One aspect (Immanuel Kant would argue the only aspect of value) of religion on society is its insistence on an ethical code or manner of conduct. Nevertheless, if he is honest, even the most ardent anti-Catholic must admit the enormous contribution Catholicism has had to the development of law, particularly in the West. It is this contribution that I will examine in this paper. The Need For Law Catholicism – following the Bible – states that human beings are made... Read more
Pope Francis is well acquainted with controversy. Most recently, he raised some eyebrows with his comment on comparative religions. Speaking in Singapore, Pope Francis remarked, “They [the various religions] are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all.” Putting aside Pope Francis’s effort to ingratiate himself with a religiously mixed audience, I want to examine the issue of religious “equality.” In this paper, I will explore whether all religions are essentially equal regarding... Read more
Excepting Jesus, there is no more influential figure in the Catholic tradition than Mary. Millions pray to her, miracles have been attributed to her, and the Church celebrates as many as eighteen feast days in her honor. In this paper, I briefly examine the extraordinary life of Mary, a figure whose influence has been the cause of comfort and controversy. I will delve into her life and explore the profound theological implications of her role as the mother of God.... Read more
It is said that the third child is affectionate and uncomplicated. However, I can make no such claims about my personality despite having been preceded into this world by two sisters. My parents were immigrants; my father was of German descent, and my mother was French. Both had been deeply affected by World War Two, if for no other reason than the fact that my parents were Jewish. My childhood could not be considered typical. We moved quite often, meaning... Read more
“He who marries the spirit of the times will soon find himself a widower.” — G.K. Chesterton. Everything changes. Empires rise and fall. People come and go. Fades vanish as quickly as they appear. What about Catholicism? Are the teachings of the Catholic Church as fixed as the stars, or are they subject to the change that engulfs our lives? A Changing Church? It can be reasonably argued that the Catholic Church is a result of change. While the Church... Read more
In his famous poem, T.S. Eliot posits that the world ends not with a bang but with a whimper. Eschatology, too, has theories on how the world will end. Eschatology is that discipline within theology that is concerned with the end of the world. The purpose of this paper is to examine the four most prominent theories promulgated by eschatology about the process leading up to the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world. Before beginning, a... Read more
I recently came across a post on X (formerly Twitter) showing a woman wearing a t-shirt with the words, “I’ve had 21 abortions!” There has been much ink spilled on the topic of abortion, and I will not add much more in this essay. Rather, I want to use the subject of abortion as a point of departure and place it into the broader context of original sin and human volition. I will commence by examining will in a philosophical... Read more
As anyone familiar with the New Testament knows, Jesus frequently spoke in parables, and his statements often had a mysterious air to them. In this paper, I want to examine one such comment. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27). I will begin by explaining the Sabbath’s meaning and history. I will then seek to place the Sabbath within the greater context by contrasting the letter of the law with the spirit of the... Read more
I have long thought that a comprehensive understanding of Catholicism requires at least some basic knowledge of the Old Testament and Judaism. This is as true in Christology as in any other aspect of theology. In this essay, I want to examine one such connection between the Old and New Testaments: the teaching that Jesus Christ is the new Adam. To do so, I need to discuss biblical typology. Typology Biblical typology refers to when a person, event, or thing... Read more
A strong case can be made that politics has replaced baseball as America’s pastime. Regardless of where one lives or whom one interacts with, politics seems to have infected the lives of almost everyone. At the same time, there has been a noticeable decline in religiosity in American life. This is, in my view, not a coincidence. In this paper, I want to question this obsession over politics and suggest that politics, divorced from religion and faith, has led to... Read more
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