A School for Beginners

We’ve all done it. We get on Facebook or Twitter, make a comment and the battle begins.  We try to explain our position further, but if we’re not careful, things get out of control rather quickly. We can’t explain why other than we want to prove our point. We think our position is straightforward, but someone else does not, especially when it’s a controversial topic or our opinion isn’t so popular. No matter how many ways we try to explain ourselves, some people simply don’t get it. They’re stuck in their opinion. The battle ends and we feel frustrated. Why does this scenario happen thousands of times a day? What is it about social media and our own human nature that makes this so easy to fall into? Even the briefest scan of salvation history shows us very clearly how prone we are to pride. Pride is the chief sin underlying all sins. To varying degrees, we are all self-obsessed, we are egotists. Social media platforms are places where vanity can easily take over ...

On New Year's Eve, a small Chinese woman grabbed the hand of Pope Francis who in turn slapped hers twice in order to free himself. The look on his face was visibly angry. The video has gone viral. It seems that no one is without commentary either in defense or in outrage against Pope Francis. There seems to be no middle ground. Those who defend Francis primarily use the argument that he is old and frail. The woman in question should not have grabbed him and pulled him so forcefully. Both these statements I agree with. Yet to say that Francis was completely justified in his reaction is to ignore his larger pattern. The list of examples demonstrating his anger and contempt toward faithful Catholics is far too long. He has a history that is disturbing. He attacks traditional Catholics as having a mental disorder. He ignores the concerns of the faithful while granting audiences to those who are openly against Catholic teaching. He fails to deny that he holds heretical positions. ...

In light of the moral and cultural decline in Western Civilization, and America in particular, the debate on whether and how to ban pornography has been renewed. Prominent personalities, such as Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Timothy Gordon, have given their arguments in favor of such a ban over the past few weeks. Tim Gordon in particular, with his brother David, gave their opinions on this moral issue in a recent episode of Rules for Retrogrades . Firstly, it should be obvious that I am vehemently in favor of banning pornography. It is intrinsically evil. It makes men stupid, weak, and impotent animals. The fact that previous attempts to ban pornography have been struck down as unconstitutional, as a violation of “freedom of expression,” is a moral stain for which God shall judge America. Ironically, it’s partially true following the logic, or rather illogic, of “liberty” upon which this country was founded. The above points, save for the last, are those u...