Catholic Bible Verses on Sanctification & Merit

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 11:54 am By Dave Armstrong

St. Paul (1625-1626), by Nicolas Tournier (1590-1639) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** [12-20-07] *** SANCTIFICATION AS PART OF SALVATION * Sanctification: Catholic Definition Being made holy. The first sanctification takes place at baptism, by which the love of God is infused by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Newly baptized persons are holy because the Holy Trinity begins to dwell in their souls and they are pleasing to God. The second sanctification is a lifelong process in which a person... Read more

Ubiquitous “Trumpmania” & Sensible Prudence

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 11:55 am By Dave Armstrong

Whitetail deer bucks locking antlers in Cades Cove, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Photograph by Brian Stansberry (12-23-13) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license] *** [see my previous related piece, Statement on Catholic “Trump Wars” & Civil Discourse, from 7-23-16] *** Catholic writer Austin Ruse recently bemoaned the “open war between and among faithful Catholics” regarding “politics” which has “poisoned practically everything.” That led me to make some extended remarks on the issue, as a longtime critic and... Read more

Questions Re Catholic Mariology & the Rosary

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 11:57 am By Dave Armstrong

Madonna and Child (c. 1742), by Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [1-29-07] ** The following is my response to a Catholic convert, Jonathan, who described himself as “struggling.” His words will be in blue. *** As a recent convert to Catholicism I must admit that the most difficult and frightening thing for me to understand is the Catholic perception of Mary. You’re not alone, believe me. Ironically, this wasn’t true in my case. My biggest beef... Read more

Biblical Evidence for Marian Apparitions

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 11:59 am By Dave Armstrong

Transfiguration, by Giovanni Gerolamo Savoldo (c. 1480 – c. 1548) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [2-26-11] *** By analogy, biblical accounts of “appearances” of those who have died, are of the same essential nature as a Marian apparition. Angels (i.e., also creatures like men) might also be included in such a survey, but stories of angels are relatively well-known, and for the sake of closer analogy and brevity, I have selected only passages with men or the appearance of... Read more

Is America Arguably the Wickedest Nation of All Time?

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:53 pm By Dave Armstrong

Pro-Life Sarasota Florida: 33rd March For Life. Photograph by Elvert Barnes (22 January 2006) [Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license] *** [9-21-01] *** [Excerpts from a much longer paper, written at the same time] *** The most rebellious nations (by definition), and the most worthy of judgment, are the most Judaism- or Christianity-saturated nations. They are all the more accountable for their rebellion, just as ancient Israel became an abomination to God time and time again because she was given... Read more

Luther Wasn’t a Revolutionary?! HUH?!

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:54 pm By Dave Armstrong

Posthumous Portrait of Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk (after 1546), from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [4-27-04] *** Many Protestants have argued that Martin Luther never intended to start a “new religion” or denomination, or to split Christianity; in fact that he never intended to leave the Catholic Church. One can quibble about when and why he intended on starting a new version of Christianity, but the fact remains that he did. It... Read more

Protestantism Was NOT a Revolt?

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:56 pm By Dave Armstrong

Luther at the Diet of Worms (1877), by Anton von Werner (1843-1915) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [6-2-03; slightly revised on 12-8-11] *** The so-called Protestant “Reformation” had to do with the abolition of five of seven sacraments, the move to sola Scriptura as the rule of faith over against an authoritative Church and councils and apostolic succession and episcopacy (and including a papacy as well), the ending of the Sacrifice of the Mass, the move away from... Read more

Presidential Poll Reversals / Likely Voters Analysis

Last updated on: April 19, 2017 at 12:57 pm By Dave Armstrong

Original title: “Past Presidential Polls Mid-Race and Contrary Outcome in November” John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon taken prior to their first debate at WBBM-TV in Chicago: 26 September 1960 (Asociated Press) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** [I originally posted this about a month ago (6-24-16) on my Facebook page. Presently I will simply add some recent polling indications for the general election and battleground states that show Trump now even or ahead] *** 1960 August / September: Kennedy: 44% /... Read more

Catholic “Trump Wars” & Civil Discourse

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 12:06 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph from Pexels.com [CC0 license; free for any use with no attribution] ***** [the initial impetus for this article came from learning about a friend who opposes Trump, who expressed that she had been deeply hurt by friends] There is plenty of vitriol on both sides. No one has a monopoly on it. We need to condemn harsh rhetoric and gratuitous insults wherever it comes from. I will vote for Trump, not because he is a canonized saint, but because he is... Read more