It seems to me that most serious Catholics are not going to Mass every Sunday in abject fear of mortal sin or losing their salvation (i.e., as their primary or main reason), but rather, because they love it; they want to go, and understand the joy and necessity of regular assembly with other believers and…
The concerns reflected in my title are often based on a great misunderstanding. When the Church has referred to Muslims worshiping the one God, it is meant in the sense of both Christians and Muslims being monotheists. Monotheism includes Christians, Jews and Muslims. The Second Vatican Council, in its document, Nostra Aetate, states: “They [Muslims]…
2 Corinthians 1:21 (RSV): “But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us;” 2 Corinthians 2:17: “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” I ran across an…
“Gehenna,” Jesus’ standard metaphor for hell (Mt 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mk 9:43, 45, 47; Lk 12:5), was not a place of constantly burning garbage, as is often thought. Rather, it was a place where children were sacrificed to false gods. That is why Jesus used it to describe hell. Some strains of…
Zeke the “Jesus Freak”: Hey Cathy, why do Catholics baptize babies? It’s pointless, since they don’t know what’s going on and can’t repent, according to Acts 2:38 and Mark 6:16. Cathy the Catholic: Does the Bible specifically prohibit the baptism of babies? Zeke: Well … I guess not. But … Cathy: I thought you only…
As an apologist, I will often cite some “Catholic” or nearly Catholic belief held by Martin Luther (1483-1546), who started the Reformation, in order to show that some doctrines are not solely Catholic, but were shared by the early Protestant reformer. One of the most fascinating of Luther’s beliefs has to do with the question…
