Mandatory Priestly Celibacy: New (?) Argument

Last updated on: June 10, 2019 at 7:01 pm By Dave Armstrong

Fr. Georges Lemaître (1894–1966), c. 1933: Belgian priest, astronomer and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Leuven, and originator of Big Bang cosmology [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (11-16-12) Metropolitan Damaskinos (Papandreou) of Adrianoupolis (Eastern Orthodox) stated: Marriage according to the Lord and celibacy for the Lord’s sake are two different spiritual paths, it is true, but both are incontestably valid for a true living of the content of the faith. Of these paths, anyone is free to follow either... Read more

John Wesley Believed in Prayer for the Dead

Last updated on: April 3, 2017 at 5:12 pm By Dave Armstrong

. . . (also, approval of Luther and Lutherans) Portrait of John Wesley (1788), by William Hamilton (1751-1801) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (7-13-09) John Wesley (1703-1791) was the founder of Methodism and a lifelong Anglican. From the book, John Wesley in Company With High Churchmen, Harrington William Holden, London: Church Press, 5th edition, 1872, pp. 84-87. Wesley’s own words will be in blue. * * * * * Wesley taught the propriety of Praying for the Dead, practiced it himself, and provided Forms, that... Read more

Bill Cosby: Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

Last updated on: November 22, 2021 at 2:02 pm By Dave Armstrong

. . . . The Rule of Law and Trial by Media Rather than by a Jury, with Cross-Examination Publicity photo of Bill Cosby (William Morris agency, 1969) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * * * I suppose this is entering into the hornet’s nest, but that has never stopped me before, especially in matters of what I consider to be principle and fundamental fairness. I was like (probably) most of you as recently as four hours ago. I’ve... Read more

Mary Mother of God (Theotokos): Protestant Founders Agree

Last updated on: April 19, 2017 at 12:41 pm By Dave Armstrong

. . . Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Bullinger Madonna of Humility (1433), by Domenico di Bartolo (1400-1447) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (10-10-08) * * * * * Can you or someone on this forum [Coming Home Network] explain what heresy it was that the bishops were combating in proclaiming this doctrine? Nestorianism. For a description of that heresy, see the use of Theotokos in the Church fathers. Most Protestants believe that Mary was the mother of Jesus but not the mother of God. That... Read more

“Mother of God”: Quick, Effective, Unanswerable Biblical Proof

Last updated on: June 3, 2017 at 12:53 pm By Dave Armstrong

Adoration in the Forest (c. 1459), by Filippo Lippi (1406-1469) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (12-11-08) * * * * * A formerly Baptist woman wrote on the Coming Home Network forum: If I called Mary God’s mother, I felt I was saying the human being born at a certain time in history (a creature) had “created,” had given life to, God Himself, Who had not previously existed. That was hard for me. Of course, that was never the intent of... Read more

Lately, I’ve Been Exceedingly Blessed (By Insults)

Last updated on: April 3, 2017 at 5:25 pm By Dave Armstrong

Gold [public domain / Pixabay] * * * * * I know; the title sounds silly, doesn’t it, like I’m maybe pulling your leg? But actually it is a direct allusion to a saying of Jesus, from the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:11-12 (RSV) “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men... Read more

My 20 Most Popular Posts for 2015

Last updated on: April 3, 2017 at 5:26 pm By Dave Armstrong

Selfie (January 2013) This is the calculation since August 2015, when I arrived at Patheos: from Google Analytics, which tallies page views and lots of other things. Numbers for page views provide an indication of exactly what most interests folks with regard to Catholic apologetics. What’s fascinating to ponder also is the relative importance of a catchy title, to draw people in (much like headlines and column titles in newspapers). It appears that numbers in a title helps a lot... Read more

Catholic Sexuality: Dialogue with an Agnostic

Last updated on: October 15, 2019 at 1:10 pm By Dave Armstrong

Romeo and Juliet (1884), by Frank Dicksee (1853-1928) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * This dialogue has been re-posted under the title, Catholic Sexuality: Cordial Dialogue with an Agnostic. *** Read more

Catholic Sexuality: A “Nutshell” Explanation & Defense

Last updated on: January 6, 2020 at 6:32 pm By Dave Armstrong

Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O´Neill wedding: photo by Bengt Nyman, 8 June 2013 [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license] * * * * * This article has been re-uploaded under the title, Catholic Sexuality: A Concise Explanation & Defense. *** Read more

Pensées (Thoughts) on Radical Catholic Reactionaries

Last updated on: April 22, 2017 at 10:02 am By Dave Armstrong

Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees (bet. 1886 and 1894), by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (1-5-13) * * * * * The following comments were made on a recent Facebook thread that I have now decided to delete because it got way out of hand, with wild diversions and rabbit trails and personal remarks thrown about, as well as the obligatory myriad misunderstandings (as usual with any thread having to do with radical Catholic reactionaries [RadCathRs]). Here are... Read more