REMEMBERING ST. BARBARA

    The 4th of December is the anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Barbara. Her's is a story that goes back to the most ancient times of the Church: nearly 18 Centuries ago. Her life and death occurred---according to the best authorities---in the area around the Biblical city of Edessa. This city today is located in Syria and known as Homs. Like its neighboring city Palmyra, Homs' Christian populace and its wealth of historical treasures suffered brutally during the ISIS Caliphate. 

     But as much damage as the Jihad did, the reputations of early Christians like St. Barbara have also fallen victim to the parasitical and degenerative influences of Western Liberalism. Shamefully, even Catholic academics who should know better, are competing with Leftist institutions in a race to the bottom of society's lowest elements. It's become fashionable even there to affect a cynical sneer at the whole notion of Saints, Angels, and many other persons of traditional Christianity. 

     We should point out here that many Protestants misunderstand the Veneration of Saints in Catholicism and Orthodoxy. It should be understood that we don't 'pray' to Saints. The Catechism and the writings of several scholars make it clear that we believe that Saints are very much alive and dwelling with Christ in Heaven. As Christ taught us, "Where two or three gather in My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Intercession is simply a matter of inviting a Saint known for holiness to pray with us. Because those in Heaven see with the eye of the Spirit, their prayers for us are in a sense, purified. 

   Saints' lives also furnish pastors with rich material for sermons and object lessons. 

    St. Barbara lived during the early 3rd Century, roughly between the years 220-238 A.D. As her name suggests, her ethnic heritage was Hellenized Arabian. She lived on the frontier of the Roman East, an area economically dependent on the Roman military bases. The same region was heavily Christianized from the days of the Apostles. Barbara's father---who was a brutal and selfish man---was called in the stories Dioscorus. He was wealthy, a naturalized Roman, and probably a military contractor by profession. Dioscorus may have been a Romanized name he adopted related to that occupation since the Dioscurii (Castor and Pollux) were gods widely worshiped in the Roman Army. 

     Barbara befriended a servant girl who was a Christian and known to us today as St. Juliana. Juliana converted Barbara to Christianity, and was her life-long companion. As Barbara grew older, she became more beautiful; and her cunning father saw that her attractiveness could be leveraged into a marriage with a wealthy and prominent man. He secluded Barbara in the palace; but it appears that the provincial governor, Martinianus, was the husband for whom he intended her. 

     The fact that she was a Christian wasn't an impediment at first. She was born during the Severian Dynasty which was extremely tolerant and sympathetic towards Christians. It's founder, General Septimus Severus had served in the East and knew many Christians. It's argued by some that he may have been a Christian himself. At any rate, the Severan policy was characterized by religious syncretism. One of Septimus' descendants even put a statue of Christ in the Pantheon; and Christian speakers were regular guests at the Imperial Palace. 

     Things changed radically, however, when the Dynasty was overthrown in a coup led by General Maximinus Thrax in 235 A.D. Thrax was a thuggish killer who'd risen through the ranks by his sheer ruthlessness. He was coarse and uneducated and not of the Roman Aristocracy, whom he envied and despised. As might be expected of one of his character, Thrax was paranoid and power-mad as a ruler. Unlike Septimus Severus, Thrax feared the Church and imagined that Christians were plotting against him.  

     Martinianus and Dioscorus thus, were in a precarious position, especially the former, because he was not only an aristocrat, but related distantly to the Severans. This was a time when unscrupulous men like these two were eager to ingratiate themselves into the New Order by any means necessary. Like typical bullies, they were arrogant and overweening to those weaker; but cringing and fawning towards anyone whom they saw as more powerful. 

     Dioscorus was constructing a Roman-style bath-house to entertain his wealthy friends, but Barbara wanted to use it during its idle-times for Christians to congregate. The basic story is that, because Christians had fallen out of favor, Dioscorus cancelled any Christian-themed orders in the architecture. However, when he was away for a time, Barbara countermanded those orders. When Dioscorus returned, he flew into a rage, and beat Barbara severely. She ran away, but her father sent his guards after her, who then arrested her and threw her in jail. While this was going on, the brute turned his rage upon Juliana---who not being a Roman citizen like Barbara, was tortured and executed that night. 

     While Barbara was in jail, Martinianus and Dioscorus hatched a plan. What could prove their loyalty to Thrax more than if they sacrificed Barbara---the affianced of one and the daughter of the other? The sheer cold-blooded cynicism displayed here really illustrates the depths to which evil will sink. And it gets even worse. 

     At her trial, Barbara was ordered to renounce her faith, which she refused. The cowardly Martinianus was furious, because he offered an amnesty to her if she would deny Christ and marry him. That her faith was higher than him was a blow to his ego, and he sentenced her to death by beheading---the capital punishment used for Roman citizens. Completely abandoned now to depravity, Dioscorus invoked a little-used provision in Roman Law which gave a father the right to execute his own children!    

   The day of the execution was December 4th. The citizens around Edessa---pagan and Christian alike---were overwhelmingly opposed to the verdict. But nonetheless, the execution was public on a hill outside of town. The day was said to have been an ominous day with black storm-clouds gathering---fueling those of both faiths to see Divine disapproval in these portents. But sentence was carried out, and the fiendish Dioscorus lifted his daughter's head and raised his sword to the crowd. 

    Then, a remarkable thing happened. Whether one believes that what happened next was of Divine or natural origin---Dioscorus was struck by lightning and killed instantly. Now, Roman swords were made of an iron and copper alloy, and raising an instrument like that on barren hill under an impending thunderstorm and getting hit by lightning may not necessarily be an improbable or miraculous occurrence. But there was no doubt in the locals' minds. The indigenous pagan deity of that area was Baal, who like Zeus and Jupiter was known for slaying sinners with thunderbolts. 

    This situation turned very quickly into a riot. The crowd stormed Martinianus' palace and massacred him and his entire entourage before setting the place on fire. They then charged upon Dioscorus' estate, which met a similar fate. The rioters however spared the bath-house from destruction. A debate arose among them as to whether Baal or the Christian God was offended; so they decided to err on the side of caution and spare the bath-house which later became a Christian shrine. It's said that some of the Church Elders recovered Barbara's body and buried her near the shrine; and also that several miracles were reported to have occurred there. 

    Eventually, the Parthians conquered this region and the Roman citizens were dispersed abroad, carrying the story of St. Barbara with them. Legends inevitably grew around her, but we have presented the facts as best as were able to. 

     It's noteworthy that centuries later, Christian women in the same area chose martyrdom when offered the same choices by the ISIS commanders. It shows again how one person's act of faith can live on behind them and inspire others to do the right thing. 

    

MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS OUT ON OPIOID EPIDEMIC

    Yesterday was a busy day for America's glamorous First Lady. The Annual Christmas Tree lighting took place that evening and she was hostess to a group viewing her amazing decorations at the White House. But earlier in day, she traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia to give a speech at Liberty University on the Opioid Epidemic. 

    Because the Corporate Media doesn't report anything positive about the Trump Administration, few Americans realize that Mrs. Trump has also been quite active in fighting the Epidemic. In May, she started the Be Best Campaign, one of the goals of which is to establish support networks for children and families affected by the Opioid Crisis. Their especial focus is on fighting Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome---babies who are born with addictions. 

    At Liberty University, Mrs. Trump gave a stunning speech. It was noteworthy simply because it was full of heartfelt sentiments, unlike the phony soundbite scripts we were accustomed to hearing from the likes of Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. After detailing some of the statistics on Opioid Abuse, Mrs. Trump spoke of her experiences visiting hospices and rehabilitation centers.

    "I am here speaking to you in my official capacity as First Lady, but I want you to know I am also here as a mother.  But rather than lecture you about the dangers of drug abuse as most mothers would – and should – I am going to tell you what I have learned in this past year because I believe education and learning is key to making the right decisions on your own behalf.

     "I have learned that addiction can begin with something as innocent as an injury – it could be a sports injury, or from some kind of an accident. I have spoken with families and seen many news reports that talk about young athletes or people injured in accidents who became hooked on opioids after being given a prescription for real pain. Tragically, many of those stories end with people who have later transitioned into using heroin and overdosing.  In fact, data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that in 2016 and 2017, more than 17,000 deaths were attributed to overdosing on commonly prescribed drugs.

    "I have learned that many people who become addicted to drugs are too ashamed to ask for help. I have also learned that addiction is a disease. And like any illness, people need and deserve treatment. We must commit to removing the stigma of shame that comes with addiction and helping change public opinion so that people find evidence based treatment before it is too late...

    "I believe that as our next generation, you have the potential to not just reduce, but eliminate the statistics I mentioned earlier. I also believe you have the capacity to not think of this in terms of statistics, but to think of this as a human story and an opportunity to save lives. I believe in your unending potential to change our world for the better."

    Mrs. Trump was roundly applauded by everyone except for the few Media Hyenas in attendance. Most of the MSM ignored the speech altogether, the full text of which can be read here. I can't help but to remark here that Melania Trump is doing a lot more good for real people in real need than those slatterns running around in disgusting pink hats screaming about how much they hate men. 

   Now, if young women would like to expend their efforts actually doing something that benefits all of us: why not follow Mrs. Trump's example as she called upon American youth to do? The Be Best Campaign would be a good place start. And there are plenty of volunteer opportunities to help mothers and children in drug recovery throughout the country. That's certainly better too than getting thrown in jail for disrupting Senate Confirmation Hearings. Or better than standing for hours in the hot sun raising money for racketeers like Planned Parenthood. 

    Who knows? You might even meet your soulmate, because the real men don't hang around Feminist rallies. They're out there fighting the drug epidemic too. 

    

RED PILLS SNEER AT CHRISTIAN'S MARTYRDOM

    Last week, John Chau---an Evangelical Christian from Vancouver, Washington---was killed while on a missionary trip to the Sentinel Islands. The Islands are in a remote area of the Bay of Bengal and populated by uncivilized savages. The territory is under Indian jurisdiction. 

     This weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispatched an expeditionary force to the islands to chastise the natives and to recover Chau's body. Predictably the American Whacko Left denounced Modi's actions. They argue that introducing Christianity would corrupt the purity of the Island's culture.

   Here is a photo of some of the Noble Savages objecting to being photographed from a passing boat. Come to think of it, they do look remarkably similar to many Democrat constituencies here in the US. Prime Minister Modi is one of Trump's strongest foreign political allies so naturally the Left detests him too. 

   This is typical behavior for the Left, but the New-Age Alt-Right has jumped on the Christian-bashing bandwagon. One Red Pill blogger who calls himself Captain Capitalism, wrote a brief but irritating piece titled Christians Are P----s. In the deep argumentative style of Generation Snowflake, he links to this article and simply pontificates: "I hate 'Christians' like these. Their virtue-signalling is more important than their child."

     The article that Captain Capitalism cites refers to Chau's parents, who stated that they forgave their son's killers. Now, in the New Testament Christ prayed from the Cross "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing." The Captain doesn't tell us whether Christ's example was also 'virtue signalling'; but like other cults, the Red Pills depend heavily upon their followers' ignorance of the Bible. 

    Captain Capitalism himself his a big follower of Dalrock, Roosh V, Vox Day, Wintery Knight, Rollo Tomassi, and Matt Forney. All of these guys subordinate Christianity to Game/PUA philosophy and discourage traditional Christianity at every opportunity. The Captain has a consulting business on the side: to look at his avatar tells us everything we need to know of his own character:

     In spite of being a consultant---for Heaven knows what---Captain Capitalism doesn't tell us anywhere what he thinks that Chau's parents should have done instead of forgiving their son's killers. If forgiving them wasn't the Christian thing to do, what was? He never says. Like the other Red Pills, he's notorious for criticizing Christians' behaviors, but never has any recommendations for a more Christ-like approach to a problem. 

     Looking through his blog posts, however, we can get an idea. The article following his post on Chau argues that carrying on adulterous relations with women is morally justified as long as the wives are 'liberals'. On November 1st, though, he posts that Christian men shouldn't date Christian women. So much for another cultist and fake Christian. 

     Pope Francis recently preached a homily on the subject of forgiveness which it wouldn't hurt the Red Pills to read. The Pope argues that holding grudges and resentment prevents us from behaving in a Christian way towards others. By forgiving the Sentinel Islanders, Chau's parents and his church are not hindered by hate and anger to make further attempts to convert the natives. As Tertullian said during a time of persecution: "The more that you mow us down, the stronger we grow." 



    

ON CO-SUFFERING; OR EMPATHY, LOVE, AND FORGIVENESS

     Blogger Insanitybytes had a thought-provoking article up today on a subject that's been a topic of discussion in Christian circles lately. For those following real news stories (and not the usual orgy of Trump-bashing in the MSM), the issues of love, empathy, and forgiveness is centering on two stories. 

     The first of these two involves a young missionary who was killed by savages on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. The man's name was John Chau of Vancouver, Washington who---at the age of 26---had already traveled to some of the most dangerous areas of the world to spread the Gospel. The controversy really arose around Chau's parents, who publicly stated that they forgave their son's killer. Some Red Pills in particular have been snorting that the parents' Christ-like act is a sign that Christianity is 'cucked', or weak. 

   In Chau's case, I agree with the parents. These tribesmen are uncivilized and ignorant savages who don't know any better. Those who'd side with the Red Pills would have executed Saul of Tarsus, but God had other plans. It should be noted that during the ISIS Caliphate, the martyrdom of Middle Eastern Christians and the humanitarianism of the Russian Orthodox Church has made Christianity the fastest-growing religion in Syria, Iraq, and Iran. 

    Then, just as soon as it seemed that issue was settled, this guy turns up:

   Americans once again find themselves looking into the face of an incarnate fiend who has confessed to at least 90 unsolved murders; not including two for which he was tried and acquitted and four for which he was found guilty. At least those are the ones that he can remember. 

    Samuel Little is clearly an evil man. Do we as Christians have an obligation to forgive such a man? I would argue that we do not. Let us examine this a little further.

    Only God is Absolutely Good; all other created beings fall into various states of imperfection. Let's set aside momentarily the question of Saints and Angels, and concern ourselves with our mortal term on Earth. Now, Insanitybytes spoke of some Christians who entertain an 'us vs. them' mentality. Such Christians don't see an actual difference between sin and evil. 

    Most sinners are not inherently evil people. They're people who've been deceived by evil to think and work against their own souls. Such people are converted to Christianity every day. Others, however, do die in their sins. 

   The difference between erring sinners and those possessed by evil was explained by the Prophet Elijah who told King Ahab that the monarch was doomed "because he had sold himself to work evil in the sight of God." This was also the fate of Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus. St. Thomas Aquinas expanded further on this subject by demonstrating that Love is basis of worship; but just as idolatry is a perversion of faith, so love can be distorted to a point where it becomes antithetical to holiness. In other words, the more deeply steeped in sin one becomes, love of good transforms to love of evil. This is why Hell is eternal punishment. It's not that God cannot forgive those in Hell, it's that those souls are incapable of loving God. And there does come even a point in this life, such as the case with Pharaoh and Ahab, where there is a limit to what we as Christians can do to effect repentance and conversion in some people. 

    I recall a scene from an old Dick Tracy film where Tracy was being interviewed by a reporter about an upcoming execution of the leader of a murderous sabotage ring. Tracy said, "he was like a rat gnawing down the foundation of democracy, and like a rat, had to be exterminated." Samuel Little was never any more than a man-eating tiger who hunted and killed human prey. To talk about the morality of killing such tigers is ridiculous and it is no different with a man who's lowered himself to the same level. 

    What Christians really need to cultivate today is both discernment and humility. Christians who hold the belief that since we're all sinners we should never judge anybody need a dose of the former; while those who think that everyone outside of their enclaves is irredeemably sinful need a dose of the latter. God is always willing to give sinners another chance, but they aren't helped either by enabling or exclusion. 

         

THANKSGIVING PSA UPDATE: PLEASE READ AND SHARE

     In October we ran some articles eliciting the public's help in identifying a young woman who was murdered on All Saints' Day, 1980 in Huntsville, Texas. There have been some new developments over the last month, all which bring a step closer to giving our blog's adopted sister her name back. 

     To recap briefly for new readers: this young woman was last seen alive around 6:30 PM at a truck stop just outside of Huntsville. She was asking directions, apparently having made a wrong turn in the city. The owner of a gas station saw her get out of a car about an hour earlier, and walking toward Sam Houston State University. Twelve hours later, she was found dead along Interstate 45 after being mercilessly beaten, sexually tortured, and garroted. A more detailed account is here. 

     There was no identification on the girl, her fingerprints were not file, and---somewhat tellingly (or maybe suspiciously)---no one reported her missing. This is quite unusual because the woman was well-groomed, well-nourished, in overall good health, and no narcotics or other intoxicants were found in her system. Modern DNA profiling has estimated her age between 14 1/2 to 15 1/2 years old. Sadly, after 38 years, she is still only known to us as Walker County Jane Doe, and NCIC #U312231075. 

     When the case was reopened in 2015, a woman came forward with a photograph taken at a motel in Beeville, Texas. She stated that her family was living at the motel that Summer 1980 and made friends with another girl staying there named Kathy. 

    Kathy (the girl on the left) admitted to her friend that she was a runaway from Corpus Christi. She was staying with some friends at the motel. Forensic photographers believe that Kathy and WCJD may well be the same person. And, at the time of our last update, we received several indications---some from witnesses---that WCJD was enrolled at the Rebekah Home for Girls in Corpus Christi during the late 1970's. One tip that we've received since October stated that another alumni of Rebekah Home recognized the girl and also said that her name was Kathy. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to authenticate that source. 

    However, one of our readers looked up some film footage from the period shot at Rebekah Home. These two stills were taken from the documentary Freedom's Last Call produced by Roloff Ministries sometime in 1978 or 1979:

   This was from a film clip of the Rebekah Home Girl's Choir. She bears a strong resemblance to WCJD. No one yet has told us who she is. The next two are from a VHS tape of one of Rev. Lester Roloff's sermons, positively dated to 1979. They aren't quite as clear, but the likeness is still apparent:

     This could be a remarkable coincidence, but circumstantial evidence is suggesting that it is not. The uncorroborated tip alluded to above suggested that 'Kathy's' parents were in some way connected with Rev. Roloff's church. Roloff, I believe, was of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist congregation. Thus it's very important that members of that denomination and former students at Rebekah Home pay especial attention to this PSA. 

    One other development which has come up just within the last week is, of course, the mass-confession of serial killer Samuel Little. We don't have any information of his involvement in this case, or lack thereof, as of this writing. At any rate, the most important thing now is to identify this girl. 

  

JORDANETICS

    For the last few months now, Red-Pill Game/PUA chieftain Vox Day has been engaging in yet another envy-fueled rage: this time against Jordan Peterson. And so far his hysterical outbursts have had about negative effect on Peterson as his previous tirades against John Scalzi, Ben Shapiro, and Ethan Van Scrivener; to wit, none whatsoever. 

    Frustrated both by Peterson's success and his own complete lack thereof, Vox has self-published an attack on Peterson titled Jordanetics. It contains a preface penned by the pervert Milo Yiannopoulis and ringing endorsements from such fellow Gamers and Alt-RINOs as Rollo Tomassi, Krauser PUA, Chateau Heartiste, and Vox' newest disciple, Alex Jones. Vox is already trumpeting the tome as a 'bestseller' although it doesn't appear on any bestseller-lists of any repute; and, as always, Vox discreetly doesn't tell us what his sales figures actually are. 

   Vox calls Peterson "a danger" and actually accuses him of establishing an anti-Christian cult with fanatical followers who would do anything to serve him! As if that wasn't psychological projection enough, Vox says of Peterson:  "I would point out that he is a drug-addled, integrity-challenged depressive little bitch prone to crying in public, who is one of the last people any sane young man should look to as a role model." 

    Now that everyone's finished laughing, we should point out that about the only real danger posed by Peterson to young men is the risk of severe constipation from following his loopy diet-fads. Peterson's book on The 12 Rules of Life is a weird admixture of Machiavelli, Karl Jung, and Dr. Phil; but at least it encourages men to do a few positive things to improve their lives---which is more than Vox can claim to have done.

     Overall, I believe that Peterson's book is vastly overrated, but nothing in it does anybody any real harm either. Unlike Vox Day, Peterson has never held up men like Anders Breivik as male role models. He doesn't teach men to avoid educated women or praise the Taliban for assassinating schoolgirls. Peterson doesn't teach young men to doxx and troll-storm his opponents. Peterson doesn't give men relationship advice like "a few acid-burned faces is a small price to pay for lasting marriages and stable families." 

     Peterson doesn't create online blacklists and publicize them for fanatics to follow. He doesn't tell young men that churches are for 'cucks'; or that non-Whites are subhumans; or that men don't need women's consent for sex. Vox accuses Peterson of being a 'liar', yet teaches his own followers that controlling the 'narrative' is more important than telling the truth. 

     However flawed Peterson might be, Vox Day is not even close to his level. There is no such cult as 'Jordanetics'; but Vox' cult of the Red Pill is very real and very dangerous.

     

DEMOCRAT ACTIVISTS JAILED IN CORRUPTION PROBE

     The US Department of Justice announced last week that Marilyn Nolan, 68, the former CEO of Preferred Family Healthcare, plead guilty to Federal charges of Conspiracy, Embezzlement, and Misappropriation of Federally-Funded Charitable Monies. She will thus be joining her confederates, former high-flying lobbyist D.A. Jones and slimy operative Milton Cranford for extended terms in the Federal Pen. 

    This was a really rotten trio of swamp creatures. A more or less complete compendium of their crimes can be found here, here, and here. The scam ran the entire length of the Obama Administration and, by its own admission, the IRS can't even account for how much this crew took altogether. They do know that almost $7 million illegally went to political candidates, lobbies, and PACs. 

    To summarize for those who don't wish to wade through volumes of indictments: what Nolan, Jones, and Cranford were doing was taking Obamacare funds and private donations as a charity and then funneling the cash into political activism of every kind: all the way from fundraisers to outright bribery, according to the indictments. So why is the Corporate Media still pretending that Russian and Chinese operatives interfere in our elections while ignoring this kind of blatant domestic cheating? 

    Well, the answer to that question is found in the public records. According to the website, Open Secrets, the Democrats were by far the leading recipients of these ill-gotten gains. 

    Marilyn Nolan, the Feminist ringleader of the scheme is shown making 20 donations to Hillary Clinton; 28 to the DNC and affiliated committees; and several to Democrat politicians Claire McKasgill and Jon Tester. 

    Milton Cranford's largest recipient by far was Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor. Conner Eldridge, former Obama-appointed US Attorney and unsuccessful Democrat Senate candidate also received substantial funds. 

   David Jones is listed on the site as one of Obama's 'bundlers' directing about $33,000 under-the-table donations to the former President in 2008. 

   This case is a perfect example of why we elected Trump and why our government needs more like him. Those three crooks behind this scheme are exactly the type of material upon which the Deep State was built and maintained. It wouldn't be surprising if there are others doing the same things---the Clinton Foundation being a likely suspect. This is why we need to stay the course, and stay behind Trump and his reforms.