This image appears in the annual Leesburg Christmas ParadeEvery year around this time, the stories begin popping up about certain atheists battling with people of faith over religious holiday displays on public property. They say it’s a question of the Constitutional separation of Church and State. Religious folks say it’s about the free exercise of religion in a Judeo-Christian countr... More

This morning, as I got ready for a long day of cooking, eating, and spending time with my family, I took time to pray, reflecting on those things I’m most thankful for. This is a practice I’ve tried to make a regular part of my life, not just something to do once a year on Thanksgiving. As I made my way through the list, certain things rose quickly to the top: my beautiful wife, my ama... More

I think it’s fair to say that everyone is tired of election politics. The political process in America ensures this. For many months before the election, we are inundated with advertisements, we suffer through debates, we watch endless coverage of campaign stops and stump speeches, and with the addition of social media, we see endless posts and discussions about the election from family, fr... More

Every pro-life voter knows that Mitt Romney has a troubling record on abortion. Those of us who have chosen to support him hope that the change of heart he describes on this issue is real, and that it will translate to words and actions that will assist our cause. But he has miles to go, as some of his some of his recent comments (and subsequent clarifications) have indicated. At Crisis this morn... More

That's a Brown Scapular She's Wearing Inspired by my post last week on Donna D’Errico, of Baywatch and Playboy fame, my former Franciscan University classmate and Ignitum Today columnist Jared Q. Tomanek interviewed D’Errico to get more of her story. Jared talks to her at some length about her new devotion to exploration, in particular as regards her much-publicized search f... More

In an interview with Fox News, former Baywatch star and Playboy Playmate Donna D’Errico talked about her recent hiking trip to Mount Arrarat, where she traveled to fulfil a lifelong dream of searching for Noah’s Ark. D’Errico says she’s wanted to search for the Ark since she was a child in Catholic School. So when the inevitable subject of religion and questionable choice... More

The HHS Mandate continues to cause problems for faithful Catholics standing up for their religious liberty. There’s a battle going on this week in courts across the nation, where more than 40 dioceses or Catholic institutions are fighting just to have their arguments heard by the Federal Government. The simultaneous filings Aug. 27 were in response to an Aug. 6 brief in which the Obama admi... More

For several years, I’ve been increasingly tempted to identify myself as a libertarian. A growing number of Catholic intellectuals have taken this position, and the case they make is compelling. Other Catholics I know, however, vehemently oppose libertarian philosophy and candidates, pointing to manifest examples of unjust wages, the historical problems posed by the Robber Barons, child labo... More

Thomas Peters takes issue with my arguments against abortion politics. But I’m afraid he’s missing my point. Several of them, actually. Thomas says that today’s SCOTUS ruling on American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock not only demonstrates the split of the Court on First Amendment rights, but also: illuminates one of the critical flaws in Steve Skojec’s thesis about ab... More

I recently heard from a source within the Department of Health and Human Services who indicated to me that people within the organization are “terrified” of what is going to happen. Not just with the mandate, which Catholics are combating eloquently in the Fortnight for Freedom. They’re afraid that the entire health care legislation will come tumbling down. If that happens, they... More