Clarifying Catholicism

"Jesus was seen and heard by multiple people at different times, as well as at the same time. Jesus was the victim of violence. His presence instilled fear and doubt in some participants. He spoke fairly briefly and offered comfort before disappearing. He gave guidance, made requests, and issued commands. He seemed quite real and solid. He appeared and disappeared in unusual ways, such as walking through doors. His presence was not perceived as unusual at the beginning of His apparition, such as during the Emmaus walk. His appearance was so convincing that it resulted in the percipient's change of conviction. And He was seen less as time passed. These are all things that have been reported by people in the aforementioned studies. There is nothing unusual about them when compared to other appearances of deceased ones."

"Allison argues, as do most historical Jesus scholars, that even Jesus misunderstood His Father's plan for Him. This would make sense given His statement in Mark that not even the Son will know when the resurrection will happen."

"Pope Gregory the Great, a highly intelligent man, once heard a story that a dead Roman craftsman, who was buried in a church, began shouting “I burn! I burn!” The next day his clothes were found but no body was there. Pope Gregory believed that this man had gone to Hell. This shows that mystical missing bodies are not just a phenomenon confined to ancient myths and legends; rather, there are examples of communities reporting missing bodies soon after their deaths without any logical explanation. This proves that it may be possible for a community to invent a dramatic legend without anything actually having happened." Dr. Allison's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-Apologetics-Polemics-History-ebook/dp/B08WK5H6T6?ref_=ast_author_mpb

"Most scholars agree that Jesus was tortured and killed in perhaps the most humiliating fashion of the age. If Christians didn't bother covering that up, why would they obsess over how He was buried? It would make no sense to let the embarrassment of the crucifixion stand but take issue with how He was buried. I've mentioned in previous episodes how many of the stories the Gospel writers use to fill in narrative gaps are repackaged Old Testament stories. Had Jesus's burial been a sheer invention, Dr. Allison believes that they would have drawn parallel after parallel with other Old Testament burial stories, such as Jacob's, especially considering how the men who buried both Jesus and Jacob were named Joseph." Dr. Allison's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-Apologetics-Polemics-History-ebook/dp/B08WK5H6T6?ref_=ast_author_mpb

"The evidence is abundant. The fish-catching story in Luke 5 actually belongs after Mary Magdalene sees the empty tomb, and this is significant. As I'm about to explain, it means that I lied in last episode. We actually DO know when the first appearance to Peter was that Paul mentions. It was during this story! And there's a very simple explanation for why." Dr. Allison's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-Apologetics-Polemics-History-ebook/dp/B08WK5H6T6?ref_=ast_author_mpb

"As we covered in our segment on memory research, this does NOT imply Mary didn't see an empty tomb. On the contrary, given how little the two accounts share, it is more plausible that Mary saw an empty tomb, told this experience to several people, and we ended up with two very separate accounts about the same event." Dr. Allison's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-Apologetics-Polemics-History-ebook/dp/B08WK5H6T6?ref_=ast_author_mpb

"If I said, “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He wanted to find India but instead arrived in North America,” you could probably tell that the first half of the sentence came from a different source. And you'd be right. “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue” is a pre-existing nursery rhyme that helped schoolkids memorize this fact. Likewise, there are certain phrases in the New Testament that were meant to help Christians memorize beliefs about Jesus. These statements are called “creeds,” and there are a few of them that are easy to identify. And just as I didn't invent the Columbus nursery rhyme, it can be said with very high confidence that St. Paul and the other New Testament writers did not invent these creeds."

"Every memory a person forms undergoes distortions, and the more time that passes, the more distortions occur. And remember, Jesus died roughly around 33 AD. St. Paul's letters, the earliest written accounts of Jesus, did not appear until around 51 AD. That's 18 years of distortion, and though the Catholic Church teaches that God inspires scripture, we also teach that He works within the laws of nature. And the laws of nature dictate that memory distorts over time. So God, working through the laws of nature, allows for distortion to occur. And the Church believes that these distortions are deliberate; the Holy Spirit guides the Gospel writers not as strict historians but as theologians who want to inform us about God's nature and laws." Dr. Allison's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-Apologetics-Polemics-History-ebook/dp/B08WK5H6T6?ref_=ast_author_mpb

"Popes discouraged Catholics from getting involved with historical Jesus studies. In fact, there were dozens of decrees throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries forbidding Catholics from studying the Bible outside of Church-sanctioned activities. As harsh as this sounds, I don't blame the popes. By this point, from a Catholic perspective, scholars had shred Jesus apart. They severed His teachings from His Church's. They divided Him and His teachings into historical and mythical categories. They severed Jesus from His Jewish roots, though one could argue that Catholics did that too. Point being, the mission to either disprove or vindicate Christianity through scientific and historical tools only seemed to threaten the Church's intimate relationship with the Word of God." Dr. Allison's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Jesus-Apologetics-Polemics-History-ebook/dp/B08WK5H6T6?ref_=ast_author_mpb

Some of you may recall from my Ecumenical Councils series that the Church spent hundreds of years discussing, deliberating, and murdering each other over the identity of Christ. There's a big difference between Jesus being some wise guy and Him being the incarnate Son of God. Even within His divinity, if you believe in that, there are huge differences between a hippy messiah and a political-revolutionary one. This is why historical Jesus studies are important. To know Jesus means to know His character, as well as the time period He lived in.

"But do these treatments work? Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh write 'Adolescents with gender identity disorder have poor anxiety tolerance. Seeking sex reassignment surgery is a defensive solution and a mechanism for control of anxiety. The thought of not having a solution for their distress increases their anxiety, thus making it very difficult to achieve a therapeutic alliance.' Basically, this means, according to their analysis, that giving adolescents a sex change doesn't actually treat their underlying anxieties or depression, rather it sweeps their emotional distress under the rug by providing a temporary bandage that makes them FEEL like they are in control." Studies Mentioned: Alexander Danvers, “Serotonin Imbalance Found Not to Be Linked to Depression,” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202207/serotonin-imbalance-found-not-be-linked-depression#:~:text=New%20research%2C%20reviewing%20huge%20bodies,SSRIs%2C%20remain%20an%20effective%20treatment. Darlynne Gehring and Gail Knudson, “Prevalence of Childhood Trauma in a Clinical Population of Transsexual People,” https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-05206-002 Kenneth Zucker and Susan Bradley, “Gender Identity Disorder and Psychological Problems in Children and Adolescents,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697020/#:~:text=Gender%20identity%20disorders%20(GID)%20can,clinical%20course%20is%20highly%20variable. Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender Paul McHugh, “Transgenderism: A Pathogenic Meme,” https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/06/15145/ Giulia Giacomelli, “Bone Health in Transgenderism: A Review,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9150228/ Janella Hudson, Leena Nahata, Elizabeth Dietz, and Gwendolyn P. Quinn, “Fertility Counseling for Transgender AYAs” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5979264/#:~:text=Cross%2Dsex%20hormones%20have%20many,which%20can%20lead%20to%20azoospermia. Jennifer Block, “Gender dysphoria in young people is rising—and so is professional disagreement,” https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p382

"Today's media makes pornography one of the most difficult addictions to break. Even scrolling through social media surrounds us viewers in temptation. There is nothing liberating about being trapped by our base sexual desires. If anything, containing sex to marriage actually liberates us, as it helps us appreciate the more fulfilling aspects of sex and helps us love our partners more."

"There's something beautiful, almost magical about the realization that what you are doing is participating in a procreative action. That is something that same sex intercourse cannot do. The point of this episode isn't to say that people with same-sex attraction should be demonized, hated, or unjustly treated. Rather, the point is that awareness needs to be raised of the health risks, both psychologically and biologically, that are associated with homosexual and bisexual lifestyles. There are people who are born with same-sex attraction and can live holy and healthy lives. If we love them, then we ought to help them, not by forcing them to do anything, but by providing resources and information that they could willingly choose to accept or reject." Studies Mentioned: Sara Reardon, “Massive Study Finds No Single Genetic Cause of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior,” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-study-finds-no-single-genetic-cause-of-same-sex-sexual-behavior/ Andrea L. Roberts, M. Maria Glymour, and Karestan Koenen, “Does Maltreatment in Childhood Affect Sexual Orientation in Adulthood?” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3535560/ Richard Fitzgibbons, Phillip Sutton, Dale O'Leary, “The Psycopathology of ‘Sex Reassignment Surgery: Assessing its Medical, Psychological, and Ethical Appropriateness,” http://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/dam/laityfamilylife/Documenti/donna/culturasocieta/english/psychopathology-of-sex-reassignment-surgery.pdf Ron de Graaf, Theo Sandfort, Magreet ten Have, “Suicidality and Sexual Orientation: Differences between Mena and Women in a General Population Based Sample from the Netherlands,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16799841/ Kevin Heslin, Johanna Alfier, “Sexual Orientation Differences in Access to Care and Health Status, Behaviors, and Beliefs: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Survey of Family Growth, and National Health Interview Survey,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr171.pdf Stephen Russell, Jessica Fish, “Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4887282/ Kevin Heslin, Johanna Alfier, “Sexual Orientation Differences in Access to Care and Health Status, Behaviors, and Beliefs: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Survey of Family Growth, and National Health Interview Survey,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr171.pdf Jeffrey Parsons, T. Starks, K. Gamaarel, C. Grov, “Non-monogamy and Sexual Relationship Quality among Same-Sex Male Couples,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22906124/ Center for Disease Control, “Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” https://www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/STD.htm#:~:text=the%20United%20States.-,Gay%2C%20bisexual%2C%20and%20other%20men%20who%20have%20sex%20with%20men,who%20have%20sex%20with%20men.

"More sexual partners seems to correlate with higher divorce ratings. In 2000, the Center for Disease Control began tracking women who had reported different numbers of extramarital partners. Within five years, only 5% of women with 0 sexual partners before marriage had divorced. Women who had reported just one single sexual partner before marriage jumped up to a 22% divorce rate. That's a 17% increase due to just one partner. The average for 2-9 partners was 30%, and above 10 partners was 35%." Studies Mentioned: Mary Eberstadt, “Adam and Eve After the Pill,” https://www.amazon.com/Adam-Eve-After-Pill-Revolution/dp/1586178229 Nicholas H. Wolfinger, “Counterintuitive Trends in the Link between Premarital Sex and Marital Stability,” https://ifstudies.org/blog/counterintuitive-trends-in-the-link-between-premarital-sex-and-marital-stability “Sexually Transmitted Diseases — Reported Cases and Rates of Reported Cases*, United States, 1941–2021,” https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2021/tables/1.htm “Reported STDs in the United States,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/fact-sheets/std/std-us-2021.html Scott Stanley and Galena Rhoades, “Premarital Cohabitation is Still Associated with Greater Odds of Divorce,” https://ifstudies.org/blog/premarital-cohabitation-is-still-associated-with-greater-odds-of-divorce Michael J. Rosenfeld and Katharina Roesler, “Cohabitation Experience and Cohabitation's Association with Marital Dissolution,” https://web.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe/Rosenfeld_and_Roesler_Cohabitation_Experience_NSFG.pdf Colleen N. Nugent and Jill Daughtery, “A Demographic, Attitudinal, and Behavioral Profile of Cohabitating Adults in the United States,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29874161/ Meg Jay, “Downside of Cohabitating before Marriage” https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-downside-of-cohabiting-before-marriage.html

"The problem with introducing sex into stages one or two is that we still view others as tools for pleasure. The purpose of Christian marriage is to provide a guide and framework for sex to occur appropriately. Marriage, in the Church's eyes, ensures that sex is a mutual expression of self-sacrifice that culminates in the creation of children. Throughout this series, we will explore how the Christian paradigm of marriage really does lead to the healthiest and most fulfilling expressions of sexuality." Studies Cited: “United States Population and Number of Crimes 1960-2019,” https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm Lizzie Crocker, “There's Been a Huge Increase in Campus Sex Assaults. Why?” https://www.thedailybeast.com/theres-been-a-huge-increase-in-campus-sex-assaults-why National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “Statistics about Sexual Violence,” https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics/statistics-depth#:~:text=Both%20female%20and%20male%20youth,rape%20prior%20to%20age%2018 Lauren R. Taylor, “Has Rape Reporting Increased Over Time?” https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/has-rape-reporting-increased-over-time Ana Swanson, “144 Years of Marriage and Divorce in the United States, in One Chart,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/23/144-years-of-marriage-and-divorce-in-the-united-states-in-one-chart/ Zach Schonfeld, “Wives are Cheating 40% More Than They Used to, but Still 70% as Much as Men,” https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/wives-cheating-vs-men/313704/ Rebecca Lake, “Infidelity Statistics: 23 Eye-Opening Truths,” https://www.creditdonkey.com/infidelity-statistics.html David Atkins and Elizabeth Allen, “The Association of Divorce and Extramarital Sex in a Representative U.S. Sample,” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X12439692

"In having relations with someone of the opposite sex, you are 1) admitting you desire them, 2) admitting they can fulfill you in a way you cannot fulfill yourself, 3) renouncing the possibility of having sex with anyone else and giving yourself to them and your children, and 4) imitating God's creativity by participating in the creation of new life. Thus, a good marriage engages all four levels that Spitzer describes." Studies Cited: David Briggs, “5 Ways Faith Contributes to Strong Marriages, New Studies Suggest,” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-ways-faith-contributes_b_6294716

"I believe that Zubiri's work has aptly demonstrated that Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics are no longer a sustainable backbone for theology to rest upon. Essentially, it's time for the Church to move on from a sola-Thomistic approach. Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics make too many assumptions about how the world functions; they fail to account for a dynamic universe and their overemphasis on the soul threatens to upend the body-soul unity that Christians profess exists. Just as Platonism needed to be replaced by Aristotelianism at the beginning of the second millennium, I believe that Aristotelian-Thomism is no longer sufficient to account for what science tells us about biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. We need to shift to a new paradigm or else the divide between philosophy and the hard sciences will continue to bleed into a divide between theology and the hard sciences."

"Thus, knowledge depends on reason, which depends on being, which depends on truth, which depends on judgment, which depends on logos, which depends on reality, which depends on real content. Basically, a thing's explanation depends on the real content of said thing. But, since we can never exhaust the totality of said thing, our search for a comprehensive explanation of reality, much less any one real thing, is endless. Basically, the real world is so rich that it not only inspires us to pursue comprehensive knowledge, but it is so rich that we will never reach that which we seek. Thus, knowledge is an infinitely expanding horizon that rests upon the real, but given the fundamental richness of the real, will never be exhausted."

"Now, reason has three moments. First is inquiry or searching. This means that reason has an inquisitive character. The second is in-depth intellection, which means its search is for a more thorough understanding of reality. The third is called intellective measuring. This means that reason not only sets up its own searches or problems, but it determines the conditions by which that search will be resolved. If reason compels me to figure out how many jelly beans are in a jar, it also dictates the conditions by which I'll figure that out, which is counting the jelly beans. The most deep seeded of these measures by which we reason are called principles."

"Simply put, according to Zubiri, a thing's being is basically is how it relates to other things that are in the network of reality. And a thing's being is defined by the sense of towards that reality impresses upon the intellect via the thing's interaction with other things. I know this cup's being because I've apprehended the cup interacting with other things, which situates the cup in the network of reality. The cup's place in reality, its relation to other things, like liquid and tables, in turn, tell me what it is. Basically, we define things based on how they interact with other things. Being is relational and depends on things like utility and culture. Thus, according to Zubiri, being, like truth and reality, is dynamic, whereas for classical philosophy, being is static, fixed, rigid, and universal, and for modern philosophy being is in our mind alone and it shapes reality over time. Specifically, for Freidrich Hegel, being determines reality, whereas for Zubiri, reality determines being."

"Truth is intellective actualization, just as sweat is epidermal actualization or sight is the actualization of your eye. It is, indeed, a physical moment. It means when the intellect is at work, it produces truth, just as when your eyes are at work, they produce sight. The production of truth can vary between people. I can have my truth and you can have yours, just as you see and smell certain things and I see and smell other things. If I grow up in the Saharan desert and you grow up in the Arctic tundra, the way our bodies respond to temperature will be a bit different. Likewise, if I grow up in a heliocentric society and you grow up in a geocentric one, we will likely intelligize or truthify differently. However, just as a five hundred degree flame will burn any human's skin, regardless of their background, an excellent argument will singe itself into our intellects, thus producing alignment of truths between people. And this alignment of truths is NOT dependent on whoever more powerfully wills truth. Truth cannot be willed. Truth is our intellective participation in the process of forming reality, which is totally reliant on the content we are provided with. Hit any person with a brick in the face, and that real apprehension will undoubtedly arouse the same intellective response, the same truth, of “ouch! That hurts!” Thus, truth, like reality, is dynamic but at the mercy of the real."

"Truth is the moment that reality is brought to our intellect's presence. Basically, while reality is constantly forming around me, regardless of my intellect's participation, truth strictly concerns my intellect's participation in the formation of reality. Essentially, in that moment reality and intellection coincide, truth is produced."

"At this moment I'd like to reinforce a key theme in Zubiri's philosophy that this series has led up to. Reality, intellection, and logos are dynamic. They are dynamic because their operations are shaped by other things over time. If a species, over millions of years, loses its ability to see the color blue, then the color blue will cease to exist, since reality depends on how we formalize content. But this does not mean that reality, intellection, and logos are subjective. I can't just decide that chopping off my arm with a machete isn't gonna hurt. Our senses, and therefore the way we formalize content, are at the mercy of real content. Thus, and this is a key thing, reality is dynamic but not subjective."

"At this moment I'd like to reinforce a key theme in Zubiri's philosophy that this series has led up to. Reality, intellection, and logos are dynamic. They are dynamic because their operations are shaped by other things over time. If a species, over millions of years, loses its ability to see the color blue, then the color blue will cease to exist, since reality depends on how we formalize content. But this does not mean that reality, intellection, and logos are subjective. I can't just decide that chopping off my arm with a machete isn't gonna hurt. Our senses, and therefore the way we formalize content, are at the mercy of real content. Thus, and this is a key thing, reality is dynamic but not subjective."

"Reality is not something we reach for or grasp for. It is something we are born into. From our earliest pre-intellective moments, our sense organs are being shaped, molded, into how they will later intelligize, as Zubiri will later say truthify, the world. And along the way to mature intellection, we are constantly, both subconsciously and consciously formalizing content, simply because reality isn't out there; it's all around us."

"Again, primordial apprehension is the most basic apprehension humans experience. It is just raw stimulation. We experience this as babies before we can even form concepts about the world. And this is what makes Zubiri's philosophy radically realist, for before we even attempt to rationalize the world by forming concepts about it, the way our minds are shaped are totally dependent upon things like the diets of our pregnant mothers, the environments we are born into, and how our parents/teachers educate us in our earliest days. Of course, all species participate in primordial apprehension. What makes humans unique, though, is our ability to connect these raw stimulations into a network of interrelated stimuli, which we will talk about next episode."

"For the Ancients and Scholastics, the senses are inferior to the intellect, which is located in the soul. For the Rationalists, the senses are also inferior to the intellect, which is, this time, located in the mind. For Kant, the Senses are organized by the intellect, but the intellect never reaches reality. For Hegel, the intellect, and by extension reality itself, fluidly shapes itself over time via dialectic. Notice how in each of these systems, there is a rather rigid distinction between the functions of the senses and intelligence. The strict division between mind and matter, especially the pervasive notion of the mind's dominance over the body, makes all of Western philosophy, according to Zubiri, aim at a sensible intelligence, in which the body just delivers confused content to the almighty intellect, rather than a sentient intelligence, in which mind and body shape each other."

"Why should being belong to things themselves, rather than the process of knowing things? Why should we equate being, truth, and reality? How can we assume that knowledge belongs to the soul rather than the body? Why does the spiritual, assuming it exists, have so much power over the physical when it comes to knowledge? Doesn't the physical world have just as much to do with forming a person's intellect as a supposed spiritual one does? Why should we assume that the universe is eternal and its laws unchanging?"

"The Second Vatican Council's integrity relies on its continuity, but so long as there is skepticism of the council's continuity, whether that comes from progressives or traditionalists, its realization will be greatly hindered. Thus, an attack on Lumen Gentium's interpretation of NSOC should be considered an attack on the council's legacy, which is why it is crucial to protect the council's continuity with a robust method, such as the one proposed by this thesis. Given the post-conciliar popes' defenses of the council, a failure to adhere to the hermeneutic of reform is a failure to preserve the Gospel, and as John Paul II observes, “It is the Spirit who impels us to proclaim the great works of God: […] ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!'"

"Each conciliar document has a fundamentally different intention, the former focusing on Christian unity with the East, not formally commenting on the subject of other religions, and the latter systematically and thoroughly commenting on that matter; given their different intentions, there is clearly no contradiction here. The assumptions each council makes are also starkly different. The former assumes that its audience has no excuse to leave the visible Church because the Gospel has been thoroughly embedded into society. The latter, on the other hand, addresses a post-Christendom world and recognizes the value other religions can serve as preparation for Christ. There is no discontinuity here, either. Florence's scope is confined to Coptic Christian audiences, and its expression of NSOC is arguably directed at Christians who are considering leaving the Church. Lumen Gentium is addressed to the universal Church, as well as non-Christians. Thus, the differences in scope also signify no discontinuity. Florence's expression of NSOC was soundly rejected by both theological and magisterial authorities, whereas Vatican II's has (so far) been staunchly defended; there is no discontinuity here. Finally, the theological beliefs like invincible ignorance that the Florentine Fathers believed in, even if Cantate Domino did not acknowledge them, are invoked by Lumen Gentium, which demonstrates continuity between their theologies."

“Lumen Gentium 16 holds considerable magisterial weight in its theology of other religions. It was carefully crafted by a commission of bishops and theologians, approved by a consensus of bishops from across the world and in union with the pope, contains sententia fidei proxima teachings, intends to comment directly on the relationship between Catholicism and other religions, operates with a historically refined concept of other religions, teaches to the universal Church, has been persistently defended by subsequent popes, and relies on an impressive library of references to justify its teachings.”

"This episode has demonstrated that it would be problematic to categorize Cantate Domino's expression of No Salvation Outside the Church as an infallible statement. Though it was endorsed by a council and pope, neither the council fathers nor the pope actually drafted it. It seems to present a widespread theological opinion, or a sententia ad fidem pertinens, rather than a de fide doctrine, does not seek to define any soteriological or eschatological doctrines, makes changeable assumptions about other religions, and it is aimed at a very small portion of the Christian population. Finally, several doctrines that argued in favor of salvation for non-Christians had already been accepted before the council, and within a century of its conclusion, well-respected theologians and authorities already rejected its expression."

"Analyzing the source, type, intention, assumption, scope, reception, and interrelation of magisterial statements can help to distinguish their abiding principles from their changeable expressions and applications. These criteria can also be used to evaluate whether two seemingly incompatible magisterial statements are discontinuous with each other, which is precisely what the following chapters will attempt to do with Cantate Domino from the Council of Florence and Lumen Gentium from the Second Vatican Council.” Read the Thesis Here: https://clarifyingcatholicism.org/essays/theses/florence-and-vatican-ii-on-other-religions-discontinuity-or-reform/

"This episode has demonstrated that the Church is not only obligated to restate or reapply its fundamental principles to changing situations but that failing to do so would ironically yield discontinuity. This is why the theologian Henri Bouillard writes, “a theology which is not up to date is a false theology.”

"That said, several Church Fathers considered the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament and pagan philosophers like Socrates to be within the confines of the Church, since Christ was partially revealed to them as universal wisdom, or logos. However, once a Jew or pagan had heard the Gospel, their conversion was required for their salvation. Christianity's legalization accelerated this idea." Read the Thesis Here: https://clarifyingcatholicism.org/essays/theses/florence-and-vatican-ii-on-other-religions-discontinuity-or-reform/

"Theologian Richard John Neuhaus observes, 'The irony is in the agreement between Lefebvre and the liberal party of discontinuity.' Additionally, the consequences of either side being correct are similar. If even one conciliar principle is demonstrably discontinuous, it could throw into question several other conciliar statements, as well as the Church's claim to infallibility altogether." Read the Thesis Here: https://clarifyingcatholicism.org/essays/theses/florence-and-vatican-ii-on-other-religions-discontinuity-or-reform/

"The second big debate surrounding infallibly taught doctrine is about moral issues that Jesus didn't directly teach about and instead rely more on ethical systems derived from reason alone. Take contraception, for example. Where does Jesus say that contraception cannot be used by couples? Remember how I mentioned natural law earlier in this episode? Well, given how sparse or arguably even non-existent Christ's teachings are about contraception, a vast majority of arguments against their use comes from the idea that sex is intrinsically ordered towards procreation."

Obviously, a pope speaking on an airplane is very different than every bishop in the world agreeing about something. And bishops all agreeing that Jesus is the Son of God is very different than the bishops all agreeing that Jesus's favorite food was, indeed bacon. So, when the Church teaches, the weight of the teaching is going to depend on the infallibility of the subject, the nature of the object, and the context. Let's dive in.

"Time after time, throughout the earliest ecumenical councils, Rome's position won out, even though Rome was hardly a political powerhouse after the rise of Constantinople. Between Monophysitism, Nestorianism, Monothelitism, iconoclasm, and others, the Roman positions ultimately defeated heresies at every turn. Some, myself included, argue that this is because Rome, having been replaced by Constantinople as the capital of the empire, was free from being tainted by the pervasive political influence that eastern bishops had to deal with. But, heading into the second millennium, that would change, as the papacy accumulated immense political power and wealth."

"Remember that Jesus promised indefectibility to the Church as a community; it doesn't reside in one individual person, though there is one very notable exception I'll touch on soon. However, when all bishops, who dual wield the awesome indefectibility of the Church as a community and as an Apostolic institution, do agree on a teaching, their teaching is considered infallible. And there are two instances when such teaching occurs."

"In episode one of this series, we justified the Church's teaching authority by exploring scripture. Specifically, we explored the biblical basis for bishops, who were ordained by a ritual called the “Laying on of Hands,” which evolved into what Catholics today call the Sacrament of Holy Orders. However, there are some people who have expressed doubts about the role bishops are supposed to play in the Church. So, today we will be exploring a few challenges to the office of bishops that have been invoked to undermine their authority."

"Magisterium this. Magisterium that.” I'm honestly astonished by how frequently I hear Catholics throwing that word around without properly understanding what it means. Let's break it down."

Yes, indeed, our feeble human words fail to convey the almighty Word of God. But, given how we Christians believe that God created us with a similarity, or likeness, to Him, we can use our feeble human words to analogously speak about God, relative to our experiences.

"Why does the Catholic Church have so many rules? And with over 2,000 years of councils, papal documents, and catechesis, does every Church teaching have the same amount of relevance today? These are a few questions I hope to answer throughout this series on Church teaching authority."

In part twenty four of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage explores a few trends he observed from the ecumenical councils.

In part twenty three of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage examines the Second Vatican Council, which responded to problems of the modern world.

Clarification: Gallicanism was NOT the idea that the Church is subservient to the state in matters of doctrine; it is the idea that local bishops must accept a papal doctrine for it to be valid, which led to the state attempting to manipulate its bishops on a mass scale. In part twenty two of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage examines the First Vatican Council, which defined the pope's ability to proclaim doctrines infallibly.

Corrections: St. Peter's is not a cathedral, should have said Pope Julius III, NOT Julius II In part twenty one of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage examines the Council of Trent, which responded to Protestantism's doctrinal challenges against the papacy.

In part twenty of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage examines the Fifth Lateran Council, which responded to a king's attempt to assert power over the pope.

In part nineteen of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage examines the Council of Florence, which attempted to re-establish unity between Eastern and Western Churches.

In part eighteen of this series about the ecumenical councils according to the Catholic Church, Will Deatherage examines the Council of Constance, which resolved a conflict between three papal claimants!