annalex

Older links
The Tragedy of the Commons
Ralph Reed's Real Agenda
Interview With R.J. Rushdoony
Can We Legislate Morality?
Rerum Novarum [1-15, Man and Property]
Rerum Novarum [16-30, The Church, the Rich, and the Poor]
Rerum Novarum [31-47, The State]
Rerum Novarum [48 - End, The Civil Society]
Morality and the Law in Moses Maimonides
Question 90. The essence of law
The Mathematical Principles of Natural Rights
Intellectual Property Rights In a Free Society
Who Should Pay for Science?
Freedom and War
Libertarianism and the Public Square

Newer posts

Al-Azhar – The Vatican Official apologies demanded
Help Build a Datab[a]se of Prolife Physicians
POPE'S DEATH AND CATHOLICISM'S PROSPECTS IN RUSSIA
The Protoevangelium of James
Filioque
Limbo
Indulgences: Spreading the Wealth
Merit
St. Irenaeus on Free Will (Adversus Haereses IV,37)
The Spiritual Exercises: The Incarnation (Second Week First Day)
The Spiritual Exercises: The Nativity
The Spiritual Exercises: AS TO EATING
Man to build Catholics-only town
Why Is the End of the World Inevitable?
On Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition
Communion of Saints
Anti-Catholicism, Hypocrisy and Double Standards
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part I: Darkness
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part II: Doubts
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part III: Tradition and Church
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part IV: Crucifix and Altar
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part V: The Catholics and the Pope
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part VI: The Biblical Reality
His Open Arms Welcomed Me
Catholic Conversion Stories & Resources
Full Text Of Pope's La Sapienza's Speech
Bishop Aquila's Address on Absolutes in Life Issues

Cur Deus Homo Annotated
Cur Deus Homo I-III
Cur Deus Homo III-V
Cur Deus Homo VI-VIII: Is God Omnipotent and Wise?
Cur Deus Homo IX-X: Did The Father Wish Christ To Die?
Cur Deus Homo XI-XIV: God's Honor, Compassion, and Justice
Cur Deus Homo XV-XVIII: Men and Angels, Perfection and Election
Cur Deus Homo XIX-XX: No Satisfaction
Cur Deus Homo XXI-XXIII: Enormity of Sin
Cur Deus Homo XXIV-XXV: Unhappiness of Man
Cur Deus Homo Book Second I-IV: Holy, Happy Man
Cur Deus Homo Book Second V-VII: The Necessity of God-Man
Cur Deus Homo Book Second VIII: The Necessity of the Virgin Mary
Cur Deus Homo Book Second IX-X: The Sinless Word
Cur Deus Homo Book Second XI: Christ Chose To Die
Cur Deus Homo Book Second XII-XV: Christ's Death Removes Sin
Cur Deus Homo Book Second XVI: Christ, Mary, Adam, Eve
Cur Deus Homo Book Second XVII-XVIII(a): Will and Necessity
Cur Deus Homo Book Second XVIII(b): Debt and Freedom
Cur Deus Homo Book Second XIX - XXII: The Precious Gift

Of interest

How Catholicism Is Different - THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ISN'T JUST ANOTHER "DENOMINATION" (Scriptural references to the Church's defining controversies)
The Catholic Religion Proved By The Protestant Bible
More scriptural references
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
The New Testament: In Medio Ecclesiae
St. Peter and Rome
Is Europe Dying?
Medieval Mistakes (Excellent commentary by Dionysiusdecordealcis and Jo Kus on free will; the article itself is not interesting)
Back to the Beginning: A Brief Introduction to the Ancient Catholic Church
The Liberalism of John Paul II
DIVINE REVELATION
The Dark Side of Christianity
A History of The Inquisition
The New Inquisition: Spanish Inquisition does not live up to reputation of injustice
www.CatholicEducation.org
The Early Church Fathers on The Church
The Early Church Fathers on Purgatory
Luther and Erasmus: The Controversy Concerning the Bondage of the Will

The Holy Ghost is given to the Church first: 216 and on, 661, 790, 1395;
The Trail of Blood myth: 427;
Free will in the Scripture: 501, 956, 972, 1835, 1995, 3687, 3689 (fathers);
Free will and Sovereign God: 956, 972, 1066, 1643, 1968, 3052, 3687;
Augustine and predestination: 1001, 1549;
Sin, grace, hope, charity: 562, 1474;
Necessity of Atonement: 10621;
Orthodox and Catholics close: 574, 580, 586, 605, 802 and on, 1796, 2155, 2476;
Orthodox and Catholics not that close: 3752, 5545, 5580, 5916, 7116, 7131;
Apostolic Church and Messianic Judaism: 5327, 5339, 5372, 5373, 5479, 12315;
East and West's theological traditions: 1724;
Necessity of sacraments: 947, 948;
Necessity of good works: 1058, 2200, 2218, 2302, 7311, 11458 (what "saves");
Trusting the Church and Apostolic Succession: 970, 1225, 1796, 8825; 10338
The Christian Canon: 2024, 2060, 2104, 3973, 5319;
Tradition and Scripture: 2428, 2741, 4882, 5224, 5812;
Christian mysticism: 1102 and on;
Error of Luther: 1557, 1834, 1988, 2033, 2107;
Error of Calvin: 2679, 4320, 4370, 8676 (*);
Defects of King James Version: 1194, 1760, 4713-4715, 6384, 6932;
Is mankind cursed: 1827, 1901; 5317
Mary sinless and ever virgin; Immaculate conception: 2246, 2310, 2317, 2451, 2459, 2612, 2707, 2801, 2802, 2982, 5916, 6099;
Intercessory prayer: 1837, 1904, 5588;
Purgatory and the Last Things: 1837, 1904, 1989;
Confession and Holy Orders: 4516;
Liberal Biblical scholarship: 6599;
Papal Infallibility: 12582

This thread, 'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children mostly rehashes the Erasmus thread with a somewhat different set of participants. Of special note are posts on the importance of the Septuagint: 7207, 7405, 7414, 8277. Also see, on that topic, Southern Baptist Pastor Leaves Everything for the Eucharist:145
_____
(*) This is my growing collection of posts on Calvin:
Calvin and 1 Cor 2
Calvin and 1 Tim 2
Calvin and Romans 5, 1 John 4
Calvin and 1 Cor. 5
Calvin and John 6, 1 Cor. 11, Luke 22

Easter 2008 Celebration
Anti-Catholicism, Hypocrisy and Double Standards
Hauled Aboard the Ark
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part I: Darkness
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part II: Doubts
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part III: Tradition and Church
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part IV: Crucifix and Altar
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part V: The Catholics and the Pope
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part VI: The Biblical Reality
His Open Arms Welcomed Me
Catholic Conversion Stories & Resources
My Personal Conversion Story
My (Imminent) Reception into the Roman Catholic Church
Catholics Come Home
My Journey of Faith
LOGIC AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF PROTESTANTISM
"What is Truth?" An Examination of Sola Scriptura
"Have you not read?" The Authority behind Biblical Interpretation
The Crisis of Authority in the Reformation
Our Journey Home
Our Lady’s Gentle Call to Peace
A story of conversion at the Lamb of God Shrine
Who is Mary of Nazareth?
Mary and the Problem of Christian Unity
Why I'm Catholic
A Convert's Response to Friends
My Story
Courage to Be Catholic
Finally Catholic! My Conversion to the Catholic Church
Southern Baptist Pastor Leaves Everything for the Eucharist
The Short Version (the Way International convert)
Shower of Roses-- An Independent, Fundamental Baptist Becomes Catholic Through Mary's Intecession
Confessions of a Catholic Convert
Alex Jones: the evangelical who became a Catholic deacon
A TRIUMPH AND A TRAGEDY
Women's Ordination Was Non-Negotiable
Catholic Mariology, Authority, and Various Other Qualms of Protestants Considering Conversion

Also see:
Sheep That Go Astray
Pope Benedict Goes to Washington Ecumenical Meeting at St. Joseph's Church, New York
Orthodox and Catholic Churches are allies, (Orthodox) Bishop Hilarion says
How to become a Catholic

Catholic Theology for Non-Catholics series

On Salvation Outside the Catholic Church
The Great Heresies
SALVATION PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
JUSTIFICATION IN CATHOLIC TEACHING
Hermits and Solitaries [Ecumenical]
THE PRIESTHOOD DEBATE
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MERIT
A Well-Rounded Pope [Ecumenical]
A Monastery to Last 1,000 Years [Ecumenical]
Explaining Purgatory from a New Testament Perspective [Ecumenical]
In the Crosshairs of the Canon [How We Got The Bible] [Ecumenical]
'An Ordinance Forever' - The Biblical Origins of the Mass [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Church Authority In Scripture [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Catholic Tradition: Life in the Spirit [Ecumenical]
Christian Atheism
Vatican plea to uncover Virgin Mary and show her breast-feeding baby Jesus
Why do Catholics have to confess their sins to a priest instead of praying straight to God? [Ecu]
Our Times: The Age of Martyrs
The Eucharist - the Lord's Sacrifice, Banquet and Presence
Beginning Catholic: Catholic Morality: Life in Christ [Ecumenical]
Chosen In Him: The Catholic Teaching on Predestination [Ecumenical]
The Sacraments [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: A Strong Start in the Faith: The Catholic RCIA Stages [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: The RCIA Inquiry Stage In the Catholic Church [Ecumenical]
Catholic Art
Evangelicals: Change of Heart toward Catholics
Beginning Catholic: The Creed Of The People Of God: The Essentials/Catholic Belief [Ecumenical]
An open letter to Mr. Stephen A. Baldwin, Actor, and “born again” Christian.
Beginning Catholic: Catholic Purgatory: What Does It Mean? [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: The Kingdom of God — Taking The Center Of Christ's Teaching Into The Heart Of Your Faith
The Language of Love
Beginning Catholic: The Essentials: Basic Catholic Prayers [Ecumenical]
Why Mary Appears/The Mariology Gap (Cath-Orth Caucus)
Beginning Catholic: How to Pray: A Catholic Guide to the Interior Life [Ecumenical]

About myself

I am a happily married man in early 50s, Catholic conservative. My political ideal is feudal society. This makes me a monarchist. I believe that modern forms of government are an understandable reaction to the excesses of absolute monarchies of 16-19c Europe. I would be happy if a constitutional republic were restored in America, but I don't think it is in the cards. Rather, this is what I think will happen. The end result will be good, but in the interim we should be prepared for some pain.

Eight Predictions

Attempts to restrain democracy with constitutional republicanism will not succeed. The modern democratic state will fail very soon, perhaps even during our lifetime.
The geographically compact capitalist enterprises will survive, at least inasmuch as they contribute to the material culture. That is, hardware, power, construction, transportation and agriculture. The entire cosmopolitan supernational money-changing pseudoeconomy will crash.
Security will be handled by an interlocking system of private security firms, insurance companies and neighborhood associations.
Men will nourish their spiritual needs by congregating into religiously, and often nationally homogeneous villages. We'll see Catholic villages, Lutheran villages, Muslim villages, and Agnostic trailer parks, all with ethnic flavors. Places of worship will become universal centers that also provide education and meeting place.
Consolidation of power will lead to expulsion of inassimilable minorities; the culturally compatible villages will develop trade and security relationship of trust.
A class of town elders and warlords will emerge. That will be the new aristocracy. Their children will have the natural advantage of proximity to power, and it will be easy for most of them to inherit power. Likewise, the educated class will ensure its own comfort and stability by making itself indispensable to power. Rights will come from property ownership and so will be primarily inherited rights or contractual rights. Political rights will for the most part atrophy due to irrelevance. At this point we will enter the New Feudal Society.
The public space will become property of the local warlord, first de-facto, because he is the owner of the security firm responsible for the public space, and then de-jure. These men will become new royalty and will distinguish themselves from other nobles, as they will have a responsibility for public order. They will preside in the royal court, and with time begin to appoint professional judges.
Unlike the Middle Ages, the New Feudal Society will heavily depend on trade, because, of course, the outward life styles won't change, and we still will have cars, computers, washing machines, the Internet and all that other stuff that will not be homegrown. This will ensure stability through mobility, as those dissatisfied with the local government will find opportunities elsewhere. This is different from the Middle Ages where the lower classes had to make do with whatever land lord they were born under. It is therefore possible that the New Feudal Society will not collapse into absolute monarchism in the way the medieval feudalism did.

Little Known Gospel Facts
This is a collection of particularly contorted interpretations of the Gospels that I have come across while defending the Catholic faith. Please send me your suggestions.
Mary in the Protestant Gospel
Christ teenage years were difficult. His mother Mary would not let him teach in the temple and asked him for miracles all the time. When Christ grew up, He paid her back by refusing to recognize her or other relatives.
Christ almost forgot to arrange for His mother to move in with John. Luckily, He remembered at the last possible moment as He was dying on the cross.
Peter in the Protestant Gospel
"Petros", masculine noun, means "tiny pebble" but "petra", feminine noun, means "big rock" in Greek (*).
The video of the Gospel of Matthew clearly shows Jesus taking a pebble form His shoe, then pointing to a big rock nearby, when talking to Peter.
Jesus was upset when He caught Peter fishing, so He told him to feed the sheep instead, and predicted his torturous death in order to further embarrass him.
What Christ taught
Jesus told parables about works of love and sacrifice to entertain the disciples while He was waiting for His death and resurrection. Now that we have been saved, we can ignore those fables.
Jesus did not want the rich young man to go to Heaven. He told him to obey the commandments and give his wealth to the poor in order to confuse him.
Jesus decided to give Peter a key, acting on an impulse. But quickly He realized His mistake, called him Satan instead, and kept the key.
(*) See, however, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

January 29, 2008