, the presumptive Republican nominee, open and candid about much else, retains a shroud of privacy around his Christianity.

Good for him. If he wants to be private about it, that’s fine. If he wants to be more open about it, too, I welcome that as well.

Which is why I think the headline should not have used the word “shy.” You have every right to decide to open up your heart and soul to talk about your religious beliefs. And every right to decide against doing so. We at Fidelis have argued that politicians and judges shouldn’t be attacked for their personal relgious beliefs. But it’s also true that they shouldn’t be attacked for not sharing their faith.

It would seem that people who put the Darwin Fish on their car want Christians to get angry. To me, it’s obviously a noxious defamation of a sacred symbol. But I’ve been most struck that the Darwin Fish is found on a car bumper right next to “Tolerate Diversity.”

Of course, this is hypocrisy — which I thought liberals considered the worst of all sins. (How dare Bill Bennett gamble so much?)

Jonah Goldberg takes this religious bigotry head on. Goldberg, who is Jewish, correctly points out that a car bearing this Darwin Fish is not only offensive, but that it ridicously provides the driver with a sense of “speaking truth to power.”

Goldberg contrasts this fake “courage” with Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, who produced a 17-minute film depicting the violent and hateful acts done by Islamic extremists. Producing this movie, called Fitna, was a true act of courage, said Goldberg, because Mr. Wilders might die for having made it.

USA Today polled Americans about what they think is sinful. Ranked high on the list is adultery, with 81% of Americans considering that sinful. As a Catholic, I don’t agree with the 30% of Americans that think gambling is a sin. Unless, of course, you gamble in excess. The number who think sex before marriage was less than half, which shouldn’t surprise anyone these days. Perhaps the most troubling statistic is that only 18% of Americans think failure to attend religious services on Sunday is wrong.

I wonder if failure to recycle is considered a sin by more than 18%. Actually, I don’t wonder. I know that answer.