With the commercial clamour of Christmas growing louder over the years, Christians have often despaired of the true spiritual message of the Nativity being heard. But a Church of England-backed campaign to raise awareness of Jesus Christ – by portraying him as a toy doll – seems to be trying to spread the word just Read more
The pellegrina is a shoulder cape the Pope and other clergy sometimes wear with their cassock. While its use has become mainly symbolic, it can still come in handy on a cold day to shelter from the wind…and it is sometimes hard to keep under control if an unexpected gust of wind catches you out. Read more
An American “archbishop” living in the Motueka Valley claiming to be able to turn salt water into a super fertiliser has conned a Melbourne woman out of her life savings. The victim, Julie Spicer, who is in her early 60s, lent Henry Alfred Goolsbee $97,985 to write a book, but the American spent the money Read more
Ever had dreams of being a rabbi, imam, priest or swami? How about a Klingon priest or a leader in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Well now there is an app that can get “ordination on the go”. With a flick of the finger, you can become one anyway (in your cell phone universe, at least). As Read more
Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday, September 21: “Marriage and the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is injurious to them is injurious to society itself.” But Lady GaGa says, “This is not what Christians believe, those who believe in something, that Read more
In England, Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith has urged Catholics to throw out jargon and communicate the truth simply and he says some neologisms “have a certain charm or energy to them. Others are ugly, lazy or debased and come, all too often, from America… But there is another community of speakers who seem to enjoy scraping Read more
Monsignor Fee Otterson who died in Edmonton on 9 September was a playful soul who once showed up to a family barbecue in a horrendous wig and once officiated an Easter service in bunny ears. He would lead drama classes in gibberish to challenge the communication skills of students. He walked school hallways wearing the Read more
Former Baywatch Babe Donna D’Errico goes to mass every Sunday and says the rosary with her children every night. D’Errico does not like the term spiritual because she think that’s a cop out. “Either you’re religious or you’re not. There’s no spiritual, it’s a silly term that’s become a catchall phrase. If you’re not religious you’re not religious. What Read more
In a recent broadcast of Robertson’s television show “The 700 Club,” he answered a question from a viewer named Michael about how to repair his marriage to a woman who “has no respect for me as the head of the house.” Robertson’s response: ”Well, you could become a Muslim and you could beat her.” Unfortunately, Robertson Read more
Reverend Richard Aitken, from the Anglican parish of St John’s in Invercargill, said he had seen an Iranian man, Mr Shadmanian, who was not an ordained minister, wearing the clerical shirt and collar on numerous occasions. “There is no right to wear the clothing of a minister or act as a minister of the church Read more