“Unigenitus” (1713) vs. Personal Bible Study?

Last updated on: May 14, 2021 at 3:13 pm By Dave Armstrong

+ Other Supposed “Anti-Bible” Catholic Proclamations & Analogies to Calvinist “Dogmatism” at the Synod of Dort An anti-Catholic Protestant blog called Evangelical Miscellanies produced a lengthy article entitled, “Was the Bible Forbidden by the Roman Church?” (5-10-21). Presently, I shall be dealing with the portion (in blue below) having to do with Unigenitus: the 1713 Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Clement XI. See also my previous replies to this one article: Did Pope Innocent III Forbid the Bible in 1199? (+ Does the Bible Itself Teach... Read more

Council of Trent: Anti-Bible or Anti-Bad Bible Translations?

Last updated on: February 26, 2024 at 6:45 pm By Dave Armstrong

An anti-Catholic Protestant blog called Evangelical Miscellanies produced a lengthy article entitled, “Was the Bible Forbidden by the Roman Church?” (5-10-21). Presently, I shall be dealing with portions (in blue below) having to do with the ecumenical Council of Trent (1545-1563). The Catholic Church opposed what it considered bad translations, not the Bible itself, and it was open to the idea of vernacular translations (which I dealt with in both my first reply and my second), as well as the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts (not just... Read more

Did Medieval Catholicism Forbid All Vernacular Bibles?

Last updated on: May 11, 2021 at 1:29 pm By Dave Armstrong

An anti-Catholic Protestant blog called Evangelical Miscellanies produced a lengthy article entitled, “Was the Bible Forbidden by the Roman Church?” (5-10-21). Presently, I shall be dealing with portions having to do with the Middle Ages. The article states (in blue): Council of Toulouse (1229 A.D.): Council of Toulouse, Canon XIV: We prohibit the permission of the books of the Old and New Testament to laymen, except perhaps they might desire to have the Psalter, or some Breviary for the divine service, or the Hounrs of the... Read more

Did Pope Innocent III Forbid the Bible in 1199?

Last updated on: May 11, 2021 at 10:42 am By Dave Armstrong

+ Does the Bible Itself Teach That it Should be Read Without Need of Any Authoritative Interpretation? An anti-Catholic Protestant blog called Evangelical Miscellanies produced a lengthy article entitled, “Was the Bible Forbidden by the Roman Church?” (5-10-21). Presently, I shall be dealing only with the first section (I’ll address other parts in the near future). You’ll readily see why I deal with only that, as I proceed. It’s not a simple matter. Here is what the anonymous writer states... Read more

Pearce’s Potshots #23: God’s True Mercy & Grace

Last updated on: May 10, 2021 at 4:31 pm By Dave Armstrong

Atheist anti-theist Jonathan M. S. Pearce is the main writer on the blog, A Tippling Philosopher. His “About” page states: “Pearce is a philosopher, author, blogger, public speaker and teacher from Hampshire in the UK. He specialises in philosophy of religion, but likes to turn his hand to science, psychology, politics and anything involved in investigating reality.” His words will be in blue. This is my seventh piece on Doubting Thomas and the issue of a supposedly “unfair” God, in response to Jonathan. I’ll be replying in... Read more

Sociology: Undeniably, Religion Makes Us Better Human Beings

Last updated on: May 10, 2021 at 2:48 pm By Dave Armstrong

[Pearce’s Potshots #22] Atheist anti-theist Jonathan M. S. Pearce is the main writer on the blog, A Tippling Philosopher. His “About” page states: “Pearce is a philosopher, author, blogger, public speaker and teacher from Hampshire in the UK. He specialises in philosophy of religion, but likes to turn his hand to science, psychology, politics and anything involved in investigating reality.” His words will be in blue. This is my sixth piece on Doubting Thomas and the issue of a supposedly “unfair” God, in response to Jonathan. I’ll... Read more

Pearce’s Potshots #21: Sufficient Evidence for Theism

Last updated on: May 8, 2021 at 5:16 pm By Dave Armstrong

Atheist anti-theist Jonathan M. S. Pearce is the main writer on the blog, A Tippling Philosopher. His “About” page states: “Pearce is a philosopher, author, blogger, public speaker and teacher from Hampshire in the UK. He specialises in philosophy of religion, but likes to turn his hand to science, psychology, politics and anything involved in investigating reality.” His words will be in blue. This is my fifth piece on Doubting Thomas and the issue of a supposedly “unfair” God, in response to Jonathan. I’ll be replying in... Read more

Pearce’s Potshots #20: Unfair Meanie God & Unfree Will

Last updated on: May 7, 2021 at 5:40 pm By Dave Armstrong

Atheist anti-theist Jonathan M. S. Pearce is the main writer on the blog, A Tippling Philosopher. His “About” page states: “Pearce is a philosopher, author, blogger, public speaker and teacher from Hampshire in the UK. He specialises in philosophy of religion, but likes to turn his hand to science, psychology, politics and anything involved in investigating reality.” His words will be in blue. This is my fourth piece on Doubting Thomas and the issue of a supposedly “unfair” God, in response to Jonathan. I’ll be replying in... Read more

Resurrection #29: Supposed Absence of the Ascension

Last updated on: May 6, 2021 at 11:57 am By Dave Armstrong

Michael J. Alter is the author of the copiously researched, 913-page volume, The Resurrection: a Critical Inquiry (2015). I initially offered 59 “brief” replies to as many alleged New Testament contradictions (March 2021). We later engaged in amiable correspondence and decided to enter into a major ongoing dialogue about his book. He graciously (and impressively!) sent me a PDF file of it, free of charge, for my review. Mike describes himself as “of the Jewish faith” but is quick to point... Read more