The new pro-life movement is, basically, leftists and Democrats who are pro-life — I don’t deny at all that they are — and who like to run down what they call the “old pro-life movement” and those who push policies that they too often mock as not really pro-life: by derogatorily using quotation marks around the title: “pro-life”. They have been falsely claiming for years that abortions rise during Republican administrations and go down during Democrat ones. This is untrue,... Read more
+ a discussion on apologetics methodology and effectiveness This was a post and exchange originally posted at Facebook. Words of Catholic William C. Michael will be in blue. ***** All four raised the dead, and prayed for them before they were raised; therefore, they prayed for the dead, and it is recorded in Scripture. It’s inescapable logic. 1) Elijah: 1 Kings 17:17-24 (17:21: “Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my... Read more
. . . with special emphasis on the beliefs of the Church Fathers: were they were more “Catholic” or “Protestant”? Pastor Ken Howes (Missouri Synod) is a good friend of mine, with whom I have enjoyed several cordial, constructive dialogues. I have great respect for him. This is a prime example of one of them. He was responding on Facebook to my article, Medieval Catholic Corruption: Main Cause of Protestant Revolt? His words will be in blue. ***** There’s a... Read more
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (Philosopher George Santayana [1863-1952], The Life of Reason, 1906) ***** “If the Reagan Pattern Continues, America May Face Nuclear War” (W. Averell Harriman, 1 January 1984, New York Times): This is the grim result of Reagan Administration diplomacy: If present... Read more
A Catholic on my blog first brought this issue up in a combox thread. To his credit he later retracted the line of inquiry and accusation after I presented the material presented below (“let me say you did great job of getting to the truth of this matter. You’ve convinced me that there is nothing to this old and unfounded slander against Calvin. . . . congratulations on a job well done.”). But first he had cited a judgment: “both... Read more
Catholics believe that sexuality has a deep, fundamental purpose, designed by God. That purpose is procreation / reproduction. That much is obvious and need not really be defended. Everyone knows that every baby (apart from artificial insemination, etc.) comes about by a process that was initiated by sexual acts. The differences of opinion arise due to various views as to the relationship of sexuality to the mutual (and/or exclusive) commitment of human beings, to reproduction, and to natural law. “Everyone”... Read more
Explanation of a Widely Misunderstood Aspect of Analogical Arguments Someone responded underneath my paper, Dialogue: Pope Francis vs. Gospel Preaching & Converts? No! (vs. Eric Giunta). His words will be in blue. ***** First, the following words in my paper were cited (I added, however, two more paragraphs of my original words here, for clarification): He’s making one of his extreme contrasts. It’s just how he [Pope Francis] talks. But so did Jesus. He said, for example: Luke 14:26 If any... Read more
For what is not against the Scriptures is for the Scriptures and the Scriptures are for it. (Letter to Philip Melanchthon, 13 January 1522) I like this. It’s not the too-often expressed silly Protestant understanding that everything must be explicitly laid out in Scripture, or cannot be believed. This is much more Catholic and nuanced: whatever is not contrary to, and is harmonious with Scripture is biblical and scriptural. I’ve been saying this for 29 years as a Catholic. I’m... Read more
The fashionable zeitgeist now present in Protestantism (especially, but not exclusively, of the liberal variety), is to increasingly sanction divorce, cohabitation, homosexual acts, abortion, contraception, and masturbation. The latter was surprisingly condoned even by the usually traditional moralist and family advocate Dr. James Dobson, and, with extraordinarily ridiculous and scandalous argumentation, by anti-Catholic Reformed apologist Steve Hays, who wrote (almost as if he were a thoroughly secularized regular columnist for Planned Parenthood): I don’t think that Christians should go around guilt-ridden if they... Read more
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Luther Thought Jesus Committed Adultery w Mary Magdalene?
From a discussion on the public, Protestant-moderated CARM Catholic Discussion Board. Martin Luther’s words will be in green. Evangelical E. L. Hamilton’s words will be in blue. Readers will see me working through the issue, giving Luther the benefit of the doubt from the outset, and eventually reaching my best-educated-guess conclusion. *** I found one citation from Luther along these lines . . . My best guess is that it is a sarcastic, put-on type of comment from Table-Talk or similar sort of writing... Read more