Podcasts about calumny

What does it mean to live out the truth? This theme carries over as we continue our evaluation of the eighth commandment. We learn the Catechism's teachings on ways we violate truth, degrees of gravity based on circumstances, and the duty of reparation. Fr. Mike discusses each offense and offers resonating examples to reflect on. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 2475-2487. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Mk 7: 31-37

Israel's critics describe it as a colonizer, settler colonizers, in fact. We examine the rational and irrational reasoning behind this as we talk with Adam Kirsch author of On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice. Plus, Tim Pool, amplified by Vladamir Putin and goofball election prognosticator Allan Lichtman, is at it again, with assistance from the entire media. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's show the Bow Tie Guy discusses a quote from William Carey. How do we attempt great things for God in our lives? We also have a Song of the Week from Casting Crowns and a surprise appearance from Ryan Schupe. Enjoy!

In a time when “being canceled” is one of our greatest fears, thinking Biblically about reputation as a category is a very productive exercise. But when we turn to the Bible, there's a prima facie tension about reputation. On the one hand, we're told to rejoice when we are reviled; on the other, we're told to have a sterling image for the sake of the Gospel. Derek, Alastair, and Matt dive into this conundrum and work it out in dialogue. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: A Taylor Swift Reference [0:00] Challenging New Testament Passages [1:54] The Third Commandment [4:30] Tension & Calumny [7:17] Which Community [14:13] Time, Reversal, & Vindication [21:18] When to Defend Yourself [26:39] Letting the World Set the Standard [32:15] Judgment Calls [42:48]

Soundcloud / 1001 Tracklists / Beatport Chart / Apple Music / Deezer / Cast Box / Player FM / Stitcher / Tunein / AudioMack / Pocket Cast link : https://fanlink.to/kelltic-mainstage-095 00:00:00 - 01. Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano feat. Michael Ekow - Peace Of Mind [ SONO Music ] 00:03:23 - 02. JAMZ - Gotchu On My Mind [ Gemstone Records ] 00:06:26 - 03. Jelly Roll - Need A Favor ( Ligotti Remix ) 00:09:49 - 04. Tim Hox feat. MONOGEM - Vale La Pena [ Revealed Recordings ] 00:13:34 - 05. Dumlow - Sinfonia Dolce Amara [ Wonder Records ] 00:17:09 - 06. Chapter & Verse - Just Let Go [ Musical Freedom ] 00:21:09 - 07. Elysia - Piece of Me [ Vivifier ] 00:23:44 - 08. Gabry Ponte, SØLO - Shining [ Smash The House ] 00:26:41 - 09. Valy Mo & Fab Massimo - Live Wire [ Hysteria ] 00:31:00 - 10. Axity ft. Niclas Lundin - Won't Let Myself Down [ Protocol Recordings ] 00:34:47 - 11. Aiobahn & Tollef ft. ruben. - u&i [ HEXAGON ] 00:37:51 - 12. Calumny & Noway - Holy Water [ Gahara ] 00:40:19 - 13. Awakcn, Andreayer & Max Landry - Time Runs Out [ BODYWRMR ] 00:43:42 - 14. Steve Aoki & Timmy Trumpet ft. Sweet Minxx - Prizm [ Dim Mak ] 00:46:27 - 15. David White - Once Again [ SEAL ] 00:49:32 - 16. Orjan Nilsen - XIING ( nilsix Remix ) [ Armind ] 00:52:36 - 17. NOYSE & Vide . Don't Know Me [ MINUTE TO MIDNITE ] 00:55:56 - 18. The Pressure - Body Heat [ Helix Records ] 00:58:44 - 19. SMACK - Pam Pam [ Future House Music ] 01:01:10 - 20. Felix Jaehn & Jonas Blue - Past Life ( Clean Bandit Remix ) [ Virgin ] Promo list email : paddy.kelly@reduxrecordings.com Connect with Paddy Kelly: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paddykelly2018 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paddykellykkr Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/paddykellykkr Stitcher : https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/paddy-kelly-mixes 1001 Tracklists : https://www.1001tracklists.com/user/paddykellykkr/index.html Apple Music : https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/paddy-kelly-mixes/id1483849229 Deezer :https://www.deezer.com/en/show/606752 Castbox :https://castbox.fm/channel/Paddy-Kelly-Mixes-id2422115?country=gb Tunein : https://tunein.com/podcasts/Music-Podcasts/Paddy-Kelly-Mixes-p1315050/ Player FM : https://player.fm/series/paddy-kelly-mixes Pocket Cast : https://pca.st/ltwdakdx AudioMack :https://audiomack.com/artist/paddy-kelly-kkr

What does it mean to live out the truth? This theme carries over as we continue our evaluation of the eighth commandment. We learn the Catechism's teachings on ways we violate truth, degrees of gravity based on circumstances, and the duty of reparation. Fr. Mike discusses each offense and offers resonating examples to reflect on. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 2475-2487. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!! What do you think of when you think of Italy? For many the answer is the Mario Brothers! Probably. Anyway, I'm gonna say it is so that I can segue into this weeks author Luigi (like the video game plumber) Capuana! Ken selected the story, which means you are going to be treated to Heather's dulcet voice as she reads a story that contains disappointinglu few foreign words. Along the way Heather does struggle with one particular word, Ken chooses not to commit copyright infringement despite announcing that he's going to, and...so...many...voices! "The Deposition" was published in English The Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories in 1907. Email us at 5050artsproduction@gmail.com. Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics. Like, subscribe, leave a review. Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

In Episode 188 of the CounterVortex podcast, In Episode 188 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg deconstructs the accusation of "red-baiting" employed by the tankie pseudo-left to deflect criticism of funding sources directly linked to Chinese and Russian state propaganda networks. Before such revelations made the New York Times, they were reported by bloggers and researchers themselves on the radical left. And some progressive voices and international socialists have repudiated the smear that any such examination of money networks linked to authoritarian regimes is "red-baiting." Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 55 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 56!

Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken (1880 – 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a student of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century. Mencken is perhaps best remembered today for The American Language, a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States, and for his satirical reporting on the Scopes trial, which he named the "Monkey" trial." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/librivox1/support

Given on the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, 2023.

In Episode 174 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg deconstructs the toxic meme that once again recycles the Nazi calumny against Ukraine—this time zeroing in on a trident insignia worn by President Volodymyr Zelensky. While the Ukrainian trident has deep roots in the country's history, the meme alleges that the version worn by Zelensky is that used by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), of World War II-era right-wing militant Stepan Bandera—whose role as a Nazi collaborator is in any case dramatically overstated in Kremlin propaganda. Zelensky lost family members to the Nazis (as he reminded the Russian people in his final appeal for peace in February 2022) and is something of a dissident from the personality cult around Bandera. So is he likely to be wearing an OUN symbol? In fact, the emblem seen on Zelensky in the meme is not precisely that designed by Ukrainian artist Robert Lisovsky in the 1930s and used by the OUN, but a simpler version which is available on Amazon. In both, the middle prong of the trident is rendered as a sword, but the OUN version is more stylized. Yet such Ukrainian sartorial indiscretions get mainstream media play and are jumped on by those who turn a blind eye to use of fascist regalia by Russia's mercenary formations such as the Wagner Group and the Donbass separatists. It is also perverse to focus on mere symbols as Kyiv is once again under bombardment, and Russia continues to commit war crimes. This propaganda technique constitutes the weaponization of history and fascist pseudo-anti-fascism. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our special offer! We now have 54 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 55!

Day 24--Ch 4--Calumny and Slander--Lent and Easter Online Retreat --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayyestoholiness/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayyestoholiness/support

This evening we continued and completed Step number 10 on “slander and calumny.”  Something very special emerges about John in the writing of this step. We see something very personal about John's capacity to love and his purity of heart. He acknowledges his own struggle with judging others as sinners, when in reality they were pure of heart in secret. Thus, John's repeated counsel is not to judge at all; even when we see things with a kind of clarity. We often have blind spots and dark spots in our evaluation of the others. Beyond this, the Evil One puts before us smoke, if you will, making us think that there is sin present where none exist.  All that we are allowed to do is to love others. This means that we always attribute their sin to the action of demons. We are to look for the good in others and look for ways that we can support and lift them up if they are struggling. This means setting aside the morbid delight that we take in judging and the feeling of emotional power that we think it gives us over and against them. We must acknowledge the radical solidarity that exist between us and foster a spirit of generosity towards each other. To seize for ourselves a prerogative that belongs only to God is ruinous to the soul. May God preserve us! --- Text of chat during the group: 00:23:24 Bridget McGinley: Father, sorry...little long....I just wanted to follow up from last week with a comment/question. I was not able to type this fast enough. It was in relation to what you were saying about being serious and stern in presenting the Faith. You mentioned about your early sermon and how it was perceived by the college kids. I used to be pretty sanguine. Life has taken it's toll. I once heard Bishop Sheen say something that was pretty profound. He stated, “Christ had many emotions that were written about in the Bible but never did he smile or laugh.” Bishop Sheen stated that He is saving those for us in Heaven. Looking at Step 10 point 2 many people nowadays are pretty “shameless and very happy” and it is hard for me to find smiles and joy surrounded by the deluge. In tip-toeing around the obvious moral problems these days how does one escape mental slander which sometimes manifests as verbal slander? And how does one show a non-judgemental face?   00:37:37 iPhone: Anen Father   00:49:25 Rebecca Thérèse: Part of Leviticus 19 came into my mind in relation to not judging at all  15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer[a] among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood[b] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.   17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.   00:57:02 Anthony Rago: Since the Late Middle Ages, our culture has been both immoral and curious.  We want the knowledge of St. Thomas Aquinas' Summas, but we have not as eagerly gone to the other side of him, the one that made the Pange Lingua   00:57:39 Anthony Rago: We want knowledge for curiousity's sake, but not the humility of devotion   00:57:54 Ambrose Little, OP: Do you think the nature of social media has made this particular trap of the Devil more prevalent?   00:58:30 Sr Barbara Jean Mihalchick: How great it would be to always be centered on noting the virtues it observes in others!   00:58:47 Ambrose Little, OP: Amen, Sister!   01:03:12 Bridget McGinley: As a nurse I can attest it is physically and mentally debilitating communicating. Many of my co workers talk about how they can't even talk after a shift. Verbal interaction is very challenging.   01:11:45 Ambrose Little, OP: About #12 and #15.. I recently learned of a few very vocal critics (including a former apologist) in the Church ending up leaving the Faith, either entirely or moving to a sect. It's very sad. There is something in what St. John is saying they're for sure—that this kind of behavior can be ruinous.   01:17:21 Cindy Moran: Thank you Father!   01:17:23 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you

The subtle movements of the human heart and mind stand revealed while reading the Ladder of Divine Ascent. As one makes one's way through the text, it becomes clear that it is an inevitability. We must stand ready to have our hearts illuminated and the places that we desire to keep in darkness, whether consciously or unconsciously, exposed. Yet, somehow, when these words come from the pen of a Saint, there is a healing that one begins to experience; even as we know the sting of the words. Knowing and seeing the truth lightens the mind and the heart and opens us to experience the grace and the mercy of God. By removing the impediments to the action of that grace, we find ourselves no longer running with a heavy tread under the burden and the weight of some hidden guilt or wound, but freely and swiftly moving towards He who is Love.  The jarring nature of John's words is eventually overcome by the confidence in his desire, as well as God's, to bring us healing. Such is the case with John's description of the remembrance of wrongs. He makes it clear that without remedy, it can poison the heart and become dark spite. The more we nurture our anger, the more the heart becomes poisoned, and we eventually only see the faults of others.  To be free of this burden, he tells us, allows us to boldly ask our Savior for the release of our own sins.  John would have us show no hesitancy and experience no doubt about what coming to God brings us. If we do not attend to this wound, what is born from it is slander. This, he tells us, drains the blood of love and becomes the patron of a heavy and unclean heart. In our anger, we may diminish another through our words, but the consequence that has for ourselves is far greater. It is a coarse disease that only Christ and gazing upon Christ crucified can heal. --- Text of chat during the group:  00:07:24 Anthony Rago: Tractor Supply, too   00:08:15 Anthony Rago: time for an exorcism of the air....   00:09:39 FrDavid Abernethy: page 126 para 13   00:12:43 Cindy Moran: Oooo...Yes!   00:22:53 Anthony Rago: Then this would apply also to wrongs WE have done, too, that filter our His healing?   00:27:03 sue and mark: I have found that if I am struggling in this area..that if I ask God to forgive them for me...  it is easier  also to bring me to that place of forgiveness that he desires   00:32:12 Anthony Rago: This is what I have a hard time understanding: sin, mortal and venial, which is emphasized so much in the admonishion if frequent confessions....so much emphasis on me, me, me.   00:35:42 Anthony Rago: How often is good?   00:39:56 Anthony Rago: Thank you   00:55:41 Rebecca Thérèse: I'm still puzzled as to the difference between spite and dark spite   00:57:43 Cindy Moran: Who is the author of the book you mentioned last week "Orthodox Psychotherapy"?   00:57:44 Ambrose Little, OP: Maybe something like.. If you harbor it secretly in the “darkness” of your inner self. You don't allow it to be brought into the Light, examined for what it is, and see that it is wrong and needs to be eliminated.   00:57:59 carol: Dark definition includes “angry, threatening, arising from evil, sinister”   00:58:38 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you all   01:01:16 Ambrose Little, OP: “Speaking the truth in love” is one of the most abused phrases.   01:03:23 Anthony Rago: Chastity covers up, it is modest.  Unchastity is an unholy exposure.   01:11:29 Rachel: LOL   01:11:49 Anthony Rago: I think you're right.  More St. Francis is needed, less "vert few will be saved."   01:13:08 Lee Graham: The river of life flowing out of us   01:14:37 Rachel: ouch   01:15:45 Rachel: Thank you   01:15:47 Jeff O.: Thank you!   01:15:56 Devansh Shukla: Thank you   01:15:57 Rachel: YES!!   01:16:08 Bernadette Truta: Yes please!   01:16:09 Art: Thank you good night.  Yes I'm interested in the Zoom group on fasting.   01:16:10 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."Is it ever okay to lie? Can gossip be a mortal sin? Is it okay to publicly call someone out for doing the wrong thing? In this episode we continue our discussion of the eighth commandment. This episode covers Part Three, Section Two, Chapter Two, Article Eight of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (pts 2475-2491).Contact the podcast: crashcoursecatholicism@gmail.com.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/....References and further reading/listening/viewing:John Chapter 8Jimmy Akin, "Psst! . . . Did You Hear?"St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 22.Catholic Answers, "Is Lying Ever Right?"The Catholic Encyclopedia, "Detraction""Calumny""Perjury""Lying"St Augustine, On LyingMarilynne Robinson, HomePints With Aquinas, "Morality, The Lord of the Rings, and Awkward Jokes w/ Dr Peter Kreeft"Jon Ronson, So You've Been Publicly Shamed.

On this episode Akouto and Brent discuss the rumors regarding Brittney Griner's gender, and an unfortunate case of possible human trafficking in China. 

In Episode 152 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg calls out the relentless propaganda exploitation of the Azov Battalion to tar Ukraine as "Nazi" by the same pseudo-left hucksters (e.g. the inevitable Grayzone) who engage in shameless shilling for the fascist regime of Bashar Assad in Syria—which is beloved of the radical right and which employed fugitive Nazis to train its security forces. These hucksters also join with far-right figures such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and NickFuentes in openly rooting for Putin and opposing aid to Ukraine. And while hyperventilating about the Azov Battalion (which years ago purged its far-right leadership), they make no note of the Nazis fighting on the Russian side in Ukraine. This is both pseudo-pacifist war propaganda and fascist pseudo-anti-fascism. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt Hat tip for providing research fodder for this rant to Bob from Brockley We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 45 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 46!

When SEO and memes fail to give you followers, there's always the solid fallback... Calumny!

VLGA Connect, Episode 288 - Governance UpdateOn this week's program, we unpack and dissect the Stonnington conduct outcomes; insights from the latest Global Executive Panel; Councils in the news over Australia Day, a golf course, Governance Rules, mayoral robes, sudden CEO departures, and much more! Stay with us to the end for late breaking news!For the Stonnington reports, see the agenda for the Council Meeting of 25/7/22 here: https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/About/About-Council/Council-meetings/Minutes-and-agendas; or view the Council discussion here: http://webcast.stonnington.vic.gov.au/archive/video22-0725.php

Calumny is a noun that refers to a false and slanderous statement. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word calumnia (kah LOOM nee uh) which means ‘trickery.' It first appeared in the 15th century and you can find it in the Shakespearean play ‘Hamlet.' Here's an example of it in use: I expected my first year in college to be rough, but I never thought I'd receive calumny from other students. These guys in clown college really fight dirty.

Photo: Dish with the Calumny of Apelles and the arms of the Ridolfi family 9/12: #CrossfireHurricaneDiary: Profile of "well-regarded academic who is also a patriot" Stefan Halper in the Washington Post, June 5, 2018. Svetlana Lokhova @TheRealSLokhova. #FriendsofHistoryDebatingSociety. @Batchelorshow

Photo:   "An Essay on Calumny. Humbly inscribed to . . .  the Prince of Wales. [In verse.]" 10/12: #CrossfireHurricaneDiary: Mueller investigation neither questioned nor contacted Svetlana Lokhova. Washington Post, July 24, 2019. Svetlana Lokhova @TheRealSLokhova. #FriendsofHistoryDebatingSociety.  @Batchelorshow

Photo: BOTTICELLI, Sandro, Calumny of Apelles, Tempera on panel, 62 x 91 cm 6/12: #CrossfireHurricaneDiary: "Glamorous." Daily Telegraph, April 2, 2017.  Svetlana Lokhova @TheRealSLokhova. @Batchelorshow https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/01/cambridge-university-dragged-row-donald-trumps-ex-spy-chiefs/

Fr. Wade Menezes of the Fathers of Mercy discusses detraction, calumny, slander and #gossip oh my! In addition, it's St. Josephine Bakhita's feast day, how long should we #pray for somebody in #purgatory?, and do we have the right to defend ourselves against becoming a martyr? #Catholicism #Christianity

Fr. Wade Menezes of the Fathers of Mercy discusses detraction, calumny, slander and #gossip oh my! In addition, it's St. Josephine Bakhita's feast day, how long should we #pray for somebody in #purgatory?, and do we have the right to defend ourselves against becoming a martyr? #Catholicism #Christianity

“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.'   The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'”  Matthew 11:18–19aWhat we have here is the ugly sin of calumny.  Calumny is the intentional twisting of facts so as to misrepresent the truth.  Basically, calumny is a lie meant to do harm to another.Jesus points out that both He and John the Baptist were ridiculed and falsely accused of being sinful.  John, for example, fasted much which was quite virtuous.  But the Pharisees interpreted it as the work of the devil. Jesus spent time at many people's homes as a guest and He was accused of being a glutton and drunkard.  When someone gives into calumny, they often look at some virtue in another and twist it some way so as to deceive and misrepresent the truth.  And it is often done out of envy or jealousy.  This sad situation should be an opportunity for each of us to look at how honest we are in our relations with one another.  When you see goodness in another are you able to rejoice in that fact?  Are you able to honestly give thanks to God for their goodness?  Or do you immediately start to interpret their virtue in a false way?Reflect, today, upon the way you look at others around you and, especially, how you speak about them.  Look at their virtue and try to honestly honor them for it.  And if you see yourself falling into any form of jealousy or envy, surrender it over to our merciful God so that it doesn't turn into the ugly sin of calumny.  Lord, help me to see others in the light of humility and truth.  Help me to see their goodness and virtue and to rejoice in it.  Strip from me any falsity and calumny.  Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2021 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

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Photo:  Calumny of Apelles, by Botticelli Botticelli made this painting on the description of a painting by Apelles, a Greek painter of the Hellenistic period. Apelles' works have not survived, but Lucian recorded details of one in his On Calumny: “On the right of it sits Midas with very large ears, extending his hand to Slander while she is still at some distance from him. Near him, on one side, stand two women—Ignorance and Suspicion. On the other side, Slander is coming up, a woman beautiful beyond measure, but full of malignant passion and excitement, evincing as she does fury and wrath by carrying in her left hand a blazing torch and with the other dragging by the hair a young man who stretches out his hands to heaven and calls the gods to witness his innocence. She is conducted by a pale ugly man who has piercing eye and looks as if he had wasted away in long illness; he represents envy. There are two women in attendance to Slander, one is Fraud and the other Conspiracy. They are followed by a woman dressed in deep mourning, with black clothes all in tatters—she is Repentance. At all events, she is turning back with tears in her eyes and casting a stealthy glance, full of shame, at Truth, who is slowly approaching.”. @Batchelorshow 1/12: #CrossfireHurricaneDiary: Remembering the Peter Strzok origins, July 31, 2016. Svetlana Lokhova @TheRealSLokhova. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfire_Hurricane_(FBI_investigation)

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2021 is: calumny • KAL-um-nee • noun 1 : a misrepresentation intended to harm another's reputation 2 : the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to harm another's reputation Examples: "[Heinrich von Kleist] sets his novella in the 14th century, when duelling was seen as a trial by battle in which the 'Judgment of God' would prevail. A murder, a wronged noblewoman, shame, calumny, castles, a melodramatic ending, Kleist's story pulls together all the key elements of the genre." — Dan Glaister, The Guardian (London), 12 May 2021 "Almost without exception I find the exchanges on this page to be polite and well-reasoned. However, recently there was a series of letters that made my blood boil. How could so many seemingly reasonable people be so wrongheaded? I am speaking, of course, of the exchange of views on Brussels sprouts. I'm sure many of you were equally taken aback. How could such a wonderful food be the object of such vile calumnies?" — Russ Parsons, The Irish Times, 6 Feb.2021 Did you know? Calumny made an appearance in these famous words from William Shakespeare's Hamlet: "If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go." The word had been in the English language for a while, though, before Hamlet uttered it. It first entered English in the 15th century and comes from the Middle French word calomnie of the same meaning. Calomnie, in turn, derives from the Latin word calumnia, (meaning "false accusation," "false claim," or "trickery"), which itself traces to the Latin verb calvi, meaning "to deceive."

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Kvothe recconoiters. We talk about another character Named without preamble, the nature of haberdashery, and the privilege of aristocracy. @pageofthewind pageofthewind.com twitch.tv/pageofthewind

1. Disciples - I Got You 2. Lost Frequencies & Mathieu Koss - Don't Leave Me Now (Deluxe Mix) 3. Rudimental - Come Over (Paul Woolford Remix) 4. Secondcity & Paul Woolford - All I Want (ft. Andrea Martin) 5. Landis x Breikthru - The Moment ft. Saint Wade 6. Westend - Collide 7. BRONSON - KNOW ME (ft. Gallant) (Cassian Remix) 8. Eli Brown - Killer 9. Dubdogz, Pontifexx, Bertie Scott - One Night (with Different Stage) 10. Shaun Frank - Take Me Over 11. Calumny & Under Above - Shooting Star 12. Majestic - Me & U (ft. Kelsey) 13. Blinded Hearts - Habits (Stay High) (ft. Aurya) 14. Marc Benjamin & Ansun - Too Much 15. Zuffo & Cazt - Count On You 16. 7UBO feat. LexBlaze - TikTok 17. Kage - Feel Me 18. GODAMN & Honey & Badger - Choco Tango 19. East Dawn - Generation 20. Koven - Good Enough

Bishop Robert Barron released a video lamenting the level of contempt and calumny in online discourse. He is right on this matter. It is vile and degrading on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. He also notes calumny and contempt are sinful and complains how he is the recent victim of it and how everyone should love one another. Dr Taylor Marshall discusses the bishop’s recent video and agrees and disagrees with certain parts. Taylor Marshall’s book: Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within: https://amzn.to/35fGp6k Watch this new podcast episode by clicking here: Taylor Marshall’s book: Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within: https://amzn.to/35fGp6k Or listen to the audio mp3 here: If you’d like to order a copy of Taylor’s new book Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within, you can order it in Hardback, Kindle, or Audiobook. Check out Patreon Patron Benefits for Donating to Dr Taylor Marshall’s Show! All these video discussions are free. Do you want to recommend a show, get signed books, and show support? Here's how: click on Patreon Patron link: Become a Patron of this Podcast: I am hoping to produce more free weekly podcast Videos. Please help me launch these videos by working with me on Patreon to produce more free content. In gratitude, I'll send you some signed books or even stream a theology event for you and your friends. Please become one of my patrons and check out the various tier benefits at: https://www.patreon.com/drtaylormarshall If the audio player does not show up in your email or browser, please click here to listen. If you find this podcast episode helpful, please share this podcast on Facebook. Get more from the Taylor Marshall Show: * Read Taylor Marshall’s historical fiction Sword and Serpent Trilogy. * Download the Study Guide at: http://swordandserpent.com * Take classed with Dr Marshall at the New Saint Thomas Institute. Please visit newsaintthomas.com for more details. Please Share Your Feedback for Taylor Marshall Show: * I'd love to read your feedback: While you listen to today's podcast, would you please take 30 seconds to write a review? Please click here to Rate this Podcast! * iTunes: 3,549,958 downloads * Youtube: 10,311,915 downloads * SHOUT OUTS: A huge “shout out” to all 1,692 of you who wrote amazing 5-star reviews at iTunes. Please rate this podcast by 

Bishop Robert Barron released a video lamenting the level of contempt and calumny in online discourse. He is right on this matter. It is vile and degrading on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. He also notes calumny and contempt are sinful and complains how he is the recent victim of it and how everyone should love […] The post 449: Bishop Barron Complains of Contempt & Calumny “Marshalling a Defense” [Podcast] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Gospel Reading and homily by Fr Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life, for June 4, 2020: Sins of the Tongue: Detraction, Calumny, Rash Judgment

This week Nonix present the episode twenty of Oxygen Radio ! Subcribe now for the next episode next week, this week including the new tracks of Daddy K, Calumny, Afrojack, David Guetta, Don Diablo and many more. Good listening and see you next week !  Tracklist :  01. Daddy K x P.A.F.F - We Are The Universe  02. Calumny Feat. Coline - What I Desire 03. Chico Rose x 71 Digits - Somebody's Watching Me 04. Avian Grays & Azteck - Endlessly 05. Don Diablo - Inside My Head (Voices) 06. David Guetta & MORTEN - Detroit 3 AM 07. Andrea Damante feat. Kris Kiss - On Sight  08. Bougenvilla -  Wildfire  09. Castion & Krozz - Bright Lights 10. Curbi & Hasse de Moor - Alcoholic 11. Deniz Koyu & Magnificence - Feel It 12. Debonair Samir - Samir’s Theme (Tujamo Remix)  13. Afrojack & Fedde Le Grand feat. MC Ambush - 1234 14. Blasterjaxx - MTHRFCKR 15. D3FAI & NGD Project - Rockin [TUNE OF THE WEEK] 16. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike vs Wolfpack - Ocarina (Bassjackers Remix) 17. 3 Are Legend x Justin Prime x Sandro Silva - Raver Dome 18. Angemi x Dietro - Pirate's Chant 

New girl vs office? Could shmite beat up Jim? Pam cooler than Jess? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/grevocab/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/grevocab/support

“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’   The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’”  Matthew 11:18-19aYuck.  What we have here is the ugly sin of calumny.  Calumny is the intentional twisting of facts so as to misrepresent the truth.  Basically, calumny is a lie meant to do harm to another.Jesus points out that both He and John the Baptist were ridiculed and falsely accused of being sinful.  John, for example, fasted much which was quite virtuous.  But the Pharisees interpreted it as the work of the devil. Jesus spent time at many people’s homes as a guest and He was accused of being a glutton and drunkard.  When someone gives into calumny, they often look at some virtue in another and twist it some way so as to deceive and misrepresent the truth.  And it is often done out of envy or jealousy.  This sad situation should be an opportunity for each of us to look at how honest we are in our relations with one another.  When you see goodness in another are you able to rejoice in that fact?  Are you able to honestly give thanks to God for their goodness?  Or do you immediately start to interpret their virtue in a false way.Reflect, today, upon the way you look at others around you and, especially, how you speak about them.  Look at their virtue and try to honestly honor them for it.  And if you see yourself falling into any form of jealousy or envy, surrender it over to our merciful God so that it doesn’t turn into the ugly sin of calumny.  Lord, help me to see others in the light of humility and truth.  Help me to see their goodness and virtue and to rejoice in it.  Strip from me any falsity and calumny.  Jesus, I trust in You.

On Aug. 26, 1789, France’s National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Article 11 of the Declaration proclaimed: The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law. The French Revolution abolished pre-publication censorship and prompted a flood of political publications. But revolutionaries were deeply divided over where to draw the line between the declaration’s celebration of “freedom” and condemnation of “abuse” amidst a public sphere in which populists used increasingly incendiary rhetoric to sow division and discord. Old Regime concepts of honor, calumny, and libel survived the Revolution and evolved to justify the policing of opinions perceived to threaten the order and authority of post-revolutionary France, increasingly divided by competing factions. Ultimately, even liberals like Tom Paine — an ardent defender of the integrity and benevolence of the Revolution — had to succumb to the idea of political suppression as the Reign of Terror claimed thousands of victims condemned for speech crimes. In this conversation, French Revolution expert Charles Walton sheds light on the evolution of press freedom and suppression during the Revolution. Walton is the director of the Early Modern and Eighteenth Century Centre at the University of Warwick in the U.K., has taught at both Yale University and Paris’ Sciences Po, and is the author of the prize-winning book, “Policing Public Opinion in the French Revolution: The Culture of Calumny and the Problem of Free Speech.”  The conversation will explore: How the French Revolution abolished pre-publication censorship and unleashed a flood of publications; How almost all parts of French society continued to believe in Old Regime restrictions on post-publication censorship; How Jacobins, including Maximilien Robespierre, were amongst the most libertarian proponents of free speech in the early part of the Revolution; How the climate of free speech under the French Revolution compares to the climate during and after the American Revolution; How free speech restrictions became a tool of bitter political partisans; How approximately a third of those indicted by revolutionary tribunals during the Terror were targeted for speech crimes, resulting in thousands of executions; How the French feminist and author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman, Olympe de Gouges, became a prominent victim of the Revolution;   How the legal restrictions on free speech were tightened after the Terror; Whether the ideas of Rousseau contributed to the Terror; How competing ideas of free speech and mores stretching back to the Enlightenment help explain contemporary France’s complicated relationship with free speech. Why have kings, emperors, and governments killed and imprisoned people to shut them up? And why have countless people risked death and imprisonment to express their beliefs? Jacob Mchangama guides you through the history of free speech from the trial of Socrates to the Great Firewall. You can subscribe and listen to Clear and Present Danger on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, YouTube, TuneIn, and Stitcher, or download episodes directly from SoundCloud. Stay up to date with Clear and Present Danger on the show’s Facebook and Twitter pages or visit the podcast’s website at freespeechhistory.com. Email us feedback at freespeechhistory@gmail.com.

Today we're going to talk with Aquinas about backbiting, slander, and calumny. --- Become a patron to support our work and get access to our upcoming Flannery O'Connor book study! --- We're reading from the Secunda Secundae, Q. 73. A. 1;4. On the contrary, It is written (Ecclesiastes 10:11): "If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth." I answer that, Just as one man injures another by deed in two ways—openly, as by robbery or by doing him any kind of violence—and secretly, as by theft, or by a crafty blow, so again one man injures another by words in two ways—in one way, openly, and this is done by reviling him, as stated above (II-II:72:1)—and in another way secretly, and this is done by backbiting. Now from the fact that one man openly utters words against another man, he would appear to think little of him, so that for this reason he dishonors him, so that reviling is detrimental to the honor of the person reviled. On the other hand, he that speaks against another secretly, seems to respect rather than slight him, so that he injures directly, not his honor but his good name, in so far as by uttering such words secretly, he, for his own part, causes his hearers to have a bad opinion of the person against whom he speaks. For the backbiter apparently intends and aims at being believed. It is therefore evident that backbiting differs from reviling in two points: first, in the way in which the words are uttered, the reviler speaking openly against someone, and the backbiter secretly; secondly, as to the end in view, i.e. as regards the injury inflicted, the reviler injuring a man's honor, the backbiter injuring his good name. --- On the contrary, Jerome says (Ep. ad Nepot. lii): "Take care not to have an itching tongue, nor tingling ears, that is, neither detract others nor listen to backbiters." I answer that, According to the Apostle (Romans 1:32), they "are worthy of death . . . not only they that" commit sins, "but they also that consent to them that do them." Now this happens in two ways. First, directly, when, to wit, one man induces another to sin, or when the sin is pleasing to him: secondly, indirectly, that is, if he does not withstand him when he might do so, and this happens sometimes, not because the sin is pleasing to him, but on account of some human fear. Accordingly we must say that if a man list ens to backbiting without resisting it, he seems to consent to the backbiter, so that he becomes a participator in his sin. And if he induces him to backbite, or at least if the detraction be pleasing to him on account of his hatred of the person detracted, he sins no less than the detractor, and sometimes more. Wherefore Bernard says (De Consid. ii, 13): "It is difficult to say which is the more to be condemned the backbiter or he that listens to backbiting." If however the sin is not pleasing to him, and he fails to withstand the backbiter, through fear negligence, or even shame, he sins indeed, but much less than the backbiter, and, as a rule venially. Sometimes too this may be a mortal sin, either because it is his official duty to cor. rect the backbiter, or by reason of some consequent danger; or on account of the radical reason for which human fear may sometimes be a mortal sin, as stated above (II-II:19:3).

The most trending Russian artist delivers you a weekly radio show. Breathtaking 60 minutes of Rompasso’s preferences and the world’s most popular tracks are already there for you. Come closer and turn it up!   Rompasso - RomPassion 010   01. Calumny feat. Neenah - Escape (Extended Mix) 02. Davai x Doug Panton - Somebody I'm Not (Original Mix) 03. Rompasso - Angetenar 04. Dominica - I Gotta Let U Go (David Puentez Extended Mix) 05. PØP CULTUR & HÄWK - Stoppin (Original Mix) 06. Vol2Cat & Trevon - Shamara (Extended Mix) 07. Danny Avila - Good Times 08. WILL K feat. Amy Miyu - Trampoline (Extended Mix) 09. Do It Big - Pick Up The Phone (Extended Mix) 10. La Fuente & Boris Smith feat. Mavis Acquah - Cada Vez (Extended Mix) 11. Breathe Carolina x Asketa & Natan Chaim feat. Rama Duke - Get Away 12. NEVERGLOW X Nssnd - Avena (Extended) 13. Madison Mars - Avalon 14. FaderX & Zheno feat. Bryant Powell - Aline (Extended Mix) 15. Eden xo - Lucky (Just Kiddin Remix) 16. Callum McBride feat. CCIITTYY - Safe & Sound (Tomatow Extended Remix) 17. Hyphen Hyphen feat. Kiiara - Lonely Baby (Damien N-Drix Remix) 18. Rompasso - Paradise     Follow Rompasso on socials: VK: https://vk.com/rompassomusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialrompasso/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rompassoofficial/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dJzxVffEZI5MuHOJiQB5A Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rompassoofficial Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/Rompasso/

"A constitutional right of protection of a right of freedom of expression frames a right of political discussion and public discourse that supports democracy." Then how can different democracies define this right differently? In many democracies the lines around speech are drawn differently — in the US they are drawn to protect hate speech but not child pornography, political speech but not defamation. In other democracies, denial of the Holocaust or incitement of racial hatred is not protected by the state. I spoke with Adrienne Stone, one of the world's experts on these different approaches to speech as a social good. Dr. Stone is Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Director of Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies at the University of Melbourne in Australia.  With Cheryl Saunders AO she is the editor of the Oxford Handbook on the Australian Constitution and with Frederick Schauer (who has been a guest on Think About It), she is the editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on Freedom of Speech. She has published widely in international journals on topics related to speech, constitutionalism, and democracy, including:  The Comparative Constitutional Law of Freedom of Expression;  Constitutions, Gender and Freedom of Expression: The Legal Regulation of Pornography; Freedom of Speech and Defamation: Developments in the Common Law World;  'Insult and Emotion, Calumny and Invective': Twenty Years of Freedom of Political Communication I asked Dr. Stone, being quite serious, whether Australians feel muzzled and deprived of their fundamental rights because certain types of hate speech are not protected in Australia - and how to make sense of these different approaches to the problems posed by incendiary speech. 

Have you ever fallen prey to the ugly sin of calumny? Do you sometimes intentionally twist facts, virtue and goodness so as to misrepresent the truth? Do you sonetimes tell lies meant to harm others? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you have given in to envy and jealousy and fallen prey to the sin of calumny.We are challenged today to look at how honest we are in our relationships. To see goodness and virtue in others and honour them, giving thanks to God for them rather interpret goodness in a false way. 

As a nation remembers George Herbert Walker Bush, Michael discusses his lasting legacy with Mona Charen and Ellis Henican and looks at new developments for Donald Trump in the Mueller investigation. Mona Charen is a syndicated columnist and a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her most recent book is Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense. Ellis Henican is a New York Times bestselling author, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist and a popular TV news pundit. He is also the voice of Stormy on the hit Cartoon Network series Sealab 2021. His upcoming book, co-written with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics.

Ken, Austin, and Anthony discuss how damaging "criticism" and gossip is to our neighbors and how we can "build up" instead!

81: Belfry, Abeyance. Substantiate, Eschew. 82: Welter, Calumny, Flag, Noisome 83: Tortuous, Surfeit, Anachronism, Leery 84: Abjure, Cartography, Mirth, Divine 85: Maudlin, Deride, Malinger, Gestation 86: Connoisseur, Droll, Inchoate, Refractory 87: Terrestrial, Canard, Warranted, Amulet 88: Spectrum, Rejoinder, Panoply, Verbose 89: Exigency, Variegated, Diffidence, Nascent 90: Inquest, Arrogate, Kudos, Martinet

The words for today are: Calumny, Welter, Noisome, Flag Quote of the day taken by Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart VictorPrep's vocab podcast is for improving for English vocabulary skills while helping you prepare for your standardized tests! This podcast isn't only intended for those studying for the GRE or SAT, but also for people who enjoy learning, and especially those who want to improve their English skills. I run the podcast for fun and because I want to help people out there studying for tests or simply learning English. The podcast covers a variety of words and sometimes additionally covers word roots. Using a podcast to prep for the verbal test lets you study while on the go, or even while working out!  If you have comments or questions and suggestions, please contact me at @SamFold or send me an email at sam@victorprep.com Check out the podcast website at VictorPrep.com or the Facebookpage at Facebook.com/victorpreplearning

455 - Swangry! 2:06 BOOKTALK a  () is like a lute. .  "How was it that Dionysius the Tyrant became a schoolmaster? REALLY it was Denys the Younger who was (a tyrant and) expelled from Syracuse in 343BC OR even MORE REALLY it was Dionysius the Younger or Dionysius II (ibid) But Maier wrote a legend about Dionysius II in his book Atalanta Fugiens (1617), where he was shipwrecked at Corinth and—although he lived poorly—he became a teacher. (Um... Yeah...that's supposed to mean poor-but-happy-because-teaching, I think). Pythoness is a female soothsayer or prophetess Proverbs 19:17–`He who giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord. New International Bible: 17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. King James: 17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again Kiosk - A small open gazebo or pavilion. - in BUSS Translation "Pavilion" To muffle oars - bandage the parts that fit into the oarlocks Calumny - n. The utterance of maliciously false statements; slander. Sign up for the (infrequent) .  Get the most recent email (though it won't have your name on it).   Ways to subscribe to CraftLit: your weekly annotated audiobook podcast: Click here to subscribe via Click here to subscribe via You can also subscribe via Or subscribe through the app (see below) | FEEDBACK | You can ask your questions, make comments, and let us know what you do when you listen to CraftLit! Let your voice be heard. Download the FREE CraftLit App for or or smartphones and tablets (you can call or straight from within the app) Call 206-350-1642 Email Heather@CraftLit.com Use our !   Want a button?        

Diaries provide glimpses of the routine and the unusual. Chestina Bowker Allen was 46 years old when she came to Kansas with her husband and 5 children to aid the free state cause. Her diary describes daily life and various events in Bleeding Kansas. Musical selections performed by The Free Staters (www.thefreestaters.com) and Curly Miller and Carole Anne Rose (http://theold78s.com/).

Welcome BACK to Communion Sanctorum: History of the Christian Church.We ended our summary & overview narrative of Church History after 150 episodes; took a few months break, and are back to it again with more episodes which aim to fill in the massive gaps we left before.This time, we'll do series that go into detail on specific moments, movements, people, places, and other topics.The title of this episode is The First Centuries – Part 1.Ask almost anyone with at least a vague awareness of the early years of the Christianity, and they will likely tell you it was a time of intense persecution. Ask how many believers were put to death and the number will range from tens of thousands to a few million.From stories, movies, and paintings of the era, many have the mental image of a mass of defenseless Christians dressed in white, huddled on an arena floor, surrounded by hungry lions. The stands are packed with spectators shouting for blood. But that image, common as it may be, is rather misleading. Did it happen? Undoubtedly. But it wasn't the ubiquitous scene many assume. Before the dawn of the 3rd C, official imperial attempts to eradicate Christianity were largely unorganized and lukewarm. Roman emperors were rarely the terror to the Faith popular literature has made them. I say rarely, because there were some notable exceptions prior to the 3rd C. After that, things changed dramatically. Some emperors delighted in tormenting Jesus' followers. Ending Christianity in the most brutal manner seems to have been a major focus for some of them.Why did Rome persecute Christians? And why is it the popular concept of this time that it was an Era of Martyrs?It's best to get at this by backing up a bit to consider Rome's attitude toward religion. And how are we to do that pray-tell? For attitudes toward religion vary from person to person, and time to time. Among the ancients; Roman, Greek, Jew, Parthian, or whatever, there were those who were devout, the profane, and a whole spread of shades of piety from one end of the religious spectrum to the other. What we're considering here is the basic Roman civic approach to religion.It might surprise the modern student to learn that political leaders of Rome served a religious function that was part & parcel of their political task. Their civic duties included cultic rituals. Roman religion was heavily invested in public ceremonies and sacrifices. Personally held religious beliefs weren't as important as most modern religions regard them. What was important, pre-eminently so, was the possession of pietas. Pietas was religious duty. It meant honoring the sacred Roman traditions in the accepted way. The English word piety is derived from Pietas. But piety wasn't an option for any Roman who desired to climb the political ranks. It was an absolute essential and something to be demonstrated publicly.Pietas was THE distinguishing virtue of Rome's founding hero, Aeneas, who's given the epithet of “pius” by Virgil in the Aeneid. Cicero elevated pietas to the place Christians would later assign Agape. It was the duty a good Roman was to show to the gods and his fellow man. And by doing so, ensured the safety and prosperity of the State.Romans of the 2nd C BC to the 4th AD saw themselves as owing a debt of gratitude to their ancestors who embodied the virtues they treasured. It seems our time isn't the only one that looks to a past Golden Age of yesteryear when “all the women were strong and the men were good-looking.” Romans assigned themselves a custodial roll in preserving the traditions of their ancestors. And not just theirs. They expanded that custody over the traditions of those they conquered. So though they despised the Jewish religion for its seeming irreligious monotheism and refusal to cast Yahweh's form – because it was an ancient belief, it came under their protection, as did several other Eastern faiths that were too divergent from that of the Greeks and Romans to allow for inclusion in the Roman pantheon.Christianity was different. It was originally regarded by Rome as a Jewish reform movement; something Jewish leaders would have to deal with within their esoteric and opaque system.What worried Rome was the rapidity by which the new faith grew. That, and it defied some of Rome's most cherished ideas about how religion ought to be conducted. Rome was all about the PUBLIC display of ritual. Religion was a community thing. Christians, on the other hand, were secretive. They conducted their services in private and were reluctant to talk publicly about what they did behind closed doors. That reluctance owed to the wild & salacious rumors spread by critics. Calumny began early for Christians. In some places, Jewish opponents, jealous at the success of Christian evangelism, twisted aspects of the Christian message into accusations and whispered them in the ears of officials. Things like, Christians practiced cannibalism, because of the Lord's Table. It was said they were incestuous, because they held what were called “Love Feasts” where they referred to each other as “brother and sister.” And most damning, was the pagan perception that Christians were in reality practical-atheists. That charge is incomprehensible to modern believers contending with the likes of Dawkins & Harris and their New Atheist compatriots. But in the early centuries, Christians were regarded by their pagan neighbors as atheists precisely because they believed in only ONE God, rather than a plethora.Though believers tried to dispel these damning mis-conceptions, they lived on. As has been said; A lie travels half-way round the world before truth has put its shoes on. So Christians sequestered themselves behind closed doors and met in secret to conduct their clandestine meetings.The popular Roman mentality toward religion was that it needed to be practiced in public as an expression of the community's devotion to the gods, who'd reward this public piety with divine favor. It was relatively easy for them to accept the faiths of those they conquered since they already believed in a multiplicity of deities. What matter that there were now a few more?That policy of tolerance for the religions of their conquests was sorely tried when it came to the Jews. Though many Romans despised the monotheism of Judaism, toleration was begrudgingly given simply on the basis of the antiquity of the Jewish faith. That toleration was strained to the breaking point under the reign of the mad Emperor Caligula who demanded to be worshipped as a god. Then after the First Jewish–Roman War of AD 66-73, the Jews were allowed to practice their religion only so long as they paid a new tax, the “fiscus Judaicus” ON TOP OF the exorbitant taxes that had sparked their revolt in the first place.There's debate among historians over whether the Roman government simply saw Christianity as a sect of Judaism prior to Emperor Nerva's modification of the fiscus Judaicus in 96. From then on, Jews had to pay while Christians didn't. SO that seems to suggest an official distinction was made between the 2 groups.A measure of the Roman disdain for Christianity came from the belief that it was bad for society. In the 3rd C, the Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry labelled Jesus' followers as impious & anti-social atheists. Their impiety was located, not in what we'd call traditional morality, but in their refusal to engage in the public religious rituals that were understood by the pagan world as a way to gain the favor of the gods.Once Christians were distinguished from Jews, the Faith was no longer grand-fathered into reluctant acceptance. No – it became “superstitio.”For Romans, superstition had a dangerous connotation; far more so that in today's parlance. It meant religious practices not just different form the norm; they were corrosive to society. Superstition was a set of beliefs that if embraced, dehumanized someone. If enough embraced them and were detached from their humanitas, society would unravel; an ancient spiritual zombie apocalypse. Roman squelching of such dangerous superstitions happened in 428 BC when an unnamed group was eradicated for having caused a damaging drought. In 186 BC, the Romans moved against initiates of the cult of Bacchus when they got unruly. And of course, there's the famous Roman campaign against the Druids.The intensity of Christian persecution depended upon how dangerous they were deemed to be by the local official responsible for conducting such oversight. To be frank, Christian beliefs didn't endeared them to many officials. Think about it. They . . .1) Worshipped a convicted criminal,2) Refused to swear by the emperor's genius,3) Railed against Roman depravity in their writings,4) And conducted their suspicious services in private.In his Apologeticus, addressed to the magistrates of Carthage in the Summer of 197 AD, the early church father Tertullian remarked, “We have the reputation of living aloof from crowds.”One of the more frequent word used to describe Christians in the NT is hagios, translated “saints.” Literally = holy ones. Bu the root of the word means to be different, set-apart.  If something is holy, it's different from other things. That difference lies in it's purpose. It's for God; dedicated exclusively to Him. So, a temple is holy because it's different from all other buildings; the Sabbath is holy because it's dedicated to God. Christians are saints, because they belong to God. Jesus' followers felt this distinction keenly; they embraced it, knowing it set them at odds with their pagan neighbors.It's human nature to regard those who are different with suspicion. So the more seriously early Christians took their faith the more hostility they faced. Simply by living in obedience to Jesus, Christians condemned paganism. Christians didn't run around wagging their fingers or tongues in condemnation of unbelievers. Nor did they advocate and promotes a self-righteous superiority. It just that the Christian ethic revealed the shabbiness of a pagan life.If that's all the Christians were guilty of though, persecution would not have broken out against them in such fury. What sparked it was their vehement rejection of the pagan gods. The ancient world had deities for everything. There was a goddess for sowing  & another for reaping. There was a god for clear skies and another for rain. Mountains had gods, as did trees & rivers & valleys. For Christians, most of who had at one time worshipped these deities, they were a fiction! And it would be one thing to go quietly about their business with that view, you know, keeping their religion to themselves. But pagans wouldn't let them. Because every meal began by pouring out a few drops of wine as an offering to the pagan gods. Feasts & parties were held in a temple after sacrifice. The invitation was to dine at the table of some god. It was an ancient version of Chuck E Cheese. But instead of ignoring the dated mechanical rodent, you had to worship it before being allowed to eat your pizza. Christians simply couldn't attend. When she or he turned down the invitation, they were reviled as rude & anti-social.There were other events and gatherings Christians avoided because they considered them inherently immoral. They weren't alone in that assessment. Many moral pagans objected to them as well. Gladiatorial contests are an example. In theaters across the empire, Romans made prisoners & slaves to fight to the death for amusement & entertainment of the crowd.Refusal to practice idolatry led to financial difficulties. What was a mason to do if as a believer he refused to work stones for a pagan temple or a tailor balked at making a robe for a heathen priest, or a baker refused to make a cake for a . . . never mind.Tertullian forbade Christians teaching school, because it meant using books with stories of the gods.As I share that little piece of history, let's be cognizant of the almost certain reality that Tertullian's position was in all likelihood not something all believers, and not necessarily even all leaders agreed with. Truth be told, his may have been a minority opinion. The problem is we just don't have much evidence of what the rest of the Church held regarding this. There was no tirade of tweets one February in the 3rd C over what occupations Christians could and couldn't fill. It wasn't a topic people blogged on. No Facebook pages were devoted to it. All we have is Tertullian's remark. Maybe his pastoral peers disagreed and sent him pointed emails about it. Forgive the anachronism; I take it you get my point.The larger point for us to glean is that during a time of widespread and aggressive paganism that REQUIRED Christians to go along to get along, many believers found themselves stepping away from public and civil life because in the contest with remaining faithful to Jesus, their conscience demanded it.Everywhere Christians turned their lives and faith were on display because the Gospel introduced a revolutionary new attitude toward life. This was exhibited most clearly in the realms of Sex, Slaves, and Children.The Church of the Modern Era has often endured scorn for its old-fashioned views on the sanctity of marriage & marital physical intimacy. That isn't a criticism early Christians faced, at least from most moral philosophers. On the contrary, ancient Roman moral pundits lamented the abysmal sexual immorality of their times. Raising the sanctity of marriage, along with attitudes toward marital fidelity, was one of the Emperor Augustus' pet projects. Christianity, infused as it was with a Biblical view of marriage and sex, regarded the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, withy marriage as a picture of the Church's union with Christ. Couples who lived out the Gospel in their homes exhibited a quality of life pagans longed for. But it marked them as radically different; and we all know how the mass reacts to that!Slavery was another matter altogether. It was here that Christianity was regarded as a dangerous force for it attributed dignity to all people regardless of status or state. It's reported that when Christians met for their distinctive services, masters and their slaves shed the distinctions that marked their lives just before and after the service. Greco-Roman culture might regard slaves as mere living tools, as Plato described them. But Christians esteemed slaves as of equal value with the free. In a society stratified by endless causes for division, the followers of Jesus bore a shocking disregard for those differences. But with the horrors of periodic slave uprisings still fresh in the collective memory, outsiders came to regard the Christian message as dangerously subversive to the social order.The attitude seemed to be à “Hey, look; it's great the Christians see all people as equal yet are able to maintain the traditional roles our legal system has imposed. But we now that at some point, if more people go in for this Christian thing, the salves will reach a critical mass and will rebel again. Last time they did, I lost 2 friends and I don't want to go through that again.”The sanctity of human life that framed the core of the Christian attitude towards slaves & slavery applied toward children, and in particular, to infants. Unlike their neighbor-pagans, Christians refused to leave their unwanted or physically distressed children in some out of the way place to be left to die of exposure, or to be carried off by traffickers who'd invest a little food now for the pay-off of selling or using them later. In fact, not only did Christian refrain from this barbaric practice, they often rescued such exposed infants and raised them as their own, which of course put an additional financial burden on already strained incomes.We'll halt here and pick it up at this point in the next episode. We'll begin by taking a look at the first systematic persecution under Nero in AD64.