In 2015 I wrote to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding Mary’s virginity, specifically the aspect about it remaining intact during Jesus’ birth.
Tag: Mary
May 08 2018
Anatomy of an Adventist troll, or troll feeding
Out there on the interweb, there are trolls. Many of them. Occasionally I like to feed them. I’d feed them pork, but they’re Adventist, so one of the few rules they have is to not eat pork. (They only have 10 rules, which are to keep the sabbath on Saturday and to not eat pork. Abortion and dishonesty are permitted)
Sep 22 2017
Adventist “Responsive Reading” is Catholic in origin
I found a “liturgical” aspect of Adventist services rather amusing – they don’t realise that it’s Catholic. I’ve pointed out quasi-liturgical rituals in Adventist services before, but people have denied them. This “Responsive Reading” seems fairly common, and it’s not just Adventists that use it. In Catholic churches it’s sometimes spoken and sometimes sung.
Nov 11 2016
Jesus’ brothers and sisters
To complete the collection of posts I have on the virginity of Mary, I’ll address the brothers of Jesus named in the Bible.
Jun 07 2016
Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant contained the glory of God. In the New Testament, the Ark of the New Covenant contained God himself in the flesh. Important parallels regarding the content of the Ark: Manna – Eucharist (Jesus’ body and blood) Rod of Aaron – Rod of Jesse (Jesus) 10 Commandments …
Jul 16 2015
Ellen White centenary prayers (novena) – Conclusion
Novena ConclusionToday, 16 July 2015, is the centenary of the death of Ellen White, Adventist prophetess. This Novena has asked her and all the angels and saints to pray with us for the return of the Adventist faith to the original teachings of Christianity.
Jul 16 2015
Ellen White centenary prayers (novena) – Day 9
Today, on the centenary of Ellen White’s death, we pray for Adventism, that its members may share the faith of the Saints of the Church, and share in their glory in heaven with Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, the Apostles, the Patriarchs, and all the Saints of God. We pray, on the eve of Ellen White’s birthday, that her teachings diminish and the teachings of Christ through his Church increase. We ask Ellen, along with all the angels and saints, to pray with us for this blessing.
Jul 08 2015
Ellen White centenary prayers (novena) – Introduction
In the Nine Days leading up to the 100th anniversary of the death of Adventist prophetess Ellen White (16 July 2015), we will say a novena – a prayer continued for nine days – for those who follow her teachings today.
Aug 30 2014
Shame on you – Adventists, dishonesty, and the Catholic Church
Adventists have a reputation for their dishonesty, and not just among Catholics. Out there in real life and on the internet there is a huge collection of anti-Catholic propaganda waiting for gullible Catholics, and others, to ensnare them. When a Catholic meets a certain type of Adventist, this sort of propaganda abounds.
Aug 30 2014
Dishonest Adventists
Here are some examples from recent Facebook conversations. Discussions are trimmed to include the relevant bits. Disgusting to read, and disgusting to have to deal with regularly. Not all the “Catholic” discussion is mine; where more than one person was involved in the discussion, they are numbered 1 and 2.
Jun 18 2014
Whose truth is the real truth, and how can we know?
When Christians study the Bible and reach different conclusions, how can they figure out which conclusion is the correct one? Is there a way to know that one is right, apart from the conviction that the Holy Spirit has led one in one’s study of the Bible? When someone has a different interpretation of the Bible to ours, how do we know the Holy Spirit has led us, and not them? How can we be sure that we are right? Or is there a possibility that we’re wrong?
Oct 26 2013
What Catholics Believe – Mary, the Virgin Mother of God
As the symbol of the Church, and as the first Christian, Mary is now what we will become. She birthed God into the world; we are called to bring God to others. She was sinless; we will be made spotless. She was taken body and soul into heaven; we will ultimately be resurrected and our bodies reunited with our souls in heaven.
Sep 08 2013
Cathoolic – Rosary and Apologetics – Young Evangelists
“Cathoolic – New Evangelization and Apologetics. Countering “sheep-stealing” from the Catholic Church” Cathoolic is run by Godwin Delali Adadzie from Ghana, and he also runs two other sites on Catholicism – About the Rosary and Are Catholics Christian? He’s got a short book on the Rosary – visit his Rosary site to get it for your Kindle / PC / other reader.
Sep 08 2013
The Catholic Apologist – Young Evangelists
Continuing my posts on young Catholic apologists/evangelists, this is part 2 of 3. A young guy called Joseph has a YouTube channel with (currently) 38 videos defending various Catholic teachings. “To all Catholics in good standing with the Church, I hope that you learn something from these videos that will help you in your life later on. To all non-Catholics and cafeteria Catholics, please be opened to the truth and let God show you the correct path.”
Aug 17 2013
Testimony – Adventist converts to Maronite Catholic
This is a series of e-mails I got from a lady who converted from Anglican to Adventist, spent 20 years as an Adventist, realised how wrong it was, went back to the Anglican church for a while, and then finally converted to the Catholic faith. … “I have only recently discovered your Catholic help webpage on the net and wish to thank you for your courage in sharing your faith, plus the extensive biblical/Early Church Fathers debunking of SDA teachings re Catholic Christianity, salvation, the role of Jesus Christ etc. that you have made available.”
Aug 09 2013
What Catholics Believe – Introduction
I have been planning to write a series of posts over the next year or so that will cover some of the major points on which Catholics get hassled by non-Catholics, and in particular by Adventists and other Sabbath-keeping groups. Finally I have managed to get round to it. My intention is to present or explain what the Catholic Church believes, what the biblical evidence is, and why the commonly heard objections are faulty. I will not be writing a complete thesis on each topic, but hope to present the basics of what we believe and why we believe it. I will also not be producing a complete encyclopedia of Catholic teaching, and I will not necessarily be writing on the various topics in any specific order.
Jul 21 2013
Waking Up Catholic – Book review
In his new book, Waking Up Catholic, Chad Torgerson describes his journey into the Catholic Church. He discusses how his faith in Christ developed over the years, from Lutheran, to agnostic/atheist, to born-again Protestant, and finally Catholic. Specifically, he brings in how his relationship with Christ was influenced by his study of Catholic teachings and practices, and shows how they can bring one closer to Christ. The book is easy to read, but gets to the point of complex issues remarkably well without becoming too complex on the one hand, or being too simple on the other.
Jan 01 2013
Debate with André Reis
These comments were originally posted in the comments section of Dr Francis Beckwith comes home. They have been moved here. This is an example of a futile debate with an Adventist who only wishes to preach at Catholics. This is one of the reasons Adventists have little credibility with other Christians.
Feb 22 2007
Catholics and the Bible
Sometimes Catholic English and Protestant English use different definitions for the same words. If people want to understand each other, that is am important factor to take into account. You can’t judge a statement unless you know what was intended by it.
Nov 26 2006
The end of the Novena
I should note that requesting the prayers of deceased non-Catholics is not the norm, and that non-Catholics are not canonised as saints in the Catholic Church. If Ellen White is in heaven, we do not know, but we can hope and pray that she is. If she is, she will be praying with us. If not, God hears our prayers – cf Romans 8:26. This is therefore a private devotion, not one officially sanctioned by the Church, which I have shared with you.
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