Errors of Galileo & 16th-17th Century Cosmologies

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 6:28 pm By Dave Armstrong

Astronomer Copernicus, conversation with God (1872), by Jan Matejko (1838-1893) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (7-29-10) *** Why is it that one always hears about the notorious trials of Galileo and the errors made by (one faction of) the Catholic Church (on a sub-magisterial, sub-infallible level) about science in the early 17th century, but never about Galileo’s own misguided dogmatism in some areas, and several flat-out errors? Some of those were held by Galileo even in the face of... Read more

Reply to Atheist Scientist Jerry Coyne: Science vs. Religion?

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 6:31 pm By Dave Armstrong

Original Title: Reply to Atheist Scientist Jerry Coyne: Are Science and Religion Utterly Incompatible? (Even Theistic Evolution is Disallowed?) Jerry Coyne (b. 1949); photo by Emma Rodewald: 8-17-06 [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** (7-13-10) *** Dr. Jerry A. Coyne is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. He earned his Ph.D. in evolutionary biology at Harvard University in 1978, working in the laboratory of Richard Lewontin. He has written over 110 refereed... Read more

Interview for Catholic Books and Gifts / Catholic Free Shipping

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 6:36 pm By Dave Armstrong

Dave and Judy Armstrong: December 1991: I was a father, a Catholic, and had a driving / delivery job (all new things in that year). My first published article (in The Catholic Answer) was just 13 months away. I had already written by this time my conversion story in Surprised by Truth and portions of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism. *** (4-23-10) *** Please visit Catholic Books and Gifts and purchase their products. You can see this... Read more

Books by Dave Armstrong: “Biblical Catholic Answers for John Calvin”

Last updated on: September 25, 2020 at 7:43 pm By Dave Armstrong

(completed on 11 March 2010; published on 11 March 2010 by Lulu; 388 pages) *** [cover design by Dave Armstrong] *** — to purchase, go to the bottom of the page — *** TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication Introduction PART ONE: CRITICISM I. Ecclesiology (Theology of the Church and Church Government)…………………………………………..……..15 1. The Catholic Church vs. the Bible?.………………………..15 2. Denigration of Tradition……………………………………17 3. Denial of Apostolic Succession…………………………….19 4. Indefectibility of the Church vs. Massive Apostasy………..24 5. “Primary” vs. “Secondary” Doctrines………………………44 6.... Read more

Anti-Catholic Myth of Catholic Apostasy: Analogous to Jewish Rejection?

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 6:43 pm By Dave Armstrong

[see full book and purchase information] *** (12-8-09) ***** Pito, a commenter on my blog, has asked some very penetrating questions, that I took a crack at answering: ***** I was just wondering whether Catholics are permitted to believe that God gave Moses an Oral as well as a Written Torah on the Mountain, as Orthodox Jews believe, however corrupt some of the Pharisees may have been or made the Law? Sure. I have used the argument myself, as an... Read more

“The One-Minute Apologist”: Paperback Errors Corrected

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 6:58 pm By Dave Armstrong

[cover design by Theodore Schluenderfritz] *** [full book and purchase information] *** [originally discovered by my friend John O’Connor; my additional clarifications are in blue; errors in the paperback are in red; corrections are in green] Page 5 — Footnote #8 cites “Acts 16:14.” This should be “Acts 16:4” instead. Page 23 — Footnote #2 references 1 Cor 13:1; the actual footnote on page 22 refers, in fact, to 1 Cor 14:1. Page 29 — Reference to Luke 2:42 near... Read more

Bishop “Dr.” [?] James White: Anti-Catholic Extraordinaire

Last updated on: May 1, 2025 at 1:21 pm By Dave Armstrong

[Nov. 2013; 395 pages. See full book and purchase information] ***** [James White informed me in a letter dated 10 January 2001 that he was a bishop: “I am an elder in the church: hence, I am a bishop, overseer, pastor, of a local body of believers”. So I have called him that ever since [see more material giving the background and rationale for this, based on White’s own stated beliefs]. As for his supposed doctorate (hence my quotation marks and... Read more

Biblical Skepticism: Irrational Double Standards and Bias

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 7:01 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “Maiconfz” (Jan. 2016) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] ***** (8-6-09) ***** Skeptics (atheists, agnostics, secularists and our beloved theologically liberal “Christians”) often feed us the line that if a thing can’t be found outside the New Testament, it is not to be believed at all. My argument back is to say “so what?” It is irrelevant if something is not attested outside the New Testament because there is no necessity for that to be the case in the first place. And there... Read more

John Wesley’s Belief in an Intermediate State After Death

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 7:08 pm By Dave Armstrong

Statue of John Wesley by Paul Raphael Montford (1868-1938), in Melbourne. Photo by Adam Carr (December 2005) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (7-13-09) ***** 1) From umc.org, the official site for the United Methodist Church: FAQ Belief What happens immediately after a person dies? Question: What happens immediately after a person dies? Do they go directly to heaven or hell or do they go to a holding place until Christ returns to earth for the final judgment? Answer: The... Read more

Catholic Hermeneutics and Exegesis: Resources and Links

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 7:11 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “klimkin” (7-19-16) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (6-28-09) ***** Introductions Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: hermeneutics Study of the general principles of biblical interpretation. Its primary purpose is to discover the truths and values of the Bible, which is seen as a receptacle of divine revelation. Four major types of hermeneutics have emerged: literal (asserting that the text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning”), moral (seeking to establish the principles from which ethical lessons may be... Read more