“Grubb” is a friendly Baptist who frequents my blog. His words will be in blue. My older cited words will be in green. * * * * * Now, if an institution simply states that “we want our priests to be drawn almost exclusively from that class of men who are called by God to be single, so that they can give undistracted devotion to the Lord [1 Cor 7:35],” then your objection is irrelevant, as the Church is not forcing anyone... Read more
An Orthodox member of my e-mail discussion list wrote: In my experience, most Christians in communion with the pope of Rome who consider themselves traditional prefer the term Roman Catholic as an indication of their allegiance to Rome. Not me. I prefer Catholic, but I’ve never been able to convince either you or Protestant anti-Catholics to extend to me the courtesy of using it. On the other hand, I am quite happy to use Orthodox, even though I don’t think the Orthodox are completely orthodox. It is... Read more
Response to Orthodox and Protestant Criticisms From one of the more thoughtful Protestant participants at the Coming Home Network board (in blue) with my replies: * * * * * It’s the “specific and legalized approach” that’s the hardest thing or me to embrace about the RCC. That’s not to say that I don’t see the reason for having central authority or accepting the teaching of the magisterium. But in the EO [Eastern Orthodoxy] there is an intriguingly comparable approach which,... Read more
If people want to oppose the clear expressions of three popes in a row [on the issue of capital punishment], I don’t find that very Catholic” in approach (I’m not saying they’re not Catholics; they’re just not thinking like Catholics ought to, by nature, in this respect). Why even have a pope if we so casually thumb our noses at the teachings of popes? It’s a very sensible and rather obvious question to ask, I think. Having been Protestant, I know... Read more
Many thanks to Scott Eric Alt for pointing out this documented fact in an excellent article on the matter today, in which he takes on the inanities of reactionary polemicist Peter Kwasniewski. I’ll flesh it out a bit here, with a few more relevant quotations. If Pope Francis is Vlad the Impaler (as a result of this development), then Pope Benedict XVI is Attila the Hun and Pope St. John Paul II is Josef Stalin. John Paul the Great literally could... Read more
[from Catholic philosopher Edward Feser’s blog, but not with him. Three people (different colors below) kept asking me questions, and so I kept answering, as apologists are wont to do. Again, I’m still a green rookie as a total anti-, but here goes: ] ***** I just don’t get where Armstrong is coming from, regarding his position on capital punishment. He says he agrees it would be troublesome to “cross the line” and say death penalty is always and in... Read more
Thomas A Hunt (words in blue) wrote (on a public Facebook page): [N]o Church Father, no church Doctor, no pope and no council has EVER said the death penalty is in opposition to the Gospel. Many a pope has taught it can be a proper punishment. Pope Francis seems to think that doesn’t matter. He is implying past popes did not understand the gospel. That is what people are upset about. . . . [T]he Bible teaches it. JPII taught... Read more
Someone over on pro-death penalty philosopher Dr. Ed Feser’s blog stated: “Christ might have said: ‘while it is morally licit in principle to use the death penalty, I tell you that you must not use it.’ ” Wouldn’t the situation with the woman caught in adultery be that?: John 8:3-11 (RSV) The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught... Read more
It is maintained by many that the gift of tongues (if it still exists at all), is always another known language, as in the Upper Room at Pentecost, or that it can only mean that the hearers miraculously hear their own language. The following research backs up, I think, my contention that there is also a mysterious prayer language referred to in Holy Scripture, which cannot be identified as an existing human language. ***** There is much biblical indication of the above... Read more
Liberation theology, process theology, radical feminism, Mariolatry, etc. have all been condemned by the Church, but the Catholic charismatic renewal (“CCR”) has been accepted. The charismatic movement in its Catholic “wing” has not been condemned by the Church. I have seen statements by the pope and people such as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in support of it. Many orthodox Catholics, however, seem to be suspicious of it, often on the grounds of it being a “Protestantizing influence.” Or they consider it subversive of... Read more
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