The Islamic Center at Ground Zero is a "Rabat"

Fr. Z has an excellent post today that everyone in the country who believes Islam is a "religion of peace" needs to read. In fact, the building at ground zero is not a mosque or "cultural center" (There is no such thing as a cultural center in Islam which a religion practiced by many clutures.) It is, in fact, a "rabat." A rabat is a "point of contact" (one can think of the point of a spear). After each raid, Mohammed ordered the building of a rabat in the heart of the territory which included a place to train future raiders for their next attack. Fr. Z quotes from an article by Amir Taheri:

In fact, the proposed structure is known in Islamic history as a rabat—literally a connector. The first rabat appeared at the time of the Prophet.

The Prophet imposed his rule on parts of Arabia through a series of ghazvas, or razzias (the origin of the English word "raid"). The ghazva was designed to terrorize the infidels, convince them that their civilization was doomed and force them to submit to Islamic rule. Those who participated in the ghazva were known as the ghazis, or raiders.

After each ghazva, the Prophet ordered the creation of a rabat—or a point of contact at the heart of the infidel territory raided. The rabat consisted of an area for prayer, a section for the raiders to eat and rest and facilities to train and prepare for future razzias. [The "athletic" component I alluded to earlier.] Later Muslim rulers used the tactic of ghazva to conquer territory in the Persian and Byzantine empires. After each raid, they built a rabat to prepare for the next razzia.

Fr. Z. ends his post by quoting again from Amir Taheri. who describes the increasing in-you-face activities of Islam including closing down city streets during rush hour for "prayer."

This thirst for visibility is translated into increasingly provocative forms of hijab, notably the niqab (mask) and the burqa. The same quest mobilized hundreds of Muslims in Paris the other day to close a whole street so that they could have a Ramadan prayer in the middle of the rush hour. [These open demonstrations are escalating.]

One of those taking part in the demonstration told French radio that the aim was to "show we are here." "You used to be in our capitals for centuries," he said. "Now, it is our turn to be in the heart of your cities."

Before deciding whether to support or oppose the "Cordoba" project, New Yorkers should consider what it is that they would be buying.

The video below shows the prayer blockade being conducted in Paris every Friday. For an accompanying article go here. There's also an email making the rounds that ostensibly shows such a demonstration every Friday in Manhattan. It shows pictures that actually come from an annual Islamic parade that includes a prayer event.  Can it happen here, however? Absolutely! Islam maintains a low profile until it has the power to make demands. What is happening in Paris and in Great Britain is a warning. So is the reality in Islamic lands. Examine the persecution of Christians in the Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait. We ignore the truth at our own peril.

Common Sense on the American Condition

Th opinion column below was originally printed in the Iosco County MI News Herald on June 9, 2010. It's been circulating on the Internet and is a brilliant comparison of issues.  If you go here you can see the column and the comments. I think Tuber has put his finger on the pulse of the country. He illustrates the hypocrisy and double standard that has polluted not only the body politic, but our social discourse. How can you hold civil conversations between those who advocate killing babies and those who want to protect them. How do you reach agreement between those who want to teach teens homosexual sex practices and those who tell them "true love waits." We either restore the moral compass of America or we fade into the same oblivion as pagan Rome, if not the annhilation of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Editor,

Has America become the land of special interest and home of the double standard?
Lets see: if we lie to the Congress, it's a felony and if the Congress lies to us its just politics; if we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black person dislikes whites, its their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don't burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama's policies you're a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right.
You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don't want to work; we all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?

 Ken Huber

Tawas City

 

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother!

Today the Church celebrates the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! If you have any special needs, this is a good day to put them at the feet of Mary and beg her intercession.

Why not give her a rosary as a birthday present and let her know you have conficence in her maternal protection and intercession. She can't help but be pleased by the compliment.

Mary, you know the two special intentions I'm praying for: a healing for my brother John and the sale of our daughter's house so her family can move back to Virginia. I wrap them up today for you and beg for the gift of a favorable answer in honor of your birthday if they are pleasing to your Son. Jesus, please show the power of your mother's intercession on this, her birthday!

All for Jesus through Mary!

(This beautiful statue of the Holy Family is in the building that houses the dining hall at Mt. St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, MD.)

The Church Militant

I like this picture.

We're known as the Church Militant, not the Church picnic. And the crusader battling under the sign of Christ carrying both his sword and rosary is a powerful image.

The First Crusade prevented the Islamic Turks from overrunning Europe. Had the Turks succeeded, Christian civilization in the West would have died out. All the women of the West would be veiled and subjugated as second class citizens. It is a fate we may yet come to experience.

I hope we're never eager to fight physically, but always quick to take up spiritual arms against evil. The arms of charity are always preferable to the arms of weaponry. And reflect on this, the only time Jesus took up "arms" was when he used a cord to drive the animals out of the temple and overturned the moneychangers tables. When He Himself was taken by the temple guards He told Peter to put up his sword and He healed Malchus whose ear had been cut off, His last miracle.

We are a little too eager to fight and usually wars line the pockets of politicians and the captains of commerce. How many have really been necessary?

"Conservatives Don't Run the Inner Cities, Liberals and Democrats Do!"

Wow! I love this woman. She took on the liberals after the Glenn Beck Rally in D.C. Listen to her answer the woman who raises the issue of pregnant slaves on the ships coming to America. Huh? What the heck does that have to do with anything?

Notice the caring liberal try to deflect the issue by asking her how many black children she's adopted. I've had that thrown in my face so many times. Even if you'd adopted a dozen it wouldn't matter to them. How many have the "compassionate" liberals adopted? And they call us hypocrites! Their solution to poverty is to kill the children of the poor. That's the one thing the liberals and the country club Republicans have in common. Keep those nasty poor minorities out of their clubs unless they're waiting tables (or are in positions of power). Kill their babies and exploit them with slave wages in dead end jobs. Make sure their education is so bad, they'll vote out of ignorance. That's liberalism!

This articulate school counsellor has LBJ and Obama pegged. Control the people by destroying the family. How to destroy the family? Put in place welfare policies that drive dads out of the home. Penalize families in the tax code. Force families to put their children in failing public schools that enslave kids in ignorance.

We've got to eliminate federal control over almost everything. The Church teaches subsidiarity. Keep control at the lowest level possible beginning with the family. If the family can take care of it, let the government butt out! If the family needs help, let the lowest level of the community do the assisting - first churches and independent groups like free clinics established by the community. Government should always be the helper of last resort? Why? Because of the strings attached. If government runs it, government controls it. The woman in this video recognizes the truth. God bless her and may she convert many who recognize her common sense, starting with the little boy in the background. Liberals are poison and, as this video shows, they can't even argue rationally.



Thanks to Restore D.C. Catholicism who put me on to this video.

You're Never too old to have a Sense of Humor!

This is too funny. I love this wonderful lady and hope I can be as sharp when I'm her age which is creeping up on me in another decade. But don't expect me to tell you how much I weigh!

The Scandal of a Homosexual Parish!

The phrase "homosexual Catholic parish" should be an oxymoron. Unfortunately, it's not. In fact, as New Ways Ministry's website shows, there are hundreds across the United States including two in my home diocese of Arlington, VA, Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) in Arlington and St. Francis in Triangle. OLQP is well known for its dissent as well as its promotion of the gay lifestyle. A former pastor, Fr. James Healy, died of AIDS a few weeks after "coming out" although his public profession was anti-climactic since everybody knew it already.

Some of the churches listed on the New Ways' list are well known for their scandals: St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis, Holy Redeemer in the Castro section of San Francisco, the Paulist Center in Boston, and St. Francis Xavier in New York City. That these parishes are allowed to continue to scandalize the faithful is shocking! That their pastors openly work to advance the kingdom of Satan (who loves sodomy and lust) is scandalous. These parishes aren't encouraging chastity for those afflicted with same-sex attraction. Rather they encourage them to wallow in lust because gay "love" is good.

One of the most egregious of these men is Fr. Steve Meriwether, the pastor of Most Holy Redeemer. The scandals coming out of that parish are legion. For the latest about the former vice president of the pastoral council who is the "master" in a master/slave homosexual relationship go here.

If you really believe the sex scandals in the Catholic church are over, you aren't paying attention. Whether children are being physically violated, they are definitely being spiritually scandalized and emotionally damaged by the promotion of the homosexual lifestyle as "normal" and "good." It's high time these flagrant pastors are disciplined. If they can't get with the program (i.e., the teachings of Holy Mother Church) let them get out. Pray for priests, especially the bad ones. They will have a heavy accounting on Judgment Day if they do not repent.

Comment on New Ways Ministry:
If you're unfamiliar with New Ways Ministry, it's the faux Catholic, gay group started by Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent that promotes the gay lifestyle as a positive good. Their website affirms their involvement in the notorious document Always Our Children released in 1997 that was so bad the Vatican ordered alterations. It was issued in the bishops' names without a single bishop approving it and is filled with so much misleading material that, even after correction, it is a dangerous document. Bishop Bruskewitz issued an excellent commentary warning against it. In 1999 Sr. Gramick and Fr. Nugent were ordered by the Vatican to sever their ties to New Ways Ministry. The disciplinary document reads:

The ambiguities and errors of the approach of Father Nugent and Sister Gramick have caused confusion among the Catholic people and have harmed the community of the Church. For these reasons, Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND, and Father Robert Nugent, SDS, are permanently prohibited from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons and are ineligible, for an undetermined period, for any office in their respective religious institutes.

New Ways ministry continues to do its evil work as do homosexual parishes that promote the gay lifestyle.

"We are one human family...." Dr. Alveda King

.....We must not oppress each other and we must help those being oppressed....Faith hope and love are not dead in America. We still trust in God."     Dr. Alveda King

The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Alveda King,  is being attacked for daring to walk off the liberal plantation and work with conservatives to restore honor to this country. Pray for this courageous woman of God. Below is her speech at the rally held at the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Lisa Murkowski Concedes in Alaska

It's official. pro-abort Lisa Murkowski lost the Republican primary to Joe Miller. Woo-hoo! One more RINO bites the dust. And it ends a thirty year dynasty of the Murkowski family. Lisa was chosen by Daddy to fill his seat after he was elected governor. Talk about chutzpah! He's the one who was unseated by upstart Sarah Palin who went after the good-ole-boys network. Murkowski is no conservative and has voted with liberals on most issues. For a comparison chart between her and Joe Miller go here. It's pretty clear that her defeat is one more victory for the tea party message of reform in government.

A big two thumbs up for Joe Miller. Here's what he has on his website about life issues: "I am unequivocally pro-life and life must be protected from the moment of conception to the time of natural death. The family is the foundation of a free society."  Amen!

Visit the website and if you like what you see why not send this man a donation. Putting real conservatives in the senate can make a big difference -- especially when you consider the Kagan debacle. Let's make sure that those who "advise and consent" will oppose liberal judicial activists who will legislate from the bench! Joe Miller looks to be one of those.

It's Hot as....

When we visited Texas a few weeks ago it was over 100 degrees almost every day. I never appreciated air conditioning so much in my life! It's hot in Woodstock this week too. Yesterday it got up to 98 and the next few days offer more of the same. Hot weather invariably gets me thinking about another very hot place -- much hotter temps than even Texas can boast. If you haven't guessed, I'm talking about hell. St. Robert Bellarmine, who wrote a treatise on the subject, thought priests should preach about hell at least once a month. When was the last time you heard the warning trumpet blaring from the pulpit? You can't remember ever hearing about it? Me neither.

I received a letter from an old friend today saying she had passed around the article on hell I did in the Spring issue of the Les Femmes newsletter. She wrote about the reaction from her family and friends:

I sent copies to my nephew, a priest in the Dominican Republic, my three children so my ten grandchildren would read it. (I sent a checkoff list so they could sign off.), a graduate student at G.W. University from China, a liberal lawyer (was Jewish now Buddhist - she was most impressed!).

The five grandchildren at my oldest daughter's and all the boys' friends wanted to read it also. These were boys who had just graduated from high school and were off to college. One is in graduate school. They were so impressed. Ten young men signed off on your article!... What a powerful message - "snowflakes into hell."

I want to get Sr. Faustina's Diary now myself.

I'm not the one who impressed these folks, but the message of truth which comes from the Lord. Hell is real. We all know it instinctively no matter how much we try to delude ourselves with drugs, sex, false message of universal salvation, happy talk, etc. The human heart was made for God and he draws it like a magnet. When we defy the natural law embedded in our souls, deep down we realize there are consequences. Somebone needs to prick their consciences and offer prayers and sacrifices for their salvation. Will you be that someone today?