Vile

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Yesterday I posted on this. But I didn't have the picture. Now, I do. You can see it, above, taken from the Call Me Jorge blog.

This is vile.

Here's the Holy Family standing on a "migrant" boat. Now, as Call Me Jorge ever so subtly points out, the majority of "migrants," especially those coming in to Lampedusa, are fighting-age males who subscribe to the beliefs of a violent anti-Christian and anti-Western religious cult.

And there's the Holy Family, right in the middle of it, beneath a Christmas tree.

Among other things, the ruling texts and historical practices of that cult explicitly desire that the world be subjugated to a totalitarian political system predicated on the worship of a false and bloodthirsty god.

Subjugated by any means necessary, I should add, which again according to the ruling texts and historical practice means subjugation by horrific violence.

The Pope is now effectively a collaborator with it, or if you like, an ally.

What makes this display all the more disgusting are the reports, backed up by Italian police, that on a number of occasions, Muslim migrants have murdered Christians by throwing them into the sea.

I don't think they would have tolerated the Holy Family in their boat, either.

19 April, 2015:

When a rubber dinghy carrying around 100 African refugees across the Mediterranean began to sink, a Nigerian Christian prayed for his life in an innocent act that would end in the deaths of 12 fellow migrants. 

One of the Muslims on board the rickety craft ordered him to stop, saying: 'Here, we only pray to Allah.' 

When he refused, a violent fight ensued and 12 Christians drowned when they were thrown overboard by the Muslim refugees. 

...Those who witnessed the African Christians being murdered on the crammed dinghy told investigators how Nigerian Muslims became angry at Christian who started praying. 

'They told him that they would throw him overboard if he didn't stop praying to God,' he said, according to La Republica. 

The witness added: 'They started shouting, two pushed the lad and he fell in the sea and drowned.' 

The Muslims 'went mad' and began screaming "Allah is great" before they attacked migrants who tried to defend the boy, according to The Times. 

When 12 migrants were mercilessly thrown overboard, the other Christians formed a human chain and protected themselves against the attackers by clinging to the dinghy. 

A rescue ship arrived one hour later, according to a Ghanaian witness called Yeboah. 

Italian police arrested 15 people suspected of the killing including Ousmane Camar from the Ivory Coast.

Here is a more recent incident. Those who put stock in this sort of thing will notice that there were again twelve martyrs. Everyone should notice that human chain, made by Christians and perhaps good Muslims who hadn't yet let Islam extinguish their humanity:

20 November, 2015:

Rome (CNN) — Muslims who were among migrants trying to get from Libya to Italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard — killing them — because the 12 were Christians, Italian police said Thursday. 

Italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the Christians at sea, police in Palermo, Sicily, said. 

The original group of 105 people left Libya on Tuesday in a rubber boat. Sometime during the trip north across the Mediterranean Sea, the alleged assailants — Muslims from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal — threw the 12 overboard, police said. 

Other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared “because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain,” Palermo police said. 

The boat was intercepted by an Italian navy vessel, which transferred the passengers to a Panamanian-flagged ship. That ship docked in Palermo on Wednesday, after which the arrests were made, police said. 

The 12 who died were from Nigeria and Ghana, police said.

No doubt there were other such incidents that went unreported.

A charitable (if unreasonable) interpretation is that the Pope meant to commemorate those Christians.

But we all know that's untrue. He's commemorating their murderers.

THEY Didn't Think It Was a Charade: Christian Refugees Celebrate Christmas

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(h/t Netmilsmom)

These pictures, from a December, 2014 Daily Mail article, were taken at a refugee camp built around the Mazar Mar Eillia Catholic Church in Ankawa, Iraq. It is a suburb of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and is thus relatively safe.

A few days ago, Pope Francis declared:

Christmas is approaching: there will be lights, parties, Christmas trees and nativity scenes ... it's all a charade. The world continues to go to war. The world has not chosen a peaceful path.

That was, of course, a bizarre statement from a man who seems increasingly unhinged. There have been wars, persecutions and human suffering from the beginning of recorded history, or if you prefer, since the Fall. And, though Christ hates injustice, He didn't promise to save the world from it, or from suffering or even from war. He did promise to save it from sin.

That is the traditional Christian view. I do not think this hollow, hateful man—this parody of a Christian and yes, of a pope—either believes it or even comprehends it.

2,000 years ago, not that far from Erbil, God was born, lived and died as a man. His resurrection foreshadows what we can hope for.

Most Christians have always celebrated the birth of Christ—sometimes with lights, trees and nativity scenes—not despite the suffering in the world, but in a way, almost because of it. Christ's offer to us is a contrast worth celebrating.

So we celebrate Him and His promise. We don't gnash our teeth and moan that the United World Utopia has not yet been declared. It was never about that.

Francis doesn't understand.

These Christians do.

What if Christians Behaved Like Muslims? Report from Opposite World (Repost)

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The Kaaba stone in 2000, shortly before it was destroyed by Christianist terrorists

This is a piece from February 6 that I am reposting for obvious reasons. That the world is suffering from an excess of Islam, not extremism per se, is a claim held equally by figures as diverse as Franklin Graham and Richard Dawkins. For those who are fully informed, it can be denied only by the obstinately blind, the obstinately politically correct, or those who actually get their jollies from human suffering.

"Every religion has its extremists. That's the problem, not the beliefs or practices of any particular religion."

Oh really? The purpose of the original post was to explore the implications of that. Or, rather, to accept it and double down on the implications:


ROME—Pope Francis today signed a death warrant for comedian Bill Maher, citing Maher’s “repeated insults against the Christian Religion”. The action was announced during the Pope’s weekly address from his residence overlooking St. Peter’s Square and was met with enthusiastic cheering by thousands of Swiss Guards and others thronging the open-air area. Francis, who deposed his predecessor Benedict in a military coup one-and-a-half years ago, made a parallel between insulting Christianity and insulting someone’s grandmother, asserting that both deserved death. Maher could not be reached for comment and was reportedly in hiding in an undisclosed location. His television show, while still running on some stations, has now been pulled by the majority of them, citing “security concerns” following the assassination of a station manager in Japan by Christianist terrorists a few days ago. The Christian holy city of Rome has been off-limits to non-Christians since the era of Constantine.

ST. LOUIS, MO—Fighters for the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) reached the outskirts of this Midwestern city yesterday, promoting panic among residents and an outflux of refugees southwards. The WBC, little more than an extended family a few years ago, now controls a five-state territory stretching from southern Nebraska to Northern Mississippi. Its slogan, “God Hates Everyone”, has proved appealing to inhabitants of the war-torn region, raked by sectarian Baptist-Pentecostal warfare ever since the authoritarian regime of David Duke was deposed by a Saudi-Arabian-led military coalition thirteen years ago. The WBC recently announced that the entire female population of Arkansas had been sold into slavery.

NAIROBI, KENYA—President Barrack St. Michael Obama condemned the WBC today in a prayer breakfast for a diverse group of invited Kenyan religious leaders. “Though I am a Muslim”, Obama stated, “I denounce those who hijack and besmirch the beautiful faith of Christianity. The future does not belong to Christian haters. Long Live Christ the King!” Predictably, this fueled conspiracy theories among Islamic right-wingers that Obama was secretly a Christian.

MOSUL, IRAQ—Hundreds of protesters from the extremist Muslim group ISIS, known for its fundamentalist and literalist interpretation of the Koran, held a silent vigil outside of the city’s main art museum yesterday in response to a religious-themed exhibit that they claimed was offensive. Demonstrators held signs saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand” and “Allah Loves You”.

MECCA—At the site of the 9/11 attacks, where Christianist suicide terrorists destroyed the sacred Kaaba stone and many of the surrounding buildings fourteen years before, the city council struck down an injunction against the construction of a Christian evangelical megachurch, one-hundred yards from “ground-zero”. Christian pastor Joel Osteen, one of the main backers of the project, hailed the decision as a victory for tolerance and against Christianophobic hatred and racism. At least 10% of the Saudi Arabian population is now Christian. While some anti-Muslim politicians have pointed out that inmates of the country’s prisons are now 70% Christian, Christian groups have countered that young Christian men in Saudi Arabia are the victims of many societal obstacles.

SOUTHERN GERMANY—The government of Bavaria condemned rocket attacks into its territory, allegedly launched from Austro-Hungarian refugee camps along the German/Czech border. The camps formed after the territorial adjustments of World War One and added to after additional adjustments after World War Two are now home to three million refugees. The current leader of the Austro-Hungarian Liberation Organization (AHLO) claimed that all was open to negotiation except the “right of return”. The United Nations Committee on Displaced Peoples concurred (with Saudi Arabia declining to vote).

PORTLAND, OREGON—Riots broke out today following the Pope's remarks, with Christian demonstrators burning tires and attacking police. Twenty deaths were reported.

LONDON—Parliament refused to reverse the blasphemy conviction of philosopher Richard Dawkins. The Current Archbishop of Canterbury hailed the ruling as being consistent with long-standing Anglican jurisprudence. “Dawkins was given every chance to repent. But he didn’t. What a wanker”, declared the prelate, to cheering crowds in Trafalgar Square.

CHICAGO—The January attack by Christianist terrorists that killed most of the editorial staff of The Onion was again referenced by Kenyan President Obama who condemned the extremists responsible for misusing Christian theology in the cause of their “nihilistic ends”. “History shows that nihilists never win”, said Obama, quoting a line from the Big Lebowski. “Long Live Christ the King!” The President’s wife, currently campaigning for the enforcement of Lenten Fasting in all primary schools, concurred, exclaiming “Amen, Christian Sisters.”

JUNEAU—Supreme Leader of the Christian State of Alaska, Sarah Palin, announced that Jewish inhabitants would be protected by the authorities, following a string of mob-lead attacks on Jewish-owned businesses and homes in Juneau, Anchorage and other cities. “As long as they accept the supremacy of Christianity, wear their prescribed clothing and pay the Dhimmi tax they should be perfectly safe”, said Palin. “Christianity is, after all, a religion of peace and tolerance.” Kenyan President Obama praised her statement as an example of Christian moderation…


*Harry Turtledove had nothing to do with this. But he is now in hiding...

Video Tuesday: Can We Make HIM Pope?

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England is in some ways the cradle of free-speech. Up until a few years ago it was in some still the capital of it. Most famous is Hyde Park Corner where anyone can mount a box and say anything. Long live the Queen! Down with capitalism! Jamaicans are lazy! Subsidize hemp! Whatever.

Some may not like that. I do.

But in regards to free speech, contemporary England is now choking on it. "Islamophobia" has been criminalized. If I lived in England, I would be on trial now (if anyone wanted to make an issue of it).

And even good old Hyde Park Corner is under pressure. It now abuts a heavily Muslim district, and Muslims like using the parks.  Denounce Allah from your box and you'll soon get a swarm of bearded and five-o'clock shadowed hecklers. Heckling is what they'll do if you're lucky.

But here's a faithful Christian who doesn't give a fig. His brand isn't mentioned, but I assume he's Protestant. Any informed Christian would assume so, and that makes me sad. Since Vatican II, western Catholics have largely abandoned evangelizing for Christ, especially to hostile audiences.

They would rather denounce the death penalty to friendly audiences.

But one brave man chose to defend Christ amidst a smirking horde.

A grinch was defied, even with kabob breath.

This faithful Christian has been labeled as "elderly". Compared to us, he's twenty-five.

Can he be the next pope, please?

Cardinal: Muslims Believe They Will Conquer Europe Through Faith and Babies

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At ground zero in the clash of civilizations 

Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi is the Patriarch of Antioch. So he is an Eastern Rite Catholic, not a Roman Catholic. But that still makes him a "full" Cardinal of the Catholic Church in all the relevant ways.

Indeed, Bechara Boutros al-Rahi is one of the only 119 Cardinals under the age of 80 who could vote for the next pope if the election were held today. For context, there are a total of 218 Cardinals, and as many Eastern Rite Cardinals (8) as, say, Central American Cardinals.

This bishop understands what's at stake, and presumably some of this is due to the fact that he is almost at ground zero in the great 21st-century purge of Christians from the middle-east.

Note, however, what he does not say. He doesn't say that Muslims will conquer Europe through violence per se. Nor does he claim that even Muslims might think that. Rather, the core of his fear is based on the current relative strength of the two belief systems, at least as it is manifested in the dedication of their contemporary adherents. He also makes a number of other unassailable but recently neglected points.

If history teaches us anything, it is that circumstances change and even impregnable seeming systems and ideologies can collapse overnight (see communism). Can the reverse also occur?

Regardless, who can say that he is now wrong?

From the Italian Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana, translated and summarized by Breitbart (in turn referenced by Credo):

In a stunning interview, the Maronite patriarch of Antioch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, has contended that Islam has a clear, two-pronged strategy to take over Europe: religion and procreation. 

(By Thomas D. Williams, 6 November) The cardinal said that Muslims look on Christians as weak and believe that since they have no children and barely practice their faith, Islam will easily conquer them. Sadly, he said, Muslims take their faith more seriously than most Christians, and they are gaining ground because of it. 

“I have often heard from Muslims that their goal is to conquer Europe with two weapons: their faith and their birthrate,” al-Rahi said in a recent interview with Famiglia Cristiana, an Italian Catholic weekly magazine. 

For the Muslims, the Cardinal said, “the practice of the faith is essential and fundamental. In Saudi Arabia they go to Friday prayers even if they need a walking stick. They know the Koran by heart, and when they talk they often cite it. The same is not true for Christians who do not refer either to the Bible or the teachings of the Church.” 

The Muslims “believe that God’s will is to procreate and that marriage is aimed at this,” he said. “They think that numbers will give them the upper hand.” 

Christians, however, “hardly get married anymore, and have few children,” he said. 

The Cardinal also said that Muslims “identify anything that comes from the West as Christian per se. All Western politics is Christian politics, it is a new crusade. They say that Christians are the remains of the Crusades and of Western imperialism,” he said. 

At the same time, al-Rahi sharply criticized the EU’s ineffective solutions to Europe’s migration crisis, arguing that the only way to end the chaos is by stopping the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 

The 75-year-old cardinal is the Maronite Patriarch of the ancient city of Antioch, where Christianity has deep and millennial roots. He said that the ongoing conflict provoked by the Islamic State is forcing both Christians and moderate Muslims to emigrate from the Holy Land, so before all else, attention must be given to putting an end to the siege. 

It is useless for Europe to quarrel over the reception of refugees without addressing the root cause of emigration from the Middle East, which is armed conflict, he said. 

“The first thing to do to protect Christians in the Middle East is to end the war in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine,” the Cardinal said. “European states quarrel with each other about the number of refugees to be admitted but do nothing to end the conflict.” 

“The Middle East is emptying and leaving the field open to fundamentalist and terrorist organizations,” al-Rahi said. For some reason, he said, “States do not talk about it, the only one making appeals is Pope Francis.” 

“Europe is talking about the reception of refugees, those who would like ten thousand and another who will take three thousand people, but this does not help us,” he said. “Europe should focus on the cause of migration, namely the war. You have to turn off the tap and ensure that Muslims and Christians will return to their lands.” 

“A Middle East without Christians,” the Cardinal continued, “has no identity.” 

“This is the place of all divine revelation. It is where Jesus took flesh, died and rose again. It is where the Church was born and began to proclaim the Gospel to the world,” he said. 

Al-Rahi also noted that Christians resent being called a “minority” in the Middle East. We have been here for two thousand years, he said, “six hundred years before the arrival of Islam.” 

“Just as Europe discusses how to preserve its identity, it is urgent that we do the same,” he said.

Villanelle on the Eve of a Marathon

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The secret of my success over the 400 metres is that I run the first 200 metres as hard as I can. Then, for the second 200 metres, with God’s help, I run harder.

This is a partial repost from Good Friday, 2015, in honor of those running the Chicago Marathon tomorrow and for all others who run a spiritual race with and for God. The picture and quotation is from the martyred Christian Olympian Eric Liddell.

Villanelle of the Hidden Life by Sarah Ruden*

For years, I sought to walk a godly pace,
Not sensing all things rushing into God.
But now I run, I run as in a race. 

There was a stream, but one I could not trace
While I was wading dust as thick as blood
And shouting that I walked a godly pace. 

There was a sun, but one I did not face,
Nor see the hills pursue it in a crowd.
I did not hear it panting in its race. 

But everyone who turns to seek His grace
Becomes a restless horse the faint breeze prods
And instigates beyond a godly pace. 

I could not be left lonely by the chase
Toward Him. The ground was moving in a flood,
And all things sang and hurtled in the race. 

And through that storm I saw how wide a space
I had to cross. I heard each slow step's thud.
For years, I sought to walk a godly pace,
But now I run, I run as in a race.

*As cited by Gates of Vienna, 2010.

People Who Exhibit False Christian Charity Should be Boiled in Oil

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We've all seen it. You're having an argument with a Christian, probably on the internet, and they play the "I'm going to pray for you" card. Here's a reconstruction:

I'm going to pray for you, Oakes. May you, through God's grace gain the humility and sense of peace that you so obviously need. Yours in Christ and God bless you.

So, let's deconstruct this, as they say. What is really being said in the above?

1. You're a jerky-jerk face, Oakes.
2. I'm going to pray for you.
3. I'm publicly implying that you're a jerky-jerk face AND publicly announcing that I'm going to pray for you.
4. That makes me a really great Christian (since I'm praying for you even though you're a jerky-jerk face and I'm meeting your jerky-jerk faced behavior not with tit-for-tat jerky-jerk facedness but with a big fluffy ball of Christianness).
5. This is how real Christians (like me) behave, you jerky-jerk face.

Now, as might be obvious, I find this annoying, mainly because to me it seems so false. I am aware that there's always a tension in Christianity between doing things in secret (as Jesus once recommended that we pray the Our Father) and doing things publicly to set a good example. But still. Among other things, if they really are going to pray for you (which in and of itself is fine--we could all use as much of that as possible) why are they announcing that to your 1,259 other Facebook friends? Why don't they just do it?

Is what I'm saying uncharitable? Probably.

Am I bitter? I wouldn't put it that way. More just irritated.

Do I have a chip on my shoulder? No. But if you think so and want to knock it off, go ahead and try.

I'll pray for you.

Christian Minister Blames Pro-Lifers for Being Born

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They don't make ministers like they used to

Whatever your position on abortion, if you're a reasonable or consistent thinker, you will find this Huffington Post piece bizarre.

I think it's insane.

It was written for Mother's Day.

The basic idea is that there are millions of "angry mothers" out there who regret that they didn't or couldn't abort their kids.

Now this claim is, I suppose, an empirical one. It could be true (although, I do not think it is).

But the weird thing is, the author, Kristine Holmgren--an ordained Presbyterian minister--thinks it's true about her own mother.

And she laments this.

She blames pro-lifers for being born.

After telling a story about advising a pregnant young woman to have an abortion (in her position as a Christian minister) and maligning the young woman's mother for recommending against it--

"Abortion is murder!" Betty shrieked. "You pile sin on sin and call yourself a pastor?" 

And so it came to pass that an unwanted child brought an unwanted baby to a cold, cold world. 

And another angry mother was spawned.

--she then claims that this was the very position of her own mother when she gave birth to the author:

...angry mothers are everywhere. 

If you were born before women had access to safe, affordable, accessible abortion, chances are your mother was an angry mother. 

I was raised by one. Sure -- my mom loved me; but she was over 40 when I was born - and I was the youngest of four children. 

My oldest brother was twenty-years-old. My nearest was only thirteen months. 

So -- I wasn't (how shall I say this?) -- planned. 

Sometimes my mom called me her "baby." Most of the time she called me, "her final mistake." 

There were no illusions of "righteous" womanhood in my childhood home. In my family, we knew the truth. Raising kids was no picnic. 

"Don't you grow up and have babies for me," my mom said. "You're a smart girl. And you got bigger fish to fry." 

My mother might have been angry, but she raised me to be educated, employed and free.

What a mom--Most of the time she called me, "her final mistake."--and what a daughter.

Now, from her biography we learn that Ms. Holmgren did in fact have two daughters (don't worry, I assume they were planned). We also learn that she published a short story in a book called The Magic of Christmas Miracles (!) and is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered.  She also has written plays for small theater companies.

But in the end, her mother was right. Compared to raising children, she did have "bigger fish to fry."

She became a blogger.

Video Tuesday: Who Would Dare to Love ISIS? The Most Amazing Video of the Year

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This may be the most moving and powerful video you will see this year, or for that matter, any year.

Who Would Dare to Love Isis? (A Letter From the People of the Cross) is a project of Michael Chang, a 26-year-old Los Angeles filmmaker. The beautiful text was cowritten by Jeanette Fu. The website of Chang's company, Mighty, is not up yet but it has a Facebook page that is now gaining "likes" at an exponentially increasing rate.

I first saw the video yesterday on Steve Skojec's One Peter Five. Apparently, it was one of his most popular posts and was quickly picked up by Fox News. But at the time Steve knew almost nothing of its origins. The filmmaker contacted Steve shortly after and One Peter Five had a fascinating interview with him today. Among other things we learn that Chang is a non-denominational Christian who left his day job two months ago to focus on his craft. In the meantime, the video has gone viral, appearing on more and more Christian blogs and sites.

From the interview:

People dying for their beliefs is noble. A lot of people do that. But people dying for their enemies…that’s almost unheard of. This kind of love is what drew Christians to adore Christ in the first place. A kingdom is conquered in one of two ways. Either by force or by winning over the hearts of the people. Jesus won our hearts over. And it’s the opposite of ISIS is doing now – conquering by force. I don’t like the term conversion, but yes, the blood of our martyrs speaks louder than teachings, and I believe God will save many ISIS members through them.

Actually, Chang is not a pacifist. Read the interview to see precisely what he says on this.

I should add, in just a bit of perusing I've seen it on Traditionalist Catholic sites (including One Peter Five), Orthodox sites and Protestant sites--including "liberal" ones with a focus on "social justice", etc.

But this is not because the message is dumbed down or "averaged" to appeal to everyone. Rather it's sharp, radical (in the best sense of the word) and, well, extreme.

Just as Christ's message was.

If this isn't the New Evangelization, the term has no meaning.

Steve confessed to "choking up" each time he saw it. I'll double down on that and say I got teary just thinking about it on my way home from work.

If you don't, that says nothing about your religious sensibilities or beliefs. Rather, it will prove you're a Vulcan.

The people of the cross gather at your gates with a message
Love is coming after you...

Though your sins are like scarlet
They can be washed white as snow
Though you call yourselves servants
He will make you into Sons...

You die for your god but our God died for us...

Christ has been crucified once. And for ALL.
To make sinners like you and me into brothers
Even you.
Even now.

There is a full transcription here.