Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Bishop Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit www.wordonfire.org
Fr. Barron, as a young pastor and aspiring theologian, I am deeply grateful for your spirit and your engagement. You're a hero to some of us Protestants, too.
I have a friend Baptist Pastor. I have no problem with him, but just avoiding Bible topic because I don't want to have a debate. But I warned him that I am tired of Christianity and have very low faith, because of the division around it. I hope he will be as diverse and open like you. Because that's how Christianity should be.
@Aldona Gluchowska I am praying for you to be less judgmental and more charitable. Let those who love God, love Him as they will my friend. Catholics are not worhsippers of Mary. We adore her and honor her; we love her and seek her love in return. She is the Mother of God after all! Also... wow. Our Pope's certainly do not claim to be a sub for God. Goodness.. where in the world did you hear that crap?? The Pope is the spiritual head of our Church. He is given authority by God to lead His people, to be the Vicar of Christ's Bride. He is a direct descendant (spiritually and authoritatively) of Peter. ..Peace.
Aldona Gluchowska Google “which church did Jesus start” Catholic Google “who started the Catholic church” Jesus Jesus started the Catholic church in 33ad. Protestants protest the very church that Jesus started. Protestants are not part of the church that Jesus started.
Aldona Gluchowska Have you taken your meds? Lol You are classic!!! Please explain why Google “which church did Jesus start” answer Catholic You cant get past thar because you are wrong, dummy! Get some critical thinking skills bro! The only people that believe like you are: 1-people who are very prejudiced against Catholicism 2-people who lack critical thinking skills 3-low iq Why did St Ignatius of Antioch call the Christian “katolicos” in 107ad? Because they were Catholic!!!! There were no Protestants around! Pick up an encyclopedia!
I just want to say that while I personally do not agree with a number of Christian ideas, I find Fr. Barron's presentation of the Christian faith intelligent, accessible, and humane. I'm very grateful for the work he did in producing these videos.
@@stubdo16 Seems that Jesus was not meek enough for you since he said that Herod was fox, the scribes, brood of vipers, or that he overturned tables and whipped sellers of livestocks.
@@marvalice3455 hello. I just read it again... I was saying that those actions of Jesus could not be said to be meek. E.g. the fig tree, Matthew 10:34 'Think not that I have come to bring peace to the earth; it is not peace I bring but a sword. I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”
I was raised protestant and converted to Catholicism as a young adult. I converted because every time I walked into a Catholic church, for whatever reason, I felt the presence of God. It was, and is, unlike anything I felt in any other house of worship. The feeling isn't a warm fuzzy. It can be very soft and subtle. So, for me, priests are ancilliary. Catholicism is much more than the collection of people. Although I do believe that God is in everyone. Perceiving God's real presence in a Catholic church is why I became Catholic.
He's . Obnoxious. But I agree with him except for his views on religion. In his movie, he went out of his way to find any numbskull with a bible, it was a big strawman--he seems to love them.
Levi Russell - Yeah, but even just with philosophy, look at ethics for example. It asks questions such as "What constitutes good? What constitutes evil? Are good and evil even real things, or just figments of our imagination? What does it mean to live a good life?" Look at logic, which asks: "What constitutes a solid and rational argument?" Humans communicate with one another via language, so why wouldn't we need this? Epistemology asks the questions: "What is the mind? What is the relationship between the outside world and the mind? What constitutes knowledge? What constitutes information? What constitutes reality, truth, and falsehood?" Look at political theory: "What constitutes a good government? Is government necessary? Do people have the right to own property?" I mean, all of our answers to some of life's most basic questions are based on the answers to these questions
Robert Light - actually, Maher is pretty reasonable when it comes to speaking to Catholics. Look at Ross Douthat on Real Time or when he talks to the priests in Religiousity
It would be interesting how Bill Maher would respond to questions of free will and Scientism (reductionism) where everything is reduced to chemical, biological, and gravitational forces which is the standard belief of thinking atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris - i.e. that we do not have free will but only consciousness (we think we have free will but do not). I would think Maher would be intrigued.
Another great piece, Father Barron. In the non-denominal, evangelical church I attended as a youth and young adult, I felt guilty for not believing that the Bible was "God's Word" as in dictated by God to man. The Bible became such a roadblock in my faith because I thought that since I didn't believe the Bible word for word from beginning to end then I must not be a Christian. The Episcopal church helped restore my faith but it wasn't enough. the Catholic church brought me home. Truly home. My roots as a Christian are in the Church. Your messages have truly being an instrument in helping me arrive and for that I thank you.
I really love listening to Bishop Barron. He speaks so much sense and I love the way he describes faith. As someone who was raised quietly Christian, but has had many struggles with it, people like Bishop Barron help me to see the beauty of it and to accept the faith I have, and want to have.
Paula His last sentence was not ironic. The Church DOES teach you on how NOT to tempt your brothers and sisters. The Devil, however, along with our society and culture, teaches you HOW to tempt your brothers and sisters. Abortion and pornography for example. The Church says NO to both, but our society, along with tons of Christians says YES to both of these evils. What it all boils down to, who’s teachings are you going to listen to. Christ and His Church, or the Devil and the world?
I was raised Protestant. But I am open to Catholicism. But that doesn't mean I would convert to Catholicism. Right now I am nondenominational and I intend to stay that way for a while. And the reason is simple. In my opinion the are more important issues as to which denomination you belong to. I.e. Islam, China, Nordkorea, sects, atheism, ignorance and indifference of the general Christian. So far what I have heard from Bishop Barron is not exclusive to Catholicism in my opinion, but should be important to all Christians of all denominations. By that I mean the writings of the church fathers. I personally do not believe in apostolic succession which is important for the Catholics and Orthodox, but it does seem to me that the Protestants have forgotten about the church fathers.
God Bless you Father! You've been an indispensable voice of faith to the desolate culture of godlessness in this country, especially to my generation (the Y generation). Keep up the great work and may God continue to empower you to change the hearts and minds of your viewers.
No I hope he does not, it would only give Maher ratings, also he is in his turf, he controls the narrative, his show is full of fans that have the power to boo anyone out of the set..there is no point in going or in setting things straight, I'm a practicing Catholic and I respect people who do not want to believe, its a free country the can choose to believe or not
I love Bishop Barron’s response of asking if a library is true. Great analogy. A Catholic priest with a PhD in Old Testament theology, Fr. Marcellus Fernandez, responded to the Biblical attack on God telling Jews to kill everyone in the town they conquered like this: We call the Bible “The Word of God.” What else do we call “The Word of God?” Jesus. And just as Jesus did not appear on the earth as a fully-grown man, but came as a child and grew in wisdom, so it is with the Bible. Genesis was written by men in ancient times who were just getting to understand God. By the time the Savior appears, we have the full knowledge of God. He says the Truth of the Bible is in the alpha-omega themes, the themes present in the Old Testament which survive until the New Testament. God’s unfathomable, everlasting love is one of the primary unchanging themes of the Bible, and we can rely on that alpha-omega theme: God loves us with an everlasting love. The killing of everyone in a town was a practice in that region of putting a town “under the ban” so the youth would not grow up and take revenge on your people. That theme did not survive to the New Testament.
I shared this video because I felt that Father Barron laid out the perfect approach to this messed up debate. It's very important that Catholics and other Christians both Protestants and Orthodox do know how to read the Bible with both strong faith and with rational and enlightened minds.
Love you, Father Barron. Keep up the good work. May the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen you. Thank you for your ministry of faith and culture, of theological education through social media. People greatly need this, as social figures like Bill Maher spread misrepresentations and falsehoods about Christianity, that drive people from the love of Christ.
Bishop Robert Barron is one of the greatest gifts of God to the Church in the 21st century. No doubt about it. There are so many Catholic intellectuals out there, but Bishop Barron is the most complete. He is a greater preacher, a great writer, a great articulator of the faith, a deeply rational, faith filled man of God. I love you, Bishop. I am a Catholic priest, and like I said in my other comments, you have deepened and widened my theological mind. My sermon is richer and my faith is deeper as well. God bless you, I am praying for you. You are a sound and complete theologian. Thank you so much for doing what you are doing.
Wow, with Christian representatives saying silly things like Reed did, no wonder the world mocks us. How embarrassing. Bill Mahr is one of the most biblically illiterate, foul-mouthed, bigoted, hate filled men I've ever witnessed. Why does he have a public platform? I'd love to see you on Mahr's show!
@@sammcphail136 It might be nice if you could write coherently, especially if you're coming on a comment section (trying) to attack people. No one of substance who listens to Bishop Barron can fail to be impressed with his knowlege, intellect, and speaking ability, none of which Bill Maher can come close to. Did you even listen to Bishop Barron?
Why then is Christian truth different from Islamic truth and Jewish truth and atheistic claims? Christians believe Jesus is the son of God, muslims believe the Jesus is just a prophet and the Jews reject Jesus all together and atheists believe Jesus was just a man.
I totally agree with Father Barron. And I thank God for giving us the Wisdom to recognize what comes from Him and what doesn't. I pray for those that are so blinded and lost in the world and of this world for trying to pretend to say things that don't make any sense like Bill Maher does. I pray for those, like Maher, that have no idea what the TRUTH is. Father Barron is right, the TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT. We need to be very careful and live in the Spirit of God always. Always in Prayer connected to God, so we are able to receive God's Grace and Wisdom so our heart, mind, soul are able to listen the TRUTH of God and not some nonsense and miss interpretations from Maher and his friends. I pray for you Maher and for all those like him that think they know God. The good news is that God knows them and loves them, and I pray that some day God teaches them a lesson by having a conversion and a divine experience, so they begin to grow and to mature in spirit, so them too begin to see with their hearts and not their eyes......just as St. Agustin and many others became to be and to see. Thank you Father BArron for all you do and for being a light in the world. THank you for being an instrument of God on earth. Thank you God for your Mighty Mercy and Love for you never abandon us from the Truth, The WAy, and the LIght, Jesus Christ. AMen. :)
Fr. Barron, I really think you should go on Bill Maher's show to clarify biblical interpretation for a wider audience. I don't know how these things are done, but think any effort to present an intelligent voice for Christianity on Real Time would be worth it. Maher seems to do his research when he talks about political and social issues (his view of vaccinations is an exception) and during his conversations with politicians he truly is concerned with keeping his facts straight. But when it comes to religion in general and Christianity in particular, Maher has made up his mind and is not even curious about what serious Christians believe. The narrative he reinforces on his show is that the Christians who are really committed to their faith are the literalist fundamentalists, and then there are the moderate Christians who just pick and choose the verses they like. Christians in the tradition of Anselm, Augustine, and Aquinas don't fit into the caricatured framework he's presented audiences ever since he's been on television. I think you are the best man to challenge that framework. It's a problem when a popular program like Real Time hosts such consistently uninformed discussions of faith. Maher has had pastors on the show before, and religion is one of his favorite topics, so I think your chances of being a guest are good. Please consider asking to go on Real Time to respond to the Ralph Reed interview. As always, thank you for your insightful and intelligent commentaries. I was a young-earth creationist for my entire life up until last year, and your videos are part of what helped me to better understand biblical interpretation and adopt a reasonable and coherent Christian worldview. God bless, WHS
Bill Maher simply caricatures Christianity, and then ridicules it. He's makes his living setting up a series of straw men and then knocking them down,which takes little talent and less intellect. His act gets very boring very quickly, and plays best with people who are almost as ignorant of the Bible as Maher pretends to be. In the Bible, Jesus says 'I am the vine, and you are the branches.' No matter how literally any Christian of any denomination may take the Bible, there has never been a Christian on the face of the planet in all of history who believed Jesus really was a "vine," that is, a green plant. It's called a metaphor, and such things as metaphors and similes are apparently beyond Maher's rather limited mental acuity, if his act is to be believed (I really think Maher is much more clever than he lets on, but his act keeps in a very comfortable life-style). As Baron correctly points out, genre is everything when one is attempting to understand Scripture. But Maher can't even consider genre, for that would reveal his 'argumentation' (for lack of a better term) to be logical fallacious, facile and, often simply ignorant, in the value-free sense that he is truly ignorant of what Christianity is all about. And he appears determined not to learn what it's about either! Maher needs his cheap caricatures - his straw men - to knock down if he's going to continue making a living off humor for the hard of thinking.
Criticism aside, Bill does have a provocative and entertaining program. He is a comic, he is a political satire, he is a jester and a clown. He is intentional, and he gives his audience what they want. I am not a liberal-aethist, but do I enjoy his product and brand because he is consistent and delivers what his audience expects to see.
Sam McPhail you should read the rest of the chapter rather than the introductory sentence. Try replacing those with "evidence" and see if any of those biblical heroes would have done any of those things. I wouldn't go through great lengths and sacrifices for someone I loved based solely on evidence, either. I do the things I do for the people I love because of my faith in them; I have certain hopes for them that they will fulfill--eg., they are truthful to me, they return my love--and my only evidence is my love for them--ie., something unseen.
@@sammcphail136 If you were less arrogant, you would understand. The Bible contains many verses full of wisdom. You should open your mind and read again. It will help you the same way it helped me.
Bobby Barron is precisely correct here. And he's right about Billy boy too. Religion critics are usually like film critics, who don't actually make movies and can afford to be cavalier about the ideas, effort and cost that go into making one. The annoying thing about criticism is that while it can turn a head or get a laugh, it is usually destructive rather than constructive. Thank you, Bobby Barron, for being constructive, for being a thinker, for offering helpful solutions so very hard to come by in this world.
@curious george I understand what you are saying. Just because some people have done stupid things, claiming that they heard from God or thought they did but didn't, doesnt mean God doesnt communicate with us. Dont through the baby out with the bath water. I used to be agnostic for quite some time, believing all this stuff was garbage until I had a personal experience with God that changed my life and saved my marriage.
The man holds a Ph.D., clearly a smart man, but that mind has been expanded through education and interaction in the world. I like his teaching and have found some of his thinking to be of inestimable value in my own personal discussions with people on the subject of faith.
As a Catholic I thank you Bishop Barron for your work . It has helped me to consolidate my Christian faith and to have tools to defend it. May God bless you always.
Exactly, that is the problem with our culture dominated by superficial media and lack of critical thinking. On one end we have Maher and company drawing a caricature of religion before destroying it in front of an impressed naïve audience, and on the other end, evangelical fundamentalists who justify, with their silly views, the caricature drawn by the Mahers of this world. Sincere faith is lost in this unhealthy environment.
Antonio Brahms Two problems: 1) Television lends itself to superficial arguments. People expect a one-liner answer to everything. 2) Evangelical Protestants lack the deep reservoir of knowledge taught in the catholic church. Their understanding of the Bible consists mostly of selected proof-texts. They simply lack a tradition of a well-reasoned faith. Those who dare to use the mind that God gave them, such as Scott Hahn, become catholics!
Ducks on the River yes, we need a ‘modernist’ Christianity to appeal to the unhealthy indulgences of the masses. Where women wear vagina hats and walk around naked for ‘equality’ and men prance around the church masturbating and indulging in every vice that man can think of. THIS is what the culture needs😂😂
Come back and talk to us one you nd the science community create one simple cell. There has to be a super intelligence outside of time and space, we are here, proof enough.
Ducks on the River yes considering that a lot of stuff that was said was related to how things were at the time I do believe god would want us to modernize it I guess
I'm very pleased with how Catholicism handles the Bible. Biblical literalists have big problems and effectively have to believe that there is magic at work all the time making things happen according to a literal reading of the Bible and then appear as though it happened another way.
Really??? For your information I am a Independent Fundamentalist Baptist who reads the Bible from the Fundamentalists viewpoint which is the only correct way to read the Bible and I take the Bible literally as it should be read and I have absolutely no problems big or small as far as Biblical interpretation goes as long as it is not allegorical as the Catholic interpretation is.....especially in the book of Revelation....and I don’t subscribe to your nonsense as in regards that those who read the Bible literally believe that “magic” is necessary to understand Scripture!!
Isn't a phrase like that completely subjective? I don't think there is a universal "totality of the Bible". Who can agree on what the totality of any document is?
The Bible is composed of several books, written by different authors in various cultural settings. To merely pick phrases out of the Bible, like Maher did with slavery, without considering the totality of the Bible is error. It should also be said that to answer questions as Reed did with a blind "yes" is likewise, error. The totality of the Bible has very adequate response to such questions and does so without dismissing logic or critique.
backyardbread But if the Bible takes divergent views on an issue, or the Bible is ambiguous in some parts, how does one honestly decide what its intentions are without injecting personal opinion and interpretation into the mix? I'm really interested in this question.
***** Then help me out with this one JOH 10:30 I and my Father are one. JOH 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. Is Jesus equal to the Father, or subordinate?
I would love to see Fr. Robert Barron talk with Joe Rogan. Both are very respectful intellectual men and I would love to hear them talk about religion.
In the 20's Clarence Darrow destroyed a number of Fundamentalists in debate. Then he debated GK Chesterton, who destroyed Darrow. History should repeat itself.
I pray GKChesterton Cause is sent to. Rome soon! He was a gem! Great human being.great sense of humor. In short, he was what so many of us aspire towards.❤️❤️
Well done Bishop Barron: We know that you don't debate anyone in public or online so it's great that you can give us your HOLY WORD in a way that we don't have to use the brain God gave us to think and consider alternative views...
+Andrew Chebuhar we know you like to take pot shots from the anonymous safety of the internet, so its great you give us your unholy opinion in a way that doesn't really prove anything; such that logic is defied and reality is suspended to arrive at your conclusions.
That's what I mean when I say New Atheists and young earth creationists are interpreting the Bible in the same, which makes them two sides of the same medal.
***** People like Maher, Dawkins, Hitchens etc. Generally smart people, but interpreting the Bible without a philosophical and contextual background, similar to how Amichristians are doing it. All the best to you.
***** I would call him a Fundamentalist, or a new earth creationist, or a comedian. Your logic is weird, to be honest. You don't have to apply the same names to other groups who have similar methods. All the best to you.
***** Just trying to figure out why 'new atheist', is there an 'old atheist'? Are you just regurgitating a trending phrase or does it actually have a meaning?
Thank you Fr. Barron. for explaining Catholic hermeneutics. hahaha "do you take the library literally?" that was funny and well illustrated the point. Also, I liked the difference between "what's in the bible and what the bible teaches" hmmm great apologetics lesson. wow. thanks
THis is not about who is right and who is wrong. Father is not throwing stones at anyone, he is simply underlining the Truth. and the TRUTH needs to be heard.
I hate it when people treat the different parts of the Bible as if you could just lump them together and ask if you take the whole thing "literally" or not.
I guarantee that people who say such things have never bothered reading the Bible! It's one volume, but it's different books and different genres. So you approach it the way you'd approach any volume, with thought to what genre you are reading. I don't know why this seems so complicated!
Yesica1993 Well remember, many of these people were raised in a fundamentalist background and were inundated with the mantra "The Bible says what it means and it means what it says!!!", and that's what they were brought up with. So fast forward a few years, and an atheist talks to them and shows them some of the things in the Bible that, read in their fundy framework, seem repulsive, and they get mad at their parents/pastors, because they feel they've been lied to, because of the passages, as well as some kindergarten objections to Christianity either they or an atheist friend comes up with. And... viola! You have an angry young atheist.
I am being cared for by Seventh-day Adventist, and I've never tried to convert anyone. Saint Theresa of Avila stated I am paraphing if you are on level 4 and you see someone at level 2 don't waste your time trying to help them to level 3. You stay on your path and move on to 5 God will help then to level 3. Theresa says it a lot better.
If you don't know something, just say you don't know. Don't make a fool of yourself and everybody whose on your side. That's why Fr. Barron had to defend Reed in this video.
If only half of the Christians in this country would have the intellect of Father Barron and similar nuanced conversations about religion our political discussions could very well be much more productive.
The only problems with his response: 1) The first answer is correct. No one has been able to prove or demonstrate God yet, so at the very end, it does have to be faith. 2) The New Testament tells slaves to obey their masters multiple times. God didn’t tell Moses it was wrong. Jesus didn’t tell his disciples it was wrong. I do like his words along the line of “God expressed himself through humans.” It got me thinking... maybe it’s actually that humans expressed themselves through the concept of god(s).
Thank you....These two explanations on faith and the bible clears up much chaos from what you had commented. Listening to the census belief of these two issues, to me, just wasn't correct but I couldn't define both, now I can. I will review this again.
Jesus Christ did not leave us a Bible, He gave us what He founded on St. Peter and what Jesus called Peter to indicate that was, "The Rock", exactly the kind of foundation Jesus told a wise man to always build on. Jesus then said that He, Himself would be the builder of His church, and that, " The Gates of Hell " would Not Prevail against it. So what the Church, the ONE church says, that is what we can believe. It is the same One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that Martin Luther said he owed for the Bible he and the other heretics used to start the churches of their founding and their building. There are about 40,000 of them, but still only One True church, The Catholic Church.
To mischaracterize something and then attack it on that basis is a classic straw man fallacy, which is the most utilized tactic in the militant atheist play book.
Although Maher might be ‘anti-religious’, his criticism helps clarify and prompts us Christians to be much more aware and of our relationship with and Faith in God and the Bible. Thank you again Fr Barron.
Ralph Reed is a lost soul. Bill Maher is just grasping at straws. He actually interviewed a nun once, Sister Simone Campbell. And that is the closest to someone in the Church he'll get! Maher refuses to have a Priest on his show in fear of being schooled. I hope someday, Cardinal Dolan will show Maher the way.
I pray for the. Day that Bill Maher would have the courage to have someone like Bishop Barron on his program, especially since Maher has such a misleading influence on our youth. Of course despite my prayers, that will never happen, because the shallowness of Mr. Maher’s positions would be terribly exposed. What a wonderful insight that we should regard what the Bible teaches us, rather than a literal word for word interpretation. As a scientist and physician, I do pray that Bill someday lays off the weed and engages a person like Bishop Barron who can rationally explain the existence of God, which is no more difficult than explaining the existence of gravity. One may not “believe” in gravity, but it will affect one whether or not one believes in it. Bryan Bownik, M.D.,F.A.C.P.
But it is sort of our fault as Christians that we have not done the work to actually know our tradition and also know the facts to deconstruct Maher's terrible arguments. Like the one he made about how religion has caused all the wars in human history is nonsense and disproved by the stats. The Encyclopedia of Wars did a serve where they looked at all 1763 wars fought in human history and only 123 of them were for religious reasons. That is 7% of all the wars in human history. The fact is that religion is a social phenomenon like any other and like other human social phenomena it can be instrumentalized for evil and for good. A good example of this is Science. People like Maher, Dawkins, Harris and their mindless internet cult worshipers like to point out that if we were to just replace religion with Science and scientific thinking the world would be this utopia and paradise. Well Science has certainly done good in terms of Modern Medicine, getting us to the moon, driving cars, technology etc. But it was because of Science why social Darwinist ideologies of the 19th century developed that was used as a part of the New Imperialism of that late 1800s, as an excuse to justify systems like Apartheid in South Africa, as well as the sterilization of the indigenous population in the United States and Canada. It was Science that gave Hitler the technology to build the gas chambers. It was Science that gave us nuclear weapons that killed 100,000 people in Japan, left many with radiation poisoning, and plunged the world into a nuclear arms race under the doctrine of mutually assured destruction. It was Science that gave us chemical weapons that dictators like Saddam Hussein and Bashar Al Asad used to gas their own people. So this ideal that if we just replaced religion with science the world would be a better place is nonsense.
I agree: we shouldn't be angry with people like Bill Maher for constructing terrible arguments, we should be angry at ourselves for not knowing how to answer them!
Peter McGowan bill maher outside of his own show is really not that great of an apologist. he is a bit of a bully on his show. cutting replies short; pulling out pre-made lists to grill an unsuspecting guest....etc etc. If/when he debates in a neutral forum, many christian apologists show him for what he is, a comedian who isnt all that funny.
Peter McGowan You just saying something very true we should be shame of our self for not know how to defend our Catholic faith,I star working in changing that on my Family,and love the results.now I can talk about my faith,but still needs a lot more to learn.
I think that I just made a connection with what Bishop Barron just said here, many people commonly say of university education that the whole point of it is not to teach people what to think but rather HOW to think. Seems like the same is true for the Bible.
Father, have you ever considered doing an AMA on Reddit? I'm sure /r/Christianity would love to have the opportunity to ask you about Catholicism or Christianity in general.
Hollis Muenster My comment was directed @Olver Kleinman however, that said, I would not consider myself an idiot nor do I consider anyone else an idiot. We're all at different stages in our learning journey. Speaking to people who have different perceptions and opinions that you hold is good.
Bible says " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen. " And " Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God."
What about Muslim faith, Mormon faith, Jewish faith, the universe of faiths that directly contradict Catholicism? Are they infra- or supra-rational? Are they authentic? Who would tell a rabbi or a mufti that his faith is a sacrifice of the intellect?
Jack Landwehr Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus if I don't mistake. And they deny that he was even crucified. And I'm pretty sure they consider their faith to be more rational then Christianity. Seems to me that what's rational depends who you ask.
If you read the documents of Vatican II you'll see that the Catholic Church acknowledges that God reveals himself in other religions. Look at the formation of Catholic priests who are well read in Plato and Aristotle, people who were not Catholic, Christian, or even of an Abrahamic religion, but yet we acknowledge that they reveal truths about God. The teaching of the Church is that what they reveal about God can be true, but incomplete without Jesus. This is why much of what we do as a Church is taken from pre-Christian Paganism. The Church didn't see it as evil, what the Church kept it saw as good. Watch Fr. Robert Barron's episode from Catholicism where he is in the Pantheon, which now a church.
This is the old Enlightenment argument that since religions disagree with one another, there is no truth in any religion. But this doesn't follow at all: we disagree all the time about politics and art, for instance, but this doesn't mean for an instant that there is no objective truth in these arenas. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity agree on lots and lots of things. In regard to the disagreements, I propose that we have a good argument--and not that we give up on religion.
Hi Bishop Robert Barren, we need more information about Catholic church and current challenges it faces from the catholic priests and Bishops through RU-vid.
I admire Fr Barron but I'm a little surprised that he would even bother to comment on the likes of the old and worn out protestations of the likes of Maher. His arguments are so old. He can't comprehend that the collections of scripture are often poetic and allegorical like most writing throughout history. Still the truth of mankind's growing understanding over thousands of years permeates the scriptures and is finally fulfilled through Christ, just as Isiah prophesied. In my own small world I've managed to accomplish a few things. Raising a family, running a business and teaching high school and college. None of it compares to to the simple yet profound experience of coming to an encounter with Christ. I've been both rich and poor throughout the years but I've been growing in my gratitude for the steadfast unconditional love of Christ despite my own failings. I don't thin I could sustain a fantasy of Christ's love for more than forty years. I can't deny the reality of my experience despite the tough times and poverty.
+Joseph Dowell Thanks for your comment. I was recently impressed by a philosopher/theologian from England, Keith Ward. He said that all his studies, education, writings and debates haven't compared to his initial and most basic experience of the most personal experience and encounter with Christ. This has proven to hold true for me. Paul
+paul newsome its good he comments on these issues and many others because a lot of people are being miss led into thinking there is no God or that the church is wrong and Fr Barron is countering that with helpful knowledge of how to respond to these ridiculous claims. It may be easy for you to refute this bill guy but to others they might need this for info to help them through there journey of faith. If it wasn't for Fr Barron and a few of the other apologetics I listen to I would of joined a protestant church not knowing the truth of the catholic church. But I understand where your coming from as well.
It's pretty simple actually, Mr. Reed is a Protestant which makes him a layman. He doesn't have a full grasp of Theology, he is a follower of an ideology which makes him extremely vulnerable to even basic attacks. Maher knows this.
I know Bishop Barron doesn't talk this way, but I can guarantee you that he would absolutely "clean Bill Maher's clock" in any discussion about faith, religion, the Bible, history, philosophy, culture, science, etc. :)
Dr. Michael Heiser (God rest his brilliant soul) helped me so much with divine inspiration of scripture. The men who wrote the Bible didn't go into psychic automatic writing sessions, their eyes rolling back in their heads. They didn't wake up the next day going, "whoa, I wrote that?" The Bible is 100% divine, but also 100% human, just like Jesus. This is a mature view on inspiration. I think Heiser called it "providential inspiration." God prepared those men their entire lives to write these things down. It wasn't an automatic download.
Nice reflection on the idiotic exchange between Maher and Reed. I had the same reaction when I saw the show. But I think it's also important to reflect on why Ralph Reed said so many incredibly dumb things. Surely the reason is political: his political ambitions require him to side firmly with the far right, and that means endorsing uncritically the most extreme forms of fundamentalist Protestantism. Fr. Barron's position is implicitly critical of fundamentalism, but unfortunately, as is always the case, he seems inexplicably reluctant to criticize openly those to his right, but reserves his scorn for those on his left, such as fools like Bill Maher. As the interview on Maher's show demonstrates, however, Ralph Reed is just as dangerous to authentic faith as is Bill Maher. Yes, I realize this video IS critical of Reed, but the critique needs to go deeper. Reed and Maher are flip sides of the same coin, and their views and actions deserve to be treated with equal contempt.
Fr. Robert Barron In my comment I was struggling to express myself accurately -- to recognize that you were critical of Reed but to suggest that Reed and Maher are equally destructive of faith. So yes, I misspoke when I used the word "implicitly." Your video, despite being explicitly critical of Reed, praises him at the beginning and makes no attempt to discern why he says such anti-Christian things. Maher says such things because of his anti-religious bigotry, and you say so. But why does Reed say what he says? On that question you are silent -- and, it appears, deliberately so. And that is where my critique lies.
To understand the bible it takes time, and patience. I pretty sure the guy just took out some pieces from the bible, and didn't give a crap. I always knew that you can't take the bible literally, and it's not straightforward as you think it would be. Unfortunately there's a lot of people who take the bible in the wrong way.
Well said, Father Barron. Yet again you succinctly describe the topic of faith in a way I wish I could when confronted by the same type of anti-religious bias.
Dream on, friend! The Catholic Church is growing world wide--and is doing so by leaps and bounds in Africa and Asia. Get your nose out of the New York Times and see the picture beyond the Western world.
Fr. Robert Barron Just like a priest- telling others how to live their lives. The funniest part? The burden of proof rests on the religious, because you are the ones making claims without evidence. All nonbelievers are doing is denouncing what you have unjustly proposed. The time has come that the clergy has come to meet its maker- the future. Your unjustified make-believe has been given, quite shamefully, importance over the course of history. The fact of the matter is that you are living a farce, yet the ones who denounce such farces are actually criminalized instead of rewarded. It is a most backwards, fucked up state of affairs. And how DARE you further these state of affairs by shaming Paxx23, saying his/her remark is culturally arrogant. You aren't a 'father'. You are a sham and a disgrace to the human species by propagating an institution of farce and nonsense- a defilement of noble scientists who allowed you the ability to use this technology you use to communicate. All you are is a carbon-based organism wearing a pretentious gown. News flash- your religion and the others have been in rapid decline and they are about dead. Thank science for that- it's coming pretty goddamn quick, and your organic ass will be side-by-side with the bottom of the social class hierarchy- right where it belongs, because you have offered nothing but lies to society. That vanishing untaxed income of yours along with the unwarranted prestige that places you 'above' others is RIGHTFULLY being confiscated from your organic possession. You also owe Paxx23 a sincere apology.
Sage Mantis I apologize on behalf of any Christians who have harmed you but Paxx23 is wrong and is extremely culturally biased. The growth Fr. Barron mentioned was going strong under Pope Benedict, a European pope, and is simply continuing. Paxx also gave me the impression they felt uneducated people don't count as much as Americans, which certainly comes off as arrogant.
Thank you Fr. Barron. To God be the Glory! What struck me today about your commentary is about how we interpret the Bible and how its totality projects our existence. The example that was given by Maher is slavery. Yes we do not deny slavery as stated in the Bible and that it actualy happened. But the most omprtant thing is, is that what God want us to do???? That's the question. Is that the teaching of the church? or the teachings of the Bible? ....Some thoughts to ponder about our faith and being Catholic. Thanks again!
