Religion

I do have some anxiety about becoming a Catholic. The point is to come to grips with the reality of things, and outside the Church it seems to me there’s no reality. On the other hand, reality is alarming. Then too, there are Christ’s comments on those who don’t carry through—the king who undertakes war … More ...

I signed up a sponsor, and have decided on “Thomas” as my confirmation name, so it’s all taking concrete form.

A couple of people have asked me why I’m converting. I’ve told them it’s because Christianity is the Incarnation, and the Incarnation makes no sense unless it’s very important for God to have a particular … More ...

Par. 1930 of the Catechism says rights “are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority.” It doesn’t say rights are “necessary for” legitimacy, it says they are “the basis of” legitimacy. The formulation echoes the statement in the Declaration of Independence that governments are instituted to secure rights. It seems to suggest that … More ...

Is it true that “the human person … is and ought to be the principle, the subject and the end of all social institutions?” [Gaudium et spes, cited in par. 1881 of the Catechism.] In a sense it is, but the formulation can distract attention from the extent to which man becomes what … More ...

I suppose the basic objection I have to the Church as an institution made up of human beings is that it reflects human small-mindedness. People just aren’t up to the truths they profess. They’d rather have something that’s more their size.

I suppose my basic reason for becoming Catholic is basic Christian doctrine: the Creation and the Incarnation. If you accept them then the Catholic Church makes more sense than the protestant churches, which tend to dematerialize things. If the things of this world mean something, so much so that God could become a particular man, … More ...

The account of the finding of the empty tomb in John’s gospel reads like an eyewitness account rather than anything made up for a purpose. It seems obvious that it is given in the words of someone who was there, in fact “the other disciple whom Jesus loved.” This isn’t mythology or propaganda or the … More ...

Why did Christ have to die to make up for our sins? People today find the idea stupid and brutal. Why couldn’t God have given us a way out of them without letting his own son be tortured to death in such a horrible manner? What does the one thing have to do with the … More ...

Some stories in the Bible are so clearly contemporary that critical scholars in the year 4000 will almost certainly view them as interpolations from our own period. The Temptation of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11) is an example. Immediately after his baptism Christ went off to fast and pray, and the devil tempted him with the conquest … More ...

I’m told I have to choose one. At the moment I’m inclined toward Thomas, after Thomas the Apostle and Thomas Aquinas. It seems to me the two span the possibilities of faith seeking understanding. Both had faith, but they differed in their ability to say what it was about. In the end they weren’t so … More ...