FireUpChips10

FireUpChips10's Journal

October 30, 2013

Does the Catholic Church believe in ghosts?

Catholics like Marla Fisher can be excused for their confusion over what the church itself believes and teaches about ghosts.

“There is no settled doctrinal or moral practice with respect to ghosts or apparitions,” says Lawrence Cunningham, professor emeritus of theology at the University of Notre Dame. “You can’t point to a canon in ecumenical councils or canon law that addresses this.”

When it comes to the paranormal, the church walks a fine line. On the one hand, Catholicism is defined by a belief in the supernatural—one person of the Trinity was in the not-too-distant past commonly called “the Holy Ghost.” But church leaders also must battle against errant belief in the occult.

The word “ghost” comes from geist, the German word for spirit. A poltergeist, or noisy ghost, is a spirit that makes its presence known with acts of mischief—throwing toasters or dining room chairs around. Martin Luther was one of the earliest to use the term “Polter-Geister.” The Modern Catholic Dictionary (Eternal Life) defines “ghost” as “a disembodied spirit.”

http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201309/paranormal-activity-do-catholics-believe-ghosts-27887#sthash.2Ax319PH.dpuf

October 30, 2013

Woman plans to give "moderately obese" kids letters instead of candy for Halloween

A Fargo, N.D., woman says she will give trick-or-treaters that she deems 'moderately obese' a letter instead of candy this Halloween.

"I just want to send a message to the parents of kids that are really overweight... I think it's just really irresponsible of parents to send them out looking for free candy just 'cause all the other kids are doing it," the woman said in a morning radio interview with Y-24. She wouldn't identify herself.

The letter states: "You child is, in my opinion, moderately obese and should not be consuming sugar and treats to the extent of some children this Halloween season."

It continues: "My hope is that you will step up as a parent and ration candy this Halloween and not allow your child to continue these unhealthy eating habits."

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/272366/14/Woman-to-give-obese-children-letters-no-candy

October 30, 2013

Pope Francis, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim mull joint action on poverty

Pope Francis and World Bank president Jim Yong Kim have discussed the possibility of working together in the struggle against global extreme poverty during a meeting at the Vatican.

"What the Holy Father has been saying about inclusion and poverty is exactly the same thing as what we've been saying," Mr Kim, a trained doctor, told reporters after his audience with the pontiff on Monday.

..

"As an advocate, Pope Francis I think is unparalleled," he said. "His participation and his leadership in the global movement to end poverty would really solidify that movement."

Mr Kim explained that the World Bank is also looking at restoring an inter-faith advisory council and had already reached out to leaders of other faiths.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/pope-francis-world-bank-president-jim-yong-kim-mull-joint-action-on-poverty-20131029-2wcj4.html#ixzz2jDlbDjd1

October 30, 2013

Pope Francis, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim mull joint action on poverty

Pope Francis and World Bank president Jim Yong Kim have discussed the possibility of working together in the struggle against global extreme poverty during a meeting at the Vatican.

"What the Holy Father has been saying about inclusion and poverty is exactly the same thing as what we've been saying," Mr Kim, a trained doctor, told reporters after his audience with the pontiff on Monday.

"We discussed how we could work more closely together... We feel that if we can find ways of working together we could build a social movement that could accelerate progress," he said.

Mr Kim, who worked in Latin America for many years and spoke with the Argentine Pope in Spanish, said that Francis has already become a powerful voice against poverty since his election in March.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/pope-francis-world-bank-president-jim-yong-kim-mull-joint-action-on-poverty-20131029-2wcj4.html#ixzz2jDlbDjd1

October 28, 2013

Britney Spears songs used to thwart Somali pirates

Britney Spears songs are being used by navy officers to scare off Somali pirates off the coast of east Africa, it has been reported.

Songs including 'Oops! I Did It Again' and '...Baby One More Time' have proved best at keeping the pirates away, according to reports, with officers playing the songs in the direction of the pirates through speakers.

Merchant navy officer Rachel Owens, who works on supertankers off the east coast of Africa, told Metro of the unique security method: "Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most. These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect. As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can."

Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, adds: "Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music." He adds: "I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention."

http://www.nme.com/news/britney-spears/73465?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=britney#alrt9SGriwcdFmll.99

October 28, 2013

'Bishop Of Bling' Mansion May Become Refuge For Poor

Germany’s recently suspended “Bishop of Bling” faces the prospect of seeing his lavish multimillion euro residence turned into a refugee centre or a soup kitchen for the homeless, Catholic church officials in his home diocese announced today.

Bishop Franz Peter Tebartz-van Elst was formally suspended last week amid accusations that he had spent over €31m (£26.5m) on renovating his official residence in Limburg. The charges, which earned the 53-year-old bishop his nickname, provoked outrage among German Catholics.

Yesterday, church officials in Limburg said they were taking their own steps to admonish him.

“The residence is like an inherited sin which the bishop has left in his wake,” said a spokesman for the Caritas organisation for the homeless. “People who seek sanctuary with us could be given food in the residence,” he added.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/28/241391104/bishop-of-bling-mansion-may-become-refuge-for-poor

October 28, 2013

Australian nuns argue fracking is a habit we can't afford

Theirs is a cloistered, holy life, where the only sound some mornings is the flap of habits and the squawk of cockatoos.

And if nothing is more God-like than silence, what do the Discalced Carmelite nuns and friars of Varroville, near Camden, think of the prospect of coal seam gas drilling across NSW?

''To me it appears to be a slash and grab approach, get rich quick and - pardon this use of language - but to hell with the consequences,'' Sister Jocelyn Kramer said.

''It's not sensible to exploit the resources now and not bother what effect that might have for future generations.''

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1867971/nuns-argue-fracking-is-a-habit-we-cant-afford/

October 27, 2013

Four words: Bacon-scented smartphone notifications

Now your meeting reminders can smell delicious.

A new smartphone plug-in accessory can release a puff of bacon smell into the air -- should you choose to live deliciously.

The technology "attaches to headphone socket on both iPhones and Android smartphones and, when told to by the companion app, releases a burst of fragrance, paired with a customizable LED light," Engadget reports.

Other smartphone smells include coffee and strawberry, but you're going to choose bacon, the world's most perfect food.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/26/bacon-scented-smartphone-notifications_n_4166088.html

October 24, 2013

Bernardin's legacy sees new life under Francis

The election of Pope Francis in March heralded a season of surprises for the Catholic Church, but perhaps none so unexpected – and unsettling for conservatives – as the re-emergence of the late Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin as a model for the American Catholic future.

While there is no indication that Francis knows the writings of Bernardin, who died in 1996, many say the pope’s remarks repeatedly evoke Bernardin’s signature teachings on the “consistent ethic of life” – the view that church doctrine champions the poor and vulnerable from womb to tomb – and on finding “common ground” to heal divisions in the church.

...

“The point that (Bernardin’s) consistent ethic makes is exactly the same point that Pope Francis is making – let’s look at the whole picture and not just focus almost exclusively on three or so issues,” said Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, N.M., who had been close friends with Bernardin since the 1970s.

“I certainly think that if Cardinal Bernardin were alive he would be very pleased with what Pope Francis is saying and doing,” echoed Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, retired archbishop of Galveston-Houston, whose 1998-2001 term as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was seen as one of the last in the mold of Bernardin.

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/24/pope-francis-breathes-new-life-cardinal-bernardins-contested-legacy/

October 23, 2013

That big-spending German bishop has been suspended until further notice

A German bishop under fire for lavish spending on his personal residence at a time when Pope Francis is sending a message of modesty has been suspended from his duties, pending the outcome of an investigation, the Holy See said Wednesday.

Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, 53, left his diocese in Limburg for Rome on a low-budget carrier last week, as anger mounted in Germany over the $42 million bill for revamping his residence. The bishop also faces charges that he made false statements twice under oath during a legal case against a magazine.

It was not immediately clear whether the bishop would remain at the Vatican while awaiting the final decision.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/world/europe/vatican-suspends-german-bishop-known-for-spending.html

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