To non-Christians, the way many Christians act in the world must confuse them. For they often have read what Christ taught and see that Christians not only act contrary to Christ’s teachings, but demand others to do so as well. They read Christ teaching the way of love. They see he is meant to be the prince of peace. Yet, Christians, as history shows, have been far from peaceful, as they have engaged wars of aggression, and they have been... Read more
Every year, I see Christians saying we must not celebrate Halloween (and possibly other holidays like Christmas). Usually, one or two reasons are given. The first is that they say the day is a pagan holiday, and Christians should have nothing to do with paganism. They recount a highly constructed (and false) narrative of pagan traditions, showing the supposed connections between the celebration of Halloween (and Christmas) today with paganism of old. Even if the reconstructed history were true, the... Read more
At the heart of the Christian faith is the teaching of the incarnation, and through the incarnation, the revelation of the Trinity. While we might have found hints concerning the Trinitarian nature of God through natural revelation, we would not have been able to come to conclude its truth on our own, especially because the teaching o the Trinity transcends our comprehension. We must always keep in mind that the truth transcends us, and if it transcends us, it transcends... Read more
Unity in diversity is important to the Christian faith. Each person should be given the freedom to express and develop themselves, that is, to engage grace in their own unique fashion. This freedom, therefore, will create a great diversity, as the way people develop themselves will differ from each other. Nonetheless, they should be reminded that that they are not islands all unto themselves. No one can and will be independent from everyone else. Persons, by their nature, are interdependent... Read more
When I was young, long before I became a Catholic, or even before I considered becoming a Catholic a possibility, I read Hal Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet Earth, and was fascinated with the idea that we were living at the end times. Like many others, I was thrilled to hear that Jesus was going to come again during my lifetime. Not only was it a very exciting thing to hear, it made me feel special without actually having to... Read more
Early in Christian history, especially during the time before Constantine, Christians often engaged and recognized truths found in various pagan religions, their prophets, and the philosophers who emerged from those religious traditions (the division of philosophy and theology into two separate and distinct disciplines is a much later development). We find this especially established by various apologists (like St. Justin Martyr and Eusebius), who pointed out how God could be said to have inspired elements from these other religious traditions... Read more
The prophet Jonah famously misunderstood his prophetic mission; he understood God’s pathos against social unjust and its implications for the people of Nineveh, which led him to point out the doom they faced as a result of their injustices. However, he thought that there was nothing they could do to avert their fate, that they were soon going to be destroyed (like Sodom and Gomorrah). He was right about what would happen if they did not change their ways, but... Read more
Sadly, many Christians like to cut themselves completely off from everyone and everything they believe to be impure, such as unbelievers, looking down upon them, because such Christians believe others have already been judged and condemned by God, and so should be condemned by them as well. They want to keep to themselves away from what they believe is the evil of the world, only to prove that they are the ones who have lost their way, and in doing... Read more
We are told to love our neighbor as ourselves, which means, every neighbor is to be loved and treated the same way as we love and treat ourselves. How can this be if we think we can love others unequally, saying some people deserve more love than others? We are to love everyone equally, but this does not mean everyone will be loved in the exact same way. Equality allows for differences, but of course, we must make certain that... Read more
Years ago, I worked with a refugee community in Nashville, TN. Most of the refugees were Kurds, but, I remember that at least one of the families I worked with was Haitian. Christians were involved with bringing the refugees into the United States, and they were involved with helping them, making sure they got work, a place to live, food, and anything else they needed. The children adapted to the situation quicker than the adults, as they found it far... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In