Catalyst March Issue 2010
Recently we learned that Celebrity Cruises announced that at the beginning of this year it would no longer have priests on board to celebrate daily and Sunday Masses. We immediately followed up by questioning the cruise line about its new policy. Celebrity replied to our inquiry by saying, “Out of respect for our guests of all religious faiths, Celebrity... [Read more...]
PROP 8 CHALLENGE PUTS RELIGION ON TRIALCatalyst March Issue 2010
The voters in 30 states who have taken up the issue of gay marriage have voted 30-0 to affirm marriage as a union between a man and a woman; Proposition 8 did exactly that in California. Attorneys David Boies and Theodore B. Olsen, however, have been contesting this issue in a San Francisco court. On January 20, the judge allowed Boies and Olsen to... [Read more...]
DEFUND “SAFE SEX” PROGRAMSCatalyst March Issue 2010
In a new study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, abstinence-based sex education programs yielded results far superior to competing strategies. John B. Jemmott III, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, led the federally funded research. This study, which focused on African American students from four public middle... [Read more...]
GIVENCHY WAXES RELIGIOUSCatalyst March Issue 2010
Givenchy recently presented its Fall/Winter 2010 fashion collection in France; some of the items were religious-themed. Givenchy decided to wax religious: the 25 male models wore clothes and accessories that were a showcase of Christian symbols. All but one of the items were inoffensive. Catholicism was obviously on the mind of designer Riccardo Tisci... [Read more...]
BRIT HUME’S CRITICS ARE REVEALINGCatalyst March Issue 2010
When Fox News analyst Brit Hume made a plea to Tiger Woods to turn to Christianity in order to seek forgiveness, a firestorm ensued. Anyone who doesn’t understand the premium that Christianity puts on forgiveness is badly educated, but that is no excuse for the kind of vitriol that was spewed against Hume. For advising Woods to consider Christianity,... [Read more...]
MARTHA COAKLEY THRASHES RELIGIOUS LIBERTYCatalyst March Issue 2010
When Massachusetts senatorial hopeful Martha Coakley, a Roman Catholic, was asked on WBSM radio whether she supports conscience rights for health care employees, she offered a resounding “No.” So completely wedded to the extremists in the pro-abortion community, Coakley would not allow Catholic doctors and nurses—who accept the teachings of Catholicism—to... [Read more...]
HOLLYWOOD GOES APOCALYPTICCatalyst March Issue 2010
Two apocalyptic films were recently released that dealt with Christianity in wholly different ways: “The Book of Eli” and “Legion.” “The Book of Eli” puts a positive spin on Christianity. Following a nuclear war which destroyed all copies of the Bible, save for the one in Eli’s possession, he is determined to get the only copy left to... [Read more...]
ATTACK ON PIUS XII IS UNSEEMLYCatalyst March Issue 2010
An article by Deborah Dwork and Eric Greenberg criticizing the Church for pursuing the cause of sainthood for Pope Pius XII was recently published on the website of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Dwork, a specialist in Holocaust studies at Clark University, and Greenberg, a rabbi and director of interfaith policy for the ADL, have the credentials, but their... [Read more...]
SARAH SILVERMAN GOES OFF THE RAILSCatalyst March Issue 2010
On February 4, Sarah Silverman appeared on “The View”; during the show they played a small portion of her obscene rant (the most vile comments were omitted) against Pope Benedict XVI that she made last October on Bill Maher’s show. Silverman got a pass when she first aired her foul-mouthed attack on the pope and had it repeated on “The View,”... [Read more...]
NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST DRAWS HEATCatalyst March Issue 2010
The National Prayer Breakfast is held the first Thursday of every February, and is attended by senior members of the incumbent administration and Congress. The Washington event, which attracts some 3,500 leaders from the U.S. and abroad, is organized by a Christian group, The Fellowship Foundation (a.k.a. “The Family”), that keeps a low profile.... [Read more...]