This is making it’s rounds on the internet, so I thought I’d share.

“Think of it like a movie. The Torah is the first one, and the New Testament is the sequel. Then the Qu’ran comes out, and it retcons the last one like it never happened. There’s still Jesus, but he’s not the main character anymore, and the messiah hasn’t shown up, yet.

Jews like the first movie but ignored the sequels, Christians think you need to watch the first two, but the third movie doesn’t count.  Muslims think the third one was the best, and Mormons liked the second one so much they started writing fan fiction that doesn’t fit with any of the series canon.”

Here are the lyrics as I hear them:

I woke up in darkness
surrounded by silence
oh where, where have I gone?
I woke to reality
losing its grip on me
oh where, where have I gone?

Cause I can see the light
before I see the sunrise

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

Late have I loved you,
you waited for me,
I searched for you…
what took me so long?

I was looking outside
as if love would ever want to hide
I’m finding I was wrong

Cause I can feel the wind
before it hits my skin

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!
I’m alive again!

Cause I want you!
Yes, I want you,
I need you
And I’ll do what ever I have to
Just to get through
cause I love you
Yeah, I love you!

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

Here is a list of the popular iPhone applications designed for Catholic’s and other Christians. I have not tested these, nor am I getting paid for their inclusion in the list. Enjoy!

• iPieta – Douay Rheims & Vulgate Bibles, Baltimore Catechisms 1, 2, & 3, Prayers, Mass, and a lot more  – $2.99
• Douay Rheims – The bible – $1.99
• Catholic by Wim Tanudjaja – List of Catholic prayers – $0.99
• iMissal – Catholic Mass Radings, Liturgical Calendar – $4.99
• Catholic Calendar – A Catholic Calendar – Free
• Mass Times – Catholic Church Finder – $0.99
• Catholic Days – Holy Days – Free
• Totally Catholic Trivia – Really fun trivia game – $1.99
• Our Daily Bread – Daily Verses from NIV, NAB, KJV – $0.99
• Holy Rosary – Rosary app from EBSolutions – $0.99
• Holy Rosary Deluxe Version – Rosary app from EBSolutions -  $3.99
• iBreviary – Breviary prayers – $0.99
• Catholic Celebrations – Find which feast days – $0.99
• iRosary – The Rosary – $0.99
• iConfess – Prepare for confession – $0.99
• Divine Office – Audio Daily Prayers – $14.99
• Catholic Bible Dictionary – Scott Hahn’s book – $54.99
• Prayer List – Keep track of yours prayers and more – $1.99
• Popes – List of all of the Bishops of Rome from Peter to Benedict XVI – $1.99
• Recordatio – All papal encyclicals of the last 50 years! – $0.99
• iFaith – Official app from the Archdiocese of New Orleans – Free
• Way of the Cross - Stations of the Cross – $0.99
• iPrayer Journal - Prayer tool for twitter – $0.99
• Bible Verses Deluxe – Daily verses – Free
• Christian Rock Music – $1.99

These are fun games and useful applcations I have on my iPhone.

• Bounce On – Game
• Chopper – Game
• Flip It - Create a flip book
• At Bat – Baseball on your iPhone! (free version)

More to come later!

Our Faith Begins At Life
by Edward Morrissey and Elizabeth “The Anchoress” Scalia

Many of our Catholic friends support Barack Obama in the upcoming election, despite being the most radically pro-abortion presidential candidate in American history. Other Catholics have publicly declared support for Obama as Catholics, arguing that their faith leads them to choose Obama over the pro-life candidate, John McCain. We believe that they have overlooked in their arguments of “social justice” the foundation of our faith and of social justice: the sanctity of human life, and its origin.

It is not our intent to argue legalistically from the Catechism to our brethren. We have both covered that extensively in posts over the last few months. We want to remind our parishioners of the central fact that social justice has to start with the protection of innocent human life, and that our faith does not allow a trade between abortion and other social-justice policies.

A few months ago Doug Kmiec, a former official with the Reagan administration and prominent Catholic, made a public endorsement of Barack Obama and stated that Obama’s noble intentions on a full range of social issues made the Senator’s stance on abortion negligible. As Obama addressed every injustice, righted every wrong and wiped the tear from every eye, Kmiec seemed to reason, all of the complex social ills of the ages, from poverty, to war, to the death penalty and human rights would be suitably resolved and abortion would simply fall by the wayside as an issue.

Except, Obama has said himself that his very first act as President will not be some sweeping anti-poverty legislation; it will not be an end to war. “The first thing I’d do as president” Obama told NARAL, “is sign the Freedom of Choice Act“.

Kmiec’s argument might sound compelling to some – Denver’s Archbishop Charles Chaput admits to having reasoned similarly about Jimmy Carter in 1976 – until one considers Obama’s priorities. Under the heading of “human rights” Obama has made it clear – despite suggesting that the question of when a baby gets human rights as being “above” his “paygrade” – that in his mind a “woman’s right to choose” is a most basic human right; a singular priority. So passionately does Obama believe this that the Senator, who rates a perfect 100% with NARAL, unhesitatingly supports the procedure known as “partial birth abortion,” – an act so nakedly inhumane that his own running mate voted to ban it in 2003. And beyond that savagery, Obama has clearly articulated his position that a baby born alive during an attempted abortion should be refused medical attention.

Logically, then, a President Obama – whose presidency, we are told, will usher in a heyday for fundamental human rights – will always support abortion, even at its most extreme, even when its very definition changes to infanticide. We have already seen Obama protect infanticide in a disturbing attempt to protect abortion in Illinois, and nothing he has said since shows any change of heart on this question.

The “abortion reduction agenda” which Obama mush-mouths and others, like Kmiec, seem to interpret as they wish, is a kind of “trickle down social economics:” once poverty is eradicated – presumably through higher taxes, higher energy prices, higher unemployment and the redistribution of wealth – once all of the priorities of war, famine, capitalism and injustice are taken care of (this would include absolutely ensuring “a woman’s right to choose” in any circumstance) and all the complex and messy matters of humanity have been sufficiently resolved, well, then the abortion issue will simply melt away.

Excuse us, but we see this as nothing more than fantasy – the mirror image, in fact, of another fantasy, one that holds that a reversal of Roe v. Wade will simply “solve the problem” of abortion. In each case, the fiction is misplaced because it refuses to look at the human heart. President Bush said in 2005, “a true culture of life cannot be sustained solely by changing laws. We need most of all, to change hearts.” He was given grief for that by some pro-lifers, but he was quite correct. Abortion has always existed, and it will always exist, as long as something remains broken within the human heart.

Even beyond this, though, consider why the Church supports social-justice issues. Our faith does not emphasize fighting poverty and oppression as mere Boy Scout merit badges, or to give Catholics something to do on the weekends. The emphasis on social justice springs from the foundational belief that all human life is sacred, anointed by God for His purposes, and not ours. The need for social justice is for us to recognize the spark of divinity in all of us.

What does abortion says about human life? It reduces it to commodity, and values it based on convenience. If that is what we think about human life, then that rejects the entire idea that God created humankind at all, let alone for any divine purpose. Without that fundamental understanding of the faith, then all kinds of horrors become possible — abortion, euthanasia, genocide on massive scales, war for acquisition, and the exploitation of the poor.

Why care about the poor if humans have no divine purpose? If we can kill millions of our offspring without a second thought, why not leave the poor to their own devices? Abortion represents the ultimate rejection of God and God’s plan.

And bear in mind that Barack Obama is no moderate on abortion. The FOCA will federalize the question of abortion with the specific intent of striking down every moderating state law concerning abortion: parental notification, waiting periods, term limitations, and information requirements will end with its passage. It will also re-impose federal subsidies of abortions by repealing the Hyde Amendment, forcing taxpayers — including Catholics — to pay for the abortions of others.

The question, then, boils down to one of reason: does your reason tell you that Sen. Barack Obama – a mere human being with a thin resume and a seeming propensity for shutting down, punishing, intimidating or otherwise harassing those who do not fall in line (through the force of government, if possible) – is going to heal the human heart through his social programs and his redistributionism?

Matters of the heart are never resolved through worldly machinations. More importantly, to expect a human man – who because he is human carries within him another broken, imperfect heart – to successfully, righteously and most of all disinterestedly resolve issues which have tested mankind for thousands of years is to assign onto him inhuman abilities; this smacks of idolatry and thus flies in the first and most fundamental priority of a believer: to have no gods before the One, the Creator.

Catholicism does not reject reason for faith but demands integration of the two, and prayerful discernment, before taking any action.

One’s vote should come after weighing reason.

Reason tells us that a human fetus is a human being and as such deserves inclusion into the whole notion of “human rights.” A candidate with consistent notions of human rights should be able to acknowledge that.

Reason tells us that an “abortion reduction agenda” is inconsistent with the stated priority of signing into law a sweeping, tax-payer funded abortion-rights legislation.

Reason insists that an ideology embracing the idea of genocide – whether that means eliminating people conceived with an extra chromosome or of wiping a sovereign nation off the map – is a warped ideology that is inconsistent with a commitment to human rights. Reason wonders why an electorate is not permitted to hear what a presumptive president might say to some such ideologues, and reason becomes very uncomfortable.

Reason tells us that one human man will not eradicate poverty. One human man will not eradicate war. One human man will not distribute justice to the nations. History is pockmarked with the graves of those slaughtered to the ambitions of human men who have tried to perfect and justify the world, according to their lights.

Barack Obama – inconsistent though he be – is no Hitler, or a Stalin or a Pol Pot. However, developing a fanciful notion of Obama’s ability to do and be more than man has ever done or been before – based on nothing more than a bit of charisma and an highly overprotective press – is to surrender, rather than apply, one’s use of reason.

Tomorrow is Election Day. By all means, each of us must vote for the candidates we believe will best serve the nation. ACORN aside, you only get one vote. Before your pull the lever, take some time to consider whether you have really applied your God-given gift of reason to it. And as Catholics, consider carefully which candidate best fits within our view of human life and God’s purpose for it.

Singing the Our Father is not an easy feat. Sure, many priests do it all over the world brilliantly during mass. It’s different however to actually put music to it and sing. Two of the best versions I believe are by Matt Maher and Michael W. Smith. Listen and tell me what you think.

Matt Maher – As it is in Heaven

Michael W. Smith – As it is in Heaven

From the Hot Air today:

Vatican: We’re not apologizing to Darwin

In 1950, Pope Pius XII described evolution as a valid scientific approach to the development of humans, a view that was reiterated by Pope John Paul II in 1996. But Ravasi said the Vatican had no intention of apologising for earlier negative views.

“Maybe we should abandon the idea of issuing apologies as if history was a court eternally in session,” he said, adding that Darwin’s theories were “never condemned by the Catholic Church nor was his book ever banned”.

Liberal morons have now started circulating more smears against Governor Palin. This after the “fake pregnancy” myth (smear) was destroyed by Ed Morrissey over Hot Air. The idiots over at Kos are not going to stop. They would rather create side issues to distract people instead of debating actual issues. Now they are floating the idea the Governor Palin believes the pledge of allegiance was written by our founding fathers. They base their nonsense on a questioner she filled out in 2006 that asked:

“Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?”

Sarah Palin’s reply was, “Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.”

The moonbat over at Kos said, “Ok. First, the Pledge of Allegiance was not written by the Founding Fathers.  It was written much later.  Secondly, the words “under God” were not originally part of the Pledge.  ”Under God” was added even later.”

The question was not specifically about the Pledge of Allegiance, it was about the phrase “Under God.” When she answered her question, this is what she was talking about. The founding fathers supported the idea that our nation was a country blessed by God. 

Benjamin Franklin said:

“I have lived, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” - July 28, 1787 address at the Constitutional Convention

Thomas Paine wrote:

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Where, say some, is the king of America? I’ll tell you, friend, He reigns above.” – Common Sense

On Rush Limbaugh’s show this week, he detailed Barack Obama’s stance on killing babies who survive an abortion. In 2002, Barack Obama said:

” …and that, essentially, adding an additional doctor who then has to be called in an emergency situation to come in and make these assessments is really designed simply to burden the original decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an abortion…”

“Burden the original decision” as in the abortion. He doesn’t want a real doctor to come in and save the baby’s life. Because it would, “Burden the original decision” to kill the baby.

Listen to Rush’s commentary and the actual audio of Senator Obama defending this evil practice:

• Red State: In 2002, Barack Obama Supported Infanticide and I’ve Got the Transcript of His Words
• Jill Stanek – Links to Barack Obama’s votes on IL’s Born Alive Infant Protection Act
• Me – Why Catholic’s should not vote for Barack Obama