Did Jesus Start a "Religion" ?

A few years ago there was a fella who made a video in which he rapped (or something) about how much he loves Jesus and hates “religion”.   Recently a student approached me saying a friend recommended the guy’s book to her.  The chapters have titles like:

• Religion Points to a Dim Future / Jesus Points to a Bright Future
• Religion Makes Enemies / Jesus Makes Friends
• Religion Says “God will love you if…” / Jesus says, “God so loved…”
• Fundies, Fakes, and Other So-Called Christians...

The first thing that strikes me is that if you want to make friends and not enemies... perhaps it best not to call people "fakes" and use derogatory terms like "fundies".  Either way, my student wanted to know how we might respond to the fella’s assertions.  That’s what I wanted to look at today. 

What is a “religion” … and did Jesus start one?

Adam, Eve, and Crazed Grasshoppers

Recently one of my fellow parishioners sent me to a website about evolution.  It makes a point of refuting Christian doctrine by showing evidence for polygenism.

Polygenism is a scientific theory regarding the origin of mankind.  It proposes that the human species arose out of a sort of co-evolving group of hominids.  That group eventually split up and developed separately into the different ethnicities we have today.  As it says on the website:

“All the data clearly show that all modern humans, African and non-African alike, descend from one ‘homogeneous ancestral population in the last 100,000 years, with subsequent minor admixture out of Africa from Neanderthals.’ This goes against earlier theories that there is a much older divide separating West African from non-African populations.”

[Note: I hate it when people use the word “data” as a plural word and not a group singular.]

Thus, the author claims to disprove the Biblical description of a distinct two-person origin of humanity presented in the first three chapters of Genesis.  He goes on to note with some delight how “disproved” Biblical doctrines must to retreat into the realm of metaphor.

Today I wanted to take a look at two questions:

• First, what are Christians bound to believe in regard to Adam and Eve?
• Second, how would we reconcile this with modern science?

How Does a Catholic Read: Ephesians 2 and Matthew 25 together?

Recently I had the idea to canvas some of my non-Catholic Christian friends and ask, "What verses of the New Testament do you think Catholics simply don't get? You look at it and think, 'Are Catholics unaware of this verse? What do they do with this?'"

One suggestion was to look at the combination of verses like Ephesians 2:8-9 compared to Matthew 25:34-46.  These passages present apparently opposing messages regarding how much our moral efforts have to do with our salvation.

So today we're going to examine the passage, apply it to the controversy... and answer the question:

"What the heck does a Catholic do with Ephesians 2 and Matthew 25?"

What is "Atheism" Anyway?

One of the most common side-tracks when speaking to a self-described "Atheist" is the question of what the word "Atheism" even means.  The exchange typically goes like this...

Theist: "Can you prove to me that God does not exist?"

Atheist: "You are so ignorant.  You don't even know what atheism is."

... and before you know it, the conversation is derailed.  It then goes down the long fruitless path of debating the meaning of a word and rather than matters of substance.

Today I want to discuss the evolution of the word "Atheist" and how one can avoid falling into this rhetorical ditch.

Does the Bible Count as Evidence?

One of my students recently asked me:

“How do we know any of this is true?  You know, without just relying on the Bible?”

That is a good question – and a common one.  It is influenced by a form of skepticism which is common among modern agnostics.  This form of skepticism treats the Bible as a single “religious text” and then dismisses it as having no evidentiary value.
 
If you have ever heard someone say…

“Can you show me any of this stuff from actual historical sources?  Can you give me some source other than your holy book?”

… you have encountered this form of skepticism.
 
Today I want to take a look at that attitude.  Is it reasonable?   And how should we use the Bible when talking to skeptics?

Recipe: The Lentburger

Last year I decided to give veggie-burgers a try during Lent.  Much to my surprise, I liked them a whole lot.  That is to say... after I put my own spin on it.

Tonight I'd like to share with you my own creation - the Lentburger.

How Does a Catholic Read: 1Peter 3:20

Recently I had the idea to canvas some of my non-Catholic Christian friends and ask, "What verses of the New Testament do you think Catholics simply don't get?  You look at it and think, 'Are Catholics unaware of this verse?  What do they do with this?'"

One passage suggested to me was 1Peter 3:18-21 – a passage which concerns the role of Baptism in one’s salvation.  So today we're going to examine the passage, apply it to the controversy... and answer the question:

"What the heck does a Catholic do with 1 Peter 3:18-21?"