Showing category "Apologetics" (Show all posts)

12 Claims Every Catholic Should Be Able to Answer

Posted by Site Webmaster on Saturday, January 10, 2015, In : Apologetics

Freedom of speech is a great thing. Unfortunately, it comes at an unavoidable price: When citizens are free to say what they want, theyll sometimes use that freedom to say some pretty silly things. And thats the case with the 12 claims were about to cover.

Some of them are made over and over, others are rare. Either way, while the...

Evangelization

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

The steps to living a full Christian life are:

To know Jesus Christ as His disciple.
To discover your charisms, or gifts, Jesus has given you.
To live your personal vocation in this life.
To tell others about Jesus.
To be a part of a holy Christian community.
To help the Church transform the culture by turning our hearts back to God.

Let us help you start this journey of faith. We are not here to judge you, criticize you, or condemn you. We are a world wide community of faithful that ...

Abandonment

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

As a disciple we are called on to abandon ourselves to Jesus Christ and his will. That means giving up our own desires and will for our own life. God never disappoints! Trust in Jesus! If you are struggling with faith in Jesus Christ or have prayer requests, you can use the contact form below.

We also encourage you start praying more often. God hears you. His answers are sometimes mysterious but the Church can help you discern His will for your life. Catholics all over ...

Discipleship

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

Once you become a disciple by repenting of your sins, believing in Jesus Christ for your salvation, and being baptized into God’s covenant family you become Jesus’ disciple. As his disciples we are given the grace to live new lives in the Holy Spirit, putting away our former selfish natures. We can, as it were, become perfect. God will fulfill our every desire for happiness that can be found in God alone. This journey is never done alone. As we said, you are created ...

Be Baptized

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

Baptism is the normal way that a person begins life as a disciple. If you are not baptized, baptism will wipe away all sin from your life and restore your relationship with God. (cf Matthew 28:19) It is possible that you can be a follower of Jesus, though you might not yet be baptized. If that is the case, it’s strongly recommended that you learn more about baptism, by speaking to a Catholic priest or lay minister. It is also possible that you were baptized as an infa...

Repent

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

In order to receive the good news we have to first break free from the bad news, namely sin. We need to examine ourselves honestly and humbly come before God, acknowledging our weakness and disobedience. A Catholic will experience great freedom when he or she goes to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here we confess our sins to a priest of God, ordained to this ministry. As frightening as it may be at first, this sacrament is a wonderful place to encounter Jesus’ mercy...

Believe

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

What’s Next?

First, believe & trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Here we proclaim our faith in God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We must acknowledge his saving action in our lives and choose to put him in charge, at the very center of our hearts. At its essence, this is about deciding to “surrender” ourselves comp...

He Experienced Suffering & Death

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

When Jesus, the Lamb of God, died on the cross he became for us the ultimate substitute.

But death did not have the last word. On the third day Jesus was resurrected to new life, victoriously conquering even death itself! Now each of us has the possibility of being forgiven for our sins AND living forever with God in eternal life. Forgiveness is free for the asking, and we are saved by Jesus’ gift of love! What could be better? But the good news does not end there.

God Sent His Son Incarnate

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

Year after year the people tried to “get right” with God by offering these finite animal sacrifices. Nevertheless, the infinite problem of sin still had no permanent solution. So God the Father sent his beloved Son from heaven to earth to become man. One day, when Jesus was beginning his public ministry, he was walking by the Jordan River. John the Baptist, pointed him out with this prophetic title: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”...

Repayment for Sin

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

SIn the Old Testament of the Bible, God’s people were enslaved in Egypt for over 400 years. God used Moses, as mediator, to eventually rescue his people. As part of the plan for freedom, each household was instructed to sacrifice a baby sheep. Sounds crude, right? If our sin (a kind of interior slavery) leads to death, then something has to die. Right from the beginning, when humans offended God they needed to find a way to make atonement (repair the wrong). Instead of giv...

God Made You In Love

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

God the Father created you out of love to be like him & to be with him. Who are you and why are you here? Scripture tells us our core identity: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1) The Creator of the universe lovingly made you, your individual human soul from nothing. Furthermore, you were made in the image and likeness of a Supernatural Being who is infinite, eternal, all-powerful, all-know...

It is Reasonable to Say So

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

To say that God exists is not at odds with reason. Nor is it unreasonable to have faith in God. St. Theophilus of Antioch taught us this: “And why do you not believe? Do you not know that faith is foremost in all matters? For what farmer is able to reap, unless first he have faith, and trust the seed to the earth? Or who is able to journey across the sea, unless first he have faith to trust himself to the ship and to the pilot? What sick person is able to be cured unl...

God Exists

Posted by Site Webmaster on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : Apologetics

All of us—no matter what our age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, or situation in life—carry in our hearts some very big and very basic questions about life: Who am I? Why am I here? Why is there a world in the first place? Who is God? What difference does all of this make? Is it possible to find true love or true fulfillment? What happens when we die?If you find yourself asking any of these questions, or if they at least pique your curiosity, please keep readin...

Why Become Catholic?

Posted by Site Webmaster on Friday, October 3, 2014, In : Apologetics

Why Become Catholic?

G.K. Chesterton once said, “The difficulty of explaining ‘why I am a Catholic’is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.”

The Catholic Church is the “pillar and bulwark of truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) because it is the Church founded by Jesus Christ who is God. 2,000 years ago Jesus became incarnate on earth; that is, he became fully man and received a human body while remaining fully divine. This God-Man wal...

A Word About Orthodox Apologetics

Posted by Site Webmaster on Friday, July 25, 2014, In : Apologetics

In the last few weeks, I have had several opportunities to think about Christian Orthodox apologetics. At our Greek festival, for instance, some of the volunteers who were helping us were Mormon “missionaries” or “elders.” These are young men and women who volunteer to take one or two years away from their education and work in order to spread the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Living in Utah, I and members of my Orthodox congregation encounter su...

Apologetic Point Papers

Posted by Site Webmaster on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, In : Apologetics

These point papers are apologetics works written by parishioners and friends of Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. In some cases, the issues discussed therein are touched on in the apologetics booklets To Tell You The Whole Truth About the Church and the Holy Bible and I'm Glad You Asked! In other cases, the specific topic was not discussed at all. Regardless, this section is meant to amplify To Tell You... and I'm Glad..., not to replace them. If you have not yet read these free on-line...
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How to Fight False Teachings

Posted by Site Webmaster on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, In : Apologetics

"Among you also there will be false teachers who will struggle in pernicious heresies. They will go so far as to deny the Master Who acquired them for His own, thereby bring on themselves swift disaster. Their lustful ways will lure many away. Through them, the true way will be made subject to contempt" (2 Pt 2:1-2).

"Let us, then, be children no longer, tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine that originates in human trickery and skill ...

How to Become a Catholic

Posted by Site Webmaster on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, In : Apologetics

Becoming Catholic is one of life’s most profound and joyous experiences. Some are blessed enough to receive this great gift while they are infants, and, over time, they recognize the enormous grace that has been bestowed on them. Others enter the Catholic fold when they are older children or adults. This tract examines the joyful process by which one becomes a Catholic.

A person is brought into full communion with the Catholic Church through reception of ...
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12 Painless Ways to Evangelize

Posted by Site Webmaster on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, In : Apologetics

Introduction

Why not face it? Most Catholics shy away from publicly engaging in evangelization. Even those who know their faith well hesitate to discuss it with strangers, and those who don't know their faith as well as they should usually find themselves running for cover when they think they may be asked to engage in evangelization.

Not to fear. This booklet explains twelve ways you can spread the faith--at very little expense, often with complete anony...
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The Rosary

Posted by Site Webmaster on Monday, March 14, 2011, In : Apologetics

The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary. If you were to ask what object is most emblematic of Catholics, people would probably say, "The rosary, of course." We’re familiar with the images: the silently moving lips of the old woman fingering her beads; the oversized rosary hanging from the waist of the wimpled nun; more recently, the merely decorative rosary hanging from the rearview mirror.

After Vat...
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Immaculate Conception and Assumption

Posted by Site Webmaster on Monday, March 14, 2011, In : Apologetics

The Marian doctrines are, for Fundamentalists, among the most bothersome of the Catholic Church’s teachings. In this tract we’ll examine briefly two Marian doctrines that Fundamentalist writers frequently object to—the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.

The Immaculate Conception

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the interventi...
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Scriptural Reference Guide

Posted by Site Webmaster on Monday, March 14, 2011, In : Apologetics

The Catholic Church bases her teaching upon one source: The word of God. This divine revelation is transmitted in two ways: through Scripture and apostolic tradition. Many assume that only the writings of the apostles are the word of God. However, their oral transmission of the faith is also considered the word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). Few Protestant groups today accept the validity, let alone the authority, of tradition. In fact, many believe that Scripture is the only definitive source ...

What "Catholic" Means

Posted by Site Webmaster on Friday, March 11, 2011, In : Apologetics

The Greek roots of the term "Catholic" mean "according to (kata-) the whole (holos)," or more colloquially, "universal." At the beginning of the second century, we find in the letters of Ignatius the first surviving use of the term "Catholic" in reference to the Church. At that time, or shortly thereafter, it was used to refer to a single, visible communion, separate from others.

The term "Catholic" is in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds, and many Protestants, claiming the te...
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Starting Out as an Apologist

Posted by Site Webmaster on Friday, March 11, 2011, In : Apologetics

People often ask, "How should I begin to train myself to defend my faith? How do I prepare for the inevitable knock on the door? I don’t want to have to stand there open-mouthed." The best place to start your homework is the Bible. Almost every American home has one. It’s either a well-worn, well-used book (if that’s how it is in your home, you may skip the next several paragraphs), or it’s the book with the thickest layer of dust.

Step 1. Blow off the dust.

Step 2. Open the Bible to ...
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The Trinity

Posted by Webmaster on Friday, March 11, 2011, In : Apologetics

The doctrine of the Trinity is encapsulated in Matthew 28:19, where Jesus instructs the apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The parallelism of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is not unique to Matthew’s Gospel, but appears elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., 2 Cor. 13:14, Heb. 9:14), as well as in the writings of the earliest Christians, who clearly understood them in the sense th...
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The One True God

Posted by Webmaster on Friday, March 11, 2011, In : Apologetics

The first Christians, like the Jews before them, were fiercely monotheistic, willing to die horrible martyrs’ deaths in the Coliseum—being slain by gladiators, devoured by wild animals, crucified, or tied to a stake and turned into human torches—rather than concede the existence of any other gods.

This adamant insistence on monotheism is taken directly from the teaching of the Bible. Thus, in John 17:3 Jesus addresses his Father, saying, "And this is eternal life, that they know you�...
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God in Three Person

Posted by Webmaster on Friday, March 11, 2011, In : Apologetics

The early Christians were quick to spot new heresies. In the third century, Sabellius, a Libyan priest who was staying at Rome, invented a new one. He claimed there is only one person in the Godhead, so that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all one person with different "offices," rather than three persons who are one being in the Godhead, as the orthodox position holds.

Of course, people immediately recognized that Sabellius’s teaching contradicted the historic faith of t...
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God Has No Body

Posted by Webmaster on Friday, March 11, 2011, In : Apologetics

Certain groups, notably the Mormons, have committed the error of saying that God the Father has a body, and have thus become anthropomorphites, people who say that God has a human form.

In recent years, this form of doctrinal decay has also set in among certain segments of American Evangelicalism, most notably in the Pentecostal Word Faith movement. Evangelicals such as Finnis Dake, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth Copeland, and Benny Hinn have all (temporarily or permanently) bought into the idea ...
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Filioque

Posted by Webmaster on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, In : Apologetics

The Western Church commonly uses a version of the Nicene creed which has the Latin word filioque ("and the Son") added after the declaration that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. Scripture reveals that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The external relationships of the persons of the Trinity mirror their internal relationships. Just as the Father externally sent the Son into the world in time, the Son internally proceeds from the Father in the Trinity. Just as the...
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The Eternal Sonship of Christ

Posted by Webmaster on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, In : Apologetics

Some Evangelicals, such as John MacArthur, J. Oliver Buswell, and the late Walter Martin, have been abandoning the Trinitarian faith as defined by the First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325). Their abandonment of orthodox Trinitarianism consists in denying the eternal Sonship of Christ, the doctrine that the second person of the Trinity was the Son of God from all eternity. Instead, they claim that the second person of the Trinity only became the Son of God at his incarnation. Apart from the inc...
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The Divinity of Christ

Posted by Webmaster on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, In : Apologetics

Christ’s divinity is shown over and over again in the New Testament. For example, in John 5:18 we are told that Jesus’ opponents sought to kill him because he "called God his Father, making himself equal with God."

In John 8:58, when quizzed about how he has special knowledge of Abraham, Jesus replies, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am"—invoking and applying to himself the personal name of God—"I Am" (Ex. 3:14). His audience understood exactly what he was claimi...
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Showing category "Apologetics" (Show all posts)

12 Claims Every Catholic Should Be Able to Answer

Evangelization

Abandonment

Discipleship

Be Baptized

Repent

Believe

What’s Next?

He Experienced Suffering & Death

God Sent His Son Incarnate

Repayment for Sin

God Made You In Love

It is Reasonable to Say So

God Exists

Why Become Catholic?

A Word About Orthodox Apologetics

Apologetic Point Papers

How to Fight False Teachings

How to Become a Catholic

12 Painless Ways to Evangelize

The Rosary

Immaculate Conception and Assumption

Scriptural Reference Guide

What "Catholic" Means

Starting Out as an Apologist

The Trinity

The One True God

God in Three Person

God Has No Body

Filioque

The Eternal Sonship of Christ

The Divinity of Christ

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Pax et Bonum!

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