Abolish the Absurdities: It's Okay to Believe in Both Creation and Evolution

Regardless of which side of the issue you are on, Abolish the Absurdities: It's Okay to Believe in Both Creation and Evolution, by D. R. Cruise will get you thinking. The author appears to believe in God and evolution and there does seem to be good evidence for both. God would have Created everything and guided evolution along.

In my opinion the author relies a little too much on the internet for his research but I suppose in this modern age people will be doing so more and more. Cruise presents the evidence for both sides of the issue then presents the thesis of the title. Very interesting read. I received a complimentary copy of Abolish the Absurdities: It's Okay to Believe in Both Creation and Evolution as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson

Refreshing Honest Look at Jefferson, April 25, 2012 

The Jefferson Lies is a refreshing honest look at Thomas Jefferson. It is well researched and well written by David Barton. The obvious conclusion is that "historians" and authors have been putting their own faulty interpretations onto to Thomas Jefferson for years!

The book studies seven "lies" that have been perpetuated for years about Jefferson. Number one examines the myth that it is a fact that Jefferson had children with his slave Sally Hemmings. Barton examines in depth the origination of this story including the statements made by Thomas Woodson a supposed son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. Although Woodson may have truly believed he was a son of Jefferson, the DNA of his line proves that he had no Jefferson family DNA. The 1998 report that Jefferson fathered at least one child by Hemmings was erronious. In fact, there were something like 26 Jefferson males who could have been the father of one of Sally Hemmings' sons, including Randolph Jefferson who it has been recorded used to congregate with the blacks of Jefferson's planatation. Thomas Jefferson was actually one of the least likely suspects and I believe Barton has pretty much proven this.

Another myth that Barton explodes is that Jefferson was not a Christian. However, Jefferson's own writings refute this. It is true that his religious beliefs did change over the years but the changes can be traced to exactly the situation that was going on within the Christian movement in the part of Virginia he was residing. He was not a religious free-thinker at all but conformed to the beliefs of the religious leaders of his area and day.

David Barton has given the world an excellent book that should be read by everyone who actually wants to know the truth about Thomas Jefferson. 

Doctor Who - The Daemons [VHS]

Poor Picture Quality - Poor Show, March 24, 2012 

Doctor Who: The Daemons wouldn't even be a good story if the sound and picture were pristine! However, the sound and picture aren't pristine and with the pretty lousy storyline and execution, the show really suffers. The color by the way was restored by taking it off a home video tape that recorded the show as it aired in the United States. The BBC in their idiocy wiped the original color shows, I guess, and using a lot of technology they put the color back onto a black and white PAL tape. It looks muddy and doesn't fit the picture exactly. American television had something like 525 lines and British television had 625 so right there you can guess that the quality would suffer.

The characters of the village are unbearably awful! The witch with her protruding teeth, who I guess is supposed to be humorous with her amorous advances towards Benton, is just disgusting. I don't find witches good or humorous, either in fiction or reality. Then, there is the bad acting by many of the other townspeople as well.

The incessant dancing around the May Pole is just sickening. I believe Barry Letts was responsible for this ham-fisted show and I have no idea why so many of the actors acted like this was such a wonderful program. Maybe their drinking escapades in the local pub were fun, but the show is rotten. If you've never seen it, be weary of all the positive reviews, it might just have to do with the demonic subject matter rather than the quality of the programming.

Excellent Meditations on the Life of Christ

Twenty Steps on the Way to Glory by Rev. Emile R. Guilmette, S.M. is an excellent resource and thoughtful study on using the rosary.

Guilmette writes in a clear style that helps the reader to understand the Mysteries of the Rosary. Each of the four Mysteries, The Joyful Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries, The Glorious Mysteries are written about as mediations on Jesus' life and minstry. The author uses many Biblical quotations in his examinations.

Rev. Guilmette wrote that he had been inspired by the late Pope John Paul the Second to write this book when he dedicated the year of 2002 as the Year of the Rosary. Anyone interested in understanding the rosary and especially Catholics who pray the rosary or want to pray the rosary, will find this an excellent resource and a great study of this ancient practice. I recommend this book over say The Rosary written by the near heretic Garry Wills.

I received a complimentary copy of Twenty Steps on the Way to Glory as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

Tim Conway Harvey Korman Together Again - What a Treat!

At the beginning of the DVD, Tim Conway Harvey Korman Together Again, Harvey Korman introduced Tim Conway as, "the funniest man alive!" and I think that just might be the case! I just finished watching this gem of a video.

Although Louise DuArt is good, the best thing about this video is Conway and Korman. They still had comedic chemistry on stage and both appeared to be trying to out ad-lib the other!

I am terribly sad that I missed seeing these two live, but seeing them preserved on this film is the next best thing. As I am a filmmaker, of a sort, myself, I would give anything to have the likes of Tim Conway in a film of mine. He still has it!

The video ends with "The Dentist Sketch" which has been updated a little since the television version, but it is still a real laugh getter! To my surprise, the Special Feature section contained a commentary track! Not only that, but, we can see the two of them in the corner commenting on the show. But get this, this is the great part, the commentary is just as funny as the show! So it's like getting three hours of great comedy for the price of a 90 minute video! I know I'm gushing a little here, but I'm just very happy with the product. Tim Conway even mentioned that, like me, Laurel and Hardy were two of his influences!

One last thing - I think that this is a pretty clean video and would be appropriate for a younger audience as well. Harvey Korman is missed.

Why Do Catholics Worship Mary? is a Very Informative Book

Although rather short I found Why Do Catholics Worship Mary? very good for what it is meant to be an examination on the claim that Catholics when they ask Mary for her intercession are actually worshipping her and partaking in idolatry. This is a claim that many Protestants make, to this day. Some also claim that intercessionary prayer is unbiblical and unreasonable too. Well guess what? Gerard-Marie Anthony explodes those beliefs and proves just the opposite.

In a very clear writing style Anthony lays out the usual Protestant arguments in the first few chapters, then using the Old and New Testaments, shows how these arguments are just totally wrong.

I found this book just at a time when I had been noticing an increase in anti-Catholic sentiment on the Internet of late. While reading the comments below an article about the Shroud of Turin I found that many Protestants were writing the most diabolical offensive trash about the Catholic faith. It was really quite eye opening, at how little some so-called Christians actually know about the original Christian Church started by Jesus Christ.

As a Catholic I found this book insightful as to how some Protestants frame their beliefs in opposition to what the Bible says and the Catholic Church believes. I learned some interesting facts and some counter arguments by reading this book. The author also points out the many Biblical quotes that support the Catholic position and explain why the Protestant view is misguided. If members of other Christian faiths actually took the time to read this book they might learn something. I hope some do.

Anthony was the child of a mixed marriage, just like me, his father was Protestant and his mother Catholic. My father never made any of the wholly offensive claims that some members of various Christian sects do such as the pope is the anti-Christ, that the Catholic Church is a cult or that Catholics are sun worshippers, etc. These types of statements and claims are quite bizarre and they can get even more blasphemous and sac religious. My father after years of contemplation and of his own volition converted to Catholicism and by his example led me back to church.

I look forward to other books by Gerard-Marie Anthony.

I received a complimentary copy of Why Do Catholics Worship Mary? as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

The Life of Mary Mother of God and Praying the Rosary

The Life of Mary Mother of God and Praying the Rosary written by Catholic Robert Williams is a very good book that concisely details the life of the Virgin Mary and also instructs one on how to pray the Rosary.

This book is a "must have" for any faithful Catholic who wants to take his or her prayer life to the next level. It is a shame that so many Chritians of other denominations misunderstand Catholic understanding and theology. There are some who actually believe that Mary is worshipped as a goddess by Catholics! Perhaps Williams' book may shed some light on the truth of the matter.

Although all the information in the book appears to correctly follow the Churches understanding on Mary the mother of Christ, I wish that the author would have included notes or a more detailed listing of sources for the information included.

It is a good book none the less and I would suggest better than the book The Rosary written by the near Catholic heretic Garry Wills. I think this would be a good selection for study groups, CCD and RCIA programs.

I received a complimentary copy of The Life of Mary Mother of God and Praying the Rosary as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.