Something I’ve wondered about, especially with the recent conviction of Kermit Gosnell, is how Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and other pro-choice advocacy groups claim themselves as the guardians of women’s health, yet work to silence women who have been hurt by the procedures and speak out. How can they claim these positions even with well-documented cases of the facilities’ foul […]
Book Review: How NOT To Share Your Faith – The Seven Deadly Sins of Catholic Apologetics and Evangelization
In today’s world, Catholics should be able to cleverly and boldly defend their faith. However, with relativism and religious confusion running rampant, Catholic apologists and theologians face seemingly greater challenges than ever before. Christians, Catholics in particular, face higher levels of open hostility than in the past. Mark Brumley sheds light on what not to do in […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Suits and Menswear
Because There Are Some Things Guys Just Need To Know… With this entry, I’m taking a break from my usual commentaries and giving some very simple and practical advice to my half of the population. Given all the fashion faux paxs and interesting choices of attire at Mass I’ve seen, I’ve come to learn one […]
Marriage: Love Is A Choice
On the day that the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, my parents celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary. They did so by spending the whole day driving home after a week in Chicago filing paperwork for my grandmother, who passed away in April. Their marriage is one that society could really learn from. A few […]
The (Fake) War On Women: Taking Cecile Richards To Task
In March, Cecile Richards told the Huffington Post that there are some states where “it’s not safe to be a woman”, citing laws recently passed in North Dakota. “It’s almost like the November elections didn’t happen”, she claimed. I said in my previous post that Planned Parenthood is unique because their business drives the need. For other businesses, the reverse […]
True Lies and Beautiful [False] Attributions
“Preach the Gospel Always, And Put Words Into The Mouths Of Saints When Applicable.” One of my favorite quotes by St. Francis of Assisi is probably the only one you know. “Preach the gospel always, use words [only] when necessary.” I think it sums up a lot of the Christian ideal in many ways, particularly […]
The End Game of Gender-less Marriage
True story: Last month, there was a writers panel in Sydney, that addressed the topic of marriage. Titled tongue-in-cheek as “Why get married when you can be happy,” some of the participants tipped their cards rather tellingly on what the marriage re-definition issue is really about. The real winner of a quote comes from Masha […]
Gutenberg’s Contraption And The Nostrum of Sola Scriptura
At the end of the 15th century, mankind was hit with an invention that did more to shape culture, life and education over the next 500 years than any advancement prior, and arguably more than all other advancements combined. The printing press made the dissemination of information quick and easy, and relatively cheap. Book after […]
Genderless Marriage and Arguments from Emotion
Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good analogy, but this piece by Doug Mainwaring really did a great job, in my opinion, of summing up the totality of the public discourse over the possibility of same-sex marriage. He begins: In our sometimes misguided efforts to expand our freedom, selfish adults have systematically dismantled that […]
The Unfitness of Ideas: Contraceptive Mentalities and Natural Selection
Before the Supreme Court this week will be the question of “same-sex marriage.” The potential for a Roe v. Wade category of decision making is certainly there: a decision that may echo in American discourse for the next few generations, much as Roe is still. A branch of the federal government, the SCOTUS, has […]