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Posts Tagged ‘Protestant’

Vatican praises The Simpsons

March 17, 2010 3 comments

I’m not a huge fan of The Simpsons, but I just watched a episode about Bart going to Catholic school called “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star.” [S16E21] In the classic Simpsons’ satire, Bart & Homer become Catholic while Protestant Marge tries to bring them back. WOW! A great episode to use with high school discussion groups. This episode touches on all kinds of questions about faith and religion (and there’s lots of paintball in it, too!).

I also found an article about the Vatican praising The Simpsons show.

Animated US television show, The Simpsons has gathered praise from the Roman Catholic Church for their “realistic” way of dealing with religion and spreading happiness among viewers. An article published in the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano has lauded the long-running show, insisting “many today wouldn’t know how to laugh” if the series hadn’t been aired, reported Contactmusic.

The newspaper story thanked the show’s producers for depicting family patriarch Homer’s struggle with his own faith through its 20 years on the small screen. “Homer finds in God his last refuge, even though he sometimes gets His name sensationally wrong. But these are just minor mistakes, after all; the two know each other well,” the article said. The story also insisted that The Simpsons success is due to its “realistic and intelligent writing”.

The same newspaper had recently paid tribute to ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, for highlighting the “sacrifice” needed for good to triumph over evil.

WOW! Who would think The Simpsons would be watched at the Vatican?  What next, Family Guy?

Categories: 02 RESOURCES, 03 CATHOLIC CHURCH, catechesis, CCD, religious education, Catholic, Pope, Protestant, TV, Uncategorized, video Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CSS Bible study on Romans

September 16, 2009 Leave a comment

CCS_Romans_coverTonight was the first night of a 25 week Bible study on the book of Romans that a friend told me about.  It is a strictly Catholic group study by Catholic Scripture Study International.  The $50 individual registration comes with a binder of lessons and study sheets.  The weekly study involves facilitator guiding us through the teachings, DVD’s and individual sharing homework answers.  This study of Romans is written by Scott Hahn, a well renown Catholic convert.

The book of Romans is probably the single most disputed Biblical book between Catholics and Protestants. This book written by St. Paul is the book from which Martin Luther built his doctrine of “justification by faith alone”. Luther twisted St. Paul’s words to fit his own false teaching and even added (in his Lutheran Bible) the word “alone” to Romans 3:28 in his attempt to further enhance his doctrine of “Sola Fide” (meaning that by faith alone we are saved).

There are over 100 participants in my area.  The study is done at two Catholic parishes: St Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Southwest Ranches, FL and St Bernadette Parish in Hollywood, FL.

Monday … 8:45am to 10:15am … @ St Bernadette Parish
Wednesday … 7:30pm to 9:00pm … @ St Mark Parish
Thursday … 8:45am to 10:15am … @ St Mark Parish
Thursday … 3:30pm to 5:00pm … @ St Mark Parish

— There’s about 30+ in the Wednesday night class so far.  I’m excited.

Categories: Bible Study Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

time & space

June 20, 2007 3 comments

Chuck MisslerSome scientific notes I took from the first 2 audio sessions “Learn the Bible in 24 Hours” by Chuck Missler (protestant fundamentalist) to help me understand some concepts of time & space.  (For an excellent 24 hour Catholic Bible study, check out Jeff Cavins’ The Great Adventure).  I hope I don’t mis-paraphrase any points:

(*) Despite many misconceptions, we have concluded within the past century, that “the universe, time, length & mass are finite, NOT infinite“.  Time is subject to gravitational forces.

(*) “Twin Astronauts, part 1.”  1 astronaut travels to Alpha Centauri (the next closest star to the Sun 4.5 lightyears away) at HALF the speed of light, 9 years one way + 9 years back = 18 years.  However, the traveling twin is 2 years & 9 months younger than the other.

(*) “Twin Astronauts, part 2.”  If 1 astronaut travels to Alpha Centauri at the speed of light, 9 years + 9 year = 18 years.  However, the traveling twin only aged 46 days.  Wow! 

(*) “Eternity IS NOT lots of time.”  Therefore, God (eternal) is outside the dimensionality of time altogether.  We see time as a series of events, like watching a parade pass by.  God uses his ability to be outside of time to send us a message and authenticate it by fullfulling prophecy.

(*) Space is NOT an empty vacuum.

(*) The ability to “bend time” may be seen in Hebrews 1:12 & Isaiah 34:4 when created things (like skies, heavens, earth) will be “rolled up” like a scroll or cloak, and “will be changed.  But you are the same, and your years will never end.”  Interesting.

Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) (1954)(*) There are actually 10 dimension, but we can only conceptualize 4 of them.  Hyperspaces (spaces in more than 3 dimensions) can only be visualized by 2 types of people, well trained mathematicians and small children (WHAT?). 

(*) The only known visual of a 4th dimension is seen in Salvador Dali’s 1954 Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) by using a tesseract.  (I’m getting a headache staring at the picture looking for the 4th dimension) 

There are several other tidbits of facts.  These are just a few that jumped out at me.

Categories: audio, Bible Study, Protestant Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,