The pornography plague

Dr. Jeff Mirus in Catholic Culture magazine looks at the plague of pornography. (Via The Catholic Education Resources Centre CERC)

What is the great plague of the 21st century? Bird flu? Terrorism? Global warming? No, none of these. The pandemic of our century is pornography. This scourge was already severe in the twentieth century with the development of color photography, moving pictures, and cable television. But with the advent of the Internet age, pornography is freely and effortlessly available in nearly every home.

Fighting to Keep it Out

In the previous generation, kids and even adults generally had to expend considerable time, effort, expense and subterfuge to find pornography and smuggle it into the home. Now, computers attached to the Internet take care of that automatically. In any given household, concerned individuals have a major battle on their hands just to keep pornography out. All of that time, effort, expense and subterfuge must now be employed on the side of purity.

Nativity scenes desecrated across North America

From LifeSiteNews.com

WASHINGTON, December 21, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic League is reporting vandalism to nativity scenes across the United States.
Figures from nativity scenes were stolen or vandalized in Tucson, AZ ; Millbrae, CA; Mission Viejo, CA; Moorpark, CA; San Francisco, CA; Naugatuck, CT; Waterbury, CT (Jesus was taken, but one of the arms was left behind); Fort Walton Beach, FL; Des Moines, IA; Sioux City, IA; Ammon, ID; Chicago, IL (32 figures of baby Jesus were nabbed-they were later dumped on the lawn of a Catholic church); Jackson County, IL (two incidents); Tinley Park, IL; Floyd County, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; Montgomery County, IN; Wichita, KS; Hardin, KY; Lafayette, LA (two incidents); Youngsville, LA; Fitchburg, MA; Southborough, MA; Winthrop, ME; Portage Township, MI; Fayettville, NC; New Bern, NC; Columbus, NE (12 baby Jesus figures were stolen in one day); Plaistow, NH; Dover, OH; Utica, OH (three incidents); Artemis, PA; Bucks County, PA; Greenfield, PA; Hilton Head, SC; Halom City, TX; Santa Fe, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Winfield, WV and West Allis, WI.

"Some of these attacks were clearly motivated by malice," the League's Bill Donohue commented. "The baby Jesus figure stolen in Plaistow, NH was later returned, having been defiled by a pair of devil horns. The hooligan who stole the manger from Southborough, MA left the surrounding secular decorations standing."

Donohue continued, "In Sioux Falls, SD, someone crushed the face of the statue of Jesus. What's worse, the creep in Des Moines, IA burned Jesus' face, doused the statue with red nail polish, and twisted the electrical cord around its neck."

Vandals were busy in Canada as well.

TORONTO, December 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Vandals in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa attacked major nativity scene displays. The displays in Toronto and Ottawa were both hit last night, and Montreal's major nativity scene sustained damage Friday night.

In Toronto, the display set up by the Catholic group Gethsemane Ministries had its baby Jesus stolen and lights and wiring destroyed. In Old Montreal, the huge statue of one of the Magi was cut off at the knees, and light fixtures were also damaged. In Ottawa, Creche outside St Patrick's Basilica was broken into. The large and antique statue of St. Joseph was found toppled on the lawn with the fingers broken off. In addition one of the statues of the Magi and another of an angel were missing.

Italian police consider creating satan squad

The Italian police are considering the formation of a special squad to help tackle the growing problem of Italian Satanic gangs. The squad would include occult experts and psychologists.

The new generation of Satanists have been blamed for a number of high profile gruesome murders including a recent case where a young couple was bludgeoned and then buried alive in woods just outside Milan.

Demonic possession or mental illness? or both?

"Satan told me in a deep, demonic voice, 'You belong to me,'" said Samantha Wheeler, who believes she's been possessed since age 12.

But recently, Wheeler met a charismatic pastor from Kenya who promised her deliverance.

"When I first talked with her, I could see the manifestation of demons," said Paul Mbugua, a preacher and exorcist at Operation Fresh Start Apostolic Church in Oildale.

"Every Sunday, we were casting devils out of her," he said of the 18-year-old Bakersfield woman. "She was very possessed."

Belief in demonic possession has been part of the Christian walk since Jesus' exorcisms in the Gospels 2,000 years ago.