*** (8-29-06) *** [Stephen Hand’s words will be in blue; Martin’s in green; Jim Scott’s in purple; I’m from Michigan; Stephen is from Boston, Martin from Tennessee. I don’t know where Jim Scott lives.]***** Southern man better keep your head Don’t forget what your good book said Southern change gonna come at last Now your crosses are burning fast Southern man I saw cotton and I saw black Tall white mansions and little shacks. Southern man when will you pay them back? I... Read more
(6-10-09)* * * * * 1) St. Augustine critiqued many belief-systems and practices in his famous spiritual autobiography. He critiqued, for example, astrology: I then turned my thoughts to those that are born twins, who generally come out of the womb so near the one to the other that the short interval between them–whatever importance they may ascribe to it in the nature of things — cannot be noted by human observation or expressed in those tables which the astrologer... Read more
Sign at a “gay rights” protest at Federal Plaza, Chicago on November 15, 2008. Photo by Andrew Ciscel [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license]* * * (9-27-07) * * * * * ExChristian.Net is a flourishing atheist site. Dave Van Allen was formerly the webmaster. I have an ongoing interest in demonstrating how these common “deconversion” stories of former Christians do not rationally explain why they or anyone else should forsake Christianity. The task is to “defeat the defeater” — as philosopher... Read more
Apostle Paul (1633?), by Rembrandt (1606-1669) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (7-14-09) ***** 2 Timothy 1:16-18 (RSV) May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiph’orus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, [17] but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me eagerly and found me — [18] may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day — and you well know all the service he rendered... Read more
Baptism: fresco on the catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Via Labicana, Rome, Italy [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** Uploaded on 5 June 2002. ** This discussion took place on a public Internet bulletin board, with six Protestants. Their words will appear in various colors, with my primary opponent’s words in blue. * * * * * How does a Protestant interpret this verse?: 1 Corinthians 15:29 (RSV) Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the... Read more
The Madonna of the Roses (1903) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (7-9-09) *** Here are the actual biblical passages where this notion was drawn from (taken from the first draft of my upcoming book, Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths): Luke 1:35 (RSV) And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of... Read more
Chalice from the Reims Cathedral, 12th century [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]*** (3-11-08 and 6-24-11) * * * Catholics have the option to often partake of the cup, but it is not always offered and not required (my own parish rarely offers it, if at all). The reason is that God (being God) cannot ever be divided. The “division” is only symbolic or conceptual (with the cup representing blood). The reality of transubstantiation, however, is that God is present Body,... Read more
Photo credit: [source] This article has been re-uploaded under the title, “Can Communion in the Hand be Equally Reverent?” ***** Read more
President Ronald Reagan in 1985 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * * * I have a strange personality characteristic. I can’t stand it when someone is misrepresented, treated unfairly, mischaracterized, subjected to mere irrational rants and emotional outbursts: much of which clearly flow from prejudice. I think it’s partially because I have been subjected to this sort of thing so many times, myself, as a public (and very vocal, unafraid, unashamed) Catholic apologist these past twenty years. If... Read more
[Lutheran] Augsburg Confession: session of 25 June 1530 (1630), by Johann Dürr (1600-1663) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (11-22-11) * * * * * Nathan Rinne is a friendly Lutheran theological adversary. Nathan’s latest reply — one portion of which I am now responding to –, is entitled, Round 2 with RC apologist Dave Armstrong: the unattractive body of Christ. His words will be in blue. I will be changing what I regard as excessive bolding in Nathan’s replies (harsh on the eyes) to italics.... Read more
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