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Why the Ten Commandments are for atheists, too The First Commandment      There is a natural divide between the first three and the last seven commandments.  While seven through ten take aim at how people should treat each other, the first three are much more concerned with humanity's relationship with God. Because of this, these are commandments that atheists and agnostics would typically have little interest in.  However, after some reflection (even prayer), it becomes clear that these three can help lead anyone, believer or nonbeliever, in a positive direction.      Let's have a look... I, the Lord, am your God … You shall not have other gods besides me. I live in Wilmington, Delaware. About ten years ago, there was a frightening pattern of violence in our city that had been sparked by drug deals and territorial strife. I opened the newspaper one Sunday and read an interview with a terribly depressed woman who had lost several of h...

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Catholic Church

1.   Secret Cardinals The College of Cardinals is made up of about 120 senior bishops from around the world whom the Pope has chosen to elect his replacement.   Upon the death or resignation of the Pope, they meet in Rome to elect a new one, almost always from among their own ranks.   Only cardinals under the age of 80 may vote.   However, what most people don’t know is that there are a handful of bishops throughout the world whom the pope has secretly chosen as cardinals.   For a variety of reasons, usually out of concern for security, the Pope chooses not to reveal their names, sometimes even to the men themselves.   This is most common when the cardinal resides in a country where he may face reprisals from his government or face other types of persecution.   The late Pope John Paul II secretly elevated four bishops to cardinals.   One of them was from China, another from Latvia, and one from Ukraine. Their identities were revealed near or a...

The day Joe Biden visited my social studies class

I had just hung up the phone in the main office when I got the word: “She wants to see you.”  "She" was the principal.  I was actually excited to speak to her. I had just gotten off the phone with Senator Joe Biden’s office.  Everything was set for tomorrow.  He would be speaking to my eighth-grade social studies class.  In fact, we were going to be cramming both classes into one room. In 2003, social distancing was unheard of.   His office had asked me who would be introducing him. I would, of course. “The senator will speak for exactly 30 minutes, then take questions for 15 minutes,” the woman had said. “When he arrives at your school, someone should immediately direct him to the room where he will speak.” “Got it,” I said. I was excited to tell the principal as I walked into her office, but she was clearly not in the mood to hear me gloat about my special visitor. She asked me to sit down. She removed her glasses and massaged the space between her ...