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Monday, December 28, 2015

Read. Write. Play.

Before I had a toddler running around my desk, there always seemed to be three things on my daily To-Do List.

  1. Read.
  2. Write.
  3. Play music.
Oh, how I wish I had many hours to do these things again.  I had time for them while in college, but sadly I spent too many hours doing something other than studying.

I finally got my act together in grad school.  I loved reading, research, and writing.  Although, I didn't care for the deadlines too much.  I played guitar an hour or two a day; I had a twelve-string and two six-strings.  I enjoyed Friday and Saturday nights with some extracurricular reading; a good novel seemed better with a cup of tea.

Now with a full-time job, a family - I did mention the toddler, right? - and the necessary tasks that come with it, extended time for those three joys seem gone for good.  Those relaxing days curled up in a comfy chair reading while wrapped in my blanket cocoon are probably nothing but a memory.

I cherish every minute I can flip the pages or strum the strings.  I know there are many successful writers who found time for their craft while wrangling toddlers during diaper changes and bottle feedings.  I hope I am able to do the same.

Now there are three new daily tasks on my Daddy To-Do List.

  1. Read to my son those thick-paged baby books asking which animal lives in the trees or what color is Elmo's fur.
  2. Read my Bible and other books to strengthen me to be the man, husband, and father I need to be.
  3. Play the classics on my guitar for my son:  Old MacDonald, There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and any others that come to mind.


So, listen up you youngsters!  While you're still young and have plenty of free time on your hands, don't waste it on mind-numbing activities.   Grab a book or tune an instrument and let your mind escape this crazy world for a while, because there's a crazier (but more joyful) world coming.


Sunday, December 27, 2015

Catholics Worship Saints. False!: Misconceptions About Catholicism 101, Lesson 1:

My early misconceptions:


When I was teenager, and a Protestant, I was told that Catholics worship statues and/or the saints.  Like many do in their younger years, I believed whatever I was told, especially if the person doing the telling did so in a convincing enough way.  I did not consider myself an authority of anything religious; I believed anything if someone more spiritual said it.  So, I pretty much believed anything I was told by those who majored in Bible, Religious Studies, Theology, or even if they merely led a Bible study a few weeks out of the year.

I started college thinking that Catholics were Christians just like any other denomination.  However, at the small Christian college I attended I was soon told something like, "oh, no, Catholics are not Christians.  They worship Mary and pray to statues.  They're idolaters."   Without checking facts and primary sources - i.e. without asking a Catholic authority - I accepted this as truth from my well-meaning Protestant classmates.

Fast forward nearly thirty years (or so):


In my thirties I made some Catholic friends who were kind, patient, and informed about the faith.  They explained to me that Catholics do not worship Mary or the Saints; in fact it is forbidden!  But, my Protestant worldview told me again and again that Catholics in fact did these things even though they may not realize it.

One evening in 2012 I was listening to Catholic Answers Live on the radio.  I was listening for two reasons.  1.) Catholics do share many good philosophical and classic theism ideas with my Protestant views, and 2.) I was looking for holes in their arguments so I could be a better witness and help evangelize Catholics to a better form of Christianity.  On this particular program someone called in with a similar question that I had:  "Why do Catholics pray to Mary and other Saints?"   My ears & brain were tuned to the Catholic apologist's response.   After he finished they went to a commercial break and I said to myself, "that makes a lot of sense.  I must confess I agree with them."

One of my biggest stumbling blocks towards Catholicism had been crushed into dust that was blown away by the smallest breeze.

Pray for one another:


For as long as I can remember I've heard Christians say:  "Please pray for me that..." or "I'll pray for you."  It's a good thing that Christians pray for one another and ask others to keep us in their prayers.  I would have ended up in a worldly mess if it wasn't for the godly prayers of my parents and loved ones.   Many times I have dropped to my knees in earnest prayer for those I love.

The Bible tells us to pray for one another:

  • Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.   (James 5:16)
  • ... bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  (Luke 6:28)
  • And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."  (Acts 8:24)
  • So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church.  (Acts 12:5)

The Saints prayers have a "hot line" to God the Father:


Did you notice James 5:16 tells us that the prayers of a righteous man has great power in its effects?  In this age of social media many Christians have no problems sending out prayer requests to all those on their friends list.  I know I'm guilty of asking 100's of people at a time to pray for me (many I would not suspect of being very righteous based on their own profession of skepticism).

The Catholic Church venerates a Saint because of the passion they held in their Christian beliefs, the dedication they showed in prayer and charity.  They are good Christian role models (of course, Jesus is THE role model, but you have to admit the Saints are good ones to include).  They are considered the great Christian heroes; the Christian Hall of Fame, if you will.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives a list of great men & women who lived by faith; others were tortured, beaten, and cut in two.  Yet, these people "though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect."  (Heb 11:39 - 40, RSVCE)

The the first verse of Hebrews chapter twelve refers to these people as a "great cloud of witnesses ... and let us run with perseverance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith..."  (Heb 12:1 - 2, RSVCE).

The image I get is this:  We are running a race through a battlefield.  Jesus Christ is our goal.  The Devil is doing everything he can to get us to quit this race.  I struggle daily.  Sometimes I feel like I just can't make it.  Sometimes I feel like I'm failing miserably.  Then this cloud of witnesses is cheering me on.  "Don't quit, Mark!"   "Keep going!  We made it through tougher trials.  You can make it!  You're going to make it!"   "We're praying for you, Mark!"

Is this too far-fetched?  

I don't think so.  Don't we say these kind of things to each other when we know they're going through tough times?


Death is not an end to existence.


Christians do not believe that death annihilates the person.  Death is separation.  The wages of sin is death in that we are separated from God.  Our souls are separated (temporarily) from the body when we die on this earth.  The account of the Transfiguration (See Matt 17) tells of Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah.   Now, granted Elijah never died, but Moses did (see Josh 1:1).  To be with God is to be alive.  The Saints whose souls are in heaven are more alive than we are.  (See also 2 Cor 3:18)

But can they hear us?  

Revelation 6: 9 - 10 indicates they at least are aware of some of what is happening on earth:  "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?'"  (RSVCE)

Revelation 5:8 and 8:3 - 4 informs us that the prayers of the saints are presented before the throne of God.   We cannot say that these verses pertain only to those saints still alive on earth, because the text reads: "...he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints..." (Rev 8:3).  All the saints, on Earth and in Heaven.  In context with the other verses mentioned above, this verse in Revelation cannot be only in some future sense.

But isn't communication with the dead forbidden in the Bible?


Yes it is.  It is also forbidden in the Catholic Church.  Paragraph 2116 of the Catechism (which means teaching) of the Catholic Church says:
All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.  Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers.  They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
When Catholics pray to Saints, we are asking them to pray for us.  We're not asking them for foreknowledge or magical powers.  We're certainly not worshiping or adoring them - that is due to God alone.

Why not just go to Jesus?


The Bible tells us to pray for others and take our prayer requests to other believers.  If you're a Christian and believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then I suggest to do as it says.  Take your prayer requests to others and pray for others (even if they don't ask you to). Absolutely, we should pray to Jesus; we can always go straight to Him. But if asking the Saints for prayers isn't something you are comfortable doing, Catholics aren't required to do so. But, hey, sometimes we can use all the prayers we can get, right?

What about all those statues?


Christians consider each other family - as in the family of God.  Every family I know has pictures of their parents, their grandparents, and sometimes even their great-grandparents in their home.  We love to have family heirlooms.  These things are good if we keep them in their proper place - to remind us of our past and of those who made sacrifices to get us where we are today.  Pictures and icons of Saints have the same meaning and place in the Catholic Church.  They remind us of our spiritual family who have sacrificed much to get us where we are today.  There is much to learn in the examples they have left us.

People have no objections with statues of political leaders, sports legends, and military heroes.  I haven't heard complaints about those being forms of idolatry.  Jacques Douillet writes in his book What Is A Saint? (Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1958):
That martyrs are heroes is plain enough.  Their selflessness, indeed, is often like that of military heroes, though it is more difficult to die heroically alone and forgotten in a dungeon than at the head of one's regiment. ... [Martyrs] knew that their example would encourage others, either to give in or to triumph. ... He wants his brethren to love God as he does, and with him to find their happiness in definitive union with Jesus Christ.
Douilett then shifts to Saints:
The same heroism is to be seen in the life of saints who are not called to the glory of martyrdom.  There is a day-to-day heroism that is not less fine than the courage of him who gives his life all at once. 

Showing honor and respect for these kinds of Christians is something that makes sense to me.

Reality check.


I know this is a sore spot for Protestants; it was for me as a Protestant.  Protestants have had troubles with this aspect of Catholicism for nearly 500 years.  I do not expect to heal all their wounds with one blog post.  The reason for this post is that the veneration of Saints was the first major block to fall out of the wall separating me from the Catholic Church. As I was beginning my conversion to Catholicism, I didn't start asking Saints to pray for me right away, but I did understand and respect why Catholics do this.  I hope my Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ can get a glimpse of why Catholics do what they do when they ask Mary, St. Michael, and others to pray for them.

In conclusion.


1.)  The Bible says the Church is the whole of believers - including those in Heaven.
2.)  The Bible says we are to pray for each other and ask others to pray for us.
2.)  The Bible says prayers of a righteous person have much effect.
3.)  The Bible says Saints in Heaven are certainly more righteous than any person on Earth (only the righteous can see God) and they pray for us.
4.)  The Bible says Saints in Heaven are aware of at least some of the events that happen to believers on Earth.

Therefore, asking Saints in Heaven to pray for us is Biblical...and a good thing to do.

P.S.


I'm praying for you.  

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Monday, December 14, 2015



Three fundamental rules of logic must be followed for any rational discussion to take place. They are most basic; other rules of logic necessarily follow from these three. Furthermore, if any of these three fundamental rules are broken, the statements or arguments associated with this violation must be false.


1.) Law of Non-contradiction:


A statement and its negation cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. Examples of statements and their negation are below.
Original: "I am typing on a computer."
Negation: "I am not typing on a computer."
I may be typing on a typewriter, or I may not be typing at all.
Original: "It is raining outside (where I live)."
Negation: "It is not raining outside (where I live)."
The parenthetical statement is not necessary. Common sense shows that it is most certainly raining somewhere.
Common sense also lets us know that the original statement applies only at the time the statement is made; we would not assume the original statement is to be considered true at all times.
Light rain, drizzle, downpour? I don't care about the details in this article. Let's not be picky.
Original: "2 + 3 = 5"
Negation: "Two plus three does not equal 5."
The original statement implies normal base-10 arithmetic.
There's no need to try to be clever and talk about the possibility of other bases, modular arithmetic, or anything else not clearly indicated.


2.) Law of Excluded Middle:


Either a statement or its negation must be true; there is no third option.
Either "2 + 3 equals 5" or "2 + 3 does not equal 5."
There is no other possibility.
Notice I did not say "Either 2 + 3 equals 5 or 2 + 3 equals 6."


3.) Law of Identity:


Statement X is statement X. Huh? The Law of Identity sounds redundant and useless at first. However, it is important. Moreover, it is necessary. If I make a statement about something (e.g. There is a calculator on my desk), then I am stating something about my calculator's identity. I could make many other statements about this specific calculator's identity, but why bother? Think of it this way, if no statements could be made about some thing's or some idea's identity, if it has no identity, then it would not exist, right?


Reality has specific things true about it. If it is not true, then it is not real. Right?


The Law of Identity necessarily follows from reality.


Granted, what you or I are stating may be false, but then the first law (i.e. Law of Non-contradiction) would come to our rescue; it cannot be true that there is a calculator on my desk and no calculators on my desk (at the same time and in the same sense.) The second law (i.e. Law of Excluded Middle) also comes into play; either there is a calculator on my desk or there is not a calculator on my desk. There is no third option.


I could find examples from today's headlines to further discuss these three laws, but that would take away from further blog posts. This article is small and quick. There are many places on the Internet to research these topics further.

Mark's Roman Road


Many things have happened to me that I never thought would happen. For one, I never thought I would get a Master’s Degree in mathematics. I also said things like: “I’ll never go to seminary,” and “I’ll never get married.” One lesson I’ve learned in life is to be careful in using the words “never” and “always.” In logic and mathematics there are times when “never” and “always” appear. For instance, in logic you cannot form the Aristotelian Square of Opposition without the concepts of “never” and “always.” In mathematics, a polynomial equation with real coefficients will always have complex roots appear in conjugate pairs.


My Beautiful Wife & Me





Well, as many of my friends know, I have a Master’s Degree in mathematics, and have been to seminary, and I am very happily married. I have done all of those things and many other things that I thought would never happen.

There are also some things that I thought I’d always do (or ways I’d always think) that I no longer do (or think). Some of these changes are outside of my control; some due to a change in preferences or thinking.   Getting married for the first time at age 49 was a big change. Having a little, baby boy when I’m 51 years old is another huge change.   It’s funny how the unexpected can sometimes bring such joy.

However, coming into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church after being a life-long protestant is one of the wildest things I never saw coming until about seven or eight months ago.  Yes, you read that correctly. I’m Catholic.

I’ll pause now as you sound the alarm to all friends and family members.  After you’re done crying or laughing, please continue reading. I’ll briefly give my explanations for doing this and briefly touch on some common objections to Catholicism later. 

My Protestant Upbringing 


My father was a protestant pastor – and a very good one.  I love the church where he preached.  He was, and still is, a great preacher.   I learned much from him. His preaching was used by the Holy Spirit to bring me to my knees and give my life to God. The most important thing I learned from my parents is to pray and read the Bible on a daily basis. Unfortunately I did not always read my Bible and pray as I should. Anytime I stopped doing one or the other I always found heartache, depression, and confusion. Sincere prayer got me through my darkest hours.   I was foolish to wait until I was in my thirties to start reading my Bible from cover to cover. Throughout life I read my Bible, but it was more in the manner of following along as I took part in a Sunday morning church service or during a Bible study. I used the Bible as more of a reference book to follow along with what others were saying or writing.  One day I just decided to read the Bible from cover to cover. Some sections were boring at first, but many things were made clearer as I persevered all the way through. I have read it from cover to cover quite a few times using different translations. 


Christian Education


I went to a Christian-based college. I experienced some Christian growth, but I think there was more spiritual frustration than anything. I did not lose faith in God.
In my thirties I attended an evangelical seminary to study Christian apologetics.

Having read through the Bible several times I knew that many of the objections and misunderstandings of Christianity were due to people not knowing as much about Christianity as they claimed. I know I don’t know everything about Christianity, but I know the Bible well enough to know when a few preachers take verses out of context. I may not be able to answer every objection to a person’s liking, but every objection I’ve ever heard to Christianity involves a great deal of misunderstanding of the faith.

Sadly, many of those misunderstandings were learned from listening to someone in a pulpit or from reading Christian literature. 


Defending the Faith 


Christian apologetics is the discipline of defending Christianity. It comes from the Greek word apologia meaning “to defend” – as if in court. It does not mean we’re apologizing for being Christian. I became interested in apologetics after having my faith attacked by an atheist in graduate school. I did not know what apologetics was at the time. Other Christians avoided this guy because it seemed like he was very aggressive in expressing his views against Christianity. I did not cower whenever he came my way and sure enough he started his faulty arguments every time. Everything that came out of his mouth was either based on complete lies or illogical arguments.   I countered every one of his arguments with sound logic and accurate explanations. I never heard of the discipline of apologetics before. I thought I was doing something new. My dad enlightened me about the subject and introduced me to some good authors.

While working on a PhD in pure mathematics at West Virginia University I began taking classes in apologetics from a seminary in Charlotte, NC. In a matter of weeks I was defending theism against a New Age pantheistic cult that appeared on campus. One day I had a conversation with a guy in this cult. As I was defending theism, he started freaking out. I guess the truth really hit a chord in his brain. He gathered his buddies together. They huddled up, looked menacingly at me, and disappeared from campus. I looked everywhere for them. They were gone.

In the following years I read hundreds of books and articles dealing with Christianity and other religions (New Age, Islam, atheism, humanism, a handful of cults, etc.). I read books written at the popular level and I read scholarly books with Latin and Greek words intermingled with the English words.

Anti-Catholic Rants

Long story short, I found that some writings by Christians do not always match up with what the Scriptures say or what has been taught by Christianity throughout the years. But, they’re popular with the masses. They sound nice. They’re good looking. They have a nice message that sounds Christian that says something like, “If you’re a Christian, things will go your way. You’ll be happy. You’ll get what you want.” I also started to discover that what one group of Christians says about another group is not always true either. Christians have a nasty habit of misrepresenting the details of other groups’ beliefs. Non-Christians love to exploit this fact and use this to attempt to show Christianity is false. Well, that’s about as foolish as saying since different doctors think differently about treating the same disease, then all doctors are studying and believe in a false doctrine; i.e. medical arts. It’s stupid, but it happens. We’re all human after all.

Unfortunately, while in seminary, I began to hear and read things that made me believe that Catholics were not Christians and were following a dangerous set of ideas about God. I became very anti-Catholic. I remember calling a minister friend of mine and telling him about all of the scary things I was taught or read about Catholicism. I remember pounding my fist on his desk and exclaiming with an authoritative voice things about sola fide and sola scriptura. I was quoting this verse and that verse. I was referencing this author and that author; this theologian and that theologian.

I was taught and believed:
  • Catholics worship Mary and other dead people.
  • Catholics think that one is “saved” only by their good works.
  • Catholics think everyone gets a second chance at Heaven or Hell while in Purgatory and we here on earth can influence that decision by giving money to the church.
  • Catholics never read the Bible.
  • Catholics think the Pope’s words have more authority than Scripture.
  • Catholics are not Christians.
  • And other ideas (that I now believe are all false).

Getting on the Right Track

Thankfully, this seminary also taught us to cite original sources. In order to truly critique or reference an author, we needed to go to “the horse’s mouth” and accurately and honestly represent the words and ideas of who or what we are referencing. While in seminary I read many, many books and articles. Several of these that were, to my surprise, written by Catholic authors. Yet, I could not dismiss what they were writing because it made so much sense and went along with what I read in the Bible.

A few years ago, I happened to be listening to a radio show one night and the hosts did an excellent job at explaining and defending Christianity. To my surprise, they were Catholics! So, I began to listen to Catholic Answers Live, a nightly Catholic apologetics radio show, on a regular basis. At times I forgot I was listening to Catholic apologists. Depending on the topic of discussion, many of their explanations sounded like what I was taught at seminary or had heard my whole life. “Hmm, maybe they’re Christian after all,” I thought. Sure, I still had some difficulties with the Catholic faith, but I could no longer honestly think that Catholics were non-Christians.

By continued reading, studying, and praying I eventually had to have a paradigm shift and several things that happened in Protestant church services gave it a big kick forward.

To make a long story short: In the summer of 2014 one of my constant prayers was for God to draw me closer to Him. I did not pray for material blessings. I did not pray for money. I did not even pray for good health (other than to be able to provide for and protect my family). This is certainly the kind of prayer God wants us to pray and He will answer. And He did.

Walking Towards Rome

In response to comments regarding communion made by a Protestant pastor, I commented to my wife, “Ha, you’d never hear that in a Catholic church.” My wife was curious and started asking me questions about the Catholic faith. Suddenly my wife & I began talking about differences between the Catholic and Protestant beliefs. Our interest was piqued and on the last Saturday of August 2014, my wife and I took a chance and attended a Catholic Mass. Given everything we had been told about the Catholic Church, we were extremely nervous about going. We prayed for Godly protection and discernment before going into the church and prayed once we found a place to sit. Before the service even started we both felt such peace and reverence that we knew this was truly a holy place. Throughout the service both of us felt the presence of the Lord.

Afterwards we attended another Protestant service or two, but both of us kept feeling drawn to the Catholic Mass. We couldn’t stop thinking about it. We couldn’t stop talking about it. We started reading everything we could find in order to learn more about Catholicism. My wife, who was previously dead-set against Catholicism started doing research on her own. We prayed daily for God’s direction. We read the Bible daily. We read Protestant literature against the Catholic Church. We read Catholic literature. We listened to many arguments on both sides. We researched it thoroughly. Given our respective Protestant backgrounds, much to our surprise, we were drawn back to Mass each week.

Soon I discovered the Protestant objections to Catholicism is very different than what the Catholic Church actually teaches:

  • Catholics do NOT worship Mary or other dead people.  The Saints that are in heaven are certainly more alive than we are!  Catholics do not worship Saints.  They ask the Saints to pray to Jesus on their behalf; just like Protestants ask their friends at church to pray for their needs.  Ever ask a friend on Face Book to pray for you?  Well, you’re just a step away from asking any Saint to do the same thing.  Who do you think is more holy and closer to Jesus, a friend at church or someone already in Heaven who sees Jesus face to face?   By the way, “to pray” means “to ask.”   “Prayer” does not mean “to worship.”
  • Catholics believe we are saved by grace, through faith.  But, faith without works is dead.  Just like the Bible says!
  • Purgatory is not a second chance at heaven.   There’s even a verse in the New Testament that always made me think of what I ended up understanding what the Catholic dogma of Purgatory is.  (see I Cor 3:10 – 15)
  • Catholics read the Bible every day at Mass.  I often hear more Scripture at Mass than I ever did at Protestant churches.   There’s even daily readings (usually a passage from the Old Testament, Psalms, and the New Testament) that all Catholics are encouraged to read.  These are not just a few verses either; they’re paragraphs.  For the dedicated Catholics (like Priests) there’s even biblical readings every three hours.
  • Catholics do not believe the Pope’s words exceed Scripture.  The Word of God is supreme even in the Catholic Church.  Nothing can contradict Scripture.
  • There are Catholic Christians!   Also, the Catholic Church recognizes those baptized in/with water under the Trinitarian formula are also Christians and accept their baptisms.  There’s only one baptism.  You don’t get baptized again if you convert to Catholicism.

The Home Stretch

Slowly my final three objections to the Catholic faith dissolved: a.) The primacy of Peter and the succession of popes, 2.) Transubstantiation, and 3.) devotion to Mary.   Keep in mind, these were not the only objections I had through the years, but these were the remaining three (I even understood and accepted the Catholic practice of asking Saints for intercessory prayer).   If I could not reject these, then I must embrace the Catholic faith.

It was a tough and frightening pill to swallow. My wife and I said to each other more than once, “I think I’m becoming Catholic. I believe.” We were both praying together and separately, “God, if this is wrong, steer us away!” For decades I have heard and studied the Protestant arguments against Catholicism. They all crumbled!   Most of the Protestant arguments against Catholicism are based on outright lies about what the Catholic Church believes and teaches. Many others are based on a misunderstanding of Catholic teachings.

In the fall of 2014, my wife and I began attending adult education classes on the teachings of Catholicism. We were permitted and encouraged to ask questions. We could leave at any time. There was never any arm twisting or intimidation. There was only love.

Welcomed Home

On Saturday, April 4, 2015 my wife and I were welcomed into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and received our confirmation.   Our son was baptized the same night. I’m happy and proud to say that we all “became Catholic” on the same night.

I have also recently been informed that nearly twenty of my fellow seminarians have also converted to Catholicism over the years – even a couple of the professors!   One of my classmates has an excellent blog with many good Catholic articles at souldevice.wordpress.com (here).

I ask my non-Catholic friends to read Catholic books. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church from cover to cover. Listen to Catholic Answers Live (Catholic Apologetics…here), Called to Communion (Catholic Apologetics and Theology…here), The Journey Home (Catholic conversions stories…here), and Christ is the Answer (Father John Riccardo… here and here). There are many good sources for Catholic teachings, but this is a good start. All of these can be found online.  

Listen to and read what Catholics have to say about Catholicism. DO NOT be fooled by what Protestants have to say about Catholicism.  Read Scott Hahn’s Rome Sweet Rome. He used to be a Protestant pastor. There are many conversion stories of Protestants (even pastors) converting to Catholicism.  Read & listen to the Catholic faith honestly.   It can stand up to your criticism. I encourage you to consider what you read with an honest heart.


I know I will have many friends and family throw questions at me. If I cannot answer your questions right away, then please give me time.   I also assume there will be many words spoken behind my back. In either case, I plan to write many more blog posts defending the Catholic faith. I am still a Christian apologist. My blog posts will not be as comprehensive as what is already available online, but I’ll do my share.


I close with a quote that I have found to be very accurate. Archbishop Sheen said, “There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church.”

[For more of my road to the Roman Catholic church read here.]