Manage Account

<div>How does one deal with religious debates without getting angry?</div><div><p>When you speak with people about God and his revelation, you are working for their salvation and happiness, and this means that you love them. So loving the ones we speak with is the best way not to give in to anger. Better to be angry at the devil, the deceiver, than at the poor souls who labor under various errors. You should see yourself as helping the Good Shepherd to bring back his lost sheep, not as an opponent or accuser.</p>
<p>Pray for the ones with whom you speak before, during, and after your talking. Ask the Lord to give them all he desires for them and to use you as his humble and peaceful instrument. Then you will be imitating Christ and the apostles, and then, if anger against evil is warranted, it will be appropriately expressed and won&#8217;t be a general attitude.</p>
</div>

Keeping Your Temper in Religious Debates

Get the JOE NOTES, sources for this episode, and more Shameless Popery on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/ShamelessPopery

Listen to Shameless Popery on Catholic.com:
https://www.catholic.com/audio/sp

These arguments against the priesthood fail. #denominationaldifferences

<div>Does Catholicism teach that all religions are true?</div><div><p>No, the Catholic Church does not teach that all religions are true, even if elements of truth can be found in non-Catholic religions. For a primer on the Church’s teaching in this regard, see CCC 846-48.</p>
</div>

Are All Religions True?

<p>In this engaging clip, Cy Kellett and Trent Horn dive into a thought-provoking discussion about why some individuals, like a viewer from Ohio, choose not to embrace Catholicism. Drawing from personal experiences in a Pentecostal background, they explore the impact of miraculous claims and the complexities of faith, challenging assumptions about doctrine and authenticity in religious practices.</p>
<p><strong>Transcript:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Caller:</strong> So I would say the reason I am not Catholic is because of the denomination I was born and raised in. I was born and raised in a Pentecostal denomination. You know, emphasis on spiritual church services, speaking in tongues, healings, things like that.</p>
<p>We have ministers all the time from foreign countries that told us miracle stories, converting people by the millions. There&#8217;s one story of a woman who had a kidney that miraculously grew back after this Pentecostal preacher laid hands on her. So I&#8217;d say it&#8217;s that environment that I&#8217;m not Catholic and also because, well, can these people be teaching false doctrine if all these miracles are happening? So that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m not Catholic.</p>
<p><strong>Trent:</strong> Sure. I think those are two good points. Number one, it seems to be you&#8217;re thinking, well, if these people are capable, let&#8217;s assume that at least some of the miracle claims they&#8217;re making are authentic. I mean, there have unfortunately been cases of preachers, including Pentecostal preachers, who claim to be faith healers. But it seems quite suspect what they&#8217;re exactly doing.</p>
<p>But let&#8217;s just. I think it&#8217;s. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s improbable that some non-Catholic Christians, whether they be ministers or lay people, are capable of performing miracles or having God work through them. I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s improbable. But I don&#8217;t think that it follows that because God works a miracle through them, that God validates their theology completely.</p>
<p>It reminds me in the Gospels when there were the apostles, those who were following Jesus, that there were other people who weren&#8217;t direct disciples, who were also casting out demons and doing things. And Jesus said, look, if they&#8217;re not against us, they&#8217;re with us. Though that wouldn&#8217;t mean they had the same apostolic authority as Peter, John, and the other apostles just because other Christians, God empowers them to do miracles.</p>
<p>Because would you agree that, I mean, there are, you know, you said you grew up in the Pentecostal tradition. Would you agree that it&#8217;s possible there are, let&#8217;s say, Calvinists who have done miracles? God has worked through them with charisms. But that wouldn&#8217;t mean you should become a Calvinist, right?</p>
<p><strong>Caller:</strong> Well, I guess that&#8217;s a fair point because I&#8217;ve heard of Mormon missionaries, to change the subject a little bit, who have prayed for miracles. Like I saw one video where they claim to stop a drought. And this one lady was cured of cancer after he was baptized in a Mormon baptism. So I guess that&#8217;s a fair point, right?</p>
<p><strong>Trent:</strong> And that&#8217;s actually a great example because Mormons are not Christians. So God, I mean, He could choose to work a miracle through anyone, even someone who&#8217;s non-Christian, who&#8217;s not a believer. I mean, you know, God spoke through Balaam&#8217;s donkey, for example, in order to move him.</p>
<p>So there could be non-Christians or non-Catholics God could work through to do a miracle, but that doesn&#8217;t mean automatically their theology is correct. God&#8217;s sovereign. He can choose to do miracles through whoever He wants. For me, I would rather look at trying to determine which theology to believe in. I try to say, look, which one coheres with Scripture and two, which one coheres with history?</p>
<p>Because the Bible, you know, we didn&#8217;t have the Bible in the first century. There wasn&#8217;t a canon, really. There wasn&#8217;t one that was universally recognized until the 4th century. I would say, well, what does early tradition, history, and Scripture tell us? And my full study has led me to the Catholic faith.</p>
<p>I&#8217;d also offer you one more thought, Cole, and that would be that some of the traditions in Pentecostalism, so, you know, charism, speaking in tongues, healings, those kinds of things, they&#8217;re not contradictory to the Catholic faith. Catholics would agree that God can give different charisms to people all the time.</p>
<p>In fact, there are a group of Catholics that have a special devotion to that. They&#8217;re called Charismatic Catholics or part of the Charismatic Catholic Renewal. And that&#8217;s something you could look into, that you can kind of see there how those elements of spirituality that you may find to be positive within Pentecostalism, the Catholic Church also fully supports as well, as long as it doesn&#8217;t contradict Catholic doctrine or Catholic dogma.</p>
<p><strong>Trent:</strong> So does that sound like something you might want to look into or&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>Caller: </strong>Worth the thought?</p>
<p><strong>Trent:</strong> Sure. Yeah. Well, why don&#8217;t you take a look at it? And again&#8230;</p>
<p>Oh, go ahead.</p>
<p><strong>Caller:</strong> Well, I just like to say, well, just these preachers have such&#8230; They seem to have such authority when they&#8217;re speaking, and that&#8217;s just hard to kind of argue against, you know.</p>
<p><strong>Trent:</strong> But remember, though, when you say authority, they may sound very confident, they may sound, you know, bombastic, they may sound very winsome. I&#8217;ll agree with you there. There are Protestant preachers that can preach up a storm, my friend, but we have to always be careful.</p>
<p>I remember, I believe it&#8217;s in the letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says there will come a time where people will not stand for true doctrine and hoping that their ears will be tickled or pleased, they will go after false teachers. So just because someone&#8217;s really impressive to listen to, sometimes that&#8217;s a warning sign they can be leading people astray.</p>
<p>So when we say speak with authority, we should not mean that they&#8217;re very confident. We should ask what is their authority? Who gave them the right to speak on behalf of Christ? If it&#8217;s just, well, I read the Bible, how do you know your interpretation is right? First Peter 1:20 says, no prophecy of Scripture comes about by one&#8217;s own interpretation.</p>
<p>So I would say the real authority lies in those people who are the successors of the apostles. And we find that apostolic succession fully in the Catholic Church. So something to think about and do. Call back at another time or maybe in an open forum if you want to get more answers.</p>
<p><strong>Cy: </strong>Cole, thank you very, very much for that call. Our topic this hour, why aren&#8217;t you a Catholic? Why are you not a Catholic?</p>

Pentecostal Miracles are Why I’m Not Catholic…

<div>Can you help clear up the misunderstanding about St Junipero Serra? Many say he mistreated the Native Americans, but he must not have been bad if he was declared a saint.</div><div><p>After an extensive investigation over many years, Pope Francis was pleased to culminate the Catholic Church’s examination <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150923_usa-omelia-washington-dc.html">by canonizing Junipero Serra</a>.</p>
<p>In summary, St. Junipero gave his life for the temporal and eternal well-being of the people he served in Mexico and modern California, and that is why he was much beloved by the Indian and Hispanic populations he served.</p>
<p>For more on St. Junipero in historical context, please see <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2018/01/padre-mestizo#login">this article</a>, <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimgraves/st.-junipero-serra-is-a-great-american-hero">this article</a> and <a href="https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/junipero-serra">this article</a></p>
</div>

Setting the Record Straight on St. Junipero Serra

To support this channel: https://www.patreon.com/counseloftrent

[NEW] Counsel of Trent merch: https://shop.catholic.com/apologists-alley/trent-horn-resources/

Be sure to keep up with our socials!
https://www.tiktok.com/@counseloftrent
https://www.twitter.com/counseloftrent
https://www.instagram.com/counseloftrentpodcast

Why Christians Must Convert "Savages"...

Why Dilexi Te is an Awesome Document

<div id="cs_control_3683" class="cs_control CS_Element_Textblock">
<div class="CS_Textblock_Text">
<h3>Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 49</h3>
</div>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="cs_control_3684" class="cs_control CS_Element_Textblock">
<div class="CS_Textblock_Text">
<div class="bibleReadingsWrapper">
<h4>Reading 1    <a href="http://cms.usccb.org/bible/acts/2:14">ACTS 2:14A, 36-41</a></h4>
<div class="poetry">
<p>Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,<br/>
raised his voice, and proclaimed:<br/>
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain<br/>
that God has made both Lord and Christ,<br/>
this Jesus whom you crucified.”</p>
<p>Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,<br/>
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,<br/>
“What are we to do, my brothers?”<br/>
Peter said to them,<br/>
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,<br/>
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;<br/>
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.<br/>
For the promise is made to you and to your children<br/>
and to all those far off,<br/>
whomever the Lord our God will call.”<br/>
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,<br/>
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”<br/>
Those who accepted his message were baptized,<br/>
and about three thousand persons were added that day.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="cs_control_228452" class="cs_control CS_Element_Textblock">
<div class="CS_Textblock_Text">
<div class="bibleReadingsWrapper">
<h4>Responsorial Psalm    <a href="http://cms.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23:1">23: 1-3A, 3B4, 5, 6</a></h4>
<div class="poetry">
<p>R. (1) <strong>The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.</strong><br/>
or:<br/>
R. <strong>Alleluia.</strong><br/>
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.<br/>
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;<br/>
beside restful waters he leads me;<br/>
he refreshes my soul.<br/>
R. <strong>The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.</strong><br/>
or:<br/>
R. <strong>Alleluia.</strong><br/>
He guides me in right paths<br/>
for his name’s sake.<br/>
Even though I walk in the dark valley<br/>
I fear no evil; for you are at my side.<br/>
With your rod and your staff<br/>
that give me courage.<br/>
R. <strong>The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.</strong><br/>
or:<br/>
R. <strong>Alleluia.</strong><br/>
You spread the table before me<br/>
in the sight of my foes;<br/>
you anoint my head with oil;<br/>
my cup overflows.<br/>
R. <strong>The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.</strong><br/>
or:<br/>
R. <strong>Alleluia.</strong><br/>
Only goodness and kindness follow me<br/>
all the days of my life;<br/>
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD<br/>
for years to come.<br/>
R. <strong>The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.</strong><br/>
or:<br/>
R. <strong>Alleluia.</strong></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="cs_control_228454" class="cs_control CS_Element_Textblock">
<div class="CS_Textblock_Text">
<div class="bibleReadingsWrapper">
<h4>Reading 2    <a href="http://cms.usccb.org/bible/1peter/2:20">1 PT 2:20B-25</a></h4>
<div class="poetry">
<p>Beloved:<br/>
If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good,<br/>
this is a grace before God.<br/>
For to this you have been called,<br/>
because Christ also suffered for you,<br/>
leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.<br/>
<em>He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.</em></p>
<p>When he was insulted, he returned no insult;<br/>
when he suffered, he did not threaten;<br/>
instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.<br/>
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,<br/>
so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.<br/>
By his wounds you have been healed.<br/>
For you had gone astray like sheep,<br/>
but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="bibleReadingsWrapper">
<h4>Alleluia    <a href="http://cms.usccb.org/bible/john/10:14">JN 10:14</a></h4>
<div class="poetry">
<p>R. <strong>Alleluia, alleluia.</strong><br/>
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;<br/>
I know my sheep, and mine know me.<br/>
R. <strong>Alleluia, alleluia.</strong></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="cs_control_228453" class="cs_control CS_Element_Textblock">
<div class="CS_Textblock_Text">
<div class="bibleReadingsWrapper">
<h4>Gospel    <a href="http://cms.usccb.org/bible/john/10:1">JN 10:1-10</a></h4>
<div class="poetry">
<p>Jesus said:<br/>
“Amen, amen, I say to you,<br/>
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate<br/>
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.<br/>
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.<br/>
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,<br/>
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.<br/>
When he has driven out all his own,<br/>
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,<br/>
because they recognize his voice.<br/>
But they will not follow a stranger;<br/>
they will run away from him,<br/>
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”<br/>
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,<br/>
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.</p>
<p>So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,<br/>
I am the gate for the sheep.<br/>
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,<br/>
but the sheep did not listen to them.<br/>
I am the gate.<br/>
Whoever enters through me will be saved,<br/>
and will come in and go out and find pasture.<br/>
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;<br/>
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
<p>Source: <a href="http://cms.usccb.org/bible/readings">cms.usccb.org</a></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Sunday Holy Mass, May 3, 2020

The Church recently rolled out the final document on the Synod on Synodality and I cannot intellectually accept it. Am I essentially no longer Catholic?

Why is marriage between a man and a woman?

At what point did Jesus declare that all animals are clean to eat?

What is the Catholic stance on eugenics?

My supervisor said he would refuse to submit to his supervisor because she is a woman. He used scripture to justify this. How do we approach this as Catholics?

Regarding the year of Jubilee, when you visit 7 churches, do you receive 1 indulgence or an indulgence for every church you visit?

<div class="jsx-baf003ec846595e7 body-half">
<div class="jsx-baf003ec846595e7 body-half">
<p>A caller shares that his coworker refuses to take direction from a female supervisor, citing Scripture as justification. In this episode, Catholic apologists respond with clarity on what the Church teaches about gender roles, authority, and human dignity. Discover how Catholic teaching affirms the equal dignity of men and women while refuting misuse of Scripture to justify sexism.</p>
<p>Join The <i>CA Live Club</i> Newsletter: <a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email">Click Here</a></p>
<p>Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit <a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</a></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="jsx-baf003ec846595e7 body-half">
<div class="jsx-baf003ec846595e7 body-half">
</div></div>

Does Scripture Support Male-Only Authority? A Catholic Response

<p>Many single Catholic women hope not to be single forever, but struggle to find a good husband. Until recently, I was one of them.</p>
<p><strong>I got married at the beginning of 2024, and around the same time,</strong> I published a book called <a href="http://prettygoodcatholic.com"><em>Pretty Good Catholic</em></a> about dating and finding a spouse as a Catholic. Based on my research for the book and my own experience, here are some tips for meeting more Catholic men, getting more dates, and ultimately finding a husband.</p>
<p>First, <strong>expand your social circle</strong>. If you haven’t married anyone you already know, you probably need to meet new men to have a chance at marriage. But it’s easy to get into a routine that doesn’t provide opportunities to meet many new people.</p>
<p>These days, most young Catholics turn to online dating to meet new eligible singles. This is a great tool if it’s used rightly. Catholic psychologist Greg Bottaro <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Bx4C9yXc0">says</a> that “online dating” is a misnomer; instead, we should use dating apps for “online meeting.” Bring the relationship into the real, physical world as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>From talking with friends who have tried online dating, I find that women often struggle to feel interested in a picture and profile on a screen, whereas in real life, a “spark” might happen with the same guy. Keep that in mind as you use “online meeting”; give men a chance for a little longer, even if you don’t feel that initial spark.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, <strong>meeting in real life is still possible</strong>, too. Try “church-hopping” a bit to find parishes near you that have thriving young adult groups or other social activities you can be involved in outside of Mass. And go national, or even international: attend Catholic or Christian conferences, join pilgrimages, and go on mission trips.</p>
<p>Also, remember that Catholics don’t just go to Catholic-labeled events! Rekindle interests—or find new ones—that include a social element. Recreational sports are great for this, as is any form of partner dancing: swing, ballroom, salsa, etc. (I find that a disproportionate number of Catholics attend public dances!)</p>
<p>Of course, <strong>it’s not just where you go</strong><strong>; it’s how you go</strong>. You’ll need to go in with a mindset that makes you open to meeting new people and being approached by men. Challenge yourself to meet at least one new single guy at every social event. (I’m going easy on you here: Henry Cloud, author of <em>How to Get a Date Worth Keeping</em>, challenges his readers to meet <em>five</em> new single people of the opposite sex per week.)</p>
<p>Go with a “wing woman” who will hold you accountable for your “eligible man” quota. Then separate from her for portions of the event so you’re approachable. Men often complain that the women they are interested in are always with their friends, so they can’t find a moment to ask them out. Put your phone away, look around the room, smile, and make eye contact. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to prompt a man to start a conversation with you. If he doesn’t, you can always say hello and start some casual small talk yourself.</p>
<p>Also, let’s face it: men’s attention is usually caught by the outside, before they get to know the inside. Your appearance will matter. Catholic men usually say they like a woman who looks “feminine”—in other words, like a woman. There are lots of ways to look like a woman, but consider what uniquely “feminine” touches you can incorporate into your appearance while still looking and feeling like yourself: more dresses, a new hairstyle, maybe a little bit of makeup? Regardless, figure out what colors and silhouettes enhance your natural beauty the most. Of course, taking good care of your health and hygiene goes a long way, too.</p>
<p>Once you’ve met a new man, you’ll need to <strong>send strong signals</strong> that you’re open to being asked out. Many men have told me they struggle to know whether a woman is interested in them, and that they need some encouragement before they make a move.</p>
<p>So learn the art of appropriate flirtation! If you’re interested in a guy, you may find you want to smile and laugh more than usual or even lean a little closer to him when he&#8217;s talking. Do it! If you tend to become shy or freeze up when you&#8217;re interested in someone, you may need to make concrete efforts not to self-sabotage: make eye contact more often and for longer than you usually do, and keep your whole body, including your feet, turned toward him during your conversation.</p>
<p>If your interest persists, but he doesn&#8217;t make it clear he reciprocates, you can proceed to stronger hints. When you have the chance to work it into conversation, hint that you would love to plan an activity together: “I haven’t been kayaking this summer yet, but I’d <em>love</em> to! Where do you usually go?” Hopefully, he’ll pick up this “dropped hanky” and ask you out.</p>
<p>Once you do get a date, or even before that, it can be tempting to switch to analysis mode right away: “Is he my type? Is he ‘husband material’?” Yes, you will need to do considerable reflecting and discerning as the relationship progresses, but there’s no need to do it all at once. <strong>Pace yourself.</strong></p>
<p><strong>I’ll share some advice I heard from several matchmakers, date coaches, and even a priest</strong> as I was researching for my book: get to know him on a “one date at a time” basis for up to three months before using the “boyfriend” label. During this time, slow-roll both physical affection and emotional intimacy. Think of this initial stage of dating as a time to build a <em>friendship as a foundation for discerning marriage</em> more concretely later.</p>
<p>During this stage, it is perfectly okay to go on dates with more than one person, if you have the opportunity and want to. In fact, I recommend doing so; it can help you avoid getting over-committed to anyone too quickly, and it just seems wise to get to know each potential match at least a little before deciding to commit or reject. Just be honest with each man, after the first or second date, that you’re not ready to be exclusive yet. The script I used that worked well was, “I’m getting to know a few people right now, and I won’t be ready for an exclusive relationship for a couple more months, but if you’re comfortable with that, I’d love to go out again.”</p>
<p>As you get to know him, allow the more serious marriage-discernment topics to come up organically, or ask questions a little at a time, without turning your dates into job interviews. Does he have a strong faith that’s compatible with yours? Is marriage an important goal for him in the foreseeable future? Does he want children? Do you align on your beliefs and desires regarding the roles of husband and wife? Do you communicate well with each other and even disagree well, with honesty and charity? These are just some of the important questions you’ll need to ponder as you gradually assess whether he’s a good husband for you, and you a good wife for him.</p>
<p>Most importantly, <strong>pray for guidance</strong>, and <strong>observe the fruits of the relationship</strong>. If your relationship isn’t making you holier and happier now, marrying him probably won’t, either. If it is making you holier and happier, that’s a good sign that you should keep moving forward.</p>