http://www.catholicexpert.com/communityCatholic Expert http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=18 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=18 Catholic Apologetics Guide 101 Scriptural Reference for Catholic Apologetics by Adadzie, Godwin Delali This is a little book for those seeking a right understanding of Apologetics in the context of Catholicism. It is written in a simple and friendly manner. It is an attempt to look at some Catholic positions in a Biblical perspective. It is hoped that this book should appeal to the Catholic as well as to the non-Catholic readers. It is not written in a "scholarly" way, but as a plain "theological" statement with the hope of carrying conviction. This book does not pretend to be exhaustive. The field which it covers is too vast to admit of minute analysis. A good number of Catholics leave the Church every year due to poor understanding of the Faith and also the efforts of anti-Catholic groups and churches. Realizing that misrepresentation and misunderstanding are the chief sources of error; this book serves as a quick guide to remove some of thes ..... Fri, 6 Feb 2009 10:02:36 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=14 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=14 Let us cease the silence and blow the trumpet to warn our dearest ones against immodest fashion. For we are reminded by Scripture as the Lord speaks in the days of old: “If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do no speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.” (Ezekiel 33:8) After the fall of mankind, we inherited a weakened will, a darkened intellect and a disordered appetite from our parents Adam and Eve. As a consequence of these facts, our emotions were disordered, leading to our fallen moral standards. “Then the eyes of both [Adam and Eve] were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.” (Genesis 3:7) From this point of history onwards, immodest fashion aroused. The fig leaves aprons that our parents made would have covered them incompletely. They would have been ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:22 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=13 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=13 Let us “search the scriptures” (cf. John 5:39) and let our mind be enlightened from the search. Truly, God alone by His glorious nature deserves all worship. For He is the Master of all things as scripture says, “for all things are thy servants” (Psalm 119:91 ff) It is impossible to make an image of God, who is a pure Spirit, invisible, having neither form nor limit.         “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” (John 1:18) Also, God said “you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20) According to scriptures, when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, to receive the law, the ungrateful people of Israel rose against Aaron. They  said “Up, make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of th ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:44 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=12 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=12 Question: Can you please clarify what the Scriptural (i.e. Catholic) meaning is of the following terms: paradise, sheol, hades, gehenna, tartaros, the pit, Abraham's bosom, the prison, paradise? Answer: The general Hebrew term for the abode of the dead was "sheol." It had both good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods. "Hades" was the Greek name for this place. The term "paradise" was used by the pre-Christian Jews to refer to the abode of the righteous dead where they awaited the resurrection. It was also known as the "bosom of Abraham". The unrighteous dead, were believed by these same Jews to go to a place of torment/purgation that they called "Gehenna" after a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem where there were spontaneous combustion fires burning all the time. (It was also known as "the pit," and "the prison.") It was really ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:05 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=11 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=11 Purgatory is not a popular topic in Protestant circles.  Along with the topic of purgatory, the idea of suffering in general is perplexing for most Protestants, especially in the Health and Wealth gospel crowd .  Suffering is to be avoided at all costs and is looked upon as a curse from God if received.  Just ask your local Protestant to explain to you the whole concept of suffering in our own lives and in the world and then sit back and try not to grimace. First of all, let's read what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about Purgatory:   "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from th ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:15 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=10 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=10 PROPOSITION: Is Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) a reasonable method for understanding Christian orthodoxy? Let’s examine the facts: FACT: There is nothing in Scripture teaching that "Scripture alone" is all-sufficient for the Christian Faith. FACT: There is something in Scripture advocating reliance on both Scripture as well as oral Tradition (2 Thess 2:15, Phil 4:9, 1 Corinth 11:2, 2 Thess 3:6). FACT: There is nothing in Scripture suggesting that a time will come when this dual expression of Christian truth (Scripture and oral Tradition) will come to an end. FACT: There is also nothing in Scripture determining a Divinely-selected list of inspired books (i.e., the present New Testament canon). FACT: There is also no statement within any of these New Testament books claiming that these books are Divinely-inspired. This becomes especially significant when one cites references to Divine revelation in the present New Testament books (e.g. Ephesians 3:3), s ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:51 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=9 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=9 Question:: Should it be a struggle for the average Catholic to have peace about where he/she will spend eternity? I mean, one could go to mass 50,000 times in a lifetime...and still theoretically go to hell. Answer: But by the same token, one could sin seriously everyday of one's life and repent on their deathbed at the last minute. The beauty of Catholic soteriology is that no one is placed in either category automatically because of some alleged external or mechanical action on God's part. Salvation is interpersonal: it is the encounter between the human person and God the Father in Christ through the Holy Spirit. While it is THEORETICALLY possible for someone who has been pious all of their life to be lost at the last moment, how likely is that? One thing I have to agree with the 16th Century Reformers on is that we need to encourage our Catholic people to be more confident of their salvation and God's good will towards them. The p ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:00 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=8 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=8 Question: I have an Evangelical friend who interprets Romans 10: 9-17 as meaning that unless one believes in Christ as saviour one cannot be saved; and that therefore the Church's teaching on Baptism by desire and the idea that pagans who are invincibly ignorant of the truth of the Faith and lead upright laws according to the natural law can be saved. Answer: A few things about this passage: #1 Notice it says that "the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" This takes us back to Genesis 4:26: "At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD" which occurred well BEFORE the covenant with Abraham. #2 - St. Paul acknowledges the difficulty of excluding people from salvation who have not heard the gospel: "And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they he ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:03 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=7 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=7 Question: Why don't Catholics make the necessary distinction between sanctification and justification? Answer: Part A: There is no clear-cut distinction between the two terms in the NT. Sometimes they are used synonymously. For example: Act 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Act 26:18 To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Rom 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. 1Cr 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:46 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=6 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=6 Question: A gentlemen who is an elder (not minister) in a fundamentalist church, claims he has the ability to look into someone's eyes and know if that person is "saved". I thought only Jesus knows who is saved. What bible verse(s) would address that issue. He used this statement in the context that Catholics are NOT saved. Answer: Here are some verses you can point out to him: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-2) "Jesus answered, 'Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:27 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=5 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=5 So you think your salvation is assured? Think again. Consider, for instance, these biblical passages which clearly show just how unbiblical such a teaching is. As you will see, the bible is replete with many passages that testify against an irrevocable, assured salvation. Hebrews 10:26: "If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgement." Who is the ‘we’ here? Answer: it is the disciples of Jesus Christ. What is the warning to those who have the knowledge of the truth, but then turn away from it? Are they saved? Philippians 2:12-13: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:12:22 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=4 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=4 The bible is replete with passages that testify to the requirement that a Christian 'work out his salvation with fear and trembling' (Cf. Philippians 2:12). The erroneous doctrine of salvation by faith alone is not taught when the bible is read in context. Faith without works is a legal and dead faith, and a legal and dead faith will not save you. Faith is not alone because salvation does not come by faith alone. Salvation comes through the love of God. And love of God involves worshipping Him with your whole being - body and soul. Without loving God and neighbour, there is no salvation for you. It's simple. No love? No salvation. Count on it. Luke 10:27-29: "And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:12:55 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=3 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=3 The issue concerning the Catholic and traditional Protestant attitudes to the atonement is a very good one. There is actually a lot of diversity in both the Catholic and Protestant camps on this subject, so I do not want to treat the topic simplistically. However, there are some broad principles of difference which I think will help to show the differences between the Catholic and Protestant views. Catholicism sees the atonement as an act of God's love for Man. He loved us "while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8). Love needs to be understood in the classical sense of "willing the good of the other for the sake of the other." This is not an emotional response, but a volition one. I think Ezekiel says it best: Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? Eze 33:11 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the d ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:12:01 -0600 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=2 http://www.catholicexpert.com/community/rss.php?header=blogs&id=2 The conception of Christ’s atonement is a central issue which separates Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) Christians from the heretical Protestants, who misunderstand both the Lord's Incarnation and the all-loving nature of God.  Namely, we do not believe, and it is a BIG mistake to believe, that God the Father demanded the cruel torture and death of His only Beloved Son --the worse sin mankind ever committed.  No. God the Father does not demand sin. God the Father is not some wrathful "Germanic sky god" (e.g. Odin), and He did not demand the death of Jesus so as to satisfy some sense of 'wrathful justice.' To believe this (as most Protestants do) is a form of Arianism, in that it makes the loving nature of Jesus something distinct from the "wrathful and just" nature of the Father.   Rather, the Father is "one in Being with the Son," and He did not demand the cruel ..... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:12:34 -0600