Does a JPII Statue Violate Separation of Church and State?

Following a link from the New Oxford Review, we learn of this debacle in France over a statue of John Paul II and whether or not it violates separation of church and state. Since the Parousians are not stereotypical ugly Americans and because we would never seek to impose our will on the French, we simply ask, have the American people violated our own Constitution by creating a national holiday to recognize the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., another religious leader who made an outstanding political contribution to the world through his advocacy of human rights? Is there a difference between the separation of church and state and the exclusion of people of faith from public discourse and civic recognition? Doesn't this exclusion indicate a hostile position taken by the state towards those who profess religion? Does the current secular concept of freedom of religion reduce those who exercise that freedom to the status of a second class citizen in everything else, especially if their faith informs all their public actions? The Parousians await a French response.

Maclin Horton on the Liberal Conservative

Maclin Horton has an interesting discussion happening on his blog Light on Dark Water. The topic is the liberal conservative. Why a Christian can be a "liberal conservative" but not a "conservative liberal", the difference between the "liberal conservative" and the Catholic neoconservative, and Alasdair MacIntyre's call for a new Benedictine revival all get some treatment in the discussion. So far, he has two posts on the topic, and they are linked below:

The Liberal Conservative (1)

The Liberal Conservative (1a)

Bill Cork on Apocalypto: "A Catholic Masterpiece"

Bill Cork, a friend of the Parousians and thr Director of Young Adults and Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston offers this insightful review of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. Several Parousians were overwhelmed by the stunning visual storytelling in the film, and many of Cork's points found their way into our dinner conversation.

Mad Mel's Magnificent Catholic Masterpiece

Notre Dame Professor on Academic Freedom

Founding Parousian Paul Catalanatto offers us this piece from Gary Anderson, a professor of theology at Notre Dame.

Academic Freedom: Is It Really Free, and Is It Really Academic?

Paul Cat on Stephen Colbert's "Truthiness" as Word of the Year

Founding Parousian Paul Catalanatto comments on the reason Merriam-Webster chose "truthiness."

Tobias Danna on Our Lady of Guadalupe and Catholic Evangelism

Since tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we offer a piece from the Daily Reveille archives done by founding Parousian Tobias Danna. All of us look forward to seeing Toby in his Our Lady of Guadalupe trucker cap on the feast day of the Patroness of the Americas and the unborn.

What I Saw in Old Catholic Mexico: The Eucharist, the Virgin and Faith

Pope Benedict is Smoking!

Something About the Pope Reminds Us of Elijah

Archbishop Jose Gomez on Prayer

We Live as We Pray

"Saint Gregory of Nazianzus had an expression that should make us think: 'We must remember God more often than we draw breath.'

This sentence may seem radical, but it reflects Jesus’ example and teaching regarding prayer: praying is not a 'duty' that we have to 'fulfill,' it is above all a need of the human spirit, which needs prayer just as the body needs food: without it, the soul dies of starvation."