Speaking Out Against Drinking Bleach

Last updated on: July 28, 2020 at 12:18 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Unfortunately, many promote drinking bleach (usually called MMS) to cure autism and COVID. All the evidence points to this being ineffective. However, some Catholics have fallen for it and promoted it as something Catholic. I wanted to present why this was wrong and clarify that it was not in accord with Catholic teaching so my fellow autistics did not get confused. I think, unfortunately, when certain Catholics get press for things that sound off and are contrary to Catholic teaching,... Read more

Good News: First State DNA Privacy Law

Last updated on: July 11, 2020 at 2:22 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

As I might have mentioned before, I’m currently writing a doctoral thesis on the Catholic approach to privacy. What lead me to this was concerns about genetic privacy in things like employment and insurance. Right now, there are limited laws in the USA, where the Americans with Disabilities Act functionally makes DNA testing for employment impossible. However, federal law does not apply to life, disability or long-term care insurance. However, Florida recently passed a new law. New Florida DNA Privacy Law... Read more

Faking Disability to Avoid Masks Breaks at Least 3 Commandments

Last updated on: October 2, 2020 at 11:44 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

In recent weeks, many places have required people to wear masks when entering. Close contact with others could transmit COVID without a mask. However, not everyone wants to. And some people with certain disabilities are unable to wear one. They might use a face shield instead, so it isn’t that they avoid all protection. However, some people created online sites saying one could fake a disability and avoid wearing a mask. Faking a disability for this purpose breaks at least... Read more

Enable Bluetooth Coronavirus Tracing

Last updated on: June 30, 2020 at 9:29 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

I’ve seen a number of posts of people freaking out on social media telling everyone to disable COVID-19 notifications. I want to encourage you instead to make sure they are turned on. I also want to encourage you to download the tracing app once available. I even want to encourage states to make one. The main concern people have is privacy and I also have a similar concern. However, cryptographers at Google and Apple figured out a way that protects that.... Read more

Deepfakes Create Many Moral Messes

Last updated on: June 9, 2020 at 9:49 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Deepfakes are a new technology where a person’s face is taken from stills or video and put onto some other video making it appear like they did whatever is in the subsequent video. Such videos are quickly becoming indistinguishable from real videos. I want to take a summary of deepfakes – the technology and the uses – then analyze the moral issues The Reality of Deepfakes Forbes recently ran a story. It began: Last month during ESPN’s hit documentary series The... Read more

Prudence over Politics in Reopening Churches

Last updated on: May 29, 2020 at 9:20 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

On Wednesday, May 20, it came out that the bishops of Minnesota will open their Churches for liturgy despite a state order to the contrary. A few days later, the state of Minnesota relented and let churches open. Two days after the bishops defied the state order, Trump said governors should allow churches to reopen “right now for this weekend.” Later, he added, “In America, we need more prayer, not less.” On the same day, Gov. Wolf indicated that Philadelphia... Read more

St. Isidore of Seville is NOT the Official Patron of the Internet.

Last updated on: May 14, 2020 at 11:42 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

When I wrote on soon to be Blessed Carlo Acutis, I got the same reply from many. I titled my article, “Patron Saint of the Internet? Carlo Acutis to Be Beatified.” Many objected that Isidore of Seville was actually the patron saint of the Internet. That lead me down a rabbit hole to see if Isidore had ever been so named officially. It seems like he has not been. The results of my research were posted a few days ago... Read more

Welcoming Autistics at Mass (Podcast with Cincinnati Archdiocese)

Last updated on: May 13, 2020 at 3:24 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

A while back, I spoke about welcoming autistic individuals to Mass and religious education on a Podcast. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati Respect Life has a regular podcast about a wider perspective of pro-life issues. They invited me on the podcast to talk about how ordinary Catholics can welcome autistic individuals. We spoke about issues like a sensory-friendly Mass, religious education, accepting autistic quirks, etc. Jesus wants everyone to live virtue, to live the mission, to live like Jesus. This includes... Read more

Organic Spirituality in an Artificial Spirituality World

Last updated on: May 7, 2020 at 11:19 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Silence, listening to the voice of God, a personal encounter with the living God, deep prayer… Most of us say we want these, but does our spiritual environment produce them? Reflecting on how society twists our material desires makes me think about how it twists our spiritual desires. Recognizing the need to fulfill our natural desire properly, should lead us to also see the need to fulfill our spiritual desires. I think there is an analogy between the distorted or... Read more