Imagine a father sending his son to a far-off place, knowing that the son would be tortured and killed. Making matters even worse, this was done to satisfy justice for a crime the son did not commit. Does such a scenario constitute child abuse? Obviously, other factors would have to be evaluated, such as the age of the son and the circumstances surrounding the event. Nevertheless, such an event does seem to be questionable at best. What exactly does the... Read more
I want to open this article on the compatibility of faith and science by quoting two very different viewpoints: “Science must destroy religion.” While this quote may seem to have been uttered by a college freshman looking for shock value, it is actually the title of an essay by Dr. Sam Harris, a neuroscientist and “philosopher.” The second quote comes from the famed French microbiologist Louis Pasteur, “A bit of science distances one from God, but much science nears one... Read more
Arguably, the most difficult challenge facing philosophy, theology, and religion is the problem of evil. The problem can be framed in different ways, depending on the purpose of the discussion. For example, one can argue that the existence of evil militates against the existence of God. “If one of two contraries be infinite, the other would be altogether destroyed. But the word “God” means that He is infinite goodness. If, therefore, God existed, there would be no evil discoverable, but... Read more
“I do not know what happens after the physical brain dies…I do not think anyone does know.” – Sam Harris, atheist. The mystery of death, or more accurately, the mystery of what, if anything, happens upon the death of a living being, has beguiled human beings since the advent of humanity. Do living things pass to another life, or do they simply cease to exist? In this paper, I will examine what the Bible and the Catholic tradition have to... Read more
Regardless of one’s religious or secular beliefs, it must be admitted that human beings are social animals and seek to live in societies. Said differently, any discussion on society begins with the presupposition that humans are naturally social. Accepting the social nature of human beings, the question becomes what constitutes the ideal or best society for humans to live in. In this paper, I will suggest that any healthy civilization must be based on Catholic principles. Most will agree that... Read more
Immanuel Kant thought religion’s sole value lay in its capacity to provide a moral framework. While Catholicism must reject such a reductionist view, it cannot be denied that morality certainly plays a significant role in biblical religion. In this paper, I will examine the various aspects of Catholic moral theology. First, however, I will address what moral theology means. Moral theology refers to the study of human actions directed by reason and faith toward the attainment of a supernatural destiny.... Read more
The Bible depicts several remarkable and miraculous events at the moment of Christ’s death. One such event is the tearing of the Temple veil. In this paper, I will discuss the importance of the Temple to Judaism and the nascent Catholic movement. I will then examine how the Bible describes the tearing of the veil. Finally, I will place the event within a larger eschatological framework. It is impossible to have a comprehensive understanding of Catholicism without a basic... Read more
As Catholics, we hear the word sin almost as frequently as we hear our own name. However, our concept of sin is often oversimplified and reduced to only what a person does. In his seminal work Cur Deus Homo? (why the God-man?), Saint Anselm identifies two modalities of sin that will be discussed in this essay. The first modality – the one most of us think of – is an action contrary to God’s will. Often, sin is seen as... Read more
The word science often conjures up images of people in lab coats working with microscopes. It is likely to seem quite strange then to consider theology as a science, yet that is precisely what no less an authority than Thomas Aquinas considered it. If science is concerned with proximate causes and effects, and if God is the ultimate or first cause, then the study of God (theology) is queen. This queen has produced several princes, some greater than others. One... Read more
Following the biblical tradition, Catholicism greatly emphasizes forgiveness and justice by seeking to balance the desire for justice and the need for forgiveness. At the individual level, that entails forgiving those who harm us while seeking justice. However, forgiveness and justice appear to be contradictory concepts. How can we forgive someone for a wrong while simultaneously asking that they be punished in accordance with the dictates of justice? In this essay, I will examine the Catholic teachings on forgiveness and... Read more
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