St John the Evangelist, by Vicente Juan Masip (1507-1579) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [1997; additions on 2-25-03] ***** 1 John 5:17 explicitly differentiates a mortal sin from a less serious one (RSV): “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal” (RSV; KJV: “not unto death”). Denying this would be tantamount to saying that a white lie or a momentary pang of jealousy or lust (especially if unrepented of) is the moral equivalent in God’s eyes... Read more
1st century southern steps leading up to Herod’s Temple. Jesus walked these steps (and I did, too, in 2014) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [3-25-07; slight editing and minor additions on 8-8-16] *** The apostles worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem and at synagogues. The Jews didn’t even accept the Trinity (they were and are like Muslims in that regard). Jesus continued to worship at the temple and synagogues; so did Paul. I believe there was a mandatory tithe... Read more
Sultan Ahmad I Mosque, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia: built 1991-1993 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [3-25-07; edited and abridged significantly on 8-8-16] ***** I don’t see such an act as any different than, say, if a Buddhist neighbor of mine had their house burned down, that the neighborhood chipped in to help. Doing this doesn’t necessarily imply religious agreement or compromise. The implausibility of the contrary position can be shown by a number of reductio ad absurdum arguments: If you are... Read more
Johann Tetzel (1465-1519): the German Dominican friar who was a central figure in the “Reformation” debate about indulgences and their abuses [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [see the related paper, Biblical Evidence for Indulgences, for necessary background on how the Catholic Church defines an indulgence] ***** In his book, The Question Box (New York: Paulist Press, 1929, 296-297). Bertrand Conway writes of the controversial history of indulgences: Catholic historians — Gasquet, Pastor, Janssen, Michaels, Paulus — have frequently mentioned the... Read more
Russian icon of St. Paul / Apostle Paul (1550) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** [slightly modified excerpt from my book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism] *** [For a brief historical explanation of this vexed issue of the Protestant Revolt (aka “Reformation”): see: Catholic Indulgences: History & Myths.] *** Biblical Evidence for Indulgences Matthew 16:19 [RSV] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose... Read more
Image from Pixabay [CC0 public domain] ***** Once again, we Christians, pro-lifers, conservatives, and all moral traditionalists (the real ones and so-called) are well on our way towards sabotaging our own efforts in a presidential election year that was easily ours for the taking. If Hillary Clinton wins, terrorism will grow even more rapidly than it has (many more thousands will die), the economy will languish longer, and radical secularization will exponentially increase. The Supreme Court will be lost for the... Read more
From my notes for The Catholic Answer Bible [later expanded as The New Catholic Answer Bible] (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2002): The Catholic Church teaches that a valid, sacramental marriage between two baptized Christians is permanent, or indissoluble. No power on earth can dissolve it. This is based on the explicit teaching of Jesus. In the passage where Jesus states “unless the marriage is unlawful” (Mt 19:9), Catholics believe He was referring to a situation where a marriage was... Read more
[public domain / Pexels.com / CC0 license] *** (11-6-08) *** My reply to a question (in blue) on the Coming Home Network Internet forum (I was the moderator there from 2007-2010): *** Do you have any general guidance for someone like me who is still reeling from learning that the NIV translation of Matthew 19:9 is inaccurate in the eyes of the Catholic Church? (“I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another... Read more
Jesus ate lamb with His disciples at this meal, which was a celebration of Passover. The Last Supper (1625-1626), by Valentin de Boulogne (1591-1632) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] [3-7-04] ***** Most Christians (with the exception of Seventh-Day Adventists) do not believe it is wrong, immoral, or unethical to eat meat (or, by extension, to hunt). This would be quite difficult to do in light of the facts that Jesus Himself ate fish, even after His Resurrection (Lk 24:43), and... Read more
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
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