Dialogue w Friendly Atheist #2: Music, Longing, & Mysticism

Last updated on: August 14, 2017 at 2:17 pm By Dave Armstrong

Siegfried leaves Brünnhilde in search of adventure (1911), 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, minus any hint of condescension or the usual atheist views of Christians (that we are ignorant, anti-science,... Read more

Argument for God from Desire: Atheist-Christian Dialogue

Last updated on: August 7, 2017 at 11:57 am By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “Imaresz” (7-5-13) [Pixabay / Pixabay license] *** “Ficino” is an atheist, former Catholic, and all-around interesting fellow. This exchange occurred underneath my blog post about sehnsucht. His words will be in blue. ***** Oh again. Do we all desire, as the outermost sphere of the heaven, itself divine and itself eternally in motion, desires the unmoved mover, as the earthly lover desires the beloved from across the agora? Desires the unmoved mover, which thinks nothing but its own... Read more

My Catholic Conversion (Radio Interview w Al Kresta)

Last updated on: August 6, 2017 at 9:11 pm By Dave Armstrong

My very good friend John McAlpine (left), sponsoring my reception into the Catholic Church on 8 February 1991. He had the most personal influence in my conversion. *** [transcribed on 12 January 1999, from the radio interview of 8 September 1997] *** Al Kresta, talk show host (more info. below), is also the author of Why Do Catholics Genuflect? (2002), Why Are Catholics So Concerned About Sin? (2005), and Dangers to the Faith (2012). ***** Introduction I consider myself (in apologetic matters) primarily a... Read more

Abortion and a “Progressive and Humane Nation” (By Al Kresta)

Last updated on: August 6, 2017 at 6:38 pm By Dave Armstrong

Burial of the dead after the massacre of Wounded Knee (29 December 1890). At least they were buried. Aborted preborn children are thrown into the garbage. [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-28-00) ***** For America, abortion is the morally defining issue of this generation just as race was the morally defining issue of the last generation. We have settled, at least at the rhetorical level, the issue of race. No one can stand tall and unassailed in America and... Read more

On Sehnsucht & Longing (C. S. Lewis & the Romantics)

Last updated on: August 4, 2017 at 1:09 pm By Dave Armstrong

Sehnsucht (Träumerei [dreaming]) (c. 1900), by Heinrich Vogeler (1872-1942) [public domain / Wikimedia Commmons] *** [compiled and edited by Dave Armstrong; uploaded on 11-13-01] ***** [Joy, or Sehnsucht is a] . . . wistful, soft tearful longing. (Matthew Arnold, On the Study of Celtic Literature, New York: Macmillan, 1907, 117-118) * [Joy, or Sehnsucht is] a special kind of longing . . . surrounded by a misty indefiniteness which seems essential to its very nature . . . it encompasses not only . . .... Read more

“Pro-Abortion”: “Bad Faith” Term or Fair Description?

Last updated on: August 4, 2017 at 6:17 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “cherylholt” (10-16-15) [Pixabay / Pixabay license] *** This discussion took place underneath one of my blog posts. Erinys Trace is an atheist. Her words will be in blue. ***** I thought you liked to debate in “good faith”, at least that is what you claimed before. Calling pro-choice position “pro-abort” is NOT good faith argumentation. Besides the fact that it is a total lie made up by anti-abortion activists (Pro-forced birthers since you already threw good faith out the window)... Read more

Dialogue w Friendly Atheist #1: My Pagan / Occultic Period

Last updated on: August 8, 2017 at 1:05 am By Dave Armstrong

+ Circumstances and Factors Regarding my Evangelical Conversion in 1977 at Age 18 and Catholic Conversion at Age 32 Yours truly (center) in April 1977: right before my existential crisis, leading to my evangelical conversion, with my brother Gerry and sister-in-law, Judy (both, sadly, deceased). That’s about the longest I ever grew my hair, too! ***** 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... Read more

Basil the Great (d. 379) vs. Sola Scriptura as the Rule of Faith

Last updated on: August 2, 2017 at 4:15 pm By Dave Armstrong

Fresco of St. Basil the Great in the Church of the Theotokos Peribleptos in Ohrid, Macedonia (13th century) [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. Basil the Great’s words will be in blue. Evangelical Protestant / Anti-Catholic apologist Jason Engwer’s words will be in green. *** In a Catholic Answers article on tradition, we read... Read more

Simcha Fisher’s “New” Pro-Life Critique of “Old” Pro-Lifers

Last updated on: August 3, 2017 at 3:42 am By Dave Armstrong

Paradox (image by Nick Youngson, June 2016) [The Blue Diamond Gallery / CC BY-SA 3.0 license] *** [Reply to certain aspects of her article, “Dems Ditch Pro-choice Litmus Test; Secret Thoughts of Many Laid Bare” (8-1-17) ] This is a woman, remember, who voted for Hillary Clinton (Planned Parenthood’s selected “Champion of the Century”). But I don’t classify her as a “pro-lifer in quotation marks” as her good buddy, the Orthodoxy Cop, regularly does to us. She writes: “I actually like Gorsuch; but I liked Merrick Garland, too.”... Read more

Theodoret (d. c. 458) vs. Sola Scriptura as the Rule of Faith

Last updated on: August 1, 2017 at 2:36 pm By Dave Armstrong

Russian icon of the Church fathers (11th century) [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. Theodoret’s words will be in blue. Evangelical Protestant / Anti-Catholic apologist Jason Engwer’s words will be in green. *** Theodoret of Cyrrhus was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and bishop of Cyrrhus (423–457). Jason Engwer came up with one passage, to “prove”... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was a biblical talent's weight?

Select your answer to see how you score.