In recent months Pope Francis has come back time and again to the thought that Christians mdash and Christianity mdash are still being persecuted in the world that all of us sinners live in It conjures up tales of the Middle Ages and the long ago when martyrs were made from those who went about b

Many of the greatest Hollywood movies traffic in themes of lust guilt and obsession Whether it rsquo s the moral corruption of Don Corleone in ldquo The Godfather rdquo or the lust for power of ldquo Citizen Kane rdquo sin fascinates us as a focal point of our collective imagination Sin sell

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness Declaration of IndependenceIn the last days of its recent session the Supreme Court of the

My dad was right: life blazes on and holds us in thrall with its bounty and blessings.

Father George Rutler S T D pastor of St Michael rsquo s Church in the Hell 39 s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City is a popular Catholic writer on historical and religious topics He is known for his provocative interpretations of world events often challenging popular myths from a spiritu

Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a Washington D C -based Staff Editor for the libertarian magazine Reason where she covers politics gender issues reproductive rights food and drug policy Gen Y and digital culture She was previously a writer and editor for the women 39 s health blog Blisstree com a