Five Questions I'd Ask Pro-Choice Catholic Politicians

American politics is full of bizarre things which ought not be.  Foremost among them are people who identify themselves as "Catholics" and yet act against the Church on matters of grave importance. 

It is one thing to debate whether a Catholic should support private school vouchers, increases to the capital gains tax, or what constitutes a fair immigration system.  The Church offers some guiding principles but no specific ruling on those.

However, when it comes to the legality of abortion, the Church could not be any more clear.  In his encyclical letter "Laudato Si", Pope Francis said:

"Concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties?" - Laudato Si, 120

And the Catholic Catechism states:

"The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation.  The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority."  - CCC 2273

However, many Catholic politicians, for reasons I dare not speculate upon, insist on supporting the institution of abortion in America.  Their refrain is always the same:

"I personally oppose abortion, but I think the law should allow a woman the right to choose."

Reporters hear those words and nod piously, never following up with hard questions.

So today I want to look at 5 questions I would pose to Pro-Choice Catholic politicians.

Short Answer: An Analogy for Grace

A while ago a student asked me:

What is grace? What do we mean when we say that word?"

It was a great question.  Sometimes it helps to slow down and see if we actually know the meaning of the words we’re saying.

The problem is there really is no clean way to answer that question.  It’s like trying to explain the meaning of “love” or “beauty”.  Even the Bible does not stop and define what exactly “grace” is.

So today I wanted to look at the answer in the Catechism.  Then I’ll give the analogy to answer the student’s inquiry.

Short Answer: Did the Church Ever Sell Indulgences?

Dear Apologist, is it true that the Church once sold indulgences? 

Is the Church Contradicting Itself by Banning Abortion AND Contraception?

As pretty much everybody knows, the Catholic Church stands firmly against abortion.  What often confuses people is how the Church could then go on to be against contraception too.  Every now and then I'll hear a person say:

"If the Church was really  against abortion, it would be the biggest proponent of contraception.  Properly used, contraception has the power to prevent unwanted pregnancies - thus eliminating the need for abortion.  So it is working cross-purposes in banning both."

That's what I wanted to look at today.

The Gospels and the "Telephone Game"

One of the most widespread arguments regarding the Bible is regarding the proper dating and authorship of the New Testament Gospels.  The earlier those books are dated, the stronger their claim is to accuracy and reliability.  So there is a lot at stake.

A while ago I made a post in which I presented some arguments for the early and genuine authorship of the Gospels.  But today I wanted to look at an alternative perspective.  I call it the "Telephone Game" theory.

This hypothesis holds that the Gospels were composed late in the first century - (after the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70AD) - and do not reflect the original narrative of Christ's life and deeds.  Instead they reflect a gradual mythologizing of the preacher from Nazareth.

The argument typically sounds like this:

"We've all played the children's game where we stand in a line and whisper a message from person to person.  Each time the message is passed there are subtle changes.  When it arrives at the other side of the line, the final message is completely different from the original.   

Something like that surely happened with the Jesus story.  His legend grew bigger and bigger until he became God incarnate.  That's what we see in the Gospels."

How do we respond to this?