In an interview regarding Maryland’s “Reproductive Freedom” amendment, parental rights advocate Deborah Brocato told CatholicVote how the proposal, which is supposedly focused on expanding abortion, will have a significant impact on parental rights.
Brocato, who has four children, is a retired intensive care unit nurse who has advocated for parental and family rights for 30 years. She chairs HealthNotHarmMD, a ballot initiative committee in Maryland that fights “to preserve parental rights, preserve constitutional rights, and maintain healthcare integrity by defeating the deceptive ‘Reproductive Freedom’ amendment.”
Brocato discussed the “Reproductive Freedom Amendment” on the Maryland state ballot in November, which reads,
That every person, as a central component of an individual’s right to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy. The State may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means.
The Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony included a live re-enacting of Jesus’ Last Supper with Jesus being replaced by a woman and the disciples being replaced by drag queens and even a small child in yellow at the front. The backlash was severe, so they apologized immediately and sought to scrub it from existence.
The backlash continued, so efforts were made to try to walk back what they intended, with claims it was a Dionysian bacchanal, not the Last Supper, but social media accounts from members of the tableau betray that narrative. The symbol of the Olympic Games, itself a symbol of unity, opening with such an overtly divisive anti-Christian display isn’t lost to those of who pay attention to other worldwide trends. Woe to be in the hands of an angry God.
I’m Catholic, but the Olympics opening ceremony should tick off any Christian.
Of course these people ridicule us because they knew we wouldn’t cut off their heads.
I’d tell the French, “Now do Mohammed,” but they already did. Muslims shot up Charlie Hebdo over its cartoon of Mohammed.
The ceremony mocked Christians with a drag Last Supper, which takes place on Holy Thursday during Holy Week.
Holy Thursday is one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar.
Catholics do not have Mass again until the Easter Vigil. On Good Friday, we have a liturgy.
Opening of the Olympic in Paris features parody of Last Supper, starring transsexuals, homosexual men and… a little kid#Paris2024pic.twitter.com/2j2XSf9ict
— ancient north eurasian solidarity (@UEurasier) July 26, 2024
Organizers for the Paris Olympics issued an apology to people who were left offended by an LGBTQ parody of the Last Supper during the opening ceremony.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the Olympics opening ceremony, explained that he had “wanted to send a message of love” and inclusion, and did not have intentions “to be subversive.”
“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly told the Associated Press. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”
In response to the parody of the Last Supper, the French Catholic Church’s Bishops’ Conference of France released a statement that the ceremony had “included scenes in which Christianity was mocked and ridiculed.”
“This ceremony unfortunately included scenes in which Christianity was mocked and ridiculed, which we deeply regret,” the organization said in its statement.
… Stevenson’s lengthy thread featured numerous examples of Butch seeming to endorse the “Olympic Jesus” interpretation.
For instance, Butch shared an image from another Instagram account that showed the Olympics scene at the top of the page and da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at the bottom.
The words “Oh Yes! Oh Yes! The New Gay Testament!” accompanied the image.
Butch also shared this post that I have seen from multiple accounts, describing the image as the “gay New Testament.”
In short, the official explanation does not square with a key performer’s interpretation.
“The posts from Butch suggest – in contrast to the Olympics’ statement – that is was the Last Supper,” Stevenson wrote.
In other words, the center person in the portrayal was posting that she was depicted as the “Olympic Jesus” in the Last Supper even as the organization was trying to backtrack.
The posts from Butch suggest – in contrast to the Olympics’ statement – that is was the Last Supper.
… Stevenson’s lengthy thread featured numerous examples of Butch seeming to endorse the “Olympic Jesus” interpretation.
For instance, Butch shared an image from another Instagram account that showed the Olympics scene at the top of the page and da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at the bottom.
The words “Oh Yes! Oh Yes! The New Gay Testament!” accompanied the image.
Butch also shared this post that I have seen from multiple accounts, describing the image as the “gay New Testament.”
In short, the official explanation does not square with a key performer’s interpretation.
“The posts from Butch suggest – in contrast to the Olympics’ statement – that is was the Last Supper,” Stevenson wrote.
In other words, the center person in the portrayal was posting that she was depicted as the “Olympic Jesus” in the Last Supper even as the organization was trying to backtrack.
The posts from Butch suggest – in contrast to the Olympics’ statement – that is was the Last Supper.
I’m Catholic, but the Olympics opening ceremony should tick off any Christian.
Of course these people ridicule us because they knew we wouldn’t cut off their heads.
I’d tell the French, “Now do Mohammed,” but they already did. Muslims shot up Charlie Hebdo over its cartoon of Mohammed.
The ceremony mocked Christians with a drag Last Supper, which takes place on Holy Thursday during Holy Week.
Holy Thursday is one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar.
Catholics do not have Mass again until the Easter Vigil. On Good Friday, we have a liturgy.
Opening of the Olympic in Paris features parody of Last Supper, starring transsexuals, homosexual men and… a little kid#Paris2024pic.twitter.com/2j2XSf9ict
— ancient north eurasian solidarity (@UEurasier) July 26, 2024
MUMBAI, India – Four people in the India village of Moradabad, including a pastor from Uttarakhand, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly converting people by luring them on pretext of giving benefits.
The village is in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, with nearly 200 million people. However, only about 350,000 Christians live in the state, a miniscule 0.18 percent of the population. By comparison, Christians make up nearly 2.5 percent of the whole of India’s population.
The Department of Defense has informed the public this past Wednesday, July 10, that Pro-Life groups are terrorist organizations. They revealed this information at Fort Liberty’s Directorate of Emergency Services.
Citizen journalist Sam Shoemate on X revealed this fact in X posts where he said “An anti-terrorism brief was held on Fort Liberty (Bragg) today where they listed several Pro-Life organizations as ‘terrorist organizations.’ The slide you see here followed right after a slide about ISIS, a terror group in the Middle East.” The slide listed pro-life organizations and labeled them “TERRORIST GROUPS.”
The flipping of morality from one of finding shock at the very idea of murdering unborn children to finding shock at the very idea of being opposed to murdering unborn children is indicative of how far we’ve come as a people from valuing the sanctity of each individual life. Seeing our security institutions so dominated with such dark moralities should give all of us Americans pause, for if the government now openly seeks to criminalize the very thought of not sub-humanizing life, what chance is there it will value your human life?
The Biden administration’s Department of Defense has made a ridiculous move, labeling pro-life groups as “terrorist organizations” during an anti-terrorism briefing at Fort Liberty’s Directorate of Emergency Services (formerly Fort Bragg) on Wednesday.
This deeply concerning slide from an anti-terrorism brief was first exposed by citizen journalist Sam Shoemate on X.
“An anti-terrorism brief was held on Fort Liberty (Bragg) today where they listed several Pro-Life organizations as “terrorist organizations.” The slide you see here followed right after a slide about ISIS, a terror group in the Middle East,” Shoemate wrote on X.
The presentation slide, which has since circulated widely on social media, lists these pro-life organizations that oppose “Roe[sic] v. Wade” under a headline reading “TERRORIST GROUPS.”
The presentation specifically focuses on organizations such as National Right to Life and Operation Rescue, both longstanding pillars of the pro-life movement.
These organizations are dedicated to peaceful advocacy against abortion, grounded in the belief that every life is valuable and worth protecting…
The slide also displayed a New York license plate bearing the text “IM4IT” and a design promoting the “Choose Life” message.
“They also included a screenshot of a license plate with “IM4IT,” which is a plate many Pro-Life citizens put on their car which implies normal citizens are terrorists if they display this plate,” Shoemate wrote.
“Keep in mind they’re not labeling them as extremist organizations (which would still be crazy), but as terrorist organizations. The military and Dept of Defense are insanely out of control. Service-members are being indoctrinated to view Pro-Life groups as the enemy,” Shoemate added.
TAKE A LOOK:
An anti-terrorism brief was held on Fort Liberty (Bragg) today where they listed several Pro-Life organizations as “terrorist organizations.”
The slide you see here followed right after a slide about ISIS, a terror group in the Middle East.
A story in the bible about the armies of the Assyrian King Sennacherib being slaughtered by the Angel of the Lord (Christ, to some) has been partially confirmed by new archeological evidence of the army camps that would have existed during that period. The story comes from the Old Testament in 2nd Kings chapter 19 and 2nd Chronicles chapter 32.
Archeologist Stephen Compton has claimed to discover the remains of the camps that would have existed at the beginning of the 7th Century BC. Compton wrote of his discovery “Each was a round site a little over a mile north of the respective old city walls and each bore the same Arabic name on at least one early map, ‘Mudawwara.”
Researchers have discovered an ancient military base that may corroborate a Bible story about God’s angels fending off an attack on Jerusalem.
The tale says that around 2,700 years ago, the Lord sent a messenger angel to fight an army of Assyrian soldiers who came to conquer the Holy Land.
The Angel of the Lord is then said to have descended on the invading military and killed 185,000 soldiers in a single night.
There has not been any archaeological evidence that the supernatural event – or even the battle – actually happened.
Now, using modern mapping techniques, archaeologist Stephen Compton claims he has found more evidence the epic battle took place.
King Sennacherib who ruled the Assyrian Empire from 705 to 681 BC laid siege on Jerusalem to capture all paths leading to the Mediterranean Sea. Pictured: (Top) A 1930s aerial image of Jerusalem (Bottom) The drawings found on Sennacherib’s palace wallThe carvings showed how the military base was laid out, allowing Compton to compare it to photos taken of the area in the 1910s
‘Horrifying’: ISIS Kills 80 Christians, Decapitating Victims in Democratic Republic of Congo
ISIS has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that resulted in the death of more than 80 Christians and the closure of several churches in the nation.
The Islamic terrorist group said through a post on their Telegram channel, “More than 60 Christians were killed, including a Congolese army officer, in an attack by Caliphate soldiers in eastern Congo.”
It was the latest in a series of attacks where jihadists with the ISIS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces launched coordinated assaults in North Kivu province.
Agence France-Presse reports nearly 150 people have been killed by the group since the beginning of June, including on June 7th where at least 41 were killed, some of whom were found “tied up” and “decapitated.”
A Congolese spokesperson told Reuters there were additional attacks in other areas including Masawu village on June 4 that left 15 dead, Mununze village where six were found dead in a river, and five bodies were found in Kabweli and Mamulese communities.
More than 120 terror groups “fight for power, land, and valuable mineral resources” in the DRC wrecking havoc in the region, African News reports.
Christian approaches to political engagement often fall into one of two camps: ‘distinctive’ or ‘engaged’.
The ‘distinctives’ tend to be pessimistic about politics and say that the Church should stick to its priorities of evangelism and discipleship for eternity, rather than wasting energy in social action and politics in the present. But the Bible nowhere presents the Christian with such an either/or choice. Instead, it calls the Christian both to teach the gospel and love their neighbour.
The creation mandate of Genesis 1.26–28 to look after the earth still stands alongside Jesus’ great commission to his followers in Matthew 28.19 to make disciples of all nations. Paul commands the Galatian church to do good to all people, beginning with those in the Church. And when Paul summarises the purpose of the Bible in 2 Timothy 3.15–16, he writes that it is to make us wise for salvation in Christ Jesus and to equip the Christian for every good work. All this stewarding the earth, loving neighbour, doing good to all people cannot avoid involvement in politics.
After noticing the word “Jesus” in the text, researchers realized that this seemingly insignificant papyrus contained a part of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which had been left out of the Bible.
Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek HamburgThe papyrus fragment was long dismissed as something insignificant, like a shopping list.
For decades, researchers at Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library dismissed a scrap of papyrus in their collection as “insignificant.” But two researchers took a second look — and realized that it was actually the oldest written record of Jesus Christ’s childhood.
The papyrus belongs to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas — which is not included in the Bible — and recounts one of the first times that Jesus, at the age of just five, performed a miracle.
The Surprise Discovery Of The Papyrus Describing Jesus’ Childhood
According to Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), the papyrus dates back to the fourth or fifth century C.E. and spent decades in a collection at Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library. Just a ragged fragment, and covered in an untidy scrawl, the papyrus was long dismissed as something “insignificant” like a letter or a shopping list.
But then papyrologists Lajos Berkes of the Institute for Christianity and Antiquity at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Gabriel Nocchi Macedo from the University of Liège, Belgium, took a second look.
Despite 61 percent of Southern Baptists voting to ban churches that defy the biblical standard that women cannot teach men in church, the measure failed to take effect as it required a 2/3 majority to enforce the proposed the rule. The ruling assures the further schism of the Southern Baptist church as it suffers under an anti-Christ minority within its ranks, the 39 percent who cast their votes against God and His Word.
The Southern Baptist Convention narrowly rejected a proposal to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the denomination’s constitution.
The proposal received 61% of the vote but failed to meet the two-thirds supermajority requirement.
The church’s official doctrinal statement still limits the office of pastor to men, a position supported by opponents of the constitutional ban.
Southern Baptists narrowly rejected a proposal Wednesday to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the denomination’s constitution after opponents argued it was unnecessary because the denomination already has a way of ousting such churches.
The vote received support from 61% of the delegates, but it failed to get the required two-thirds supermajority. The action reversed a preliminary vote last year in favor of the official ban.
But it still leaves the Southern Baptist Convention with its official doctrinal statement saying the office of pastor is limited to men. Even the opponents of the ban said they favored that doctrinal statement but didn’t think it was necessary to reinforce it in the constitution.
The European Parliament held their elections from June 6 to June 9, 2024 resulting in a shift in the balance of power. It appears that the European Parliament will likely have more of a conservative focus over the next few years.
In response to the European election results and the shift in european politics, French President, Emmanuel Macron, on June 10 called a snap election with his hope of catching conservative political parties off-guard. The election will be on June 29 – 30 and the second tier on July 6 – 7.
For those who oppose euthanasia, France’s euthanasia proposal has technically died with the snap election. After the election the euthanasia proposal will need to be re-introduced. If Macron loses support, it is unlikely that the euthanasia proposal will immediately return.
A similar situation exists in the UK where Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a snap election for July 4. The difference is that Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, is leading in the polls and Starmer has promised that if elected his party would legalize assisted suicide.
CHARLESTON — Following the death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller, the governor and state lawmakers are pushing to bolster homeschool requirements in an effort to prevent future child deaths.
Kyneddi, who was found in a “skeletal state” in April, was homeschooled beginning in 2021. Her family lived in Boone County.
On Friday, Gov. Jim Justice said that he may call a special session that would focus on the issue.
“We’re in discussion with the legislature,” he said during a news conference. “The homeschooling issue — we probably need to find a way to tighten it. That’s an area we can [for] sure probably make things a little better.”
Jamila Jacob of Lahore, Pakistan was arrested and charged with blasphemy according to the Lahore Police. They allege she told a Muslim shop owner “Jesus Christ is better than your prophet.” The report alleges she made other “blasphemous” statements as well. Asif Ali reported her to the police knowing it could get her killed.
The Christian community of Lahore is on edge, accusing Muslims of using blasphemy laws to get them arrested whenever they have any disagreements with them. In this case, they claim the altercation with the shop owner was minor and nothing blasphemous was said.
The Lahore police have arrested Jamila Jacob, a Christian woman, on charges of committing blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The arrest followed an FIR filed at the North Cantonment police station, Lahore by Asif Ali, a local shopkeeper.
According to the FIR, Asif Ali reported that at approximately 6:30 AM on June 4, Jamila visited his shop to purchase Sunsilk shampoo. Dissatisfied with the product, she requested another brand. During this exchange, Ali alleges that Jamila noticed an Islamic religious inscription in the shop and began making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Ali claims that Jamila said, “Jesus Christ is better than your prophet,” and continued to make blasphemous comments. The FIR states that Wajid Ali, Usman Ali, and other shopkeepers witnessed the incident.
Based on the complaint, Jamila was arrested from her home, and an FIR was swiftly registered under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. This section deals with blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad and carries severe penalties, including the death penalty. Jamila, who is reported to be mentally challenged, was taken into custody amidst rising tensions in the area.
The Tampa Police Department will be sporting rainbow-colored “Pride” badges during what some refer to as “Pride Month,” a month to either reassert homo-trans-non-binary power over heteronormative culture or “celebrate” our diverse sexual and gender preferences. The badge will also be celebrating the pride of being non-white in what is surely not a violation of basic Civil Rights law.
Would a police officer sporting a rainbow “pride” badge rather than the official Tampa Police Department badge be more or less likely to be respected by criminals?
The Florida city’s police department has introduced a new commemorative badge design for LGBT “Pride Month” and shared a video highlighting the symbolism behind the updated badge.
The new badge incorporates the colors and chevron design of the “Progress Pride” flag, which was created in 2018. The chevron added to the rainbow design represents “people of color and the transgender community,” according to Patch.
The Tampa Police Department showed off its new fashion statement in a video posted on social media on Thursday.
“Incorporating the Progress Pride Flag, this badge is 1 of 9 that members can choose to collect or wear in June,” the X post said. “Serving as a conversation starter & symbol of safety, we’re here to listen, learn, and ensure all members of our community feel included, safe, and respected.”
Cliff College, a Methodist learning institution in Derbyshire, UK, has fired 39-year-old Dr. Aaron Edwards after he proclaimed on social media that homosexuality is a sin. Apparently, three female students claimed they were fundamentally “shaken” by the tweet.
Edwards said of the firing, “My views on homosexuality have not been unknown, they have been discussed openly. In seven years of teaching at Cliff, I have never had a student who took one of my units raise concerns about feeling unsafe in the classroom, and no student has ever left feedback showing concerns about the expression of my views on homosexuality. The College had more than enough opportunity to be familiar with my views and with my academic research for there to be less apparent shock and public disappointment from them in responding as they did on Twitter without any prior consultation with me.”
A Christian lecturer was sacked from Bible college after his tweet on homosexuality triggered complaints from lesbian students, a tribunal has heard.
Dr Aaron Edwards lost his job at Cliff College, a Methodist learning institution in Derbyshire, following a social media post in February last year which read: “Homosexuality is invading the Church. Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this because they’re busy apologising for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it’s true.”
The 39-year-old evangelical Christian and father-of-six was dismissed the following month after he was accused of homophobia and allegedly bringing the college “into disrepute”. College bosses suspended him and fired him after an investigation.
However, on the second day of his tribunal, sitting in Sheffield, South Yorkshire on Wednesday, he told the court that the tweet was consistent with views he had expressed in blogs, podcasts and sermons he gave as a preacher. He added that the college, where he had worked for seven years, was aware of these views, too.
The 11th U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that employers’ health care programs must cover transgender mutilation surgery, regardless of religious conviction.
The leftist court, led by Clinton-appointed Judge Charles R. Wilson, used the Title VII law against discrimination because of race, religion, and sex, while forcing employers to be discriminated against (face possible criminal and civil charges) for their religious beliefs. The ruling is expected to be appealed. The judges in this case have not been removed despite making a blatantly unconstitutional ruling.
A federal court is declaring that employers must cover gender transition surgeries for their employees in their health insurance plans.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled last week that a refusal by an employer to cover gender transition surgeries in an employee’s health insurance violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.”
In the court’s majority opinion, Clinton-appointed Judge Charles R. Wilson wrote, “Generally, discrimination in the Title VII context occurs when an employer intentionally treats an employee worse than other similarly situated employees.” Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, he then explained that “an employer who discriminates based on transgender status is intentionally treating that employee differently ‘because of their sex.’”
The case began when Anna Lange, a biological male who identifies as a woman, sought a gender transition surgery in 2018. Lange had at the time been employed by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia for more than 10 years. Houston County’s health insurance plan, which also covers employees of the Sheriff’s Office, excludes coverage of “[d]rugs for sex change surgery” and “[s]ervices and supplies for a sex change and/or the reversal of a sex change … .” Lange filed an appeal with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, the organization which administers Houston County’s health insurance plan, but was denied.
The $320 million temporary pier being built in Gaza to ostensibly help Palestinians in need has been destroyed by bad weather, according to the Pentagon. All activity has been temporarily suspended.
Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said “Unfortunately, we had a perfect storm of high sea states, and then, as I mentioned, this North African weather system also came in at the same time, creating not an optimal environment to operate.”
President Joe Biden’s $320 million gesture to Hamas is a washout.
The temporary pier built off the Gaza coast is being taken to the repair shop after it was not able to handle the weather, the Pentagon said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
