Blog
LatestArticlesVideos
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcast
Fine Art
Real Estate
More
AboutCharityBooksSponsorsShopContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2024 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Time for Christians to unite and help remove the evil within the Catholic Church

August 22, 2018
Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Jonathon Dunne

Contributor

Last week the Christian world was once again rocked with the grand jury testimony from Pennsylvania that over 300 Catholic Priests sexually abused children and the Catholic Church helped cover it up. Sadly, this is not the first time the Catholic Church has been rocked by such scandals. Having lived through a similar scandal in Ireland, and as a former Catholic (note: please continue reading if you are a Catholic as I don't have an ax to grind), I wanted to offer some advice for all concerned in the hope it can be handled differently this time.

Pure Evil

When you hear some of the horrific details from the grand jury, the easiest emotion to feel is anger and hatred. I totally understand that and I join you. If you are abusing and raping poor innocent kids, I think you are vile, evil, and pure SCUM. I put you in the same category as other evil people who preyed on innocent people like Hitler, Stalin, ISIS, Mao or Pot. This is an absolute for me regardless of the position you hold in society – I don't care about your race, your gender, your sexuality nor your religion. There is no excuse.

I have no problem admitting that my feelings are rather extreme towards people who abuse kids in this manner. I do my best to live a peaceful life and follow Christ, but on issues like this I really struggle. Personally, I would love to have ten minutes alone with them in a cell and afterward send them to be castrated. I believe society needs to send a clear message to everyone that abusing kids is off limits and there is a mega price to pay if you cross that line.

Love

Anger (righteous or otherwise) is a very easy emotion and it is on display by many in this case and on social media every day. Love is a harder emotion to follow and share in society. The first priority from these horrific cases in PA must be to show warmth, compassion, and love to the victims. Help them on the road to recovery (or as close to a recovery as is possible). Whether you are Catholic, Christian, Jew, Atheist, Muslim, Republican or Democrat, we must listen to them, help and support them in their time of need. I don't know if one can truly recover from such abuse, but we must be there for them as they start to relive their experiences and do everything possible to ensure their lives are not defined by those experiences, but rather help them to hope for a brighter future.

Catholic Church

The future of the Catholic Church is once again in question and its actions / inactions going forward will determine its future. It is clear that part of the Catholic Church is rotten and that rot needs to be removed before it infects and destroys all of the Catholic Church and maybe start to affect the role of other religions within Christianity.

Do I expect them to come out like me and support castration? NO, but they all need to come out and, in the strongest possible terms, denounce this behavior as evil; that any priest that is guilty is no longer worthy to be a shepherd of a flock, celebrate the consecration and give out communion. While this needs to start at the top with Pope Francis (and will require more than one written statement) it should also come at every opportunity from every member of clergy including cardinals, bishops and priests. Every member of the Catholic Church should demand it. Let us never forget the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

All Catholics Are Evil???

In 2018, we live in a world where we love to dehumanize the individual and make wide-ranging generalizations. It would be very easy to judge the priorities of this current Pope, to look at the history of abuse within the Catholic Church, and to say all Catholics are evil and that the Catholic Church sucks. If you are tempted to think this, let me ask you a couple of very direct questions.

  • Can you show me a section of society that has been more vocal and supportive of the pro-life movement around the world?
  • Can you show me any generalization (from any part of the world or at any time in history) that was ever factually proven to be true? I would love you to find 2 people who agree on everything, let alone 1.2 billion people who identify as Catholic in this world.
  • Lastly, when you attack all Catholics and say they are all the same – what do you see as the end result?

It is our job as Christians and as members of the human race to love and support each other, but also let the truth be our guide. If we simply attack all Catholics as being the same, they will likely do what they did in Ireland – get defensive – because they feel personally attacked (you will also notice others use this as a vehicle to attack the Church and God in general). Personal attacks will make them remain quiet in the face of this evil, because if you are being attacked from all sides of society, why would you add to it? This path will lead people to choose one of two options; they will either remain loyal to the Church; and the more we "attack" the more stubborn they will become, or, they will simply leave.

My First Big Concern

The biggest concern I have is for Catholics living in America (and around the world) who's faith has been shaken by this horrific news.

  • Do Catholics know the line that exists between man-made Catholic religion and God?
  • Do Catholics understand that man, being deeply flawed, let this happen and not God?
  • Do Catholics know God is weeping right now at what is happening to His children?

In Ireland, the sexual abuse scandal rocked the Church and was the catalyst for many to leave the Church and turn their backs on God. Sadly, many of those Catholics did not understand the line and the difference between the Catholic Church and God. One is divine and perfect and the other is man-made, therefore deeply flawed and imperfect.

If we are Christian (or Jewish), we must do our best to explain the job of religion – it is purely a vehicle to get us close to God and be a part of His family on Earth. If that vehicle is no longer doing its job, that does not mean God is not great, or that He does not exist, or that God approves of these evil actions – it means it's time to find another vehicle to get closer to God.

I can only hope and pray that members of other Christian religions do not see this as an "opportunity" to grow the ranks for their religion. The aim for all of us is to bring people closer to God and Christ and grow His influence through actions, not to get more people in the pews of our chosen religion.

Second Concern

My second concern is a more generalized one. If you look around at our world today, you will see many battles highlighted – left versus right, rich versus poor, black versus white, man versus women, and gay versus straight. While they all merit some discussion, they all pale in comparison to the biggest battle we all face in society today – Good versus Evil.

We can see evil growing in our society every day, but where is good growing? Who are the people shining the light for good? Where has common decency gone? Where has the respect gone for those who have a different opinion than you? If you believe and have faith in God and or Jesus Christ, that is your duty and responsibility. In this dark world we need more people like John the Baptist testifying to the lights' greatness and living a life worthy of remembering. If sections of Christianity start to turn dark or be silent in the face of evil darkness, who can and who will take their place?

Conclusion

I personally hope the Catholic Church purges this evil from within its ranks. While I personally do not believe in the theology of Catholicism, I have seen the good the Catholic Church has done ranging from the pro-life movement to the role of Pope John Paul II during the Cold War. I believe a strong, healthy, vibrant Catholic Church can play a major role in the body of Christianity in our world.

I believe the future of our world can be extremely bright and we can live freer and more prosperous than ever before. However, for that to happen, I believe it starts with Christians uniting around the principles that God and Jesus taught us in the Bible and not telling others how to live, but rather showing them by example!

Jonathon hosts a weekly one hour show exclusive to the Blaze Radio Network called Freedom's Disciple where he highlights the IDEA of America, promotes the eternal principles of freedom and shares his passion of America's Founding documents. Please check out his show for FREE on TheBlaze Radio, and platforms SoundCloud, iTunes, OMNY FM, Castbox, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, and Google Play.

Washington Post EXPOSED: How Watergate editors almost published a fake Pulitzer Prize-winning story

Episode 6 of Glenn’s new history podcast series The Beck Story releases this Saturday.

This latest installment explores the history of Left-wing bias in mainstream media. Like every episode of this series, episode 6 is jam-packed with historical detail, but you can’t squeeze in every story, so some inevitably get cut from the final version. Part of this episode involves the late Ben Bradlee, who was the legendary editor of the Washington Post. Bradlee is legendary mostly because of the Watergate investigation that was conducted on his watch by two young reporters named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Bradlee, Woodward, and Bernstein became celebrities after the release of the book and movie based on their investigation called All the President’s Men.

But there is another true story about the Washington Post that you probably won’t see any time soon at a theater near you.

In 1980, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee wanted to expand the Post’s readership in the black community. The paper made an effort to hire more minority journalists, like Janet Cooke, a black female reporter from Ohio. Cooke was an aggressive reporter and a good writer. She was a fast-rising star on a staff already full of stars. The Post had a very competitive environment and Cooke desperately wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Readers were hooked. And outraged.

When Cooke was asked to work on a story about the D.C. area’s growing heroin problem, she saw her chance to win that Pulitzer. As she interviewed people in black neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the heroin epidemic, she was appalled to learn that even some children were heroin addicts. When she learned about an eight-year-old heroin addict named Jimmy, she knew she had her hook. His heartbreaking story would surely be her ticket to a Pulitzer.

Cooke wrote her feature story, titling it, “Jimmy’s World.” It blew away her editors at the Post, including Bob Woodward, who by then was Assistant Managing Editor. “Jimmy’s World” would be a front-page story:

'Jimmy is 8 years old and a third-generation heroin addict,' Cooke’s story began, 'a precocious little boy with sandy hair, velvety brown eyes and needle marks freckling the baby-smooth skin of his thin brown arms. He nestles in a large, beige reclining chair in the living room of his comfortably furnished home in Southeast Washington. There is an almost cherubic expression on his small, round face as he talks about life – clothes, money, the Baltimore Orioles and heroin. He has been an addict since the age of 5.'

Readers were hooked. And outraged. The mayor’s office instructed the police to immediately search for Jimmy and get him medical treatment. But no one was able to locate Jimmy. Cooke wasn’t surprised. She told her editors at the Post that she had only been able to interview Jimmy and his mother by promising them anonymity. She also revealed that the mother’s boyfriend had threatened Cooke’s life if the police discovered Jimmy’s whereabouts.

A few months later, Cooke’s hard work paid off and her dream came true – her story was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. Cooke had to submit some autobiographical information to the Prize committee, but there was a slight snag. The committee contacted the Post when they couldn’t verify that Cooke had graduated magna cum laude from Vassar College. Turns out she only attended Vassar her freshman year. She actually graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.A. degree, not with a master’s degree as she told the Pulitzer committee.

Cooke’s editors summoned her for an explanation. Unfortunately for Cooke and the Washington Post, her resume flubs were the least of her lies. After hours of grilling, Cooke finally confessed that “Jimmy’s World” was entirely made up. Jimmy did not exist.

The Pulitzer committee withdrew its prize and Cooke resigned in shame. The Washington Post, the paper that uncovered Watergate – the biggest political scandal in American history – failed to even vet Cooke’s resume. Then it published a front-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning feature story that was 100 percent made up.

Remarkably, neither Ben Bradlee nor Bob Woodward resigned over the incident. It was a different time, but also, the halo of All the President’s Men probably saved them.

Don’t miss the first five episodes of The Beck Story, which are available now. And look for Episode 6 this Saturday, wherever you get your podcasts.


5 Democrats who have endorsed Kamala (and two who haven't)

Zach Gibson / Stringer, Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

With Biden removed from the 2024 election and only a month to find a replacement before the DNC, Democrats continue to fall in line and back Vice President Kamala Harris to headline the party's ticket. Her proximity and familiarity with the Biden campaign along with an endorsement from Biden sets Harris up to step into Biden's shoes and preserve the momentum from his campaign.

Glenn doesn't think Kamala Harris is likely to survive as the assumed Democratic nominee, and once the DNC starts, anything could happen. Plenty of powerful and important Democrats have rallied around Harris over the last few days, but there have been some crucial exemptions. Here are five democrats that have thrown their name behind Harris, and two SHOCKING names that didn't...

Sen. Dick Durbin: ENDORSED

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

High-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin officially put in his support for Harris in a statement that came out the day after Biden stepped down: “I’m proud to endorse my former Senate colleague and good friend, Vice President Kamala Harris . . . our nation needs to continue moving forward with unity and not MAGA chaos. Vice President Harris was a critical partner in building the Biden record over the past four years . . . Count me in with Kamala Harris for President.”

Michigan Gov. Whitmer: ENDORSED

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

The Monday after Biden stepped down from the presidential VP hopeful, Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement on X: “Today, I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States [...] In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to focus on lowering their costs, restoring their freedoms, bringing jobs and supply chains back home from overseas, and building an economy that works for working people.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ENDORSED

Drew Angerer / Staff | Getty Images

Mere hours after Joe Biden made his announcement, AOC hopped on X and made the following post showing her support: "Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: ENDORSED

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is arguably one of the most influential democrats, backed Harris's campaign with the following statement given the day after Biden's decision: “I have full confidence she will lead us to victory in November . . . My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal, and political.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ENDORSED

Drew Angerer / Stringer | Getty Images

Massasschesets Senator Elizabeth Warren was quick to endorse Kamala, releasing the following statement shortly after Harris placed her presidential bid: "I endorse Kamala Harris for President. She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November."

Former President Barack Obama: DID NOT ENDORSE

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama wasted no time releasing the following statement which glaringly omits any support for Harris or any other candidate. Instead, he suggests someone will be chosen at the DNC in August: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond."

Prominent Democratic Donor John Morgan: DID NOT ENDORSE

AP Photo/John Raoux

Prominent and wealthy Florida lawyer and democrat donor John Morgan was clearly very pessimistic about Kamala's odds aginst Trump when he gave the following statement: “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither. It’s others turn now . . . The donors holding the 90 million can release those funds in the morning. It’s all yours. You can keep my million. And good luck . . . [Harris] would not be my first choice, but it’s a done deal.”

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

Kevin Dietsch / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff, Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Image

It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?