Category: Religion
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The Old Pope and Papal Prestige
In February 1922, there was a new pope: Pius XI. The man born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti would serve for 17 years and lead Vatican City’s creation as a sovereign state in 1929, separate from Italy. This New York Times Magazine article wrote in February 1922 of the new pope, comparing and contrasting him with…
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From Sorceress to Saint
In May 1920, Joan of Arc was declared a saint by the Catholic Church, almost 500 years after being burned at the stake for heresy. After claiming she heard voices telling her to liberate France from English rule, she helped lead French forces as a teenager. Pro-English clergy captured her, found her guilty of heresy,…
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Why Most American Jews Do Not Favor Zionism
29 years before Israel was founded, Jewish Congressman Julius Kahn (R-CA4) advocated against forming a Jewish state, arguing four main points. Here’s how his four points hold up (or don’t) today. First — It creates a divided allegiance, as between our country and its Stars and Stripes and Zion with its white flag with the…
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America’s Attitude Toward the Clergy
Clergy and religious leaders were losing influence and leadership in many different areas of life. in philanthropy: Look at the governing boards of such organizations as even the Red Cross, the Committee of Mercy and similar societies, and the astonishing fact reveals itself that the clergy are effectively boycotted! The very men on whose co-operation…
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What the New Army Expects of Its Chaplains
As American involvement in World War I escalated dramatically, more and more chaplains were needed to provide religious guidance and support for soldiers. “There are now sixty-six chaplains appointed to the regular army, representing every Christian denomination. The scheme of the General Staff for the new army provides one Chaplain with every new regiment ordered.…
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Scientists’ Belief in a Personal God Probed
A survey was sent out to 1,000 scientists by a professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr in 1917, asking whether they believed in a personal god. Dividing them into those of “greater” and “lesser” eminence. (The division into “lesser” and “greater” scientists, or really any classification of people in general whether by occupation or other…
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Minister Who Would Be Governor of Florida
Sidney Catts won the 1916 Democratic primary to become the nominee for Florida governor, but the party leaders were upset that the “outsider” pastor and insurance salesman with no political experience was to become their standard-bearer. The party went to the state Supreme Court and got them to demand a recount, which didn’t include Catts.…
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Washington’s Letter Vanishes from Baltimore
Shortly after George Washington was elected as president, Bishop John Carroll sent him a letter on behalf of American Catholics congratulating him on the post and stressing the need to maintain religious liberty. Washington wrote back, saying, in part: “As Mankind become more liberal they will be more apt to allow that all those who…
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Where Catholics and Non-Catholics Should Unite
Amidst a presidential campaign where non-Catholic Donald Trump has gotten into a feud with Pope Francis — that’s right, a feud with the pope — it’s important to remember that this is actually a period of low inter-religious tension in this country. (With the exception of Muslims, it seems.) In this article from 1916, Rev.…
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Priests Block Recruiting in Quebec Province
The more things change, the more they stay the same. To this day, Quebec has had an active separatist movement vowing to remove itself from Canada and become independent. A 2012 poll found that 42 percent of Quebec citizens want to separate. Their “distinctive language and culture” is one of the major reasons why, and…
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