Digital Areopagus

These are some wonderful videos and I hope to see them on TV in my area soon.

Catholics Come Home

Can I put God in a box and bring him to show and tell? Not likely, but using a bit of logic and a lot of help from people much smarter than I am I’ll do my best to show that this being called God exist.

Before I get into this issue from an impersonal level I’d like to talk about it on a personal level. I was raised Catholic and lived as a not very good one for many years. I was what most people now a day’s call a Cafeteria Catholic, I picked and chose what I wanted to believe and lived a very relativistic lifestyle. Then a few years ago I had what most Evangelicals would call a “born-again” experience, what I call it is God hitting you square in the face with a 2x4 and telling you to get your shit together. So I started a two prong attack of prayer and study, I reconnected with the faith of my youth and started to develop this relationship with Jesus and his Church. I don’t know if I ever fell into thinking that God didn’t exist, but I guess I felt that as long as I wasn’t hurting anyone I could do pretty much whatever I wanted and let the chips fall where they may. What I quickly learned was that my actions were hurting people and more so they were hurting my relationship with the one person who had given up everything, even death on a cross to save me. So people ask me how can you believe in something/someone who may or may not have been who he said he was. I believe because I know him, I speak with him; I have a relationship with him. As sure as I know my wife and child exist because I love them and have a relationship with them, I know Jesus exist and is alive because he loves me, cares for me, listens to me and speaks to my heart every day.

Obviously, my personal view on this may have little impact on someone who does not believe there is a God one way or another. For those reasons we’ll move forward with a bit of help from Saint Thomas Aquinas and the good people at Catholic Answers:

I’m going to start off with the “Brain in a Vat” scenario. In the interest of people’s short attention spans I’ll do my best to summarize it. If you’d like to read the full article you can find it here: http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2006/0605uan.asp

Let’s start by taking a position of radical doubt. Suppose for a moment that you are not really a human being with an actual body. In reality, you are nothing more than a brain floating in a vat of fluids, with electrodes attached to various parts of your exterior that allow evil scientists to manipulate you into thinking that what you perceive is actually there, when in fact it is nothing more than an imaginary world constructed by the scientists. Right now, they are making you think that you are reading this article when in fact you are not.

1. One cannot deny one’s own existence -- Even if you’re just a brain in a vat, your own existence can be verified simply by the fact that you perceive
2. There is at least one thing that exists -- If nothing you think exists actually exists—you still must exist. Entity is the word we have for anything that exists. You exist, so you are an entity.
3. There is such a thing as existence -- As Aquinas would say, there must be an "act of being" in which all entities participate. This act of being must itself exist; it must be an entity. Thomas calls this entity esse, which is Latin for "to be" or "to exist."
4. The nature of esse is actuality. -- Now that we have established that esse is an entity, we must ask: What is the nature of this entity? What is its definition? Actuality is the fullness of existence. So, again, taking the brain-in-a-vat hypothesis, you know that you are actual, even if nothing else you perceive exists.
5. Esse is nothing but pure actuality -- Thomas argues that all entities participate in esse insofar as they are actual. Therefore, that in which they participate—esse—must be actual.
6. Esse not only does exist but must exist -- Existence itself is pure actuality, with no potentiality in it. This means that the essence of existence is nothing other than existence. Existence is its own essence. From this it follows that esse itself must exist, for if it did not, it would violate its own essence, which is
impossible.
7. Esse is distinct from everything else that exists -- You can know from step 1 that you exist, and we know from step 3 that esse exists. But we also know that the two are not identical.
8. Esse must be one -- Since esse is pure actuality, it has no limitations, which means there is no distinction in esse. Therefore, there is only one esse.
9. Esse must be immutable -- Since esse is purely actual, it has no potential to change. Therefore, esse is unchanging.
10. Esse must be eternal -- Because esse does not change, it does not change from the future to the present to the past. It must be outside the realm of time, which means that there is no future, present, or past with esse. In other words, esse is non-temporal, or eternal.
11. Esse must be infinite -- Because esse is immutable, it must be outside the realm of space. It has no spatial constraints—that is, esse is infinite.
12. Esse must be omniscient -- Even if you’re a brain in a vat, you can perceive that you have the capacity to know. Because you are only partly actual, and esse is purely actual, esse must know all there is to know. That is, esse is all-knowing, or omniscient
13. Esse must be omnipotent -- You can perceive that you have the capacity to do some things that are logically possible. Since you are only partly actual, and esse
is purely actual, esse must be able to do all things that are logically possible. That is, esse is all-powerful, or omnipotent.

Thus proving the existence of a being (esse) that not only does exist but must exist and is one, unchanging, eternal, infinite, omniscient, and omnipotent. This matches the definition of God.

We can conclude, then, that even if all of your sense perceptions are false, even if you are nothing but a brain in a vat being manipulated by scientists into believing that you are reading this article right now when in fact you are not, there are two things you can know with absolute, 100 percent certainty: (1) You exist, and (2) God exists.

Last night I was checking out some of the apologist forums around the web and noticed something that I'm sure is not surprise to anyone. We as Christians need to do a much better job of being Christ-like to one another.

I understand especially being a novice apologist myself that people want to share their points of view, but we must always remember to share it with love and kindness. It's kind of like when you have kids and you are always careful about what you say and how you say it around them. It's the same thing for these Internet forums and blogs, you never know who is reading them and who you might be bringing to Jesus or more importantly who you might be pushing away with your harsh words. Remember the words of St. Theresa of Avila:

Christ has no body now on earth by yours;
no hands but yours no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out
on the world.
Yours are the feet which he is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless his people.

I think it's important and one of the particular reasons I started this blog, we may not agree on everything but we all love Christ. Also, I believe it's important to always want to learn about other people and their beliefs, even if you don't agree with them. For non-Catholics I believe it's important to really know what the Church teaches and not some caricature that the world has shown you. For us Catholics we must always remember to be charitable to everyone weather they are inclined to see the truth of the Catholic Faith or not.

In closing I'm ok with anyone who doesn't agree with the Catholic Faith as long as they understand completely what they don't agree with.

Peace and God Bless...

In my last posting I talked about the differences between how Evangelical Protestants and Catholics look at baptism. I also gave some of the biblical support for the Catholic position of baptism being necessary for salvation as opposed to it just being an ordinance, but having no real effect. The necessity of water baptism at times will be challenged by Evangelicals by giving examples such as the "Good Thief" who was never baptised but was told by Jesus "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). The following is from a Catholic Answers article on the Necessity of Baptism that address this argument.

Christians have also always realized that the necessity of water baptism is
a normative rather than an absolute necessity. There are exceptions to water
baptism: It is possible to be saved through "baptism of blood," martyrdom for
Christ, or through "baptism of desire", that is, an explicit or even implicit
desire for baptism. Thus the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Those who
die for the faith, those who are catechumens, and all those who, without knowing
of the Church but acting under the inspiration of grace, seek God sincerely and
strive to fulfill his will, are saved even if they have not been baptized" (CCC
1281; the salvation of unbaptized infants is also possible under this system;
cf. CCC 1260–1, 1283). CCC - Catechism of the Catholic Church

Now I'd like to share the historical Christian view of baptism by quoting some of the early Church Father's views on baptism being necessary for salvation.

"‘I have heard, sir,’ said I [to the Shepherd], ‘from some teacher,
that there is no other repentance except that which took place when we went down into the water and obtained the remission of our former sins.’ He said to me,
‘You have heard rightly, for so it is’" (The Shepherd 4:3:1–2 [A.D. 80]).
-- Hermas

"As many as are persuaded and believe that what we [Christians] teach
and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly . . . are brought
by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we
were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the
universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then
receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Except you be born again,
you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:3]" (First Apology 61
[A.D. 151]). -- Justin Martyr

"Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of
our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life. . . . [But]
a viper of the [Gnostic] Cainite heresy, lately conversant in this quarter, has
carried away a great number with her most venomous doctrine, making it her first
aim to destroy baptism—which is quite in accordance with nature, for vipers and
asps . . . themselves generally do live in arid and waterless places. But we,
little fishes after the example of our [Great] Fish, Jesus Christ, are born in
water, nor have we safety in any other way than by permanently abiding in water.
So that most monstrous creature, who had no right to teach even sound doctrine,
knew full well how to kill the little fishes—by taking them away from the
water!" (Baptism 1 [A.D. 203]). -- Tertullian

"Without baptism, salvation is attainable by none" (ibid., 12).
--Tertullian

"It is not possible to receive forgiveness of sins without baptism"
(Exhortation to the Martyrs 30 [A.D. 235]). -- Origen

These are just a few of the writings of some of the Early Church Father's who all believed in the necessity of baptism. Now some people will say not all the Father's were in agreement on this issues but I would challenge them to prove it.

So my brothers and sisters I hope this small introduction into baptism will challenge you to dive deeper into your faith. As well as give you a bit of ammunition when faced with questions about the Catholic view on baptism.

Peace and God Bless...

The first reading for today is from Acts 2:36-41 and it continues to focus on Peter's address to the people of Israel after Pentecost.

“What are we to do, my brothers?”Peter said to them,“Repent and be baptized,
every one of you,in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.For the promise is made to you
and to your children and to all those far off,whomever the Lord our God will
call.”

Now this particular Bible verse is a point of contention between Catholics and Protestants. Looking at the commentary from an NIV Life Applications Bible, it has the following to say about this verse:

If you want to follow Christ, you must "repent and be baptized." To repent means
to turn from sin, changing direction of your life and selfishness and rebellion
against God's law. At the same time, you must turn to Christ, depending on him
for forgiveness, mercy, guidance, and purpose. We cannot save ourselves - only
God can save us. Baptism identifies us with Christ and with the community of
believers. It is a condition of discipleship and a sign of faith.

Now, if we look at the commentary from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible(ICSB), we see the following:

The call for conversion is a call for Baptism, the sacrament that takes away
sin and confers the Spirit (22:16; Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5). Here and elsewhere Peter
insists that Baptism is the sacrament that brings us salvation (2:40; 1 Pet
3:21).

So the NIV says that Baptism is a "sign of faith" while the ICSB says "Baptism is the sacrament that brings us salvation". So, who's correct? Jesus very clearly falls into the Catholic camp especially when you look at verses such as Jn 3:5 where he tells Nicodemus:

Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Now Jesus didn't tell Nicodemus all you have to do is profess that I am your personal Lord and Savior. Some will say that Jesus was speaking of being born of woman and amniotic fluid, but that just doesn't make sense given the context of what we are talking about here.

I will continue further on this topic in the days to come...till then

Peace and God Bless

When Saint Paul went to Athens in Acts of the Apostles chapter seventeen, he spoke to the Greeks from the great Areopagus. It is my hope that this blog will become the great Digital Areopagus of the web from which I can proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ to all those that will listen.

So this is the first in what I hope will be a regularly update blog on Catholic Apologetics and the view of the world from the eyes of the Catholic Church. I hope to be able to update it with things that people will not only find interesting but will also help them to grow or begin a walk with Christ and his Church.

Peace and God Bless