Open Forum

The callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.

Questions Covered:

• 02:04 - I read in a book about Mary that God will do nothing unless she asks. I am looking for some clarification on what this means.
• 16:11 - In the Byzantine tradition, I understand when an icon is blessed, the subject of the icon becomes present. Where did this tradition come from?
• 20:09 - My girlfriend and I were watching your CD set, The Shocking Truth about the Pope and the Church Fathers; there were a few areas where she struggled. She wants to know why we should believe something St. Augustine, or any of the church fathers, writes. When you stated, “Bishops act in the place of God in the Church”, she was bothered by this statement. Can you help me explain these ideas to her?
• 29:06 - A Protestant told me that Catholics either used to or still believe that all Protestants should be burned at the stake. Can you tell me if this is true, or explain it to me?
• 36:10 - I have been divorced for 16 years. I do not plan on getting remarried, but  I wonder how important it is for me to get an annulment. Am I still able to receive Communion?
• 43:24 - Fr. Deacon Lawrence helps explain the Byzantine tradition on blessing icons.
• 48:42 - Since Peter gave authority to both Antioch and Rome, why is it that Rome holds the keys of Peter? What happened to the Church of Antioch?
• 51:29 - Can you explain the second coming to me? 

Resources Mentioned:

• Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples
• The Shocking Truth About the Pope and the Church Fathers by Tim Staples
• The Shocking Truth About the Pope and the Bible by Tim Staples