Photo credit: The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah (1852), by John Martin (1789-1854) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] This article has been re-uploaded under the title, Does the Bible Prohibit Homosexual (Non-Procreative) Sex? ***** Read more
Photo credit: The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah (1852), by John Martin (1789-1854) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] This article has been re-uploaded under the title, Does the Bible Prohibit Homosexual (Non-Procreative) Sex? ***** Read more
[see Anne Rice’s website and Wikipedia entry]. According to the latter: “On April 14, 2013, Rice stated in a Facebook post that she was a secular humanist. On July 28, 2014, Rice stated in a Facebook post that Christ is still central to her life, but not in the way he is presented by organized religion.” So we’re not talking about atheism, but rather, a strong rejection of Catholicism and institutional and doctrinal Christianity (using some of the arguments that atheists habitually use).] ***** I don’t read fiction... Read more
First of all, before I cite Church documents, I’d like to clarify as to what is meant and (especially) not meant by every respectable Catholic commentator I have seen who has noted that homosexuality is a statistically significant factor in the current sexual abuse scandals that are wreaking havoc in the Church. In our day and age everything is so polarized, and people so often jump to wrong conclusions about what someone is even maintaining in the first place, that a... Read more
This exchange took place on the ExChristian.Net site, in response to my critique of the webmaster Dave Van Allen’s “anti-testimony.” Dr. Arvo’s words will be in blue. My older cited words will be in green. Dave Van Allen’s words will be in brown. * * * * * Thanks for your thoughtful reply. You start by responding to Dave’s comment “None of this proves or disproves Christianity…” with the statement “If such stories give no reason whatsoever to reject Christianity then (not to be insulting), I humbly submit: what good... Read more
If one dares to critique an atheist’s “deconversion” from Christianity to atheism one will prove oneself (in the eyes of some – dunno how many) atheists, to be evil incarnate, the scum of the earth, and a most unsavory personage. “RubySera Martin”, a former Christian herself, leaves no stone unturned in savaging my person for this outlandishly evil sin that I have committed. The link to her post is now defunct, but I cited it in its entirety. RubySera’s words... Read more
Joe E. Holman used to be a preacher in the fundamentalist Church of Christ denomination. He wrote about the reasons why he rejected Christianity and became an atheist in his story: “From Gospel Preacher to Good Atheist”. [the link is now defunct; see several references to Joe on the Debunking Christianity website]. I want to deal with one particular aspect of it, in order to illustrate how fallacious reasoning on one point can lead to adoption of further errors —... Read more
The so-called “infallibility regress” argument breaks down insofar its tacit assumption that no one can determine (not with finality or “authority”) what the Church is. It is essentially a proposal of radical skepticism or rationalism at the expense (to a degree) of supernatural faith and revelation: it amounts (when closely scrutinized) to a belief that God doesn’t have the power to grant one the faith and grace of finding the apostolic Christian Church, so that he can in turn discover... Read more
Pope St. John XXIII Prayer to the Holy Spirit (1961): Divine Spirit, renew your wonders in our time, as though for a new Pentecost, and grant that the holy church, preserving unanimous and continuous prayer, together with Mary the Mother of Jesus, and also under the guidance of St. Peter, may increase the reign of the Divine Saviour, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen Blessed Pope Paul VI During the First International Leader’s... Read more
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Pope Gregory VII’s (Hildebrand’s) Papacy (1073-1085): Radical Novelty or Development? OVERVIEW CALVIN’S JAUNDICED VIEW OF GREGORY VII VS. LATER ESTIMATIONS SHOULD THE GREGORIAN REFORM BE DESCRIBED AS A “REVOLUTION”? STATE VS. CHURCH AND CAESARO-PAPISM AS THE CULTURAL BACKDROP LEO THE GREAT, GREGORY THE GREAT AND OTHER EARLY POPES PREFIGURE GREGORY VII III. The Relative Importance and Levels of Authority of the Papacy and Councils in the Western Church OVERVIEW PAPAL APPROVAL OF ECUMENICAL COUNCILS HINCMAR OF RHEIMS (+... Read more
According to a lot of people, it’s not. One Christian observer (in a very popular article) claimed that it’s “really just hate” and asked rhetorically: “Where did that phrase come from? The Bible? Nope. Jesus? Nope. But many Christians sure do spout it like it is God-inspired scripture . . .” Another Christian, writing on the topic, opines: “This slogan is one of the most unbiblical ideas I’ve ever heard that get’s touted as if it were actually a verse in... Read more
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