The recovery of the West depends on a moral and religious revival which restores the traditional family to a place of preeminence

From the story in the National Catholic Register, here:

The total fertility rate now hovers around 1.8 children per woman over her lifetime — far below the 2.1 children per woman that demographers say a nation needs to keep its population stable. ... trends are not necessarily irreversible. History has plenty of examples of religious and moral revivals, as well as religious and moral collapses, that have changed the course of their societies’ future. ... “There’s a lack of private and public policies to say to families, ‘It’s okay, having children, taking care of them, staying with them and everything is the most important bulwark of a good society,’” [Helen Alvare] said. “But it works economically, it works religiously, and it works practically.”

It's funny how you see something and it just becomes a deal breaker, even though you knew it before

The unintended consequences of religion: Liberal "political correctness" is to Puritanism as libertarian "going Galt" is to what?

Shunning:

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord . . .. -- 2 Cor. 6:17

24 of the eyewitness statements about the Ferguson, MO shooting of Michael Brown lacked any credibility, according to the US Department of Justice

Some of the eyewitnesses feared reprisals from their own community if they provided testimony contradicting the community-approved version. In other words, peer pressure became a powerful influence on the "eyewitnesses" to say the same thing and thus maintain the unity of the group in the face of contradictory evidence.

The similar emphasis on unity in the Fourth Gospel is consistent with a later date for its production, during which time community identity is becoming self-conscious, in part because of attacks on it by outsiders who did not believe, the unique vignette at the end featuring Doubting Thomas being of particular rhetorical significance in response.  

There shall be one fold, and one shepherd. -- John 10:16

Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. ... That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. -- John 17:11, 21ff.

The witnesses to the Brown shooting, discussed here:

The Department of Justice investigation into the shooting determined that witnesses who corroborated Wilson's account were credible while those who contradicted his account were not. The witnesses that claimed Brown was surrendering or did not move toward Wilson were not credible; the report stated that their claims were inconsistent with the physical evidence, other witness statements, and in some cases prior statements from the same witness. No witness statements that pointed to Wilson's guilt were determined to be credible. Twenty-four statements were determined to lack any credibility, while eight which were found credible corroborated Wilson's account. Nine did not completely contradict nor corroborate Wilson's account. Several witnesses reported fear of reprisals from the community for providing evidence that corroborated Wilson's account.

To the historical Jesus the gospel was the good news of the coming of God's kingdom, not "Christ crucified", not "grace alone through faith alone"

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come. ... I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent. So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.

-- Luke 4:18f., 43f.

The Mass of Christian Burial for John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group was held today at 2PM

You may watch it here.

Martin Luther, like Jesus and Paul, was another "terrible simplifier", an ideological thinker who reduced Christianity to a single principle

Well summarized here:

"This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification," insisted Martin Luther, "is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the understanding of all godliness." He also called this doctrine the articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae ("article of the standing and falling of the church"): "…if this article stands, the Church stands; if it falls, the Church falls."[In XV Psalmos graduum 1532-33; WA 40/III.352.3]. Lutherans follow Luther in this when they call this doctrine "the material principle" of theology in relation to the Bible, which is "the formal principle." They believe justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's righteousness alone is the gospel, the core of the Christian faith around which all other Christian doctrines are centered and based.

Like Jesus, Paul also was a "terrible simplifier", an ideological thinker who reduced everything to one principle

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

-- 1 Corinthians 2:2

RuPaul admits the gay man he really is has simply been posing as a tranny to stick it to the rest of us and make some dough

Most everyone has experienced the latent rage of the homosexual at one time or another, it's just that no one will talk about it openly anymore now that the gay mafia has turned the whole country into its collective receiving end. But the truth is gay men are violent at heart because they hate themselves for what they do.

RuPaul, quoted here:

There are many misconceptions people who dress in drag — most frequently that they are transsexual. "Transsexual is, in fact, kind of the complete opposite," RuPaul says. "Drag queens are saying, 'Identity? Ha!' Transsexuals are saying, 'Identity is very serious to me and I need you to understand what my identity is.'" He continues, "For me, it was never about being a woman at all. It was always about 'f-you' to society. In a male-dominated culture, this is the greatest taboo you can do. This is the thing that boys are not supposed to [do] in a male-dominated culture." And, he adds, "It was something that I stumbled onto that I realized I could do really well and make a lot of money at it."

A proposed definition of "liberal" for The Devil's Dictionary

Liberal. n. A humorless fart, who blames you for his stink.

Men of high degree are a lie

Surely men of low degree are vanity . . .

and men of high degree are a lie:

In the balances they will go up;

They are together lighter than vanity.

-- Psalm 62:9

On Shakespeare's "When we are born, we cry . . ."

"When we are born, we cry, that we are come to this great stage of fools."

And when we die, we whimper, that we played our part too well.

There is nothing new under the sun: Gay Trump-supporting billionaire Peter Thiel wants to suck your blood

Actually, he just wants transfusions from the young and healthy, the history of which is discussed here by Candida Moss:

Peter Thiel, billionaire tech investor, has revealed a somewhat unsavory interest in the blood of the young. Thiel, like many other Silicon Valley billionaires, is interested in prolonging life expectancy and escaping death. ... Thiel has a particular interest in medical vampirism. ... Now he is interested in parabiosis, the practice of using blood transfusions from young people to promote longevity.

 

 

 

Read the rest of the story and you will get the sense that from the perspective of the Jewish law at least, the development of the Christian idea of drinking Christ's blood in the communion and the fascination among the wealthy with drinking the blood of the executed represents the sweep of history as degenerate, reverting to pagan antitypes, not progressive. The barbarity of animal sacrifice for sin remains, nothwithstanding.

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

 

-- Genesis 9:4

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

 

-- Leviticus 17:11

For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

 

-- Leviticus 17:14

Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

 

-- Deuteronomy 12:23

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

 

-- John 6:53

Just since the attack killing 84 and injuring 202 in Nice, France, on July 14, Muslim fanatics have killed 571 and injured 903 through August 2, 2016

Tracked here.

Peace be upon him, but not upon you.

Howard Dean, an ideologue detached from reality, says Iran is not a Muslim country

I'm sure that comes as quite a surprise to the mullahs in Tehran!

Howard flamed out here in 2004.

ISIS' view of St. Paul is that he corrupted Christianity, which is a view derivative of Islam's knowledge of 4th century heretical Christianity

From the story here:

As for St. Paul, he is referred to [in ISIS' latest magazine issue] in turn as a “criminal” and “treacherous Jew” who “intentionally sought to deviate the monotheistic Nazarenes in order to tarnish Jesus’ name – even if it meant Paul’s own persecution.” The Holy Trinity being an essential concept of St. Paul’s writings is a form of polytheism, according to Islamic State jihadists, one intended to deceive Christians. ...  [T]he “debate between Trinitarians and Unitarians reached the heights of popularity during the fourth century of the Christian calendar.”

Islam is not a religion of peace: It spent its first 128 years in military conquest from Spain to India