Saturday, February 22, 2014

New Cardinals

Today on the feast of the Chair of Peter, Pope Francis gave red birettas to new Cardinals. These men will advise the Pope, work in the curia and will elect a new Pope from among themselves; granted they are younger than 80.

They wear a bright red to symbolize that they are called to shed blood in order to protect and defend the faith.

The ceremony was typical of Liturgies with Pope Francis.  It did not have much fanfare or pomp.

However, a big surprise took place when at a side entrance Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI entered with a small group.  When the crowd saw him, they immediately gave him a standing ovation and cheered, some were visibly tearful. Pope Benedict XVI waved and smiled back at the crowd as he took a seat on aisle next to the Cardinals-elect.

This surprise appearance may signal more involvement of the Pope Emeritus in liturgies.  It is
expected that he may be present for the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.  If so, this will be the first time two living Popes will be present at the canonization of two Popes who have passed on to the Lord.  This will indeed be exciting to see.

Moreover, Pope Benedict XVI's presence created the scenario where a retired Pope, current Pope and possible future Pope from among the Cardinals were present in the same place.  It was great to see Pope Benedict XVI.

He sat quietly and made a very humble gesture by removing his zucchetto before Pope Francis which is a gesture bishops/cardinals do out of respect for the Pope.  To see a Pope do that for another Pope is something that is a sign of humility.







Source:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/22/us-pope-consistory-benedict-idUSBREA1L07X20140222

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/former-pope-benedict-joins-pope-francis-in-unprecedented-ceremony/article5717162.ece

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/world/europe/vatican-pope-new-cardinals/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-welcomes-minded-cardinals-periphery-22628942

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/10655523/Archbishop-of-Westminster-Vincent-Nichols-is-made-cardinal-by-Pope-Francis.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-joins-pope-francis-at-a-historic-cardinal-ceremony/2014/02/22/80406b6e-9bfd-11e3-ad71-e03637a299c0_story.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/22/281154372/tale-of-two-popes-francis-benedict-appear-together-in-public



  

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

New Passport



Pope Francis has just renewed his passport.  He paid the $55 required to renew the important document despite not needing it.

A Pope loses all ties to his nation of birth once elected.  As a sovereign head of state, he has no need of a passport.  However, Pope Francis decided to get his renewed to show that he is just like everyone else and to show that he is still part of his nation Argentina. This of course has sent great joy to his fellow Argentinians.





Source:


http://gma.yahoo.com/video/pope-cant-smile-passport-photos-133307004.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/pope-francis-renews-argentine-passport-article-1.1617693

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/pope-francis-gets-passport-to-show-he-is-a-pope-of-the-people-9136328.html

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Atheism is Stupid V


Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson
This is the fifth installment of my popular "Atheism is Stupid" series.  In it, I will touch upon some misconceptions atheists have regarding the universe and the uniqueness of the human species.

Atheists often claim that our universe is extremely hostile to life.  Since it is hostile to life, it is logical to conclude (according to them) that human life is not special nor does it have a unique role. They also conclude that an "intelligent designer" is not possible.  At first glance, this argument does seem to make sense despite it being a Special Pleading fallacy.


The universe is indeed hostile.  
If a human being goes into space without protection from a suit, he/she will not last very long.  The
Scene from "Total Recall"
skin will have severe burns due to the direct contact of ultraviolet rays from our sun as well as radiation from space itself.  Gasses in the body will expand causing pressure issues that will damage organs. Nitrogen in the blood will turn into bubbles causing "the bends" which is an extremely painful condition some divers experience.

Without pressure, water will begin to boil and evaporate which means saliva, tears and the water in the body will immediately begin to dissipate.  Due to lack of oxygen, the body will go into hypoxia and it will decrease in temperature as the skin turns bluish due to cyanosis.  The body will bloat and blindness will come instantly as a person looses consciousness.  Death will follow.

So who wants to take a walk in space? :-)

Space is indeed a dangerous place for human life or any life for that matter.  However, does this reality mean that there is no God?  Does this mean that God is not perfect?  Absolutely not!

As I wrote in my post "Evidence for God I:"

"While some astrophysicists such as Neil Degrasse Tyson claim that the universe is harsh and hostile to human beings, this does not take away from the fact that human beings exist in an environment that caters to them. The anthropic principle is an indication of this. 
Yes there are parts of the universe that are hostile to human beings; however, this is not because these parts somehow exist to destroy us but because we were not meant to exist in them. For example, fish are designed to exist solely in water. If a fish goes out of its element, it will die. Similarly, human beings are designed to exist solely on Earth within the troposphere. Logically speaking, they will indeed suffer or die if they step outside of this habitable zone. 
Interestingly enough, we have the brains that allow us to defy this “prison” and go beyond it into outer space. That begs the question, why? It would seem that our brains too were designed to figure out how to counter any harsh situations nature may throw at us. The existence of harsh environments does not mean there is no intelligent design. Rather, it shows there is specificity in the design."
Furthermore, let us take into account some instances in which intelligent intention is present in regard to the design and function of the universe and preservation of life.


EARTH'S OUTER BODYGUARDS
The outer planets such as Jupiter protect Earth from impacts from asteroids and other stellar bodies.  These planets are so large that their gravitational pull has great effect on objects flying thousands of miles away.

As you may know, there is an asteroid belt between the orbits of planets Mars and Jupiter.  This asteroid belt is believed to be the remains of a planet that did not form due to the gravitational pull of Jupiter.

This asteroid belt contains rocks of all shapes and sizes that contain nickel and iron elements.
These objects sometimes fly off and can become a threat to planet Earth.  However, Jupiter and the other outer planets prevent this by "slinging" asteroids away from Earth.  Objects from the asteroid belt are not the only danger to Earth.  The entire universe is full of meteoroids, asteroids, comets and other things that originate in interstellar space, or the space outside of the Solar System.  The outer planets with their massive gravitational pulls also deflect these foreign objects away from Earth and the rest of the Solar System.  

THE OZONE LAYER
This layer is probably one that we hear the most about on the news, in school and possibly now after the world has been facing extreme weather.  The Ozone Layer is extremely important to Earth.  Without it, life will not be possible.  It is an invisible layer of ozone with only three to four molecules present for every 10-12 million molecules of oxygen or air.

Most of the ozone exists between six to ten miles above surface level with 35 miles extending into the stratosphere.  This layer is responsible for absorbing UV-B or ultraviolet rays from the Sun which are extremely harmful to biological life.  It only allows the right amount in order to regulate weather and allow for life to exist and grow.  The Earth is the only planet to possess this layer.      

THE MAGNETOSPHERE
The Earth also has its own shield that protects it from the harmful energies of space.  Like the
starship Enterprise in the franchise Star Trek, the Earth generates a magnetic field that deflects radiation from our Sun and from space itself. This is called "Geodynamo."

This shield is generated by the Earth's core. The core is made of iron and is spinning deep in the Earth.  Gravity keeps the iron compressed into a solid state despite the high temperatures. However, the outer core is liquid and moves as the Earth rotates.  This motion of hot molten iron and other metals generates an electrical current which travels out into space generating a field around the planet. This field offers protection from cosmic radiation and solar flares.  Without this force field of sorts, life would not be possible on Earth.  


THE HELIOSPHERE
If the protection of Jupiter/outer planets, the ozone layer and magnetosphere on Earth were not enough, there is another line of defense called the Heliosphere.

The Heliosphere is a gigantic magnetic energy field or bubble that contains the Solar System. This field is generated by the Sun and serves to protect the Solar System from interstellar cosmic radiation that would be extremely harmful to the planets, in particular Earth which has life.

CONCLUSION
These are just some instances showing how there is an intent in the structure of our Solar System geared towards the protection of life.  One may say, "it just formed this way, there is nothing supernatural about this."  While this may be true, it still does not account for the intention for the preservation of life.  The structures I have described here all serve one common theme: preservation of life.
  • If the universe was created by mere chance from an unconscious flow of energy and interaction of matter, how did it know when, where and how to protect life?  
  • How did this unconscious agent of energy and interaction of matter know where life existed and that it needed to be protected?  
  • How did it know how to protect this life?    

Trial and error here cannot apply because the universe was created from one "Big Bang."  This "Big Bang" formed all there is today in a specific order using the "instructions" in the laws of physics without the use of trial and error.  It did not have time to have "test runs" until it found the right processes that served to adequately form and protect life.

It is logical to conclude that there is an intelligent direction in the formation of these natural defenses and life in general.  Only an intelligence can be aware of the existence of life in a particular region and that it needs protection.  Moreover, only an intelligent agent can be aware of how to protect this life by installing the right processes and procedures in order to allow for the preservation of the former.  Lastly, an intelligent agent that knows how to design a system to protect life does so because this agent created the life and knows how to preserve it.  Only the inventor of a product knows how it is supposed to work, where it is supposed to work and how to extend its shelf life.

Life is indeed special and the universe has shown this with how it protects it and allows it to evolve.
Atheism is stupid for the allowance of the suggestion that an unintelligent unconscious agent created the universe while designing safety measures in order to allow for the preservation of life in a hostile environment.  It is stupid for assuming that life is not special in the universe and that it is just a produce of "good luck."  The logical conclusion is that an intelligent conscious agent knew what to create, how to create it and how it should protect life.            

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Rainbow Assault

The LGBT agenda has been spreading throughout the United States of America faster than the flu. It is bypassing legal procedures while censoring speech defending traditional marriage by labeling it as bigotry or hate.  It is a scary time.  The devil is liar...

Facebook recently is adding multiple versions of "genders" in response to a LGBT request.  This idea stems from Gender theory which narrows gender down to a mere preference.  One can be a male, female, or male/female, or they/them when he/she, they/them, it/that wants.   Confusing right?  The whole theory is bunk and is just an attempt to allow a lifestyle that is irrational to seem normal.  This will raise new problems, some which we are seeing now where in California a boy can enter a girl's bathroom claiming he is a girl and if you stop him, prepare to lawyer-up.

In legal news, Alabama and nine other states are battling in court attempting to protect their bans on so-called "gay marriage."  A federal judge in struck down Kentucky's ban citing it against the Constitution's call for equality.  The same rhetoric spewed by LGBT activists is brainwashing justices and politicians alike.  Meanwhile in Texas, a gay couple is suing the state due to its ban on so-called "gay marriage."  If that is not bad enough, attorney general Eric Holder has written a memo instructing members of the Justice Department to make sure same-sex couples receive benefits even in states that do not recognize their marriages; a move that bypasses the legislative process and puts the power in one man's hands.  I guess he learned from the boss Obama who is doing the same.

Moreover, the Sochi Olympics have been over taken by the LGBT movement which is using it to promote their quest for change.  They have attempted to turn the event into a plea for pity by claiming Russia to be anti-gay and asking people, including athletes to boycott the Olympics.  The event is not about them, but about our best athletes competing for medals.

A month ago, the award circus called "The Grammys" had a "gay marriage" officiated by the lesbian talk show host, "Queen Latifah" with LGBT advocates "Macklemore" and others performing "Same-Love" which is a song promoting same sex marriage and attacks Catholicism, the Bible and conservatives.  Viewers, especially young ones are targeted for brainwashing.  

The Rainbow Assault continues to increase.  When will clergy of all faiths speak out against this wave of immorality and mockery of God's creation?  





Source:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/13/5408722/facebook-new-gender-options-male-female-other-lgbt

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-10/alabama-9-states-join-utah-bid-to-save-gay-marriage-ban.html?cmpid=yhoo

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/12/federal-judge-strikes-down-ban-gay-marriage-other-states/5421509/

http://news.yahoo.com/texas-couples-court-overturn-same-sex-marriage-ban-170459210.html

http://news.yahoo.com/feds-lgbt-39-ll-protect-marriages-states-don-013056040.html

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2014/01/26/breaking-cbs-putting-gay-marriage-protest-middle-grammy-performance-left

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Bill Nye vs Ken Ham

Bill Nye "the science guy" and Creation Museum director Ken Ham just had a debate which was very much hyped. The debate was on, you've guessed it: evolution.

The debate between "young creationists" who believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old and that evolution never happened and those who believe in evolution and the age of the Earth being billions of years, not thousands, has been ongoing.  Neither side wants to succumb to the other. Science is thrown around as evidence for both sides. Schools are sued for teaching either as fact. It seems to never end.

Ken Ham invited Bill Nye to debate in an apparent attempt to raise money for his Noah’s Ark theme park which he has been struggling to fund. Nye has been in the media lately seemingly looking to reconnect to the American people after many years of being off the air during his time hosting the "Billy Nye the Science Guy" program.

The debate seemed more like entertainment than a serious one. Bill Nye spoke like a lecturer by using slides while referring to scientific facts regarding geology, biology and so on. He tried to push the idea that many religious people around the world accept science and evolution and that there is no reason to disregard them using literal interpretations of the Genesis story. He began to speak on bacteria and then moved on to sexual behaviors pretty much addressing the "Red Queen hypothesis" which is a hypothesis that posits that organisms have to adapt, survive and evolve even without  needing to reproduce.

Ken Ham obviously spoke from a religious standpoint but did present videos of scientists and others who subscribe to the creationist point of view. He spoke to the people and seemed jovial about his position which was an attempt to win the favor of the audience who were mostly for him already. Ham argued that observation and history are the main forms of science. He continued making his points by connecting them to a literal 6-day creation model found in Genesis.

Nye eventually brought up the point that Ken Ham and creationists are stifling science education in America and making the nation less competitive against other nations. Ham countered that this was false citing Raymond Damadian who contributed to the invention of the MRI scanning device and who believes in a literal six day creation model.

The debate was interesting to watch.  I personally don't think there was a clear winner. Bill Nye seemed nervous and unprepared which is not surprising.  He does not hold any science degree.  His field is engineering, not physics, biology etc. Nye seemed to know his stuff on his old science program because there were cameras with monitors where he could read from.
Another of my childhood favorite "science guys" also does not have a degree in the sciences, and did the same on the show, "Beakman's World." Meanwhile, Ken Ham obvious did not have a clue about science either and spoke out of religious zeal using charm and sophism in order to present his view as being correct.  He made Protestant Christianity look silly and outdated.

In my opinion, this debate harmed both science and creationism. It presented both sides as being foolish and lacking in solidity. There was no "kill" in the debate, so to speak.  Both sides could have debated until they turned blue and passed out; nothing would have been accomplished.  Those who subscribed to evolution before the debate would remain subscribed to it and those who subscribed to creationism will not budge on that issue either.  In the end, those in the middle would remain there undecided on which side to take.  




Source:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/things-missed-bill-nyes-evolution-creationism-debate/story?id=22373841

http://debatelive.org/

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/02/05/head-creation-museum-debates-bill-nye-science-guy/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6kgvhG3AkI

http://time.com/4511/bill-nye-ken-ham-debate/

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Bl. John Paul II' Relic Stolen- Arrest Made/Relic Recovered

About five days ago, a relic of Blessed John Paul II containing a blood stained cloth was stolen from the sanctuary of San Pietro della lenca on the mountain peak of Gran Sasso in Abruzzo, Italy.

At first it was believed to be the work of 'Satanists" who supposedly have a 'feast day' or 'new year' of sorts today.  However, arrests were made and the relic was recovered. Three men were arrested who are known by local police for small crimes.  They are described as drug addicts and are in their early 20's.

The thieves claim they did not know what the relic was or the value of it and apparently were only interested in the metal of the reliquary which is often heavily decorated and gives the impression that it is pure gold or rich in real gems. The parts of the relic were found in a garage in tempera, L'Aquila.

Relics have been used since Old Testament times (2 Kings 13:21). Relics remind us of the humanity of a saint while at the same time recalling their virtues. The Church classifies them into three categories: First, Second and Third.


  • First Class relics are direct bodily remains from a saint or blessed which can be bone, flesh, hair, or blood.  
  • Second Class relics are items a saint or blessed used, such as: vestments, a habit, other clothing, or other typical things like pens, furniture, book etc.  
  • Third Class relics are relics that are touched to a first or second class relic.    


The relic comes from 1981 when Blessed John Paul II was shot at St. Peter's Square.  It was given to the chapel by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz because Pope John Paul II used to vacation there and used the land to ski.

It is safe to say that our Holy Father, Bl. John Paul II has forgiven the perpetrators and we all should do the same.

We should pray for these young men and hopefully church officials will reach out to them so they can break their addictions and be introduced to just work in order to live life the right way.

Pope John Paul II is scheduled to be officially canonized April 27, 2014.




Here are more Scripture Passages on Relics:

Matt. 9:21; Mark 5:28 - woman with bleeding ailment touched the cloak of Christ and was healed.

Acts 19:11-12 - St. Paul's handkerchiefs were used to heal the sick and exorcise demons.

Acts 5:15 - Even the shadow of St. Peter healed people








Source:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/27/vial-blood-from-pope-john-paul-ii-stolen-from-italian-church/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/31/pope-john-paul-ii-blood

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2548926/Men-arrested-theft-relic-containing-blood-Pope-John-Paul-II-thrown-away-police-fear.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/us-italy-blood-johnpaul-idUSBREA0Q0IZ20140127

http://news.yahoo.com/thieves-steal-pope-john-paul-39-blood-italy-111858044.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/27/newser-pope-john-paul-ii-blood-stolen/4937149/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25985579

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/31/pope-john-paul-bloodstained-cloth-recovered

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25985579

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-john-paul-iis-blood-recovered-after-being-stolen-from-italy-church/

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