Dear Friends,
The murder of Rev. Jacques Hamel as he celebrated Mass at a small village church in France last week was a tragic event that was also historic. It “marked the first time that [Isis has] targeted a church in the West.” Paradoxically, it is also a hopeful sign in dark times. That the terrorist group would see an elderly 85-year-old priest along with two nuns and two worshippers who were present as a threat that must be targeted with deadly violence is proof that the ideology driving the terrorist group is spiritually bankrupt; it does not bother with attempting to participate in an exchange of ideas, and has no interest in appealing to the hearts and minds of those who don’t share their ideology. Every act of terrorism is therefore an act of desperation. It is an ideology without hope and without a future.
Pope Benedict XVI once wrote, “One who has hope lives differently.” Rev. Hamel was one of these. By all accounts, he was a “quiet” and “discrete” priest who went unassumingly about his daily duties of “baptizing infants, celebrating Mass and tending to parishioners.” When he reached retirement age of 75, however, he refused to stop his ministry, humbly continuing to serve despite his advancing age. In doing this, Rev. Hamel can now rejoice in his martyrdom, as was foretold by Christ in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”
Christians are a people of hope. By martyring Rev. Hamel, the terrorists only strengthen our resolve to live hope-filled lives of self-sacrificial love, with the faith that Christ’s final victory on earth is forthcoming and that our reward will indeed be great in heaven.
Thank you for your prayers and for your continued support of FRC and the family.
Sincerely,
Dan Hart
Managing Editor for Publications
Family Research Council
Religious Liberty
"Free to Believe"
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Catholic College Reinstates Pro-family Employee after ‘Hate Crime’ Investigation – Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNews
International Religious freedom
Russia's Ban on Evangelism Is Now in Effect – Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Christianity Today
One Woman’s Struggle for Freedom in Castro’s Cuba – Andrew Egger, The Daily Signal
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The UN Funds Repressive Regimes at the Expense of US Taxpayers – Brett Schaefer, The Daily Signal
Christian law school standing strong after win at Nova Scotia Court of Appeals – Alliance Defending Freedom
Military Religious Freedom
Atheist wants military chaplains punished for wearing uniforms to a chaplains’ event – Fr. Mark Hodges, LifeSiteNews
Secular Civilians Assault Warfighters’ Faith – Andrew Harrod, Juicy Ecumenism
Religious Liberty in the public square
Pastor Banned From Advertising Jesus Because It’s Too Offensive – Casey Harper, The Stream
A History of Religious Freedom – James Hitchcock, Touchstone
Lovers of Religious Liberty Will Find Scant Comfort in the New Democratic Party Platform – Mark Kellner, The Stream
Why Are Progressives on an Anti-Christian Witch Hunt? – Rachel Lu, The Federalist
Life
Abortion
New Poll Finds Americans Strongly Support Abortion Restrictions – PR Newswire
Texas dismisses felony charges against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt – Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews
How Can Pro-Life Liberals, Conservatives, and Libertarians Work Together? – Jason Scott Jones, The Stream
State Legislatures Have Passed 334 Pro-life Laws in the Past 5 Years – Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews
Democrats for Life Leader Wants to ‘Take Back’ the Party – Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews
Bioethics
Abortion, euthanasia, Nazis: Irish bishop connects the dots, and faces blowback – Steve Weatherbe, LifeSiteNews
New Study, Social Media Humanize Disabled Babies That Doctors Once Left to Die – Lindsey Tanner, The Stream
Cancer Center Bows the Knee to Assisted Suicide – Wesley J. Smith, National Review
AMA Wants to Empower Doctors to Refuse Treatment to Terminally Ill – Wesley J. Smith, LifeNews
2-year-old Claimed ‘Brain Dead’ Continues to Improve – Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews
Obamacare
16 Obamacare Co-Ops Collapsed. Here’s How the Rest Are Faring – Melissa Quinn, The Stream
Will Pence’s Obamacare Perfidy Damage Trump? – David Catron, The American Spectator
How Democrats Came to Embrace Taxpayer-Funded Abortions – Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal
Family
Economics
What Are Young Non-Working Men Doing? – Derek Thompson, The Atlantic
Lower Middle Class Hurt Most by Gov't Marriage Penalties, Study Finds – Brandon Showalter, The Christian Post
You Could Pay More to Fly Under This EPA Climate Change Rule – Katie Tubb, The Daily Signal
Here’s How Americans Can Curtail ‘Autopilot’ Spending and Take Back the Federal Budget – Mollie McNeill, The Daily Signal
Low employment levels affect children too – Angela Rachidi, AEI
Marriage
Solutions for Black Americans, Beginning With the Need for Dads – Walter E. Williams, The Daily Signal
Millennial Marriages: Surprisingly Strong – Christina Deal, Lifezette
In sickness and health: A picture of Christ-centered marriage – Andrew T. Walker, ERLC
Character
Students' Broken Moral Compasses – Paul Barnwell, The Atlantic
Do God’s Will, Not His Work – Bethany Jenkins, The Gospel Coalition
A time for Christian heroes – Fr. Robert McTeigue, Aleteia
Want to change the world? Stay home – Michael Rennier, Aleteia
Human Sexuality
These 24 States Are Calling on the Obama Administration to Stop Imposing Its Agenda on Students – Alliance Defending Freedom
Amid Complaints From Parents, Virginia School Board Pauses New Transgender Policy – Kelsey Harkness, The Stream
The Problem with Gender Studies – Matthew Tuininga, The Public Discourse
The Endless Muddle of Transgender Policy – John Rosenberg, Minding the Campus
100,000 Panamanians March Against UN-Style Sex Ed – Marianna Orlandi, C-Fam
Pornography
4 revelations about porn from your wife’s perspective – Nikki Daniel, ERLC
Hotels: Pretty Okay With Their Customers' Porn-Watching Habits – Adam Chandler, The Atlantic
To Filter Public WiFi, or Not? Starbucks and the Librarian of Congress Weigh In – National Center on Sexual Exploitation
Romance Porn: More Women are Addicted Than You Think – Leah Z. Singh, Crisis
You know what’s actually America’s most relentless propagator of racism? The porn industry – Jonathon Van Maren, LifeSiteNews
