Charles Manson [Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0 license] In a ridiculous piece at the Patheos Atheist Channel, this is one of the “arguments” made: If Manson lived 2,000 years ago, we might have churches worshiping him now. So it was easy for me to imagine a completely fraudulent scamming huckster named Jesus. . . . along with the following charming observation: [T]here are only two possibilities: Jesus was either an ignorant 1st century charlatan and cult leader heavily exaggerated like... Read more
St. Augustine in His Study (bet. 1490 and 1494), by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * (8-30-12) These are excerpted from my book, The Quotable Augustine: Distinctively Catholic Elements in His Theology (2012). Many more quotations on most of these topics are in the book. This is only barely scratching the surface. [the context and background of all quotations can be consulted by following the links made in each instance to the primary sources — themselves... Read more
[public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * The following is drawn from my book, Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths (2009): excepting this new introduction and one added verse (1 Peter 4:12). All passages are from the KJV. When defending the doctrine of purgatory (which most Protestants reject, and Orthodox conceptualize in quite different terms), it’s relevant to include recurring motifs in Scripture that describe the same thing as what happens in purgatory: a cleansing or purging of sins, in... Read more
Head of Christ (c. 1648), by Rembrandt (1606-1669) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * Alphabetical by Author JESUS: DIVINITY OR DEITY OF Jesus is God: Biblical Proofs (Dave Armstrong, 1982) The Validity of a Categorical Syllogism Supporting Christ’s Deity (Francis J. Beckwith, 1986) Jesus Christ, God Manifest: Titus 2:13 Revisited (Robert M. Bowman, Jr., 2008) The Deity of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels (Daniel Doriani, 1994) Jesus as God in the Second Century (Paul Hartog, 2006) Cosmic... Read more
[from my book, Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths (2009), except that RSV is used for the Bible verses, rather than KJV] * * * * * This paper has been re-uploaded as: Mary’s Bodily Assumption: Eleven Related Bible Passages [2009] *** Photo credit: The Assumption of the Virgin, by Charles Le Brun (1619-1690) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** Read more
From Billboard Magazine: 1 May 1965 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * * * [posted also as an Amazon review, where I added the description: “Sonic Ear Candy”. I’ve only written three reviews there, and one of the other two was a review of the 2009 Beatles stereo and mono box sets] * * * I’m a bona fide Beatles fanatic, as well as an audiophile. They’ve been my favorite band for almost 52 years now: ever since... Read more
Original Title: Purgatory is the Waiting Room for Heaven, Not a Temporary Hell (1st C. Understanding of “Gehenna”) [public domain / Pixabay] (4-25-09) The following friendly exchange took place on the Coming Home Network board with a self-described “Hebrew Catholic.” His words will be in blue. * * * * * The reason that Purgatory is not mentioned in the New Testament is the same reason that neither hell, nor heaven are mentioned in the NT–The NT is written in Greek. All... Read more
[public domain / Pixabay] * * * From my bestselling 1996 book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, pp. 123-145. The introductory material of the chapter (definitions) is omitted; also a few quotations. Footnoting numbers are from my original manuscript and differ from the present Sophia edition. All Bible passages are from RSV. * * * * * Psalm 66:12 Thou didst let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet thou hast brought us forth to a... Read more
. . . (Analogical Cross-Referencing and Insufficient Counter-Arguments) The Last Supper (c. 1562), by Joan de Joanes (1510-1579) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (8-15-09) * * * John 6:47-66 (RSV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. [48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [50] This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. [51]... Read more
Photo and photoshopping by Jonathan Thorne, 6-23-08 [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] * * * This article has been re-uploaded under the title of Dialogue: Is Catholic Virginity an “Anti-Sex” Viewpoint? *** Read more
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