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:

• 05:48 - How can the Holy Spirit speak within us?
• 12:18 - Does the Catholic Church have any records that show Peter as the first pope? I know the scriptural reference but I need other evidence to give to others.
• 14:33 - I’d like to ask about Catholic social teaching according to the pope, specifically thoughts on socialism versus capitalism and the Church’s approach to these ideas.
• 22:04 - How did the canonization process come to be? When did the Church first start recognizing saints, and what is the history of this process?
• 28:56 - Who are the other sheep Jesus refers to?
• 32:30 - I’ve always thought of the violence we see in nature as a consequence of sin. You stated on a show earlier this week that death entered the world for humans through sin. But nature was violent before man came into existence. Did God design nature in this violent way, prior to the fall of man?
• 42:20 - I understand that St. Paul was a Roman citizen, but he was born in Turkey. How is it that he was a citizen of Rome?
• 46:10 - Does the unforgivable stubbornness referred to in Deuteronomy 29:18-19 relate to the unforgivable sin of Mark 3:29?
• 50:00 - Why doesn’t the Catholic Church do a better job at educating the lay people, as far as bible studies and religious education?

Resources Mentioned:

• The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church by Jimmy Akin 
• The Drama of Salvation by Jimmy Akin