Dialogue with a Deconvert on Deconversion, Part II

Last updated on: October 9, 2019 at 11:57 am By Dave Armstrong

See Part I for background. This is a continuation of that discussion, after Joe Omundson, who runs the website, Recovering from Religion: Ex-Communications, made a second lengthy counter-reply in the combox. His words will be in blue. ***** Thanks for your additional reply. I’d like especially to clarify a few things where either you misunderstood or I did not express my view clearly enough, and make some other responses. Perhaps that may set us on a course of even more fruitful dialogue... Read more

St. John Henry Cardinal Newman: Articles & Books About Him

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:40 am By Dave Armstrong

St. John Henry Newman was canonized by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019 in Rome. ***** * MY ARTICLES * Newman’s Conversion Story in His Own Words (Brief) [1991, at Internet Archive] * How Newman Convinced me to Become a Catholic [1996] * Conscience: the Catholic (and Cardinal Newman’s) View [1998] * Dialogues on Development of Doctrine, Newman, and Anglican vs. Catholic Authority [11-7-98 at Internet Archive] * William Webster’s Misunderstanding of Development of Doctrine [2000] * The Philosophical Premises of Newman’s Views... Read more

Is Sacred Tradition “Inspired”? No; Only Sacred Scripture Is

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 11:54 pm By Dave Armstrong

I received the following question from a friend, and replied to it: Your “dialogue” vs. James White contained this back-and-forth: WHITE: Now this assertion of a second inspired source of God’s truth has led, I feel, to some tremendously false beliefs. ME: We don’t believe that tradition and Church proclamations are ‘inspired” but rather, infallible and authoritative / binding under certain carefully specified conditions. This is a surprising mistake from White on an elementary matter. Fr. Mitch Pacwa... Read more

C. S. Lewis Believed in Purgatory & Prayer for the Dead

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 11:54 pm By Dave Armstrong

In his fictional book, The Great Divorce (New York: Macmillan, 1946, 39), Lewis portrays the damned (including some near-damned, as it were) making a trip to the outskirts of heaven. One of the spirits is told: “You have been in Hell; though if you don’t go back you may call it Purgatory.” This theme was expanded later in the book (p. 67): “If they leave that grey town behind it will not have been Hell. To any that leaves it, it is... Read more

C. S. Lewis Practiced Confession to an Anglican Priest

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 11:54 pm By Dave Armstrong

I discovered this information in the book, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Vol. II: Books, Broadcasts, and the War, 1931-1949, edited by Walter Hooper, HarperSanFrancisco, 2004. Lewis’ words will be in blue. ***** On 24 October 1940 Lewis wrote to his friend Sister Penelope: an Anglican nun (p. 452), noting that “I am going to make my first confession next week” and declaring that this decision “was one of the hardest I have ever made.” One part of himself ... Read more

Cordial Dialogue with a Deconvert on Deconversion

Last updated on: October 7, 2019 at 11:49 am By Dave Armstrong

Joe Omundson runs the website, Recovering from Religion: Ex-Communications. I found the article, “My Escape from the Belly of the Beast” (9-24-18) there, written by one Don R., and replied with my article, Typical Deconversion Story: False Dilemmas & Incoherence (3-28-19). Joe in turn offered comments on my article, underneath it. This is my response. His words will be in blue. ***** Hi Joe, Thanks for your eloquent and cordial reply. I really appreciate it. I am the person who manages the blog where... Read more

C. S. Lewis Roundly Mocked the Documentary Hypothesis

Last updated on: October 7, 2019 at 1:53 pm By Dave Armstrong

No one need accept the Documentary Hypothesis, and there are many solid reasons not to: In the last two decades of Pentateuchal scholarship, the source-critical method has come under unprecedented attack; in many quarters it has been rejected entirely. . . . [various factors] have led scholarship to the brink of abandoning the four sources, J, E, P and D. (The Tam Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University: Spring 2009 Calendar of Events) C. S. Lewis lampooned the theory in... Read more

Vs. James White #5: Real Eucharistic Presence or Symbolism?

Last updated on: September 20, 2019 at 12:18 pm By Dave Armstrong

This is a reply to Bishop “Dr.” [???] James White’s article, “Truths of the Bible or Untruths of Roman Tradition?: James White Responds to Tim Staples’ Article, “How to Explain the Eucharist” in the September, 1997 issue of Catholic Digest“ (1 March 2000). See my Introduction to what will be a very long series (and the other installments). Words of James White will be in blue. ***** Catholic apologists know the situation well. The Evangelical Christian has his Bible and is making waves at... Read more

Extraordinarily Excessive Use of Extraordinary Ministers

Last updated on: October 8, 2019 at 1:08 pm By Dave Armstrong

It is completely understandable that many people are outraged by abuses in the Mass. When the rubrics are violated it is scandalous and the laity have every right to protest and try to reform the mistaken, erroneous, improper practices. Lots of things are routinely violated. For example, the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion is supposed to be restricted to, well, “extraordinary” circumstances (hence the name). As we know, that guideline is hardly ever applied. The Vatican document Inaestimabile Donum (1980)... Read more

Vs. James White #4: Eternal Security of Believers?

Last updated on: September 19, 2019 at 12:01 pm By Dave Armstrong

This is a point-by-point response to Bishop “Dr.” [???] James White’s article, “The Believer’s Security — A Response to James Akin” (12-5-98). See my Introduction to what will be a very long series (and the other installments). Words of James White will be in blue. ***** Mr. Akin begins with a five paragraph discussion of how Protestants, under the influence of sola scriptura, misread the Bible. He takes as his text the precious words of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of John, specifically,... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Three of the four beasts from Daniel's vision are: a bear with three ribs in its mouth, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a terrifying beast with iron teeth and ten horns. Which beast is missing?

Select your answer to see how you score.