http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/apologetics-religion/ en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:48:37 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2387225/posts Genuflection 1341. Why do Catholics genuflect before entering the seats? They do so to Christ personally present in the Holy Eucharist. When Christ allowed St. Thomas the Apostle to touch the wounds in His hands and feet, St. Thomas said, "My Lord and my God." The same Christ left Himself present in the Eucharist when He said, "This is My Body," and when Catholics come into His presence they offer Him the tribute of their deep reverence and worship by genuflection. You, too, would kneel before Christ, if you believed as Catholics do. Sign of the Cross 1342. I was... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2387225/posts#comment Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:48:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2370551/posts One of the most controversial papal documents ever released was the bull Unam Sanctam, issued in 1302 by Pope Boniface VIII. Today the most controversial part of the bull is the following infallible pronouncement: "Now, therefore, we declare, say, define, and pronounce that for every human creature it Is altogether necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff." This doctrine is extraordinarily controversial. Some Catholic extremists claim (contrary to further Church teaching, including a further infallible definition) that this means everyone who is not a full fledged, professing Catholic is damned. Non Catholics find the... The CHN Newsletters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2370551/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:52:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2387049/posts Freedom of speech is a great thing. Unfortunately, it comes at an unavoidable price: When citizens are free to say what they want, they’ll sometimes use that freedom to say some pretty silly things. And that’s the case with the 12 claims we’re about to cover. Some of them are made over and over, others are rare. Either way, while the proponents of these errors are free to promote them, we as Catholics have a duty to respond.1. “There’s no such thing as absolute truth. What’s true for you may not be true for me.” People use this argument a... CERC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2387049/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:04:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386819/posts Bishop John D'Arcy has announced his retirement over the weekend. Bishop D'Arcy holds the priestly duties of the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocese. At the Cathedral Of Immaculate Conception, parishioners will see the changing of the guard. The Bishop is retiring because of mandatory retirement age rules. He has served the diocese for 24 years as Bishop. John D'Arcy was born...... Huntington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386819/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:28:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386743/posts Holy Water 1335. On entering a Catholic Church I noticed people taking holy water Why is this? Holy water is placed at the doors of Catholic Churches to remind us of the waters of Baptism which once flowed over our foreheads, to signify that we are not worthy to enter into the Presence of Christ without purification, and to forgive us those venial sins for which we are sorry, as well as remitting the temporal punishment due to our sins according to the measure of our regret and contrition. I do not know how you feel, but I know that... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386743/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:07:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386185/posts Part Three:  The Will of God Third Commandment Table of Contents     The longest biblical text in the Decalogue is for the Third Commandment. While both Exodus and Deuteronomy prescribe the Sabbath, the motive and the manner of its observance are different. Both passages, though lengthy, should be quoted in full.In Exodus, the Sabbath is a weekly commemoration of God’s creation. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do your work, but the seventh is a sabbath for Yahweh, your God. You shall do no work that day, neither you nor your son... TheRealPresence.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386185/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:19:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386159/posts Birth control 1303. Why is the Catholic Church opposed to birth-control? She is not opposed to the controlling of the number of children by lawful means, such as by self-control and by mutual consent to abstain from the use of marital privileges. But she is opposed to birth-control as commonly understood to mean the prevention of conception, after indulgence in actions calculated to result in the generation of children. The use of such privileges and the deliberate frustration of their normal effects is a very grave sin against the law of God. And for this reason the Catholic Church cannot... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386159/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:28:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385943/posts Seminarians cheer as Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a youth rally at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., last year. Vatican officials often have upheld celibacy as "a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity." (CNS/Nancy Wiechec) By John ThavisCatholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The question of priestly celibacy is one that keeps bubbling to the surface at the Vatican, most often in the theoretical discussions of synods of bishops but more concretely in a new papal document on Anglicans coming into the Catholic Church. The fact that married former Anglican priests may be ordained as Catholic... cns http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385943/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:23:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385936/posts Vatican City, Nov 13, 2009 / 05:28 pm (CNA).- The Vatican announced today that the Pontifical Gregorian University will host an upcoming event to discuss the responsibilities of Catholic universities.The event, titled “The Catholic University in post-modern societies” will be held at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University from Nov. 16-20, and is presented by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC).The Federation is known for it's contribution to the Apostolic Constitution “Ex corde Ecclesiae,” which was approved by the late Pope John Paul II in 1990. The document outlines the essentials that a Catholic university must have in order to “guarantee... cna http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385936/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:15:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385621/posts Featured Term (selected at random):VICTIM A living being offered in sacrifice to God. The sacrifice implies that the victim is actually or equivalently given up as an act of adoration or of expiation to the Divine Majesty. The destruction of the victim is its immolation; the voluntary surrender of the victim is the offering or oblation. Together they constitute the sacrifice. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission. CatholicReference.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385621/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:37:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385344/posts Part Three:  The Will of God Second Commandment Table of Contents     In both Exodus and Deuteronomy, the wording of the Second Commandment is the same. You shall not utter the name of Yahweh, your God, to misuse it, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished the man who utters His name to misuse it (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11). The Second Commandment is really an expression of the preceding. It prescribes the respectful use of God’s name and forbids using the Divine Name irreverently. Implied in this precept is the duty to profess by verbal communication our belief in the one true... TheRealPresense.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385344/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:51:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385312/posts Mixed Marriages 1266. I am interested in your moral theology concerning those who contract marriage. Why does the Catholic Church forbid mixed marriages? For many reasons. Marriage is a Sacrament, and those who desire to receive that Sacrament should be duly and validly baptized Christians. The Church, however, has no certainty that any non-Catholic has ever been validly baptized at all. Again, it is a sacrilege to receive a Sacrament while one is in a state of grave sin. The Catholic party prepares by a good confession, while the non-Catholic more often than not gives no thought whatever to the... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385312/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:56:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385138/posts I'll tell you what. I am stoked to see the new wave of American bishops taking courageous, articulate, and effective public stands against evil in its many forms. This is exactly what the Heavenly Doctor ordered (John 10:11-15), and it's something I haven't seen, at least not like this, not in such numbers, in my nearly 50 years of being Catholic. Thank God Almighty that more and more of our bishops are standing up like men to fight the good fight. May the Lord strengthen them! Those thoughts were prompted by an article I saw just now at the St.... PatrickMadrid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385138/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:13:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385095/posts ... can expose the horrible fact that marriage has specific boundaries and criteria based on traditional, commonsense beliefs about what is best for men, women, children, and families:A HETEROSEXUAL Islington couple want to become the first in Britain to have a "gay" civil partnership – because they do not believe in marriage. Civil servants Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, both 25, of North Road, Holloway, do not agree with marriage because they say it is "an apartheid" that segregates straight and gay people. The couple, who have been together for nearly four years, want the same legal rights as a... Insight Scoop http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2385095/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:15:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384866/posts The Divine Christ and the Bible SACRED SCRIPTURE is made up of a number of books, different in many ways, but all brought together in Jesus Christ. From Genesis to the Apocalypse or the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is the center. The story of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ. In the old Testament we are prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is with us, in His life on earth in the Gospels, in His life in the Church in the rest of the books. To grasp then what Jesus... VictorClaveau.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384866/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:35:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384803/posts Featured Term (selected at random):CASUALISM The theory that everything in the world exists or occurs by chance. Held by the Greek Epicurean philosophers and professed in practice by those who deny or ignore the existence of an all-wise and loving Providence. (Etym. Latin casualis, happening by chance.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission. CatholicReference.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384803/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:31:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384668/posts PROVIDENCE - The bishop from America’s most Catholic state, and increasingly one of the church’s most provocative prelates, has provided a rather concise explanation for his willingness to clash with politicians: Christians are not supposed to be nice, at least not all the time. “In confronting moral evil, Jesus wasn’t nice, kind, gentle, and sweet,’’ Thomas J. Tobin, the bishop of Providence, wrote in his diocesan newspaper column earlier this year. “He lived in a rough and tumble world and He took His message to the streets.’’ Tobin has followed his interpretation of Jesus’ demeanor most devoutly, and he is... Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384668/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:38:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384463/posts Convent life 1216. Where is there a warrant for the convent system outside your Catholic traditions? There is more than sufficient warrant for convent life in Sacred Scripture. But even were the only warrant to be found in Catholic traditions, that surely would be quite a natural place to seek a warrant for a Catholic custom. Where else would you want me to find a warrant for it? In Totemism? 1217. Perhaps I should call them Nunneries rather than Convents. If the word Nunnery sounds more suspicious and suggestive of evil to you than Convent, then I think you should.... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384463/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:07:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383929/posts The Scenario: You’re meeting your new girlfriend’s entire Reformed Evangelical family for the first time. It’s Easter dinner at her parent’s house. You’ve met and talked to her parents and three brothers at various times, but never all at once in such a formal setting. You’re scared to death! In your mind, a successful evening would be for you to be able to conceal your nervous quivering for the duration. The furthest thing from your mind is entering into a religious discussion with them. The problem: You’ve recently helped convert your girlfriend, Mary, to the Catholic Church, and this has... Envoy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383929/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:52:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383892/posts Featured Term (selected at random):MICHAL The younger daughter of King Saul (I Samuel 14:49). That deceitful monarch used his daughter in a desperate attempt to have David killed. He offered to let David marry Michal provided he would kill one hundred Philistines in battle. His plan was frustrated and the two were married (I Samuel 18:20-27). In another attempt by Saul, Michal, who truly loved David, helped him escape. This did not deter her from scolding him later when she thought he weakened the dignity of the kingship by dancing before the Ark. He was unmoved; he felt that the... CatholicReference.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383892/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:17:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383608/posts Celibacy 1193. Who made the law of celibacy? The Catholic Church, with God's approval and authority, following the example of Christ and the Apostles. 1194. Did not Pope Gregory VII originate it in the 11th century? No. He merely enforced the already existing law more rigidly in his efforts to correct abuses. Over 300 years before Gregory VII was Pope, the Greeks met the Latin Bishops at the Council of Trullo, and admitted, "We know that the law of the Roman Church is to demand that married men, from the moment of their ordination, must separate from their wives forever."... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383608/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:08:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383607/posts Part Three:  The Will of God First Commandment Table of Contents     The wording of the First Commandment is exactly the same in Exodus and in Deuteronomy. I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no gods except me (Exodus 20:1-3; Deuteronomy 5:6-7). There follow after this statement of the First Commandment, several verses of prohibition against carved images. The Latin Rite of the Catholic Church considers these verses an explanation of the first precept. You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness... TheRealPresence.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383607/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:06:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383174/posts Scenario: You’ve been talking with Bob, a fellow worker at the office, for weeks about the faith. You can see you’ve made headway in presenting him your biblical case for Catholicism. So you decide to invite him to an apologetics Bible study you have at your parish. He agrees to come on one condition: You must first come to a Bible study at his “non-denominational” assembly for four weeks. Then he will come to your meeting for four weeks. Immediately, you jump at the chance. You’re fired up! The Lord has given you an open door for evangelism. Upon arrival... Envoy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383174/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:07:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383031/posts   Featured Term (selected at random): THEOLOGICAL PLURALISM The multiplicity of theological positions present within the Catholic Church. These positions vary according to which premises or postulates are used in reflecting on the sources of revelation, according to the methodology employed, and according to the cultural tradition within which theology does its speculation. On the first bases, the two principal philosophical premises are the Platonic, stressed in Augustinianaism; and the Aristotelian, emphasized in Thomism. On the second level, theologies differ in terms of their mainly biblical, or doctrinal, or historical, or pastoral methodology. And on the third basis, the culture... CatholicReference.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2383031/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:15:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2382778/posts Part Three:  The Will of God The Ten Commandments Table of Contents     The Ten Commandments are also called the Decalogue, from the Greek deka, ten, and logos, word. They are therefore the Ten Words of God which synthesize God’s covenant with His chosen people. They were divinely revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai and engraved on two tablets of stone. Moses broke the stone tablets in anger when he came down from the mountain and saw the people practicing idolatry. However, the tablets were later replaced and placed in the Ark of the Covenant.There are two versions of the Ten... TheRealPresence.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2382778/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:55:42 GMT