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Misattribution of Blame via Falsehood and Deceitful Reasoning

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Painting: Martyrdom of St. Lucy One day, as I wandered through the X-verse, I came across a pro-choice conservative commentator, Tomi Lahren, arguing against anti-abortion laws on the basis of safety. Her claim was that abortion should remain legally permissible so that women would not be forced to seek unsafe, black-market alternatives. Needing a break but still wanting to stretch my logical muscles, I decided to analyze this argument. The Argument Summarized The law takes away safe means for me to kill my child. I have to kill my child. Therefore, the law takes away my safety for something I have to do. Or, more precisely and explicitly the Formalized Argument: Premises Related to Anti-Abortion Laws and Their Supporters P1: All those responsible for anti-abortion laws are supporters of anti-abortion laws. P2: All supporters of anti-abortion laws believe murder is never justified. P3: All who believe murder is never justified believe abortion is never justified. Premises Related to Ab...
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Freedom, Morality, and Purity of Heart

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  “We firmly believe, and hence we hope that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives forever, so after death the righteous will live forever with the risen Christ and He will raise them up on the last day  (Jn. 6:39-40).  Our resurrection, like His own, will be the work of the Most Holy Trinity. ‘If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit who dwells in you’ (Rom 8:11; cf. 1 Thess. 4:14; 1 Cor. 6:14; 2 Cor. 4:14; Phil. 3:10-11) .”[ 1] Three things that seem to keep most people from a truly organic interpretation of natural law as it applies to sexual matters are that 1) we are destined for something, 2) there is a divine content to human dignity, and 3) grace can help us in the struggle. 1. “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love. He destined us for adoption as His chil...
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Confession: The Call to Forgiveness Pt. 2

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Continued from  Carruthers, Carter. "Confession: The Call to Forgiveness Pt. 1" Vivat Agnus Dei, March 9, 2025. https://vivatagnusdei.blogspot.com/2025/03/confession-call-to-forgiveness-pt-1.html. Third, what does God's forgiveness consist of? This is a much tougher question because, for humans, forgiveness only means appealing the case to God ( Psalm 103:10-12 ). God is the just judge; He is not swayed by favoritism toward sin ( Deuteronomy 10:17, Acts 10:34-35 ). He comes to His judgment seat loving both parties ( Wisdom 11:24-26, Romans 5:8 ). Perhaps, then, the question is not "What will God do?" but "What is God's ultimate design?" ( Ephesians 1:9-10 ). In our pain, we can only see juridical contrariety, but God is not interested in punishment—He is interested in salvation from sin, its reality, and its effects ( Ezekiel 33:11, John 3:17 ). His hopes are not suffering, but healing, love, and communion ( Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Timothy 2:4 ). If, by ...
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Confession: The Call to Forgiveness Pt. 1

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Apologies that this will be a long post, but it is a big topic. I have heard this question twice from people in my life, and I have also found myself on the other side of it. So, to paraphrase in a more pointed way:  "How, in God's good justice, can He forgive you for hurting me—especially when I do my best to abide by His rules and love Him—while, when something befalls me, I am told to forgive and surrender it, yet He just forgives?"  A loaded question, no doubt! In fact, it echoes the Epicurean philosophy of the day—one that everyone condemns when it is used against them, yet many justify when they themselves seek to be forgiven. So, let’s answer it. However, I must say there are misconceptions embedded in this question, which means we will need to consider multiple aspects. This requires nuance—something often undesirable when suffering is already present. Let’s break this down and examine it properly by separating the question into broader inquiries: What is the real...
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Fostering Hope and Evangelization Among Youth

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How can we as Church and parish be inspired by the virtue of hope exemplified by young people? What virtues, habits and practices will help us to accompany young people as they take up their call and go out to serve the world? The Church must embrace the hope and vitality of young people by taking their struggles and questions seriously, offering compassionate guidance, and witnessing to the Christian life as both a relationship with God and a battle for holiness. In turn, older generations can be renewed by the faith and innocence of youth, fostering a reciprocal journey toward truth and evangelization. 1. Hope in Youth As older folks, we should be inspired by the newness of efforts they put forth which speak to the reality of struggle. Indeed, what Christ says concerning youth is striking. “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”, don’t lead them astray, and “unless you change and become like childr...
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Educating for Relationship: An Approach to Youth Ministry

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Christ invites us into communion with Himself and others, and today’s culture, often marked by isolation and brokenness, challenges achieving this communion. Our sins and attachments restrain us from healthy communion. As ministers to the youth (young adults to the learning toddlers), we should aspire to both live out of our relationship with Jesus and teach our understanding of what the Church has to offer in terms of communion. Contemporary youth face cultural pressures like social media and self-gratification that prioritize instant validation or enjoyment over authentic relationships, often resulting in isolation and a lack of relational depth. Youth ministry must therefore provide a counter-cultural space for authentic, discipleship-focused communion. [1] Effective youth ministry requires a relational approach that combines discipleship, empathy for youth’s unique struggles, and loving discipline, guiding them in social-emotional learning and the joy, truth, goodness, and beau...
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A Catholic Evaluation of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

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Every approach to therapy is based on a particular theoretical interpretation of empirical evidence and experiences, it seems to me one should approach such theory much the same way the Catholic Church understands other religious frameworks and science. Namely, “The Catholic Church rejects nothing true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.”[1] Similarly, my practice and evaluation of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (and its variants), or any other form of therapy, does not claim that it alone is true while others are false. Rather, it acknowledges the truth found in the diverse anthropological perspectives within psychological theories. Together, these provide a cohesive and yet multifaceted understanding of human nature: recognizing man as broken and...
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