Postpaid Demolition Work
Forget it. After reading your magazine, I don’t follow you any longer. Anyone in favor of changing the form of the Holy Eucharist by mistranslation of the Latin into English can’t be a Catholic. Keep sending literature with a postpaid envelope, and I’ll keep returning it and it will be to use up your money.
Paul Swindell
Baltimore, Maryland
Omnium Gatherum
I see with dismay in some of the letters that you have received that people complain about “not enough heart” or some such thing as that. Why do they think a journal of practical apologetics has to have an applied emotional aspect to it? Why does everything have to include everything? I’ve always found that just doing apologetical work, especially with young people, has an underlying joyful assurance to it. You can see it in a high school student’s face when he finally gets some Catholic answers. All of his cognitive life has been assaulted by Fundamentalism and relativism. As I tell my students, there’s nothing wrong with being right.
Rev. Gregory A. Pilcher, OSB
Subiaco, Arkansas
No Longer Infallible
Until recently I thought This Rock was infallible. Then I read the answer to the top question in the center column on page 28 of your October 1991 issue. There, in the first sentence, you used the phrase “question of scientific fact.”
For 52 years I’ve been immersed in science and science-dependent communities and have never heard a scientist refer to a scientific fact. What lay people call a scientific fact is merely the opinion of some scientists at some particular time. Today’s scientific fact is tomorrow’s scientific joke.
Compare today’s probabilists to yesterday’s determinists. Look at the ongoing, hilarious acrimony between paleoanthropologists and bioanthropologists.
The activity we call science is a method consisting of hypothesis and experiment. Whatever else one says about evolutionism, you can’t say it’s a finding of science. One can hypothesize about the origins of man, but one cannot perform an experiment to verify the hypothesis. A scientist’s speculation about the origins of man is probably worthy of less respect than that of the plowman because the scientist’s vision is vastly narrower than that of the plowman.
Richard J. Kulda
Orange, California
The Rain in Spain
The following is an extract from a letter I recently received from a German friend living in Spain. It’s a sad commentary on the state of the Church there:
“I like living here, in this part of Madrid. . . . The parish is very nice too. It’s a Catholic church (I’m Lutheran, but I don’t mind) with a very nice and progressive priest. Everybody participates in the Masses and says what he thinks about the texts (instead of the priest preaching), the songs are very lively, and the Holy Communion consists in taking bread and wine. The people there participate in many social demonstrations and give more importance to what Jesus Christ said than to what the Pope says.”
Pierre Riou
San Antonio, Texas
Salvaging Wisconsin
Catholic Answers’ two evening talks on Fundamentalism and salvation were successful beyond our wildest dreams. Each evening’s attendance of around 400 is unheard of in this area for parish adult education programs. We were pleased to see so many Protestants and their ministers in the audience.
The books and tapes were being snapped up like loaves of bread offered to the starving. Some of the comments heard were: “Why wasn’t this done sooner?” “It’s good to hear Catholics defending their faith for a change!” “When and where are similar seminars being offered?”
Christine VanderBloemen
Elm Grove, Wisconsin
Catholic Saints Now Mormons
I recently did some research at the local record office, which has a microfiche copy of the International Genealogical Index of the Mormon Church. The Index has 150 million names. I discovered the following:
St. Thomas More was baptized a Mormon in 1940. He was “sealed” to his wife in 1972. His contemporary, St. John Fisher, also was baptized in 1940.
John Henry Newman made it a year earlier, in 1939. (The Vatican is taking so long over his canonization that the Mormons beat us to it!)
In 1980 Fr. Faber, author of the hymn “Faith of Our Fathers,” was baptized. Edmund Campion also has been done, but I forgot to copy down the details.
Here are some other dates:
John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, Baptist, 1897; Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1877; William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, 1976; Thomas Gainsborough, artist, 1972; Charles Dickens, novelist, 1931; Walter Raleigh, adventurer, 1973 (at the Los Angeles Temple–a tribute to Hollywood); Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Baptist writer and preacher, 1937; Samuel Johnson, who compiled the first English dictionary; 1971; David Livingstone, missionary and explorer, 1927; John Keble, Newman’s friend at Oxford and an Anglican minister, 1975; William Gladstone, British prime minister, 1899; Winston Churchill, ditto, 1985.
Robert Williams
Clwyd, Wales
Bug Off, Keating
I have read your Catholicism and Fundamentalism, and I have listened to the tape of your debate with Dave Hunt. As I was praying for you and wondering how a sensible and learned man as you are could have taken the role of champion of the Catholic church, the following scripture came to mind: “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (Jas. 4:6).
You are a proud man, Mr. Keating, and this is why “God resisteth”; in other words, this is why you do not know him.
It is a pretty amazing feat to know as much Scripture as you do and yet, obviously, the Word of God is not alive to you. It is just a set of words arranged in sentences in a book that your church says is the Word of God. If your church did not say that, you probably would not regard it any more than the Odyssey, for example.
If you were to pray in all earnestness, I believe God would answer you to your satisfaction and you would see the Scripture coming alive with the power and truth of God. You would know what you are reading is truly the immortal Word of God, which stands on its own and does not need the authentication of any body of men.
Then, you would not need any other authority in your life, and you would understand that Dave Hunt and others are not side-stepping your demands for them to authenticate the Word of God. No man needs to authenticate it.
Gabrielle Kooniski
No address given
Editor’s reply: Dave Hunt and I engaged in a live radio debate in Los Angeles. The topic was sola scriptura. Repeatedly I asked Hunt to cite even one verse proving this Fundamentalist doctrine. Not only did he fail to cite one, he didn’t even attempt to cite one, but kept turning the discussion to side issues–even though the theme of the debate was sola scriptura.
Seminarian Gets His Wish
My subscription to This Rock, my favorite Catholic publication, which I first subscribed to when I entered the seminary, has now expired. While This Rock is certainly worth the price of the annual subscription, I’ve had to make the decision not to renew for another year because my income during these years in the seminary is not as high as my fixed expenses.
This got me wondering if Catholic Answers might consider some way of getting its materials into the hands of seminarians?
I would very much like to continue to keep up on the Catholic apologetics I’ve come to appreciate through my reading of This Rock. Your apologetic apostolate is a welcomed asset and a definite inspiration for all of us seminarians who hope someday to teach and defend the faith as Roman Catholic priests.
Robert W. Blaisse
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Editor’s reply: Mr. Blaisse’s subscription has been extended so he can survive his seminary years mentally intact. Other seminarians need This Rock too, and we’ll send complimentary subscriptions to all seminarians who ask for the magazine. If our other readers would like to underwrite this effort, we won’t refuse their donations.
Quaking in San Francisco
I wish to express my appreciation and esteem for the splendid work you are doing to make the Catholic faith known to people in our time. As I expected, a small number of parishioners came. Perhaps they numbered 30 in a crowd of 250. But all who came were serious about their faith, and all were deeply interested in their relationship with God and with the Church. They were all grateful that Star of the Sea Church hosted this memorable day.
I was myself so pleased to hear your command of traditional apologetics as well as your being able to handle contemporary issues with such poise, adaptability, and wisdom. May God continue to prosper your splendid work.
Msgr. Cornelius J. Burns
San Francisco, California
Better than a love story
Recently I received the book you sent me, Catholicism and Fundamentalism. I thank you very much. Reading is one of the few privileges we have here at the work camp; there is a shortage of good books. All that is available are secular novels, love stories, etc., which don’t do a thing for my walk or growth in Christ. I am indigent. I would sincerely appreciate if you could send me other books in the future. I promise to pass them on to others who want to read them. A good book really helps one in prison.
Thomas F. Armstrong
Olustee, Florida
Federal Corrections
I want to comment on your notice titled “Important Announcement for the Transient.” This is my favorite magazine. I read it cover to cover, and nothing slips by me. I am a U.S. mail carrier.
Magazines sent third class, such as This Rock, cannot be forwarded. Because of postal policy, as we sort the mail we must discard these bulk-rate items. It has nothing to do with how “curmudgeonly” we are. Even if I liked the item enough to try to forward it, which I have done, it would be caught by the automatic forwarding system and returned to me marked “Do not forward; do not return.” Because the system is not foolproof, perhaps some non-forwardable items slip through, but this is rare and has nothing to do with the cantankerousness of any mail carrier.
I, for one, believe that This Rock should be mailed and forwarded free of charge, but as a Christian I must do my job well and not rob my employer of services not paid for.
Dale Lund
Sultan, Washington
Priesthood Looking Up
I would like to commend all of you for your good work and fine resources. I am a newly-ordained priest struggling with the turmoil within our Church. So many of my friends have left the Catholic Church without really realizing what they are leaving. So many others are searching to learn more about their Catholic faith. Yet our book stores are infiltrated with such unorthodox materials which water down our faith so much!
Rev. Kevin J. Wester
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Ah, Sweet Yesterday
I’ve enclosed these items for your horror library, but that is not why I am sending them to you. I remember reading somewhere that when you were first getting started people would ask, “Do you have a tract on such-and-such?” You’d say, “Yes,” and proceed to write and publish one. Please answer these pamphlets with a tract or two, as in the days of old.
Stephen Berardi
Inglewood, California
Editor’s reply: We’re working on several dozen new tracts now. Since we don’t want to be accused of promoting what computer folks call “vaporware” (software promised but long delayed), we won’t announced a publication date yet, but we’re making progress.
Co-ed Saved from JWs
Two months ago I spoke with a woman in your office and asked if she could send some information on the Jehovah’s Witnesses to my daughter, who is away at school. Subsequently my daughter received many helpful tracts and booklets. Both she and I send our heartfelt thanks.
Jane Smith
Simi Valley, California
Welcome Back, Javier!
Thank you for bringing me back to the Church which I left 17 years ago. Catholicism and Fundamentalism helped me to embrace the faith I was born with. I hope and pray that your book will do for others what it has done for me.
Javier Bacio
South El Monte, California
Anti-Catholics Still at It
Enclosed is a copy of correspondence I received from Bill Jackson, head of Christians Evangelizing Catholics. Why he sent this to me or what he’s trying to prove is beyond me. At one time I was getting his newsletter, but he stopped sending it when I questioned how he could think a “saved” person could be assured of heaven when he was capable of sinning grossly and dying unrepentant.
I find that no matter how amiable Bill Jackson is, he, like Bart Brewer, head of Mission to Catholics International, does not hesitate to stretch the truth when it comes to denouncing Catholicism.
By the way, I used to think America has a monopoly on anti- Catholic, crackpot organizations–until I found this German leaflet on the streets of New York City. It seems Germany has its share of bigots too. Perhaps Catholic Answers should branch out and share its work with Europe.
Douglas Robinson
Levittown, New York
Hitting Home
Your work is so important. My daughter has fallen victim to Southern Baptist Fundamentalism. I learned so much this weekend at your seminar.
Mary C. Weiner
Annandale, Virginia
Getting Their Regular Fix
Although we have your books, tracts, and tapes, we still get “fixed up” after listening to you teach and reaffirm us in our faith at your seminars. You are all in our daily prayer, and we tell everyone about you and your wonderful work.
Al and Diane Buscemi
Los Osos, California
Get in, Take your Shot, Get Out
Several articles in the November 1991 issue address techniques used in dividing the Body of Christ. In defending the Catholic Church, two areas need to be identified: tactics and issues.
Catholics are being inundated, and the laity is confused, depressed, and in a state of panic. We can’t understand how so much argument has been amassed by so many people against the Church founded by Christ. Catholics have never been trained to defend themselves, and most of the priesthood acts oblivious to the declining membership.
I don’t think the priests know what to do. Most come from “nice” families and live in a world of their own. But whether we are of this world or not, the fact is that right now we are in this world. Thus, like the good stewards in the Bible, we need to make use of our God-given brains to accept the reality of today’s world.
The reality is that we are being blitzkrieged in an accelerated blizzard of the big lie technique. This technique is that if you repeat the lie often enough and loud enough, people will begin to believe it. This is what most of the accusations against the Church are, over and over again. If you’re aware this technique is being used on you, it will not work.
I enjoy reading about this technique in This Rock. But I don’t think the average guy has, nor do most of us have, the time in our everyday conversations (rebuttals) to go into detail. To be realistic, we need to identify the very basic arguments and have one-liners ready for defense. (Get in, take your shot, and get out.) Then we need to take the offensive. Our offensive action will surprise the enemy and give us time to start learning and using defensive Scripture. We wrote the book, so we should learn to use it. How about a column of one-liners to the most common arguments?
Stacy Colicchio
Los Angeles, California