CATHOLIC POSITION

An Explanation of Fr. Serpa's words on "Mother of God"

2016-01-15T09:20:00.001+08:00

by R. de la Rosa Fr. Serpa, O.P. said: "[When] we say that Mary is the mother of God. Again, it is appropriate to say this in so far as we mean that SHE IS THE MOTHER OF HIS HUMAN NATURE and not His divine nature." Similarly, Bishop Louise Morrow said: "Because there is but one person, it is true to say that God died for us (though ONLY HIS HUMAN NATURE DIED), or that Mary is the mother of

A Discussion with Don Paez on God’s Knowledge of the Future

2014-09-14T07:39:00.000+08:00

Don Paez tagged my name in an FB thread where he was discussing with some theists concerning our oral debate last year. The specific topic was about whether the future is an actual infinite in the mind of God. There is good reason why Don is confident to talk about this topic since during our oral debate, I seemingly failed to addressed this particular objection. Don asked the question

The “Malicious-Protestant” Fallacy: Protestant Logic 101

2014-04-30T09:38:00.000+08:00

The “Malicious-Protestant” fallacy is similar to other more common fallacies such as Non-Sequitur, Ignoratio Elenchi and Missing the Point. This fallacy is committed when one concludes or implies that a particular doctrine or practice is false, pagan, or evil because the name, circumstance, and history of that doctrine or practice/custom can be derived or associated to a pagan teaching or

The Atheists’ Last Stand

2014-04-04T14:54:00.000+08:00

Below is how atheists will ultimately argue for their position when all their arguments are proven to be wrong. This is based on my experience of personally debating atheists. The following is a summary of the Cosmological Argument (CA) and how atheists will make their last stand against it. + + + The CA starts with an observation that the physical/natural order is in time. And what is

The Eternal Universe and Science

2014-02-20T10:54:00.000+08:00

by Redentor de la Rosa At the end of his article The Eternal Universe, Garrick Bercero, former president of the Filipino Freethinkers, said: It was perhaps impossible to have been an intellectually satisfied atheist until the discovery of relativity and quantum mechanics. The refutation of the Kalam heavily depends on the evidence that supports these theories. Wow, that’s amazing! At last

Why we can’t prove December 25 as the birth of Jesus Christ (UPDATED)

2013-12-10T16:12:00.002+08:00

We really don't have a good evidence for the accuracy of Dec 25. As a matter of fact, the Church never ever claimed that Dec 25 is really the date of Christ's birth. The old (1917) Catholic Encyclopedia refuted the opinion that Dec 25 can be proven using the Bible by counting from Zachary's service in the temple (Luke 1: 5-20). This way of proving Dec 25 can easily be refuted through a

How to Defend Papal Infallibility: An Exchange with Gerald P. Soliman on Private Judgment and Sola Scriptura

2013-11-26T08:49:00.000+08:00

Introduction I am thankful to Gerald P. Soliman for giving me an opportunity to write a defense explaining why the Pope's Infallibility is necessary to the Christian faith and why the Protestant doctrine, Sola Scriptura or "Bible alone," is a false teaching, not to mention, a shallow one. Gerald Soliman is considered by many as the best Protestant apologist in the country today, and I certainly

Can the Universe be Infinite and Eternal? On the Irrationality of Atheism

2013-11-12T10:26:00.001+08:00

Introduction This is a discussion between me and an atheist who appealed to the theory that the universe can be eternal or infinite. As I have argued here, God is the ONLY plausible and rational explanation for the existence of the entire physical/natural order and that the explanations provided by atheists, like an infinite and eternal universe and the “universe from nothing” theory are

Is Giving Alms an act of Generosity or still a Duty?

2013-10-25T13:31:00.003+08:00

The principle of universal destination of goods states that owing to their sacred dignity, the goods of the earth must be enjoyed by every individual person. The dignity of every individual person is infinite because it is a spiritual dignity – a dignity which transcends all material valuation. Hence, it is but right and just that every person be able to have what is at least necessary for his

The Meaning of Scandal

2013-10-14T21:58:00.000+08:00

In the month of May, 2010, a call center agent was arrested by the Manila police for posting a sex video on Facebook (a social networking site). He was charged with violation of the Republic Act 9995 or the “Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009”. This law was passed after the sex videos scandal of Hayden Kho. Today, the word, scandal, assumed a slightly, though analogously, different

Pope Francis on Conscience, Atheists and Salvation

2013-09-16T20:12:00.007+08:00

As expected, many are confused with these statements of Pope Francis: “The question for those who do not believe in God is to abide by their own conscience. There is sin, also for those who have no faith, in going against one's conscience. To listen to and to obey it means, in fact, to decide in face of what is PERCEIVED as good or evil. And on this decision pivots the goodness or malice of

How Reasonable is Theistic Belief?

2013-09-11T23:28:00.005+08:00

Many atheists and even theists have the impression that the arguments for the existence of God employed by theists are arguments to prove the existence of God. But this is a wrong impression. Theists who understand their arguments know that the arguments for God’s existence are in no way arguments proving the existence of God. To prove the existence of God is impossible. What the arguments

A Response to Fr. Joel Tabora on the RH Law

2013-08-25T20:52:00.001+08:00

First, I’d like to say that I agree with almost all the observations made by Fr. Tabora on RA 10354 in his blog, “Under the RH Law (RA 10354), the Catholic MustChoose.” For instance, I find it also remarkable “how much care the legislators of RA 10354 provide for our citizens’ fidelity to religious conviction.” As a matter of fact, the first time I read the law, I had the impression that the law

A Debate against a Freethinker Physicist on God

2013-08-24T21:54:00.000+08:00

I happened to have a discussion with someone who said that he is a physicist by profession. He is a freethinker and atheist. In blue are his words; mine are in black. The initials, MAM, refer to him; while the initials, RDR, refer to me. His first post: If Atheists cannot explain the existence of the world then it is therefore valid that we should dwell with a supernatural? If I cannot

Jemy Gatdula on Contraception: Some Notes (with a Reply to Ramon Gitamondoc)

2013-03-26T12:06:00.000+08:00

I believe it helpful to write some notes on the article of Jemy Gatdula since it raised important points which are similar to mine. In fact, the first time I read Jemy’s article, I have the impression that he “plagiarized” many of my ideas. I am glad that someone from the pro-life group in the caliber of Jemy is giving an extra mile to study the topic on contraception and not like other

The Catholic Teaching on Predestination and Reprobation

2013-01-11T08:46:00.001+08:00

Contrary to the impressions of many, Catholic theology actually has the doctrines of Predestination and Reprobation. Predestination in Catholic understanding (at least how Thomists interpret the diverse declarations of the Church) means that God determined the number of those who will be saved, and only those who were determined (the elect) will be saved and nothing else, without regard to

Exposing and Refuting the Heresy of Isahel Alfonso (UPDATED)

2012-12-18T14:04:00.001+08:00

Background and Introduction Below is an article which I have written as a reply to Isahel Alfonso's article on his blog entitled, A Response to Redentor de la Rosa. Upon reading his article, I realized that we have the same position with regards to essentials. Hence, I was surprised why he defended Fr. Abe before. It’s either he doesn’t understand the position of Fr. Abe or he changed his

A Reply to Ramon Gitamondoc

2012-10-23T17:59:00.003+08:00