News - February 2014 RSS Feed

It?s worth beginning with this: I agree with this guy on a lot of points. He reminds us Catholics of a striking truth; that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, religion is a joke. He speaks the truth that Christ died for our sins, once and for all. I can?t help but think, in the midst of all this, that this hating-religion-loving-Jesus thing is the logical consequence of Protestantism. For a 21st-century Protestant looking at a thousand-something churches, I imagine there is an immense temptation to say ?It?s all a wash. I will follow Christ, not a religion,? and be done with it. I empathize with him, knowing that if I were a Protestant I would be in full agreement: There is either one, true religion or there is no religion at all.

I have heard a lot about how mean the Church is, and how bigoted, because she opposes gay marriage. How badly she misunderstands gay people, and how hostile she is towards us. My gut reaction to such things is: Are you freaking kidding me? Are we even talking about the same Church?

A mild follow-up to the unbelievably spicy 5 Things No One Knows Are Ridiculously Catholic, But Should. I’m beginning to develop the belief that you could give me just about anything at all and I could link it to the Holy Roman Catholic Church. And yes, that’s a combox challenge. Up, up and away then

As Catholics, we try not to be smug. We really do. But the world makes this task exceedingly difficult when they take our stuff. The truth is that Western Civilization owes its very existence to the Catholic Church, what with the saving efforts of her monks during the Dark Ages, her development Scientific method, the University System, the agricultural advances of the monasteries and – of course – the wealth of art and literature the Church has inspired and produced. But I want to focus on a few things we never, ever get credit for

Saying that 'the Bible has some things I don't agree with, so the Church must be wrong and God, therefore, is 'unloving' or 'not real' (or whatever else) is completely backwards. Faith doesn't begin with the Bible. You don't use the Bible to prove God's existence . . . that's like using the music of Nikki Minaj or One Direction to 'prove' that God hates me.