Author: Jeff Cassman

Dealing with a ‘Bad Dad’

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

A kid asked, “If a Pope is a bad Pope, but he’s still the Pope and there’s nothing we can do about it, how do we know when we can ignore him?”

Short answer: when he opens his mouth.

Long Pedantic Dad answer: whenever he says something a) novel, or b) contrary to what the Church teaches, or c) factually errant, or d) contrary to common sense.

P.S. No disrespect to the Orthodox (or Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc), but ideas have consequences, and either you’re right, or I’m right, or we’re both wrong, and pretending otherwise is false charity.

Not satire:  Pope says seeking to convert non-Catholics is a grave sin

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The Protestant Revulsion to Mary

Posted on by Jeff Cassman
For a variety of reasons, I tend to avoid arguing with my protestant friends. For one, I stay busy teaching and defending the Catholic faith with fellow Catholics. Secondly, I’ve found that a person really needs to be open to hearing a different perspective for the possibility of productive dialogue.
 
However, when a friend says that a devotion to Mary is more repulsive than atheism, I’m inclined to speak up. (Yes, it was a Calvinist).
 
It has always struck me as illogical that protestants are so eager to ask one another-not just sinners, but those predestined to hell-to pray for them, but consider it idolatry (literally), to ask those *already in heaven* to pray for them.
 
This obstinance regarding Mary is all the more unusual given that even the most extreme fundamentalist would proclaim belief in the 10 Commandments, which even in abridged, modern translations includes the obligation to “honor father and mother”, and would even go so far as to admit that imitating Christ-the perfect, sinless man-would be a good thing (1 Cor 11:1)…so long as we don’t imitate too perfectly His honoring of His mother.
 
They recoil at statues to the mother of the King of Kings, but erect statues of earthly royalty, reformers, Masons and warmongers. They abhor pictures of the mother of God but cover their timelines with pictures of family, friends and acquaintances, all of whom are alienated from the righteousness of God and at least some of whom are no doubt completely depraved.
 
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