Pope Francis Book Giveaway

  A couple weeks ago we posted an excerpt from a new book-length interview with Pope Francis. The book is titled On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-First Century and presents conversations between him and an Argentinian rabbi and biophysicist. We shared the book's chapter on atheism. Shortly after we posted the excerpt, the publisher, Image Books, asked if I'd like to give away some copies at Strange Notions. At first I was hesitant, thinking... Read More

Horus Manure: Debunking the Jesus/Horus Connection

Many atheists, neo-pagans, and other disbelievers of Christianity claim the story of Jesus Christ was borrowed from earlier mythologies. In recent years, a claim has been making the rounds that Jesus is based on the Egyptian god, Horus. Who was Horus? Horus is one of the oldest recorded deities in the ancient Egyptian religion. Often depicted as a falcon or a man with a falcon head, Horus was believed to be the god of the sun and of war. Initially he appeared as a local god, but over time... Read More

What Is the Soul?

"For the world is broken, sundered, busted down the middle, self ripped from self and man pasted back together as mythical monster, half angel, half beast, but no man..." — Walker Percy, Love in the Ruins Last year, I found myself unexpectedly marveling at an album by Tom “It's Not Unusual” Jones, which featured covers of songs by Tom Waits, Paul Simon, and The Low Anthem. One track, "Soul of a Man," revived a bluesy 1930 song by Blind Willie Johnson that asks one my favorite philosophical... Read More

The Atheist Orthodoxy that Drove Me to Faith

Last Easter, when I was just beginning to explore the possibility that, despite what I had previously believed and been brought up to believe, there might be something to the Catholic faith, I read Letters to a Young Catholic by George Weigel. One passage in particular struck me. Talking of the New Testament miracles and the meaning of faith, Weigel writes: “In the Catholic view of things, walking on water is an entirely sensible thing to do. It’s staying in the boat, hanging tightly... Read More

Fr. Robert Barron on “Les Misérables”

According to Fr. Robert Barron, Les Misérables is "replete with themes and can't be understood apart from the Christian worldview." Here he explores the story's decidedly Catholic symbolism.     What did think about the Les Misérables film?     (Image credit: Paste Magazine)  Read More →

Did Pope Francis Really Say All Atheists are Redeemed?

Yesterday, the Internet buzzed about some recent remarks from Pope Francis. A headline at Huffington Post read: "Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics". A similar Reddit article became yesterday's second most-shared piece. But was the headline right? Did the Pope really suggest that all atheists are redeemed? And if so, is this a shift in Catholic teaching? To answer those questions we must first note the Gospel passage Pope Francis preached on when he... Read More

No Naysayers at NASA: Responding to Bob Seidensticker

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post from Fr. Dwight Longenecker is in response to atheist Bob Seidensticker's post yesterday titled 10 Reasons to Just Say Nay to the Naysayer Hypothesis.   Atheist Bob Seidensticker has a quip at the bottom of yesterday's blog post which reads, “If a million people say a foolish thing it is still a foolish thing.” I couldn’t agree more, and we should remember this as we read the rest of his post. His basic argument is this:   “Apologists tell us... Read More

10 Reasons to Just Say Nay to the Naysayer Hypothesis

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today we share our first atheist guest post. It's from Bob Seidensticker who writes for the Patheos Atheist Channel at Cross Examined. Be sure to read Fr. Dwight Longenecker's reply: No Naysayers at NASA: Responding to Bob Seidensticker.   Apologists tell us that the gospels were written at a time when many disciples—the eyewitnesses—were still alive. If they heard an inaccurate story, they’d say, “I was there, and that’s not the way it happened!” They’d... Read More

Why We Should Be Cautious Using the Big Bang Argument

Since it was proposed by Fr. Georges Lemaître, the Big Bang has been common in discussions of the existence of God. The reasons are obvious. The Big Bang looks like a plausible beginning for the physical universe. Things that begin need causes. The beginning of the physical universe would need a cause, which would seem to lie outside the physical universe. This coheres well with the Christian claim that God is a non-physical being who created the physical universe. The argument has been... Read More

Why the Scandals Increased My Faith in the Church

When people hear that my husband and I began exploring Catholicism in 2005, one of the first questions they often ask is, “What about the sexual abuse scandals? Didn’t that scare you away from the Church?” They’re usually surprised when I report that the answer is no; in fact, the scandals and the negative media coverage actually increased my faith in the Church. Here’s why: Getting the Facts Straight   One of the first things I did was to look into the numbers behind the... Read More

Next Page »