Thoughts on Salvation

The Catholic Church has always taught that salvation is a gift from God (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10) and that men and women must accept that gift through faith. Many non-Catholics accuse the Church of teaching a crass "works righteousness" plan of salvation, as if Catholics believed they had to work to "earn" their salvation.
This is not what the Catholic church teaches. Salvation is a gift of God, and it also is dependent upon how men and women accept and make use of that free gift. The following verses show that salvation is not reducible to a mere "believe, repent, ask Jesus to be your personal savior" formula.
Scripture shows us that repentance and conversion are essential, but so is the "obedience of faith" what Catholics commonly refer to as "good works", done in grace, by the gift and power of God, whose grace works in us (cf. Philippians 2:12-13)

* Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God- not because of works, lest any man should boast."

* Romans 2:8-9: "Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury."

Other Citations
Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 19:16-17
Matthew 24:13
Matthew 25:34-36
Luke 6:27-36;6:46-49
Romans 2:6,13
Romans 5:2
Romans 8:25
Romans 11:22-23
1 Corinthians 9:27
Galatians 5:1-6
Ephesians 2:8-10
Philippians 2:12-13
Hebrews 10:24-29
James 1:22-25;2:14-26
2 Peter 2:20-21
1 John 3:7;5:3

Welcome Tracy

our newest blogger at Visits to Candyland!

Feast of the Holy Family

HolyFamily219
Originally uploaded by elliemom

As our journey through the Season of Christmas continues today we focus on the gift of the Holy Family - Jesus, Mary and Joseph.


The first Sunday after Christmas, on the liturgical calendar, celebrates the Holy Family. Pope Leo XIII instituted this feast in 1892, encouraging societies honoring the Holy Family to be established everywhere. He established this feast day to remind families of the sacredness of the family and to provide the laity with a model upon which to structure their own families. In 1974 Pope Paul VI wrote, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Marialis Cultus (For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary):


On the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (the Sunday within the octave of Christmas) the Church meditates with profound reverence upon the holy life led in the house at Nazareth by Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, Mary His Mother, and Joseph the just man (cf. Mt. 1:19).

HT Living Catholicism Blog

I found some useful links

I found some excellent information and believe me, there is a lot to be found, these links are just a few that I had a chance to read, they give a clear explanation of why Catholics use a different bible and also refute the claims that Catholics don't read their bibles or interpret them by themselves.


http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/deuteros.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02141a.htm

http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap031000.htm

http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/biblever.htm

http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/kjverrors.htm

What an embarrassment

Why? I believe it is because they knew that more and more people would become Christians if they read the Bible for themselves, and see the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. And that is exactly what happened.

I wonder if the Homeschool Blog Awards People are proud of their award winner now? Anyone with an iota historical training behind them will find that paragraph remarkably deficient in anything resembling English history! It's embarrassing enough that Candy calls herself a homeschooler (although since her oldest is only 7 I suppose some allowances can be made) but as she also calls herself a homeschool graduate, I guarantee that this statement has got to be making some faces red with shame and embarrassment.





He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool. Shun him Arab proverb

Slaughter of the Innocents

Slaughter of the Innocents
Originally uploaded by craig davidson

Christmas Over?

I was a little surprised to read that Christmas was fun and now it's apparently over too! At least Candy has her tree put away!

The Catholic church among others continue to celebrate the Season of Christmas until Epiphany on January 6. Since Christmas Day we have remembered the martyrdom of St. Steven, celebrated the feast of St. John the beloved apostle, and today the commemoration of the Holy Innocents, the babies King Herod slaughtered in his attempt to murder Baby Jesus! We still have to get through the Solemnity of Mary over the New Year and the visit of the Magi for Epiphany!

Frankly I am glad and feel so blessed that the Catholic church (as well as the Orthodox and other liturgical Christian churches) still follow the SEASON OF CHRISTMAS which has followed a season of preparation - ADVENT.

In our household the tree just went up a week ago and it will stay up until January 6. When the wise men come, the tree will go! Our creche with all of our figures of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus is also up. I am still sending out Christmas Cards and a few Christmas Gifts. I no longer strain and struggle to get this all done before Christmas Day because I understand that Christmas is not over - it is merely Day 4 of the Christmas Season.



You can read my offering on today's Feast day
here.

As they were reading today's gospel reading I thought about some of the charges that Candy has leveled against Catholics, that we don't know the scriptures and that we aren't centered on Christ but only focused on Mary. And yet today I felt a lump in my throat as the deacon read about Joseph and Mary's treacherous and scary journey into Egypt to save the precious Christ Child. All of these centuries later and I felt sorrow and grief for the mothers who watched their little boys senselessly massacared. This too is part of the gospel story. This is part of the mystery of the incarnation. It is on our calendar today to remember, read and pray about this.

So for us Christmas is not over. The gift giving, the tree, the beautiful nativity story is only part of the story. Candy can put her tree away and Christmas 2007 behind her if she wants too. But I much prefer to continue in the richness of the story and keep my eyes focused on the deeper message unfolding during the rest of this blessed season.

How to tick off the inlaws at Christmas

www.keepingthehome.com: "You cannot get into heaven via good deeds or rituals. The only way into heaven is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. There is no need to worry about whether or not you’ve been a good enough person; you can know that you are going to heaven when you die, by knowing whether or not you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. This is the Good News, - the Gospel (which means Good News) of Jesus Christ."

Keeping in mind that "hubby" was a Catholic and presumably some of his family still is, I'll bet this went over well! When I send out Christmas greetings, I don't usually intend to tick people off!

Maybe you are like me? I get up in the morning and without even being fully awake, stumble into the bathroom to use the toilet, shower, get dressed, makeup, brush my hair and brush my teeth, all with my mind still in a sleep fog or perhaps racing ahead with all of the other things that need to be done that day. And perhaps the routine that has become so rote is a good thing because perhaps if I had to consciously remember to do these things maybe I'd forget that deodorant or get in my car halfway down the drive way before I realized I really need to go to the bathroom! The routine, the discipline, the almost-programmed way of getting through the morning actually protects me in many ways from making a mistake or forgetting something important. The routine in a way is a great comfort to me because of its familiarity.

The same in a way with my prayer life. With six youngsters in the house from toddler to teen it can get pretty hectic around here. Starting our school day off with prayer is a way of quieting us down and focusing our minds on what is important. Yes, I teach my children prayers by rote so that they have the words deep in their minds to recall at will.

Do they really know what they are saying? Probably not. At least not all of the time. Not yet. Izzy still fumbles over the act of contrition. And I'm sure that sometimes Gabe wishes that most Gracious Virgin Mary would remember that he would like a second bowl of cereal or at least a quick snack before he tackles that next math lesson! But Sam gets it and thinks about it. At least as much as an almost 15-year-old boy full of health and good cheer can think about the fires of hell and daily bread. But I have confidence that by 25, 35 and 45 his life experiences will give him more depth and understanding to say these prayers of his youth with meaning.

Catholics take a lot of grief in some circles for what they call "vain repetition." Some go so far as to say that it is not only wrong, but in fact forbidden and sinful.

I wonder how anything that focuses on God or has the power to help us pray can be sinful?

Amy Welborn writes in The Words We Pray: Discovering the Richness of Traditional Catholic Prayers about a particularly painful time in her life where the words to express her feelings were eluding her, until the words to the Memorare came back to her mind and said exactly what she was trying to express.


Today I received a beautiful story in my comments and e-mail from Faithful Catholic

How's this for "rote ritual?" My mother, 83 years old, bedridden and with dementia and aphasia (which means she cannot speak so anyone can understand her)was lying in bed this afternoon watching Mother Angelica and the nuns praying the Rosary. I heard my mother clamboring. Her voice gets louder and her tone gets a bit frantic sounding. So I went in to check on her and she was flailing her arms and hands. I went into her top dresser drawer and took out and handed her her rosary. She immediately calmed down, blessed herself and kissed the crucifix on her rosary. She held that rosary just exactly the same way she used to and started counting off beads as she said each prayer in her own new language. Now, she has not prayed the rosary, at least not that I know of, since her stroke over seven years ago. Am I glad she "memorized" it all those years ago? Am I glad it has become "rote" for her? You bet I am. Just because it comes as second nature, doesn't mean she's not aware of every word or doesn't mean every word or feel every word.

I don't care what anyone says about "rote ritual" or what our prayers might look like to them. It's what is in our hearts that matters when we pray. Nobody else can know what's in our hearts.

God knows our human nature and how we are all delightful creatures of habit. This year I hope to help my children grow in their prayer lives even more deeply but I also hope to help Mr. Pete and myself to further make prayer a part of our "rote" schedule, because far from being "forbidden" I think God is pleased and desirous of anything that helps to keep Him in the forefront of our daily lives.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair has converted to Roman Catholicism.

Tony Blair swam the Tiber yesterday. Read about it here.

I'm on such a roll, but I have to do some shopping yet... but while I'm away please note that OUR comment section is up 365/24/7. We don't have to make a big deal about how we're saving it because keeping comments up and open are our policy.

Six Degrees of Separation

You guys ever play the Six Degrees of Separation of Kevin Bacon?




It's a game some college kids made up that became quite popular, but it goes on the theory that Kevin Bacon has worked so much with so many people, that if you throw out any entertainment name, you can work through six people and eventually end back at Kevin Bacon!


Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon first surfaced at about the same time.[citation needed] On April 7 1994, a lengthy newsgroup thread headed "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe" [1] appeared.

The game was created in early 1994 by three students at Albright College, Craig Fass, Brian Turtle, and Mike Ginelli. According to an interview with the three in the Spring 1999 issue of the college's magazine, The Albright Reporter, they were watching Footloose during a heavy snowstorm. When the film was followed by Quicksilver they began to speculate on how many movies Bacon had been in and the number of people he'd worked with.

In the interview Brian Turtle said, "It became one of our stupid party tricks, I guess. People would throw names at us and we'd connect them to Kevin Bacon."

The trio wrote talk show host Jon Stewart a letter telling him that "Kevin Bacon was the center of the entertainment universe" and explaining the game.[citation needed]

They appeared on The Jon Stewart Show and The Howard Stern Show with Bacon to explain the game. Bacon admitted that he initially disliked the game because he believed it was ridiculing him, but he eventually came to enjoy it. The three inventors of the game released the book Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (ISBN 9780452278448) with an introduction written by Bacon.[1], and a board game based on the concept was released by Endless Games.

By the 2000s, the game was familiar enough to be referred to in United States popular culture. For example, In an episode of NBC's Will & Grace titled "Bacon and Eggs", Bacon makes a guest appearance, playing himself. During this episode, he makes an obvious reference to the game when talking with Will (played by Eric McCormack):

It's kind of fun and there was even a commercial parody of it with Kevin Bacon!

Anyhoo...

Candy says:

Then, there is doctrine. It is clear that we are not saved by doctrine, except for when it comes to the doctrine of Christ being the Saviour.

I read this and I thought EUREEKA! Because there is not a single doctrine in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that does not come from the doctrine of Christ as our Savior.




So for a little holiday partay fun... throw out a doctrine... any one of them from the catechism and I'll bet within six degrees of separation (probably a lot less) we can get back to the doctrine of Christ being our Savior.





Wouldn't it be a hoot of Kevin Bacon read this! It really would add another dimension to the game!

Classic Candy

A Catholic, the only hate I see going on here is yours. I suggest you take a look in the mirror. You'll notice every word you said appears to be a description of yourself, from what I've seen in your comment.

I suggest you stop torturing yourself by coming to my loving, Christian blog. Maybe you'd be better off not looking at blogs at all, if you are going to take things so personally, and skew things so badly as you apparantly (sic)do.

Interestingly one of our newer readers made this observation.

And then there's this Candy chick who packages wholesomeness wrapped around this hateful core.

Rote Ritual

However, when groups start adding to the faith needed for salvation, then there is a problem, and this is what rote ritual leads to.

All Liturgical churches to Candy's mind probably are guilty of "rote ritual." That would include the Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans and of course her favorite whipping boy- the Catholics.

I would argue that the beauty of the rhyme and rhythm of the liturgical churches and the "liturgy" don't take away from faith or add unnecessary elements, but rather increase, strengthen grow and support faith in a beautiful and meaningful way.

Currently liturgical churches are in the season of Advent. It is time before Christmas and in many ways is like a mini Lent. It is a period of preparing for Jesus in our hearts, by making ready.

The Catholic Encylcopedia has a good explanation of what is done during Advent.

On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the Te Deum, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the Gloria in excelsis is not said. The Alleluia, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (Gaudete Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy.

In my little domestic church we do special things in Advent. We have an advent wreath, we keep a Jesse Tree. Both of these things are rooted deeply in scripture and especially in the old testament as we prepare for the Messiah.

We do these things every year. Yes even by rote. I do not see this as a bad thing. It becomes part of our lifestyle, part of our family tradition and it becomes something that the children look forward to. And as they mature they come to grow in their understanding and deepen their faith through these things.


Now Candy also probably has a problem with the liturgy, i.e. the mass itself too because to her mind it is "rote." I find it simply amazing that someone who is so seemingly regimented in the way she runs her household, to the point that she insists on keeping a manual about it, can't seen the benefit in the church having a structure to work off of!

Here is an outline of the parts that make up the mass with their scriptural references.

and here is a tour.

I find that by understanding the mass and knowing the significance of each part I can more fully participate in the readings and lessons for that day. In that way it helps my faith and keeps me grounded and focused on Jesus.

So it's not a problem Candy. In fact it's a wonderful gift to be able to follow the liturgy with all of the feasting and fasting, the readings and the ritual. All of it just serves to bring us closer to Him.

The Bible

Wow. There's enough going on in the comments section over there to keep us in conversation here for a month of more! I have copied and saved them all because we just can't be assured that they will remain there.

So I thought I'd take one little piece at a time.

Anonymous, without the Bible, we wouldn't KNOW that we are saved by faith. Also, the Bible increases our faith: Candy


Well she has it half right. The Bible does increase our faith! St. Jerome said "Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ." When we read the scriptures we can see God working out his plan over time through holy men and women like Noah, Joseph, Moses, Hannah, Samuel and many more. A great book to read is Scott Hahn's A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God's Covenant Love in Scripture. In it Professor Hahn helps to walk the reader through the Old Testament and show him Jesus Christ. It's a great bible study.

So Catholics would agree that the bible promotes faith, grows faith, nurtures faith, sustains faith and is indeed a gift from God.

But where Candy is incorrect is that without the bible we would not know we are saved! The bible did not even exist for the first few centuries of Christianity. Yet I would dare say that the early Christians were more on fire with their faith than many of us are today. Afterall, when was the last time you had to decide whether to admit you were a Christian or get eaten alive by a hungry lion in the Coliseum? The bible didn't exist, and yet the Christians had faith. They believed.

Then of course for centuries after the Catholic Church closed the canon of the bible, the common man neither owned a bible or could read a bible! Surely Candy is not suggesting that because those millions of Christians did not access or knowledge of the scriptures that they had less faith or no clue about their own salvation?


Finally Candy ends with this quote from Romans:

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." -Romans 10:17

Note that the the key word there is HEARING. Faith comes from HEARING the word of God, possibly in your own head as you READ the word, but also and probably more likely from HEARING the word of God proclaimed as it was for centuries. And that was and is the main mission of the Church - to have the people hear the word, regardless of their station in life or their literacy. Just to hear it.

In conclusion then I think Candy's remark leaves a lot more questions than answers and I think it would be extremely difficult for her to support her remarks in any sort of historical context that made sense.

Shop at Simple Gifts

Another Home Management Book

Block Calendar with facing “Notables” pages (exclusive to Simple Gifts!), colour-coded for the Liturgical Calendar and featuring important feast days and Saint’s Days
- Week-at-a-glance pages colour-coded for the Liturgical Year and featuring important Feast and Saint’s Days
- Birthday/Anniversary Register
- Address Book
- Medical Information
- Dated Menu Planning pages with shopping list, colour-coded and featuring important Feast days and Saint’s days
- Prayer Intentions Log
- Ledger Pages (for keeping track of your accounts)
- Homeschool transcript pages
- Reproducibles
- References and resources galore, including home remedy recipes and cleaning tips, checklists, and shopping resources.

A word of caution

Candy has put up a Send Candy a Note button.

In the past, some of us who have made comments to her heavily censored forum, found that our words turned against us, heavily edited, and even the meanings changed. One of the reasons I started this blog was because many untrue things were said about my comments and so I wanted to have an accurate public record.

Unless you can get a copy back into your e-mail box about what you really wrote, I would be hesitant to use this Send Candy a Note button.

Visits to Candyland

Well lookee there, most of the links in this post have disappeared!

Now, if they are the truth, if Candy believes them to be true, then why has she taken them down and hidden then in shame?

If that's what it takes Candy, you keep writing, and we'll keep linking and it won't matter whether you have an archive or not! ; )

Anyway, I did keep a copy of this gem:

in response to the question of whether she had ever attended a Catholic mass.

: "A Yes. It was so sad and gut wrenching that it almost brought me to tears. I was the only one attending, that I could see, that brought a Bible, and even bothered looking up scriptures. The Bible ignorance in that crowd was astounding me as well. Most of them don't seem to read their Bible, they just follow what 'the church' teaches them. Everyone there looked to me like they were wearing masks with no eyes. :-( I suspect that there might have been more true reverence (as opposed to ritual) in a black mass (however they'd be worshiping the wrong guy, of course).

Answers from the Homeschool Blog Awards administration.

4RealLearning Forums: 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards Site is Up

Here are some highlights:

Because she won does NOT mean that there is a majority attitude that is anti-Catholic. All it means is that people enjoy her recipes - it was for homemaking and recipes that she won the title. I do not feel that many who voted for this lady WOULD have voted for her if they had SEEN her writings in full (or had been warned about her before hand from people like you). Most people (especially in the awards which are only in a short 2 week period) are just scrolling through to see something that catches their eye. I did that on the craft category in particular. I scrolled down each nominee's sidebar and looked at the photos and crafts - whoever had the prettiest photos and neatest ideas won. I hardly read a word on the site! Remember that we had HALF OF NOVEMBER and HALF OF DECEMBER between the time when this person's name appeared on our front page as a finalist and the day she won. Why is it only in the past two days that I have gotten emails about her? She has already been announced! What am I supposed to do? Revoke and humiliate her as a fellow blogger and Christian?

We are not catholic bashers. None of us on the HSBA are. My blog is Catholic Friendly. I am a friend to all who love my Lord. It is VERY insulting to me personally to be called a bigot towards anyone who is a sister or brother in Christ. The blog awards site is NOT anti-Catholic. We are not responsible for the nominations that come to us nor the people's opinions who vote.

Did it not matter to the committee that Catholics are offended by this gross misportrayal of our faith?

None of our committee even knew about the dislike of this blog until right before we closed the polls. With over a month to complain about her, I think it is pretty rotten to come to us now and ask for us to publicly revoke her award. I don't even know if that is legal seeing as how we already announced her. Before she won, we only had one complaint and that was when she was in first place.

In my opinion, when it was brought to their attention, they should have pulled her off the ballot then.



This is my favorite part. Emphasis mine.

So has every other evangelical or protestant blog as far as I know. We are talking about ONE lady that has a bent. Not an epidemic nor a conspiracy against Catholics. Please keep this in perspective. Us arguing is sending a message to the secular blogs that EVEN CHRISTIANS can not get along. YES she is hurful to others, but we are called to privately go to the person and talk with them if we have a beef - not spread slander about them behind their backs or incite others to do so. I know that all of your intentions are good but have you considered that she might really believe all the stuff she says on her blog? I feel sorry for her if she is so legalistic and narrow minded that she does, but if she truly does - she probably is just spouting off what someone else taught her and is truly thinking that she is "saving" someone from their evil deeds. What she doesn't realize is that we are all in this together - Catholic and Evangelical and Protestant and Non-Denominational... ETC alike. If the wolves in the real world only see us bickering, we are all making Christ to look silly. I would not want that. We need to be unified.

A couple of things. Yes. We have tried to talk to her privately and she will have NONE of it. She doesn't allow comments that disagree with her, she does not publish an e-mail address. But hey, we don't do anything behind her back either! The existence of this blog is up front and center and Candy is even invited and encouraged to comment here. My e-mail address is readily available too.

Here are some random thoughts. I think running a blog awards like this is a pretty awesome responsibility. I think that it really has to be a truly open "poll" or there has to be a careful scrutiny of the candidates. When they disallowed part of the homeschooling world that wasn't meeting their standard of being "G-rated" they sort of set themselves up for that. And now they have to deal with this. I do not think that Catholics will be participating in this awards event next year. We'll have to wait and see of course, but as it stands now I think many blogs will decline nomination and readers will not nominate or vote. But a lot can happen in a year. Stay tuned!

Grace is what you need!

"You don't need to be a member of any earthly church organization. You don't need anyone telling you what the Bible means, because God made it clear enough "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet..." You don't need sacraments, catechisms, traditions, rituals, or any other type of work to get into heaven. FAITH. That's it. That's all you need. However, your faith must be properly placed. If your faith isn't in Christ, and Christ alone, then you are setting up idols in your heart. " Candy- Keeping the Home

Grace is what you need to be saved. Without grace, faith would get you no where, and faith without works is DEAD. So think a little!

Matt. 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
- Jesus promises the gates of Hades would never prevail against the Church. This requires that the Church teach infallibly. If the Church did not have the gift of infallibility, the gates of Hades and error would prevail. Also, since the Catholic Church was the only Church that existed up until the Reformation, those who follow the Protestant reformers call Christ a liar by saying that Hades did prevail. From Scripture Catholic.com

The Bible tells us that we need someone to explain the Bible to us-

Acts 8:27-40 "So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."

I am getting tired but will go through the rest of her statement later.

Erika

Answering Emily

Emily is a commenter in today's anti-Catholic post. She writes:


Why in the world is that Catholic chick having such difficulty with you winning the homeschool award? Another blogger informs me that if you keep giving your opinion about Catholicism she will be informing the Catholic League? Why? Are we no longer allowed to have opinions? Do Protestants have some highly powerful political machine to stick up for us when someone says something we don't agree with? Sorry for the rant...this woman just really gets to me with her wrathful spirit! Hang in there!

Well Emily, I have difficulty with it because the HSB Awards made such a big deal about the participating blogs being so "family friendly" and not antagonizing other bloggers. I guess if they are CATHOLIC it's okay. So I have a problem with the double standard of allowing Candy's blog to participate let alone win a category. And yes I have written that if a direct link between Candy's blog and the HSB front page shows up I will send a notice to the Catholic League.

The purpose of the Catholic League is:

The Catholic League is the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.

The President for the Catholic League, William Donahue is frequently interviewed on news programs and reports.

Hey you can have your opinions. Never said you can't. What you don't like Emily and what irks Candy too is that I won't go away, this blog won't go away, and none of us are just going to drop it. You can't have it both ways Em. If that "gets to you" so be it.

www.keepingthehome.com: The Beautiful Simplicity of Faith

www.keepingthehome.com: The Beautiful Simplicity of Faith

On the other hand, maybe Candy will simply give these backhanded type of posts where We know what she's referring to but anyone else might miss the anti-Catholic significance.

LOL!! if she has to veil it so much I'm going to count that as point for our side!








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Final thoughts on the Homeschool Blog Awards Controversy

It seems that what should have been a simple and fun contest was wrought with controversy and not just about Candy's win.

The "G-rating" had a lot of eyebrows raised.

Read about it here and here.

On digging however, I came upon this. Apparently the blog awards folks were trying to emulate the guidelines of the Family Friendly Blog Roll.


“I don’t care what you write about, your religious affiliation, or whether you are male or female. The sites I will not accept are ones that are simply advertising or spam, and ones that could not be read out loud to my Grandmother, while her preschool age great-grandchildren gather around her feet, without her throwing a shoe at your head. Get the picture? No foul language or posts that would obviously offend in mixed company. If it isn’t obvious, I guess I’ll have final say.”


Uh. I guess the powers that be missed the post about the nun rape and torture.

There are a couple of things I wonder about. How is it that a woman who never participates in any homeschool carnivals, or as far as I can tell isn't on the homeschool blogosphere radar at all gets nominated and wins the homeschool blog awards?


But be that as it may it seems the HSBA folks and Candy are going to have some decisions to make. Since she will now be linked directly on the front page of the HSBA site, will she continue her anti-Catholic posts knowing that to do so is going to produce a much bigger outcry than before? I guess it depends, but I think it is certain that a post from her now will make a much bigger ripple in the pond than previously . It's up to her whether she wants to deal with that or not.

If she does go ahead and post her anti-Catholic garbage as before, the HSBA folks are sure to hear about it as well and I'm pretty sure that's not what they signed up for. I do intend to hold them accountable on this including informing the Catholic League when and if it happens again.

Blog awards followup.

Red Cardigan, the blogger at And Sometimes Tea: Are "Protestants" Really Christians?
is equally distressed about the reaction of the Homeschool Blog Awards administration and Candy's win in the homemaking category.

It is a big deal. Candy's blog will be linked on the front page of the blog awards now as a winner. Any time she puts one of her anti-Catholic screeds up, it will be available with one click through their site! It's shameful.

Apparently the powers that be at the HSBA sent Red the same type of letter that I received, that the onus is on us to forgive and forget and send in more nominations next year. But I think we can do better than that and just not participate. Certainly conscience dictates we can no longer link directly to the HSBA site since it sends viewers directly to Candy (who also fixed her links to go back to her anti-Catholic stuff AFTER the voting ended- coincidence? I doubt it).


Red expresses my sentiments:

Rest assured, I won't be nominating ANY Catholic bloggers for a Homeschool Blog Award next year; I won't be participating in their contest in any way at any time in the future, either. People who are not even remotely troubled by hateful bigotry against Catholics are not people with whom I choose to associate.

If you want to voice your complaints to the HSBA contact them here.

See more discussion here.
Particularly Catholic author Elizabeth Foss's comment:

I sent my letter this morning. I wrote yesterday and sat on it awhile. But when I read Red's and the way that she was answered, I figured I'd add my thoughts to what must be a growing collection of thought-provoking emails. We have a year to decide about participating next year. In that year, policies could change. Perhaps we can influence change. What we are being asked to do *right now* is post about the winners and direct people to the HSBA site to find great blogblogs they may have not known about.And then, if we do, we become part of the anti-Catholic propaganda. Anytime we send someone to the general blog awards site, we send them to Candy's site. I don't plan to provide links or buttons directly to HSBA. Instead, let's celebrate Dawn's win (and make sure anyone who doesn't already know what a treasure her blog is is directed straight to it)and maybe pick and choose from among winners and nominees and personally recommend those blogs. Also, we can generate a list of blogs that have great homemaking ideas, specifically, and offer that as an alternative. It's strange that Catholics weren't represented in that category because we have plenty of blogs with wonderful homemaking archives. Elena has been keeping tabs on this situation for awhile. If we discuss it, I think we can link to Elena's blog (linked above) instead of to Candy, so that we don't send people to read that muck. How can we stay positive here? How can we comment that it's a shame that some people are bigoted and uneducated, while redirecting towards the Catholic blogs that are beautiful expressions of faith and some of the very good Protestant blogs from which we can all benefit?

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The Anti-Pagan Christmas Tree

This time of year, it is often common for fundamentalist blogs to start discussing the pagan roots of the celebration of Christmas, and various Christmas customs. Often the Christmas tree specifically, is attacked because of Jeremiah 10:3-4:

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

However, the Christmas tree is not the making of an idol. Rather, it is a refutation of paganism.

Saint Boniface, a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, England established Christian churches in France and Germany in the 7th Century. In 723, Boniface felled the holy oak tree dedicated to Thor near the present-day town of Fritzlar in northern Hesse. Boniface called upon Thor to strike him down if he cut the "holy" tree. Boniface started to chop the oak down, when suddenly a great wind, as if by miracle, blew the ancient oak over. When Thor did not strike him down, the people converted to Christianity. He built a chapel from its wood at the site where today stands the cathedral of Fritzlar.

A fir tree growing in the roots of the Oak was claimed by Boniface as a new symbol. "This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the center of your households. Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light. Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your Comfort and Guide."

By chopping down a tree and bringing into your home, you are refuting a pagan religion which taught that trees were sacred. You can read more about St. Boniface at Catholic Encyclopedia or from the original biography of St. Boniface written by Willibald within thirteen years of Boniface's death.

The Homeschool Blog awards are going on right now, ending tomorrow, December 15, 2007.


Many fine homeschool blogs have been nominated.

The Catholic Homeschool Blogosphere is also well represented in many categories.


I want to bring special attention to the Best Homemaking and Recipe Category.


The blog at Welcome to Keeping the Home is very anti-Catholic. You can read some of her articles on her homemaking blog against the Catholic Church:

Discourse in Symbology

Q&A on the Mass

The Vatican and the Bible.

"Catholics, I really need to tell you."

Although there are no Catholic blogs in this category, I have checked out the other candidates and none of them are anti-Catholic. I think it would be a shame if this one were to win in this category. Please see for yourself and then vote accordingly.


Of interest, Candy has taken some of her posts out of her side bar and the one about the Vatican vs. God goes to her detergent recipe! Coincidence?

A Third Way: Catholic Carnival 150: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace

A Third Way: Catholic Carnival 150: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace

Prayer request

Please keep Tracy from a Simple Life and her family in your prayers. Her brother-in-law passed away very unexpectedly and their family is dealing with grief and loss this holiday season. Tracy is a very active commenter on this blog and we always welcome her contributions.

The Homeschool Blog Awards

I wasn't going to mention these awards here, but Candy is nominated for one of the categories and put in a plug for it tonight, so I suppose it deserves mention.

My own criteria for voting for blogs is here. I've also blogged about some neat finds here.

I went through the blogs in the Best Homemaking category one by one and here is my analysis.

My Source of Inspiration seems like a pleasant little blog. There is no search function, but I could not find anything that was anti-Catholic on it and there are some good links.

Brandy's Variety Blog is pleasant and she has a nice template. She has left supportive comments on Candy's blog in the past.

Camelot Homestead Cute blog, no search function. Couldn't find anything overtly anti-Catholic on it.

Crafts and recipes for Young Ladies has a fun template. No search function, but I could not find anything objectionable or anti-Catholic on it.

Shades of Pink gave me column envy! I really like her set up. No search function though and I could not find anything anti-Catholic on it.

Simple folks is a visual treat. Lots of good stuff in the side bars. No search function though. (Don't these bloggers want to be able to find their own stuff? I could not find anything anti-Catholic or objectionable.

Candy's Welcome to Keeping the Home. Blatantly anti-Catholic and the reason this blog exists. It is currently in fourth place with 11% of the vote (approximately 7 votes).

There's no Place Like Home - charming. Search utility and nothing anti-Catholic.

Mrs. Happy Housewife has a lot of good information. I wish you didn't have to have a password and user name to log into her blog because it just makes it more complicated. Still she is not anti-Catholic and in fact is very supportive of some Catholic ideas and cultural traditions.

Tammy's recipes is currently in first place. A clean, crisp, well-organized site. The only thing she says about Catholicism at all is: ... it. Also the word Christmas is actually derived from the Catholic Church and means Christ's Mass, but I don't know. All churches try to ... from pagans. I suppose originating from the Roman Catholic church would be just as bad, to some. ;) I just find it intresting .. And she doesn't "do" Christmas. I respect her right to do so, but she lost my vote for that.

Update:
I have been very busy over the past couple of days with a new account I took on for work, but I wanted to drop a quick note about the Homeschool Blog Awards that are going on.

It did seem to me that Candy's blog was breaking their guidelines, i.e.

Family friendly (G-rated) blogs only. Do not nominate a blog that has cussing (no potty mouth), photographic nudity (I’m not talking about one image of some sculpture from the 1500’s in an art post), sexual content, or hostility toward other bloggers.

I received a very nice note back from the folks at HSB awards. Here is an excerpt; emphasis mine:

I read the first link there that you sent and a few of the other ladies on my team looked through all of them and we have all discussed this together. From viewing the site, it does have things that I can see might "ruffle feathers" - especially Catholics' feathers. However, the harshest thing I saw her say was " large counterfeit Christian religion". She may not allow alternative viewpoints because she is seeking to ban argument from her blog, and that is her right. The point is, from our standpoint, she isn't being hateful to another blogger personally (and that is the point of our rule on hostility - to prevent harassment/hateful comments about bloggers) - she's just trying to persuade people to believe what she believes. Catholics may view her as hateful because she speaks against the same type of Christianity that they practice. I think that is the same thing as me saying why I don't follow Islam (to a Muslim it would seem like blaspheme).

I want you to know that I am sorry that you are offended by her blog. I haven't ever read it before, personally... and I do not discuss religious doctrines on my blog because I feel that they divide rather than unify - which is Christ's purpose for His church. I do not agree with her that all Catholic people are counterfeit and going to hell myself.

I would hope that despite this blogger's beliefs about doctrinal issues, you would forgive her. Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do". It would be wrong of me to disqualify her because she has truly not broken HSBA guidelines.

I did not see any foul language, I did not see any bashing of other persons/bloggers, and she kept her discussion clean for the most part. Making remarks about religious beliefs is not part of our rules... and all of us at the HSBA do not want to be blog police. I hope you will understand.

Here is the gist of my response:

I truly appreciate the time and effort that you put into my request.

Candy has made it her mission to bash Catholics and the Catholic faiths. You may have noted how difficult it is to get to her archives. She did that on purpose because so many Catholics were pulling up those old articles to question her about them and to correct her errors.

Understandably, you probably missed statements like this one found
http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/2007/04/listen-to-this-and-some-q-and-catchup.html


Q Have you ever attended a Catholic mass? -Sue

A Yes. It was so sad and gut wrenching that it almost brought me to tears. I was the only one attending, that I could see, that brought a Bible, and even bothered looking up scriptures. The Bible ignorance in that crowd was astounding me as well. Most of them don't seem to read their Bible, they just follow what "the church" teaches them. Everyone there looked to me like they were wearing masks with no eyes. :-( I suspect that there might have been more true reverence (as opposed to ritual) in a black mass (however they'd be worshiping the wrong guy, of course). I also found it quite disturbing how everyone was basically handed a "script" as they walked in the door. - Kneel at this time, say this with the congregation at this time, sing this at that time, kneel again at this time, say such and such prayer at that time, repeat this phrase three times, etc. Where is the worship of God in that? No, I'd much prefer to follow the worship manual - The Bible.

This seems a little bit more inflammatory than simply trying to persuade readers of the validity of her own perspective. And while I totally agree with you that it is her right to disallow debates and arguments on her own blog, I do wonder at the wisdom and even the morality of posting inflammatory, hurtful, erroneous and cruel things and then not allowing comment and discussion.

I can and do forgive Candy's offensive behavior, but I do not believe that forgiveness equates to tolerating that behavior. Jesus forgave sinners, but he did not tolerate sin. If Candy was speaking out against African Americans, or the mentally ill, or the handicapped, or the obese, homosexuals etc., I don't think anyone would tolerate her rhetoric. But speaking as a Catholic, it does seem as though it is still acceptable in this culture to bash and degrade Catholicism.

While I am very disappointed with your decision, I totally respect your position and I thank you for all of the hard work that you have done on keeping the blog awards going. Thanks again for taking the time out of your busy homeschooling day for looking into this for me.

My main point is this: When we allowing bigotry and hatred to happen without speaking out against it when we see it, if we allow our faith to be denigrated, misrepresented, lied about etc., then things will never change, and it will remain perfectly acceptable behavior to refer to the pope as devil, and Catholics as Pagans, etc. So while I wasn't able to get this particular blog knocked out of the competition, at least the HSB administration is more aware of our anti-Catholic concerns, and perhaps the awards regulations will change in the future.

There are some fine Catholic blogs that have won in other categories in the past. But I think it would be shameful for many reasons if any blog of this nature would win in any category.

A Mother's Rule of Life Update

OK I am a total slacker. No not really but I do not have chapter 3 ready. I guess my Christmas schedule has got me tied up right now, so I am putting MROL on hold until January 4th. I apologize to everyone but I looked at my priorities and God & Family must come first. I hope everyone has a great Christmas & New Year!

Pax Christi,

Erika

Propoganda for nitwits.

Another reason to keep away from Evangelical blogs, websites and forums.

Bigotry and hatred

This article on Mommy Life: really illustrated for me the extent of the bigotry and hatred many Catholics have to endure.

I personally, at least to my face, in real life have not experienced that. A friend of mine who was attending a "Christian" homeschool group was once insulted when the leader of the group picked up a Catholic Bible and threw it across the room, but I have never experienced that sort of behavior myself.

Online over the past year I've seen quite a bit of dislike, disdain, and hatred of all things Catholic (all while proclaiming "I don't hate Catholics")and it has made me start to wonder about the Evangelicals I do know I real life. I wonder about what is said behind my back, and I think personally after the new year, I'm going to ask.

Bigotry and hatred go both ways. Where as I might have viewed an Evangelical as someone to practice some apologetics with, it never would have occurred to me to avoid such a person. In fact I would even stop and watch some of their television programs from time to time and found them enjoyable and filled with a lot of substance. I blogged before that when my oldest son was assaulted by in our neighborhood by a black kid, he started to be more distrustful of other black kids his own age and older. Now I sometimes hear him talking about that subset of people as if they were one unit in a scornful way. That incident turned his heart and it is going to take a bold act of kindness I suppose from a young black man his age to change it I suppose. I write this however because I am fighting the same instincts to swallow back an unpleasant, almost visceral feeling when I come upon a blog, website or forum with "Evangelical" women on it. The more flowery or homey, the more my flight or fight kicks in and I choose flight because the fight is simply waning.

It's not easy to stay somewhere when you know you are hated, loathed, misunderstood. It's never easy to stay in a place where you are outnumbered and jeered. And other than my commitment to keep this blog up, I want very limited contact with that part of the blogosphere.

Bryan Murdaugh » Blog Archive » Catholic Carnival 148: For Life

Bryan Murdaugh » Blog Archive » Catholic Carnival 148: For Life

Candy versus St. Paul

Candy preaches that "The Christian cross is empty, because Jesus is no longer on that cross. We rejoice in His resurrection."

Contrast this with St. Paul, who writes in 1 Cor 1:23 that "we preach Christ crucified."

This is, perhaps, the reason why Candy does not provide any Scriptural support for her assertion that a Christian cross is an empty one. I did direct her to this verse in a comment, but she declined to publish it.

In addition, one could point to Revelation 5:6 as proof of Jesus' perpetual sacrifice. "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain." If Jesus appears in heaven, as if he had been slain, then why not remember His sacrifice on a crucifix, looking as if He had been slain?

Symbols

My daughter was supposed to be my third homebirth; however, my careful attendant noted some heart decelerations during contractions and a quick vaginal exam revealed a cord prolapse. Suddenly my peaceful, gentle homebirth became a scary ride to the emergency room in an ambulance with a STAT C-section. I kept my eyes closed tightly during the ambulance ride and in the hospital, but on my way to the operating room a kind doctor bent over me to introduce himself and let me know what was happening and how my baby was. When I opened my eyes, I immediately saw the gold cross around his neck. To this day I do not remember that doctor's name or even what he looked like, but I remember seeing that cross and having a feeling of peace and serenity. It never once crossed my mind that this physician was somehow a "different" sort of Christian because he was not wearing a crucifix, nor did it ever occur to me that the cross he wore meant anything other than the crucifixion cross, with or without the corpus of Jesus upon it. Instead I saw a symbol of my faith and I drew strength and courage from that. In fact, I think it was one of many subtle signs that God has given me throughout my life to remind me of his presence.

Barbara Curtis, who is converting to Catholicism, has noted the importance of the crucifix and she said it very well here:

Catholics are faulted for showing the image of Jesus on the Cross. I understand this now. I understand that though Christ died once for my sins, I need to remember it vividly to stay grounded in humility. Yes, I am saved by grace. But that does not make me worthy now - and I need to keep that in mind or though I might say the right words, my life will reflect a different reality.

Candy is trying to make a differentiation between a plain cross and a crucifix, as though Catholics (and Orthodox and Anglicans and Lutherans and other Christians)aren't "really" Christians if we don't wear the cross the way she says that it should be worn in the shape and style she says it should be. It always seems to me when Candy gives these little encyclicals that she wants to be the Pope of her own little church, and indeed, judging by some of her readership, she has succeeded to some degree. Still it was heartening to see that some of her readers have asked some challenging questions, notably this one by a lady named Lucy:

I wear a crucifix, because to me, a cross is just a cross. Lots of people died on crosses. And a cross doesn't even have to be a symbol of a crucifixion cross - it could be anything. The only reason "the cross" means a thing is because of Who died on it, why He died on it, and then what happened next. The resurrection only has a meaning of hope and joy because the cross came first - if the Lord Jesus had died of old age and then been resurrected, it wouldn't have necessarily had any redemptive purpose so far as I can see. To me a crucifix is beautiful because it portrays the depth of my Saviour's love for me and mankind, and is a continual reminder of His love and suffering and the sacrifice He made.

and even my nemesis Amy asked some good questions!

I'm confused as to how one kind of copying pagan symbols (the cross necklaces and Christmas trees) is OK but the copying of the statues is different? Is it because they show veneration to the statues and not the tree?

It seems to me Candy wants to have it both ways! She wants some the "pagan" symbols, but she wants to chastise folks who to her mind have other "pagan symbols."

The pagans had feasts. Does this mean then, that Christians should not eat? The pagans sang and danced unto their false gods. Does this mean then that it was pagan of King David to dance unto the Lord when he was celebrating the returning of the ark of the covenant?

"But wait, you say... The pagans had it all wrong." And so they did. :-) Now we can move on:

I actually agree with her statement her, but of course she means as long as the CATHOLICS haven't adopted them! She just forgot to add that little exception.

In the comment section Candy writes:

As for the pope picture - a graven image is a statue of anything or anyone. If a person is bowing before it, then they are showing homage to it.

Even if the person is bowing before it, but in their hearts they are bowing before God and praying to God, that's not what it looks like to curious on-lookers. This could then be constrewed (sic)as an appearance of evil, and the Bible says to avoid even the appearance of evil.

The bible also says:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

For more information on crucifixes see this article from Fisheaters. Also see this very well written, researched and biblical letter from Defenders of the Catholic Faith on the crucifix and statues here.