Tag: faith

Can Non-Christians Be Saved?

From the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) of the Dominican cemetery of Bern‎, Germany

Four questions routinely arise about the Church’s view of the possibility of salvation for those outside of Her ranks:

1. Is Baptism necessary for salvation?
2. Are all of the non-baptized damned?
3. If the non-baptized can be saved, why share the Gospel?
4. Has the Catholic Church changed her answer to these prior three questions?

To understand how the Church can simultaneously hold that Baptism is necessary for salvation and that those can be saved who have never been Baptized, we’ve got to consider two things: how to get to Heaven, and how to get to Hell.

Can God Be Known?

Michelangelo, Creation of Adam (Sistine chapel) (1512)

Can we actually know anything about God? This is one of the most fundamental questions, and many people, particularly agnostics, will say “no.” The argument tends to go something like this: God, if there is a God, is so far removed from human experience and knowledge that there’s nothing that we can say about Him (or Her… Continue reading Can God Be Known?

3 Falsehoods About the Ten Commandments

James Tissot, Moses Destroys the Tables of the Ten Commandments (c. 1900)

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Depending on who’s counting, that’s the Eighth or Ninth of the Ten Commandments. Either way, it’s part of the Ten Commandments, which makes it both ironic and unfortunate that so many falsehoods are spread about the Catholic Church and the Ten Commandments. Here are three that you might… Continue reading 3 Falsehoods About the Ten Commandments

About those Gay Marriage Flow Charts…

There are several flow charts trying to show the ridiculousness of religious opposition to same-sex marriage by making three claims: (1) Leviticus forbids homosexuality, but it also bans a bunch of other stuff, and nobody [a.k.a., no Gentile] actually lives by all those rules; (2) Paul seems to forbid homosexuality, but actually means something like temple prostitution; and (3) Jesus doesn’t mention homosexuality. Here’s why none of those arguments work.

Felix Roma: The Role of Rome in the True Church

“O happy Rome, stained purple with the precious blood of so many princes!
You excel all the beauty of the world, not by your own glory,
but by the merits of the saints whose throats you cut with bloody swords.”

Three Rome-themed mini-posts to commemorate Sts. Peter and Paul: (I) the necessity of being united with the Roman Church, (II) the Roman Church not being the Seat of the Antichrist, and (III) an exciting new Catholic podcast centered around Rome.

Weak T: Transgenderism’s Philosophical Weaknesses

Carl Heinrich Bloch, Consolator (19th c.)

A lot’s been said about the case of Olympic decathalon Bruce Jenner’s decision to undergo a “sex change” operation, and to call himself “Caitlyn.” Unfortunately, a good deal of it has been sound and fury, signifying nothing: either cruel jokes at Jenner’s expense, or accusations of bigotry for anyone who hasn’t hopped on the transgender bandwagon. A better approach would be to soberly consider the underlying philosophical problems raised by transgenderism, and then suggest a positive way of responding to trans-identifying people. So that’s what I’ve tried to do here, beginning with:

The Heart of Justification

Fra Angelico, The Coronation of the Virgin (1435)

St. Paul reports that when he went to Corinth to preach the Gospel, he experienced fear and trembling in the face of such a great task, the task preaching the good news of justification. Nothing less than the fate of their souls hung in the balance. In much the same spirit of trembling I write to you today, hoping to propose anew the good news of justification. Specifically, I propose for your consideration that justification, rightly understood, resonates with the desire of the human heart to be truly good and approved as such.

The Poetry of the Saints

It’s not news to say that we Catholics struggle with beautiful music these days. More than two decades ago, Thomas Day released Why Catholics Can’t Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste, and the problems still exist. We mutter along with the responsorial Psalm; and mumble through the hymnody, with its milquetoast lyrics set… Continue reading The Poetry of the Saints

Saint Justin Martyr? Or Justin Idolater?

Fra Angelico, Trial of Justin The Philosopher (1450)

Early Christians like St. Justin Martyr and his companions died for the Christian faith, rather than worshipping idols. But if Protestants like Peter Leithart and Mike Grendon are right, these early Christians were idolaters anyways. Why? Because they believed in transubstantiation, that the bread and wine become the actual Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. So are Protestants right? Should we call him “Justin Idolater” instead? Or can we trust the early Christians?