The Prodigal Son: Not Conducive with Catholic Doctrine
Mar 13th
The following quote is taken from John Martignoni’s latest newsletter where he attempts to unite Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son with the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation. The two have nothing in common so I thought I would provide a biblical and reasonable response.
“The son was alive, he was a member of his father’s household. He rejects the father – which is what asking for his inheritance while his father was still living means…that his father was dead to him – ; then he goes off and sins and becomes “dead” to his father, no longer a part of the family, of the household. Then, he repents and returns to his father and is alive “again.” Alive, dead, alive again. Saved, unsaved, saved again.” (John Martignoni)
It is true that the son was alive, dead and alive again, but what difference was there in his pre and post deadness? The son was alive in the sense that he was born into the father’s household. It is evident from the parable that the son did not consider his life to be satisfying. He longed for a “better’ life away from his father where he could live the way he wanted to. His “life” was enveloped in the grip of the death he desired. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Catholics should stop listening to their apologists and read the Bible
Feb 20th
The following was posted on the Catholic Answers forum on the topic of Peter as the foundation of the church. This quote represents fairly well the Catholic understanding of what the foundation of the church is. Out of everything discussed on that particular thread, this, believe it or not, was the most in-depth any Catholic ever got.
Thou art Peter [Kipha, Cephas] and on this rock [Kipha, Cephas] I will build my Church, cannot be understood save of building the Church on this man Peter (Cephas), otherwise the point of the phrase disappears. Jesus was called the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-8; Ephesians 2:20), but He could not be indicating Himself here: it would have been rather like a bad joke, if I may venture to say so: Thou art Peter, but it is on quite another Peter that I am going to build! Some try to return indirectly to this superannuated Protestant interpretation by making out the Rock to be Peter’s faith in the Messiahship of the Lord. It was indeed Peter’s faith that introduced the promise, but the promise is given to the person whose faith has just been displayed. If the building is a group, the foundation is their head: Jesus, says St. John Chrysostom, exalts Peter’s declaration, He made him pastor. The position of Peter in the Church is that of the rock on which the building is erected; thanks to this foundation the building will stand firm; thanks to this head the community will be well ruled.
Response to Martignoni’s “Biblical Evidence” for the Catholic Mass (Part 2)
Jan 20th
…Continued from part 1
Quote from Catholic apologist John Martignoni:
In the New Testament, Paul also very clearly describes the Mass as being a sacrifice when he links the “bread” and the “cup of blessing” to the sacrifices of Israel and to the practice of the Israelites eating the sacrifice that has been offered (1 Cor 10:16-18). Again, this is a description of the Mass where we participate in the body and blood of the sacrifice – Jesus Christ – by eating what has been sacrificed – Jesus Christ.
Mr. Martignoni states that Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10:16-18, speaks of the sacrifice of the mass by linking the “bread” and “cup of blessing” to the sacrifices of Israel and to the practice of the Israelites eating the sacrifice that has been offered. Read the rest of this entry »
Response to Martignoni’s “Biblical Evidence” for the Catholic Mass (Part 1)
Jan 5th
Catholic apologist, John Martignoni, in his latest newsletter asks his readers (of which I am one) to respond to an email he received from a non-Catholic. The email Mr. Martignoni received was rather brusque and only offered someone else’s article as a response to his earlier newsletter. Martignoni’s objection to his challenger’s email was that it did not address the Scripture references he cited in his previous newsletter on the sacrifice of the mass. So my response will be to address those references in this and forthcoming blog posts. Read the rest of this entry »
The Source of Sacred Tradition
Dec 9th
The Roman Catholic Church indelibly asserts that their “sacred tradition” was truly transmitted by the apostles and preserved through the ages by the “teaching Authority.” The assertion is clearly stated in the Catholic Encyclopedia under “Tradition and Living Magisterium.”
“The Council [of Trent], as is evident, held that there are Divine traditions not contained in Holy Scripture, revelations made to the Apostles either orally by Jesus Christ or by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and transmitted by the Apostles to the Church.”
Yet when put those traditions to the test, nothing from ante-Nicene history can be found to support them but sketchy out-of-context evidence. Read the rest of this entry »
Where do infants go when they die?
Nov 24th
Q:
Hi Brian,
I was reading this article again [If a baby dies, does it go to Heaven or Hell?], and I was just thinking, what would be a Biblical answer to the question “Where do infants go when they die?” There doesn’t seem to be a clear answer in this article, but I see an excellent response to the Roman Catholic position of having to be baptized as an infant. Could you clear up the question with the Biblical mindset that we are all born into sin and that everyone needs a savior (including infants). Read the rest of this entry »
Bishops Must Admit Their Responsibility
Nov 19th
I read this in my local newspaper this morning and wanted to applaud this Catholic priest for standing up to his superiors. The sexual assault of some Catholic priests was bad enough, but when their bosses the bishops did all they could to cover for them the atrocity became a nightmare for the victims and their families. I present this fine editorial with the utmost respect for this Catholic priest, and many other devout Catholics who have fought tirelessly to reform a practice that has obviously caused tremendous pain and suffering to many. Read the rest of this entry »
Justification: The Power of Catholic Hierarchy
Nov 10th
Most of us are not strangers to the often-heated disagreements between Catholics and Evangelicals on the topic of Justification. Are we saved by faith and works or by faith alone? These debates are often centered on James, Chapter 2. Since James plainly states that faith without works is dead, Catholics easily accept the notion that their faith requires cooperation on their part. If that is true, to what degree is it true? So often these debates get convoluted in the philosophies of faith /works and faith alone. But what really matters are the specifics; and it is in the specifics that we find the substance that fuels the power that drives the Catholic hierarchy. Read the rest of this entry »
The Truth behind Catholic Answers Early Church Quotes: Irenaeus on Apostolic Tradition
Nov 8th
This is the second post in a series on Catholic Answers apologetics tracts. This week’s post continues in the topic of “Apostolic Tradition.” The second early church quote from Catholic Answers Apostolic Tradition track is from the second century bishop of Lyons, Irenaeus. Read the rest of this entry »
The Truth behind Catholic Answers Early Church Quotes: Papias on Apostolic Tradition
Nov 7th
The following is a first in a series of posts aimed at exposing the severe lack of credibility at one of Catholicism’s most popular apologetics websites, Catholic Answers. Over the years I have been inundated with quotes taken from Catholic Answers and used by Catholics as proof that the early church taught and believed all the “Sacred Traditions” of the Catholic Church. What I have found from reading those quotes over the years is that they are highly selective, unfairly edited, and deliberately misleading. Read the rest of this entry »
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