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Some Interesting Parts of the Ten Bruggencate/Dillahunty Debate
During the Sye Ten Bruggencate debate with Matt Dillahunty there were some interesting audience questions. 1) One gentleman asked why everyone isn’t saved, if every one knows/believes that God exists. As Sye explained, the problem with the question was that it presumed that it is enough for salvation for people to know the truth of…
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Transubstantiation: Historical Development as Described by Garry Wills
Garry Wills (author of “Why I am a Catholic”), in “Why Priests,” describes the development of Eucharistic theology in the Middle Ages (p. 43): William of Ockham (c. 1288–c. 1346), also known as Occam, wrote a long treatise on the Sacrament of the Altar. There he admitted (because the dogma of the Resurrection demanded it)…
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On Silence of Christian Leaders
My brethren are getting frustrated with the fact that certain Christian leaders seem willing to talk boldly about things that all their hearers already agree with, while refusing to speak up about the more controversial in-house problems. Remember the words of Mordecai: Esther 4:13-14Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou…
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What's the Big Deal About Priests?
Garry Wills, in Why Priests, provides some interesting thoughts on the significance of the Roman Catholic priesthood (Chapter 2, p. 20): The most striking thing about priests, in the later history of Christianity, is their supposed ability to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. “From this unique sacrifice their…
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What’s the Big Deal About Priests?
Garry Wills, in Why Priests, provides some interesting thoughts on the significance of the Roman Catholic priesthood (Chapter 2, p. 20): The most striking thing about priests, in the later history of Christianity, is their supposed ability to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. “From this unique sacrifice their…
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The Fallible(?) God of Molinism and the Problem of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
One aspect of “Libertarian” (nothing to do with politics) Free Will (LFW for short) is the idea that a free agent can, in the same circumstance, either do A or not do A. God’s advance knowledge of the future, coupled with God’s infallibility, poses a serious problem to this idea, since it seems that either…
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The "Jesus Didn't Write a Book" Objection
Over the years, I’ve noticed a number of objections to accepting the Scriptures as an authority over the church. One of the oddest objections is “Jesus didn’t write a book” (example from David Meyers). Against certain Muslims who think that Jesus wrote a book called “the Injeel,” this might be an important objection. Against Christians, though,…
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The "Jesus Didn’t Write a Book" Objection
Over the years, I’ve noticed a number of objections to accepting the Scriptures as an authority over the church. One of the oddest objections is “Jesus didn’t write a book” (example from David Meyers). Against certain Muslims who think that Jesus wrote a book called “the Injeel,” this might be an important objection. Against Christians, though,…
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Conchita Wurst – Orthodox Condemnation, Vatican Approbation
It was interesting to read a report of responses to the victory of Conchita Wurst in the Eurovision competition (link). Amongst the reactions: “This [flood] is not a coincidence, but a warning,” Patriarch Amfilohije of Montenegro said, according to e.novine.com. “God sent the rains as a reminder that people should not join the wild side.”…