Dialogue w Friendly Atheist #3: Music, Longing, & Mysticism

Last updated on: August 14, 2017 at 4:55 pm By Dave Armstrong

Brünnhilde (1910), by Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** This is from a private correspondence with a very friendly and fair-minded atheist, who goes by the nickname, “Comrade Carrot-Blog Vegetarian.” He has agreed that it would be made public. Unlike the vast majority of atheists I have met online, he is actually curious about my spiritual journey and Christian viewpoint, minus any hint of condescension or the usual atheist views of Christians (that we are ignorant, anti-science, given to following... Read more

Catholic Conversion: Classic Analyses (Chesterton, Belloc, Pelikan)

Last updated on: August 12, 2017 at 5:48 pm By Dave Armstrong

George Bernard Shaw, Hilaire Belloc, & G. K. Chesterton [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** [originally compiled in 1991] Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), a famous convert to Catholicism, wrote brilliantly about three phases of conversion, which seem to be fairly typical of many, if not most, converts (including myself): The convert commonly passes through three stages or states of mind. The first is when he imagines himself to be entirely detached . . . that of the young philosopher who feels... Read more

Classic Anti-Catholic Polemicists (Chick, Boettner, & Hislop)

Last updated on: August 12, 2017 at 1:04 pm By Dave Armstrong

Cover of a 1919 edition of Hislop’s The Two Babylons [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (1-25-91) The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop, is a particularly venomous and well-known book simply teeming with ignorance and falsehood. This “scholarly” work, published in 1858 (Neptune, New Jersey: 1959, 2nd American edition, 330 pages), gives its “thesis” in the Introduction: It has been known all along that Popery was baptized Paganism . . . the very Paganism which prevailed in the ancient literal Babylon .... Read more

Anti-Catholicism: Classic Catholic Replies and Retorts

Last updated on: August 11, 2017 at 10:34 pm By Dave Armstrong

G. K. Chesterton in 1919 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (1-25-91) How does a Catholic respond to the astonishing and widespread displays of disinformation, and often sheer malice, such as we see in anti-Catholic rhetoric? We shall take a look at some of the classic examples from great Catholic writers: 1. Archbishop Fulton Sheen There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly... Read more

Baptismal Ecumenism: A New Evangelistic Paradigm (Rod Bennett)

Last updated on: August 11, 2017 at 5:29 pm By Dave Armstrong

Brass baptismal font (1590) in “St. Stephen” Lutheran church in Helmsted, Germany. Photo by “Times” (5-17-10) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license] *** Baptismal Ecumenism * “Baptism constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn.” — (Catechism of the Catholic Church; 1271). * “That the mystical body of Christ and the Catholic Church in communion with Rome are one and the same thing, is a doctrine based on revealed truth…” – (Pope Pius XII,... Read more

Defending Ecumenism & Vatican II vs. Reactionary Catholics

Last updated on: August 11, 2017 at 2:22 pm By Dave Armstrong

Straw man fallacy, anyone? Photograph by DomenicBlair (6-28-16) [Pixabay / CC0 Creative Commons license] ***** I posted an article called “A Biblical Approach to Other Religions” at National Catholic Register (8-9-17). In response, Oakes Spalding from the reactionary Tenth Crusade website posted the critical pseudo-“review”, “Can somebody explain this Dave Armstrong article to me?” (8-9-17). I was more than happy to grant his wish in the combox, and to respond to the host of distortions and false assertions therein. Misunderstandings of these... Read more

Ecumenism vs. No Salvation Outside of the Church?

Last updated on: August 9, 2017 at 2:24 pm By Dave Armstrong

Jesus and the Centurion (c. 1571), by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588). Jesus was quite “ecumenical” with those completely outside the Jewish faith. [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** This is a good dialogue with a Protestant friend, Dustin Buck Lattimore, from my Facebook page. His words will be italicized. ***** How are they [the Orthodox] not “separated brethren” when they deny all of the Catholic particulars concerning the papacy? I wonder if we (Protestants) will achieve an equal level of friendliness 500 years... Read more

Rhetorical US Nuclear Threats Are Nothing New At All

Last updated on: August 9, 2017 at 11:50 am By Dave Armstrong

Nuclear weapon test Romeo on Bikini atoll: part of Operation Castle. (27 March 1954) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** It shall be the policy of this Nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union. — John F. Kennedy, 10-22-62 Note how he said that nuclear attacks not only against the US, but any nation... Read more

St. Augustine (d. 430) vs. Sola Scriptura as the Rule of Faith

Last updated on: August 8, 2017 at 2:57 pm By Dave Armstrong

St. Augustine, by Antonio Rodríguez (1636-1691) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (8-1-03) *** For preliminaries concerning my methodology and the burden of proof for showing if a Church Father believed in sola Scriptura, see my paper, Church Fathers & Sola Scriptura. St. Augustine’s words will be in blue. *** Anti-Catholic evangelical apologist Jason Engwer produced the following words of St. Augustine, to “prove” that he believed in sola Scriptura: In order to leave room for such profitable discussions of difficult questions, there is a... Read more

St. John Chrysostom (d. 407) vs. Sola Scriptura as the Rule of Faith

Last updated on: August 8, 2017 at 1:48 pm By Dave Armstrong

St. John Chrysostom (early 11th century Byzantine), from Hosios Loukas Monastery, Boeotia, Greece [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (8-1-03) *** For preliminaries concerning my methodology and the burden of proof for showing if a Church Father believed in sola Scriptura, see my paper, Church Fathers & Sola Scriptura. St. John Chrysostom’s words will be in blue. Evangelical Protestant / Anti-Catholic apologist Jason Engwer’s words will be in green. *** But John Chrysostom said that each individual should read scripture and interpret it for himself: “Let... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: In 2 Corinthians, Paul describes himself as having a thorn in the flesh.

Select your answer to see how you score.