My interview with Dr. Kevin Vost: From Atheist to Catholic, Part I

Alternate title: "Catholics, you need to learn this stuff and teach it to your children!"

"Superman" (Nietzsche) and "The Angelic Doctor" (Aquinas)
Art by Theodore Schluenderfritz

I am so excited! This is the first in a series of posts (don't know how many, don't know when they'll run) wherein I interview Kevin Vost, Psy.D., psychologist, physical fitness expert, and the author of several books, including the one I told you about that has me all giddy:

From Atheism to Catholicism: How Scientists and Philosophers Led Me to the Truth

To give a quick background: Dr. Vost has taught psychology and gerontology (look it up!) at the university level, and has served as a Research Review Committee Member for American Mensa (the high IQ society) which promotes the scientific study of human intelligence. Basically, the dude is super smart.

As you all know, I dialogue with several atheists on this blog, and I am fascinated by the things I've learned from them. Still, I can never quite get a handle on their thought processes, principles, or premises. Also, my debating skills are often lacking, as I am not classically educated and I don't have a background in history or philosophy -- at least not to the level I should as we march forth into this brave new (post-Christian) world.

Dr. Vost helped break things open for me, writing simply and accessibly about his journey into atheism as a young man, and I left his book much more educated than when I began. In the book, he introduces us to and explains the belief systems of the famous atheists he studied and admired so much on his intellectual journey, even acknowledging for the reader the nuggets of truth in their philosophies. Eventually, his studies led him to discover some of the greatest minds in history, which in turn led him (as it has so many others) straight to the door of the Catholic Church.

Dr. Vost's book is for everyone who wants to be better prepared for the cultural war in which we find ourselves now, including those with little to no philosophical or scientific background (like me!).

Let's dive in with the first question!


Q. Kevin (yes, I am on a first name basis with this man!): Raised a Catholic, you were drawn to atheism as a teenage bodybuilder who had a penchant for Nietzsche's "superman". Is it fair to say that you thought your way into atheism?

A. That is totally fair and accurate, Leila. As a young boy I was mesmerized by the television Superman – such awesome power and manliness in service of the good!  In my teenage years I was absorbed in the world of bodybuilding and weightlifting. At 17 in 1978 I attended a seminar by Mike Mentzer, the reigning Mr. Universe and heir-apparent to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mentzer was a brilliant man who revolutionized my understanding of things like the role of genetics and rational principles behind strength training and diet. I still employ those ideas today. His writings also led me into the world of atheist philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, famed for his very different and anti-Christian “Übermensch” (superman), and then to novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand. Her ideas influenced me for decades. Though I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic grade and high schools in the 1960s and 1970s, I did not have a clue about the profound philosophic underpinnings of Christian theology. I was easily led away by the arguments of philosophers like Nietzsche, Rand, Bertrand Russell, and the psychologist Albert Ellis, to think that God did not exist, that the idea of God just didn’t make sense and wasn’t true. To sum it up using four basic branches of philosophy, this is what I came to believe:

Metaphysics (the underlying nature of reality):  “Existence exists.” (a favorite phrase of Ayn Rand’s). Open your eyes and see the universe. It is the ultimate reality and is just plain there. We don’t need to postulate a God to explain it. It just is.

Logic (“the art of non-contradictory identification” per Rand): The concept of God is self-contradictory. God cannot be both all-powerful and all-knowing. If He knows what He’s going to do tomorrow, then He can’t do something different, can He? (New atheist Richard Dawkins also uses this one in his book, The God Delusion.)

Epistemology (theory of knowledge): Reason is our only guide to truth, and faith opposes it. (Rand said faith and reason go together “like poison and food.”)

Ethics (morality): We don’t need God to be good, as evidenced by examples of how noble pagan philosophers (e.g., Socrates, Aristotle, the Stoics) wrote about and lived by natural virtues like fortitude, prudence, justice, and temperance. Rand based her “Objectivist Ethics” on man as the highest standard.

So then, yes, thinking did lead me away from the faith. I thought in good conscience that I was seeking the truth. I knew there was so much practical good in the Catholic Church that I never hated it or spoke out against it. I just thought it was wrong about one little thing – the existence of God. (Please don’t let me forget to get around to explaining how I found that I and those four foundational atheistic conclusions were flat out wrong – 25 years later!)

Kevin, I most definitely will not let you forget!

Read Part II, here.





*Dr. Vost's signed book was a generous gift from two of my readers, Jennifer and Joseph Mazzara, who have been valuable commenters on the Bubble.




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Progressives, when is your progress complete?

"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."  -- C.S. Lewis

Progressives, this post is for you. I have a question for you that is real and weighty I hope you can answer with clarity, so that I can understand what it means to be a progressive today. None of these are trick questions; they are asked sincerely.

The label "progressive" was chosen purposefully, I am sure. It is meant to convey that you are forward-thinking people, making progress in society.

Progress is defined as "advancement, or movement toward a goal", so I ask…

In the realm of sexuality (since that's the pivot point of the current culture wars), toward what final goal are you advancing?

If there is no specific goal, then where are you going? Are you simply wandering? And if you are wandering, do you wander indefinitely? How do you know when your progression has ended, or do you believe that it never ends and never should end?

But going back to the definition of "progress": If you believe there is a goal and you progress to it, do you then stop there?

And if you stop at the goal, what of the others, those who keep moving on past the goal, progressing to the next place? Aren't they then the true progressives, the ones who boldly break the taboos and dismantle societal constructs? And won't you be seen as hindering progress, and repressing or oppressing those moving forward (maybe even seen as a hater)? Or will it be bad to be a "progressive" then, and will you switch to proudly wearing the label of "conservative"?

Let's get more specific.

I think it's fair to say that when it comes to sex, progressives champion the right of consenting adults to use their sexuality in any way they desire. In the past that meant working to end the stigma of contraception, masturbation, divorce, pre-marital sex, and human abortion, and today it means the normalization or mainstreaming of pornography, hook-ups, group sex, homosexual acts and most recently gay "marriage".

So, what next? When all these things are acceptable and enshrined, where do the progressives go? Who will the progressives be?

I would offer that we all already know, but when I dare to bring it up, I am shouted down. "How could you equate homosexuality with pedophilia or bestiality??!!" (I do not equate them.) "I don't see great hordes of people clamoring for those things to be accepted!!" (Neither did anyone used to clamor for the acceptance of pornography, fornication, or homosexual "marriage".)

I do know that respectable progressive psychologists, academics, and activists have been quietly working to destigmitize pedophilia and lower ages of consent, and I do know that the respectable, beloved progressive, Princeton professor Peter Singer, sees nothing wrong with certain occasions of bestiality.

These are forerunners of progressive thought in our culture. Distasteful now, but as we continue to "morally progress", it's just a matter of time before these ideas gain greater acceptance.

For the progressives reading who are disgusted by such ideas, what are your natural "stops"? Can there be any? As far as I can tell, you deny the natural law (i.e., the universal moral law that can be known by the light of reason). You don't believe in natural boundaries for sex, nor the concept of "order" and "disorder" in morality. So, where are the brakes? What are your principles for dismissing these other uber-progressives out of hand?

Because they're right behind you, out-progressing you as we speak.

Thanks for any answers you are able to provide.



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What I did on my July vacation! And how much I missed you!

First off, I learned that maybe next time I will only take a two week break!

So much going on in the world that I wanted to comment on, and I missed you guys (all of you, even Miss Gwen and Michelle and the other secularists on the block)!

Of course, I saw some of you on facebook (I sort of got back on that sooner than planned), and on my Orphan Report blog, and on email…. I wasn't as "gone" as I tried to be. Oh, and from the few blog headlines and facebook updates I did see, there was a lot going on in your lives! Wow, some major announcements and life changes I missed! I'll have to figure out how to catch up.

I did not get all the reading done that I'd hoped to, but I am just giddy about the book I did read! Remember the "If you only read one book this year, make it this one" post from last year? Well, this year's book recommendation has to be:

From Atheism to Catholicism: How Scientists and Philosophers Led Me to the Truth

I was underlining and scribbling margin notes like a mad woman, because I was learning so much! Many "eureka" moments. The author, Kevin Vost, Psy.D., is brilliant (a mensa member) and highly educated, but able to put things simply so that even I could understand. So many things came clear, and that was exciting!

Ack, I hope you'll all read it! I will be dedicating an entire post to it, soon-ish.

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Another super cool July happening is that my college roommate and friend just happens to have a daughter in the Olympics! Maybe you've seen Aly Raisman, gymnast extraordinaire and one of the Fab Five who just won the Olympic gold medal for the USA?! Here she is, just a few hours ago atop the medal stand (second from the right):

And she's not done yet! She will be competing in the individual all-around, beam and floor finals.

Oh, and here is her mom, exactly 22 years ago (July 28), at my wedding:

More about that day, and the poofy hair and sleeves, here.

You may have seen her mom already, actually, as she has recently gone viral herself. *Originally I had a video posted here, but it's been taken off YouTube for copyright reasons. Here is the official NBC version, but without the awesome audio: 

Top NBC Moment of the London Games 

Ha ha ha! Oh, I think back on our college days, and I can imagine the fun we would have had laughing about that one, Lynni!! You are awesome. Hillside D-14 would never have recovered.

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Another old and dear friend has been in my heart this past month, but for a very different reason. Beth Rossman, the funniest and and most joyful woman you'd ever want to meet, passed away unexpectedly just over a week ago. The loss of such an amazing person has been hard on our community. I have so much I want to say about her, so much I want to tell you…but I will ask instead that you pray for the repose of Beth's soul (she was very close to our Lord and our Lady), and also pray for her husband and three sons who will miss her terribly. They know that they will see her again in the heavenly reunion that we all await with great hope!

Beth, with Danya's daughter at our little school.

One of Beth's favorite quotes from St. Teresa of Avila speaks to the wounded hearts of all who mourn her loss:

Let nothing trouble you,

let nothing frighten you.

All things are passing;

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

He who possesses God lacks nothing:

God alone suffices.

Requiescat in pace, dear friend.

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And July brought some joyful news for a little blind boy that I called my Achilles' Heel…. Dear Andrew, the five-year-old languishing in a crib in Eastern Europe, has a family coming to rescue him! Wanna see how he'll be going from a nightmare to a dream? Check it out, and Andrew lovers, I dare you not to cry:

Andrew's Mommy Revealed!

I'm planning on going broke to help him get home, and yes, I'm going to be begging for dollars from my loyal readers and friends. But to sweeten the pot, anyone who contributes a few bucks to Andrew's adoption fund (donate button is on his blog, top right) will be entered into a drawing to win a personalized, signed copy of my book,Prodigal Daughters: Catholic Women Come Home to the Church. Well, I didn't write the whole book, but I did write one of the chapters!

Or, if you dislike me but still want to donate, I can leave the book unsigned and send it to you for target practice, vandalizing, or book burning. I will not be offended!

And to keep it all legal, you may also enter without donating, by simply becoming a "follower" and/or email subscriber to Andrew's blog, and/or linking it to your own.

Whichever way you choose to enter, please email me and let me know (use the link under my photo, above right), or I won't know to put you in the running! Monetary donations will get you five entries, and linking, following or subscribing will get you one. Winner will be chosen by random.org in a couple of weeks, after my begging ends.

Andrew thanks you for loving him!!

Hang on baby boy! You don't know it, but your mama's coming!

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Well, that's my little bit of housekeeping before launching back into the culture wars and all sorts of controversy! Lots of that up ahead.

And later today, I'll be off to get me some Chik-fil-A! How 'bout a chicken sandwich, waffle fries and a deeeeelicious handspun chocolate milkshake? Care to join me?




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Not quite yet….

I'm not back yet! Just three more days! And believe me, I have a lot to say. ;)

In the meantime, someone go and adopt this child! How can you resist him??

Click my picture for more info!

Yes, I am adorable, and I need a family ASAP!

See you all real soon!




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Good-bye!

But only through July!

So don't cry!

(Cute rhyme, no?)

Well, this is my swan song for a month, for both blog and facebook. I will miss you all terribly, and I can't wait to be back in August to start up the conversation again. I will be refreshed and renewed -- hopefully my house will get a clean-out -- and I will be ready for the fight to get Obama voted out of office. (Girls in town, when that happens, can we have the biggest party evah?)

Anyway, what will I be doing on my July bloggy fast? Well, it seems like a dream, but I plan to finish reading two books that I started months ago.

From Atheism to Catholicism: How Scientists and Philosophers Led Me to the Truth

and

The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary

Also, thanks to wonderful Abigail who will guide me, I will be reading something the soul craaaaaaves:

The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

If possible, I will finally read one of the books that has been recommended by people I greatly admire. It is a commentary on Pope Benedict XVI's September 12, 2006, University of Regensburg lecture, which made news and caused a violent uproar when one quotation was taken out of context. The pope's address has been called "genius", and is a fascinating response to the challenges facing us moderns, examining politics, religion (including Islam), reason, man, and God. I may need my 23-year-old pre-pregnancy brain back in order to grasp this one, but I'm going to try:

The Regensburg Lecture

I also really, truly, desperately want to redo the Total Consecration with my husband. We did our first Consecration about 16 years ago, and it was the most amazing spiritual time in our marriage. It was five weeks of floating on grace. Will we have the discipline to do it again? Ah, there's the question! I'll let you know.

Okay, some of you have asked me to recommend blogs for reading while I'm gone, and that's a toughie. I love my blog roll, so feel free to peruse that list of gems, which include mommy blogs, adoption blogs, infertility blogs, and of course just your straight up Catholic blogs.

Now, if you like Catholic discussion in same vein as we do here, you might want to visit Devin Rose and/or Stacy Trasancos, as they are masters of reason, lovers of truth, and have juicy comment threads. Also, Ignitum Today is a great community blog where young adult Catholics congregate, and New Advent will keep you clicking through the best of Catholic commentary and blogs all day (it's dangerous for me to access that page, because then my day is shot).

And if you have any questions on the Catholic Faith, Catholic morality, Catholic apologetics, Catholic history, or anything Catholic, please ask our own JoAnna Wahlund, who is not only 143 times smarter than I, but who happens to be blog-sitting while I'm away. She's handling it all… I've given her the keys to the Bubble, and she will keep it clean and shiny until I return.

Also, don't forget the ample archives of the Bubble, which you can find under "Blog Archive" on the right, going back two years. Dig around! There's some good stuff you might have missed, including these serial posts that should keep you busy for a while:

My real life correspondence with an abortionist

My correspondence with a sex educator

Thoughts on the Church sex scandal

And of course, the whole host of Little Teachings from the Bubble is worth a look.

If you should actually reeeeeally miss me, please consider a love offering to my memory by throwing a couple of bucks into one (or both?) of these families' funds. They are One More Smith (remember Malcolm??) and Journey to Reunite Two Angels (if you tell Sylvia of your donation, you can be entered to win an iPad). I love these people. You can donate from this page directly with the links below, and donations are tax deductible:



And to keep a promise I made to a very special friend (and a friend of the orphans), I am going to keep Holly's picture here for the break, so that her beautiful face can be seen by all, including, I hope, her mommy and daddy. They are out there, and they simply need to see her, and fall in love with those big, green eyes. Click the photo for more information about this beautiful girl in need of a family:

Are you my mama? I am giggly and outgoing! I will make a good daughter!

Okay, folks, see you in August! I hope you are all still here when I get back! And if there are two or three of you who truly cannot live a month without me, you can email me or come see me on my other blog, where I will be lightly posting and checking in from time to time.

OH!! And don't forget to do all your Amazon shopping through the link at the very bottom of this blog (all the way down there!), because I'm giving 100% of the proceeds to the orphans and the families bringing them home.

XOXOXOXOXOXO!

Miss you already!

Wish you were here!


:)




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What happened today

I thought this summed it up nicely:

Analysis by Jay Cost, reprinted from The Weekly Standard

What Did SCOTUS Just Do?

Jay Cost


June 28, 2012 11:31 AM


Was today's Supreme Court Obamacare decision a win for conservatives or a loss? It depends on what you were rooting for.


If you were above all interested in the bill being struck down, it was mostly a loss. On the other hand, if you were more concerned about the qualitative expansion in the power of the government that the bill represented, it was definitely a win.


First, the Roberts Court put real limits on what the government can and cannot do. For starters, it restricted the limits of the Commerce Clause, which does not give the government the power to create activity for the purpose of regulating it. This is a huge victory for those of us who believe that the Constitution is a document which offers a limited grant of power.


Second, the Roberts Court also threw out a portion of the Medicaid expansion. States have the option of withdrawing from the program without risk of losing their funds. This is another major victory for conservatives who cherish our system of dual sovereignty. This was also a big policy win for conservatives; the Medicaid expansion was a major way the Democrats hid the true cost of the bill, by shifting costs to the states, but they no longer can do this.


Politically, Obama will probably get a short-term boost from this, as the media will not be able to read between the lines and will declare him the winner. But the victory will be short-lived. The Democrats were at pains not to call this a tax because it is inherently regressive: the wealthy overwhelmingly have health insurance so have no fear of the mandate. But now that it is legally a tax, Republicans can and will declare that Obama has slapped the single biggest tax on the middle class in history, after promising not to do that.


Conservatives have a shot at getting the best of both worlds: having the Supreme Court use Obamacare as a way to limit federal power while also using the democratic process to overturn the law. I didn't think we could have one without the other, but now maybe we can.


If Obama loses in November, that is…









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A reader's questions answered

As I contemplated what to write about in these last days before my July blog fast, I thought about mourning over stolen innocence here (and the outrage of political injustice that fuels it; vote Obama out!), or lamenting our nation's loss of decency and shame here (may our all-pure and all-holy God have mercy), but then I remembered an email from a reader that I have put off answering for too long.

So, let me get to it.

Hi Leila,
I know you have a ton of worthy topics, but I was wondering if you would be willing to address any of these topics?


Sure! I am an expert on exactly nothing, but I love to throw out my thoughts!

* Raising boys in an over-sexed culture. (I am already praying for [my young son's] purity, but I am still concerned. I know guys are way more visually oriented than girls, and that once they get the images in their heads it is hard to get them out. Could you talk about how you parent your boys with regards to this?)


With six boys of my own (from age 19 down to 2), it's a topic near and dear to my heart. You are soooooooo right about the visual nature of the male mind. If women had any flipping idea how different the mind of a man is when it comes to sexual images and urges, they would be shocked, speechless. The very best thing I have ever read on the subject is something that I also required my teen daughters to read. The book made one daughter weep, because before that day she had no idea. Even I was stunned. I thought I knew. Parents, read it first, and then hand it to your teen daughters:

For Young Women Only: What You Need to Know About How Guys Think

It may seem weird that I'm recommending a book for girls when you asked me about boys. But I promise you, this book will give you so much insight into how your son's mind will work when he becomes a teen that you will be well-equipped to teach and understand him.

To specifics: My boys are raised to know that their bodies are made by God and are used to glorify him. Each son is told that his private parts are not play things, but that they have a very special and holy purpose for marriage. One day, if he marries, he will have the privilege of becoming completely and intimately united with his wife in a way that is unique among all other relationships, and which is reserved only for the two of them. This act of love is so sacred, so special, so transcendent, that it has the capacity to create new human beings who will live for all eternity. My boys understand that sexuality is a powerful gift that a man must learn to control, so as not to hurt any woman or child who might suffer for his selfish actions in this area.

We are not prudes here in my house, and we don't shy away from talking about sex (age-appropriate only, of course), but no one has yet had any trouble grasping the concept of chastity as virtue, the sacredness of marriage, and how important it is to live honorably in this regard.

Here's an exchange I have with all my sons (not limited to the sexual issues of course), starting at a young age:

I say: "Who is the strongest man in the whole world?"*

They answer: "The one with the most self-control!"

*I love that when they are little, they answer: "God!" or "Jesus!" Then I clarify for them that I am talking about merely human men.


I also remind my older boys that using pornography is not only a selfish act that is degrading to them and disrespectful to all women, but it is also highly addictive, and they will easily become a slave to it. Porn will render them weak and wimpy and pathetic -- not like real men at all. There is nothing honorable about it.

Also, they know that pornography and all other sexual sins are mortal sins. My boys have a healthy fear of offending the God Who loves them (and Whom they love). And while it's certainly not something we dwell on, they would prefer not to spend their eternities in the pit of hell, so they act accordingly. Go figure. ;)



* A review of how to prove or disprove an argument logically. (This is mostly because people on facebook and who comment drive me bonkers.)


I hear ya on the "driving me bonkers" thing.

I've never studied formal logic, so my approach is just what makes sense to me. When I encounter something nonsensical or evil that is being passed off as something reasonable or good, I start with a simple question (not a statement) that challenges a person to take his idea a little bit further. No more than a question or two at a time, or else the whole thing just becomes a non-productive multiplication of words.

If the person you are debating becomes emotional and insulting, you stay unemotional and kind. And ask the question again. And again (maybe with different words). Make the question concrete and logical, not nebulous or vague. Wait patiently for an answer, and if it comes, move on to the next logical question. Answer any honest question he has with clarity and truth, and if you don't know the answer, tell him you don't know, but you will find out and get back to him.

Side note: One sign that a person is not debating in good faith is when you get a question like, "How does it feel to know that you are entrusting your children to a band of pedophiles with funny hats?" (Though here's proof that on rare occasions even stuff like that can turn into good! She later apologized and was open to being corrected.) Another example of someone debating in bad faith is when a Protestant accuses Catholics of "worshipping Mary" and then won't accept Catholic teaching itself on the issue (i.e., that worshipping any creature, including Mary, is a mortal sin).

Back to the question at hand, I have to be honest and tell you that not everyone should be involved in these kind of deep exchanges with clever secularists and zealous Protestants. We all have different gifts, and not everyone is cut out for long, philosophical debates. Sometimes an ill-advised or badly executed debate can do more harm than good. A person who is not cut out for the "battle" may instead want to be a powerful, behind-the-scenes prayer warrior while others do the debating, and/or simply have links ready so that a challenger can go to other legitimate sources for answers.

However, if one has a fairly good working knowledge of the faith and of the issues, then the debating part can be a learned skill. I'm learning every day, with things becoming more clear and focused to me as time goes on. I know that you (the original questioner) are fully capable of dialoguing in truth and love, so maybe just get some of the basic arguments and questions down pat, on the most important topics, and don't forget to pray before you type! (Or direct the person to the Bubble and I'll take 'em on, ha ha!)

Also, while I genuinely care about the folks I debate and hope to plant seeds, I know that most are not likely to change their ideology. But there are many fence-sitters, as well as Catholics who need to find the courage of their convictions, following the facebook/Bubble conversations. My discussions are often for them more than for the person whom I'm debating.


* Your view on how to best address the cultures descent into chaos. Do you think we should start with whatever the current issue is (e.g., the current one- gay marriage) or just start with contraception (since it all flows from there) or abortion/euthanasia (since you are more likely to encounter people who think they are wrong)?


While six months ago I might have said that gay "marriage" is the most pressing issue of the day, and six months before that I would have said it's definitely the foundational issue of contraception, today it's suddenly, eerily, the very issue of religious liberty itself, and whether we will lose the legal right to speak and live our Faith freely. The battleground is changing faster than I can keep up with it!

So, I guess each encounter in the battle is going to depend on the person and the situation. For example, it can be difficult debating evangelical Protestants and getting them fully on board the Culture of Life, because while they are in love with Jesus and they defend traditional marriage and the rights of the unborn with us (praise God!), they've simultaneously adopted the Planned Parenthood mentality on contraception (as you've said, it all flows from there), and the anti-establishment mentality of bucking (Church) authority. So we Christians are not fighting the Culture of Death effectively, as one Body. That's a sad legacy of the Reformation.

And encounters with secularists have their own special challenges, as it's hard to debate and seek truth among those who see the cultural train wreck as "progress", and who don't believe that an objective moral truth exists in the first place.

Ultimately, it's hard to say precisely where to start on the outside. But we do know where to start on the inside.

While this sexual free-for-all, the destruction of the family, and the loss of a sense of sin and shame has brought us to our knees culturally, it's also brought us to a moment of great grace. It's clear at this low point (ever lowering) that prayer and fasting and a return to God really are the most important weapons in the battle. There is only one thing that has ever overcome the darkness and despair and ugliness of sin, and that is Love. Jesus Christ crushed and defeated evil and death not by overpowering it, but by undergoing it, with love. So, the first step is to remember who we are, where we came from and where we are going. I promise you that the world needs saints more than she needs good debaters. The saints will win the battle for hearts and souls every time, because they have a moral authority and a teaching voice that rises above all others.

Be a saint. Teach your children to be saints.

And please, never despair, no matter how far into the abyss we go, because we have this assurance from the One Who commanded the very universe into being and yet Who stoops to love each of us as tenderly as a Bridegroom loves his bride:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -- John 16:33

I know that I would really enjoy reading any of your thoughts on these topics.  I know I don't comment much, but I definitely keep up with the reading! 


Thanks!

I did ramble on, so thank you for sticking with me!



PS: Anytime you place an Amazon order through a link on this blog, or click the Amazon link at the bottom, 100% of my commission will be donated to the orphans.



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Quick Takes, wherein you will learn of my Achilles' Heel

Still Friday here! Just under the wire… whew!

1) Last night began the US Bishops' Fortnight for Freedom, as Catholics nationwide fight against Obama's HHS mandate:

The fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, are dedicated to this “fortnight for freedom”—a great hymn of prayer for our country. Our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome. Culminating on Independence Day, this special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty. Dioceses and parishes around the country have scheduled special events that support a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty.

Find out what your diocese or parish is doing and GO!

{From Sharon, in the comments: "Hot tip for anyone who is having trouble finding Fortnight for Freedom activities in your area: Text the word FREEDOM in all caps to 377377. You will get a response asking for your e-mail address and zip code and they will send you information on local activities that you can participate in."}

Last night, I attended my neighborhood parish's Fortnight for Freedom Holy Hour, and it was awesome. The crowd was so large that the priest had to move us from the chapel to the main church! They are having a Holy Hour every single night (with rosary, special prayers and a litany for liberty) until July 4. There might be something similar going on near you.

2) As we have just celebrated the Feast of the martyrs St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, consider watching the Academy Award winning movie about St. Thomas More, A Man for All Seasons. One of the best movies of all time, very deserving of its Best Picture Oscar.

I wonder what Roger Ebert thought of that movie, considering that he finds dying for one's faith unseemly -- and worthy of a bad movie review? (See #3 on my previous Quick Takes if you are confused by my Ebert reference.)


3) This is an amazing and bizarre story -- and utterly heartwarming! Pro-lifers and adoption advocates will find it especially moving:



4) Read at your own risk:

Those Who Practice Bestiality Say They're Part of the Next Sexual Rights Movement

Yeah, well, get in line behind the pedophiles.

5) The wonderful C.S. Lewis:

6) I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading all of your comments on the last Just Curious post! Thank you for sharing your own wonderful blog links; considering what they've said about social media, Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict would be proud of you! Also, I was so grateful for all of your kind words of support! Sometimes when I am in the thick of a long and difficult comment thread, I wonder if I am making sense, or if anyone is being edified. I now know that lot of you are out there finding it worthwhile, and I am thrilled to know it! Again, thank you!

I hope those of you who doubt your eloquence would throw out a comment once in a while anyway. You might be surprised at how well-spoken you really are, and ultimately we all need the practice defending our Faith as our nation becomes increasingly hostile to Catholics.

I am going to take off the option for anonymous commenting now, so if you want to keep commenting but don't know how to make a profile, get a tech savvy friend to do it for you. It will only take a minute or two, and then you can join in the fun.

7) Ah, yes, orphan time. I fancy myself a pretty strong woman, a tough cookie. And I think I am in a lot of ways. But there are some things that get me right in the gut. Five-year-old Andrew is my Achilles' Heel. I have advocated for him on my Orphan Report blog, and talked him up far and wide. I cannot rest until this boy has a family and is taken out of the horrible orphanage where he is not cared for or fed sufficiently, and where he is literally caged up all day… all for the crime of being blind! There are other pictures of Andrew still wearing the same jumper that he wore at age two. Not acceptable.

Below is a video of Andrew that will give you a glimpse of what he does all day, every day. A little boy who should be home, in a warm bed after a hot meal, with a loving mama to kiss and hug him. A little boy who should be running outside with the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. But instead, this is what little Andrew does all day long, day after day, year after year (please, you all watch it, because I physically can't):

Please, if there is anyone out there who wants to adopt Andrew, you will have a whole slew of people who love him and who are already fundraising for him. We will do everything in our power to help chip away at the costs! If anyone has advice on how to spread the word to new people (we have already had his info placed on some blind advocacy forums), let me know. Email me. I'm not kidding when I say that finding Andrew a family has become one of my most pressing thoughts. He needs to get the hell out of that crib.

Oh, and if you prefer some good news and a happy story with great surprises and beautiful pictures, then go here to my current Orphan Report. 

:) :)

Thanks to Jen for hosting Quick Takes!

Sorry, you're not allowed to do that.

This has been on my mind for a long time now.

I am going to be blunt.

You are not the arbiter of Christian doctrine.
You don't get to decide the tenets of Christianity.
You don't have permission to reverse or negate Christian teaching.

You don't have the authority to define Christianity.

Neither do I.

If you are a Catholic, you don't get to pick and choose which parts of the moral law and the Creed are valid. If you are a Protestant, you don't get to personally interpret the Bible and tell us what you are sure Christ meant. If you are a secularist, you don't get remake Jesus in your own image, i.e., a New Agey, non-threatening guru who fits neatly into your own worldview.

Trust me, it's nothing personal.

You just simply don't have that option.

You didn't establish Christianity, and you have no permission to reinvent it.

You see, Christianity is a revealed religion.
It was given. It is handed down.

It is not open to anyone's personal interpretation, whether one's name is Arius, Nestorius, Luther, Kennedy, Pelosi, Chittister, or Miller.

You can choose to accept the whole of Christianity and her teachings, or you are free to reject them. You are even free to start your own religion, teaching whatever you'd prefer.

But you do not have the right to speak in the name of Christ's Church and define authentic Christian belief for yourself or others.

You do not have that right, because you do not have that authority. 

Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle (St. John) and the entire Deposit of Faith has been handed down intact by the only men to whom Christ delegated His authority: The Apostles and their successors, also known as the pope and the body of bishops. This teaching authority, or Magisterium, is not you, and it's definitely not me.

The Magisterium, guided by the Holy Spirit, protects the Deposit of Faith from any deviation, addition, subtraction, reversal, contradiction, distortion, or destruction offered by those who wish Church teaching to be something it is not.

So, as earnest as you are, as sincere as you are, as studious as you are, as kind as you are, even as holy as you are, you are not allowed in any way to alter, bypass, morph, undermine, negate, or redefine Christian teaching on faith or morals and still insist that it's Christian.

You may receive the Faith, you may accept the Faith, and you may hand down the Faith pure and entire, but you may not be its arbiter.


Sorry, you're just plain not allowed to do that.



Related post: Authority

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For emphasis, and for the sheer joy and peace that faithful Catholics feel when the millennia melt away as we read the Early Fathers, I give you St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, extolling in 189 A.D. the selfsame faith we hold today. He writes of what Christians everywhere already knew… but which the heretics could not accept:

"It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors down to our own times, men who neither knew nor taught anything like what these heretics rave about" (Against Heresies 3:3:1 [A.D. 189]). 

"But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul—that church which has the tradition and the faith with which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world. And it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition" (ibid., 3:3:2). 

"Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time" (ibid., 3:3:4). 

"Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth, so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. . . . For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient churches with which the apostles held constant conversation, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question?" (ibid., 3:4:1). 

"[I]t is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church—those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the infallible charism of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also incumbent] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever, either as heretics of perverse minds, or as schismatics puffed up and self-pleasing, or again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and vainglory. For all these have fallen from the truth" (ibid., 4:26:2). 

"The true knowledge is the doctrine of the apostles, and the ancient organization of the Church throughout the whole world, and the manifestation of the body of Christ according to the succession of bishops, by which succession the bishops have handed down the Church which is found everywhere" (ibid., 4:33:8). 

For more Fathers on Church authority and apostolic succession, go here.

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Just Curious: Have a blog? Just lurking?

I'm just curious: Do you have a blog?

If so, what kind of blog is it? Do you blog regularly? What is the purpose of your blog (writing for fun; an online journal of life events; mommy blog; evangelization; etc.)?

If you don't have a blog, would you like one? Are you afraid to start one? If so, what is holding you back?

If you are a Bubble lurker who does not comment normally, I'd love to "meet" you! Please de-lurk and introduce yourself! Just for now, I have enabled anonymous comments, so please say "hello"!








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