This sort of thing is very important. Many people say that Islam or Evangelicalism are simpler to explain, and that's why they do well. Well, they are indeed simpler to explain than the Catholic faith, but that doesn't mean they're true - it also doesn't mean we shouldn't try to explain things simply. Your emphasis on the four "essential" dogmas is important too – all are essential implicitly, but these being essential explicitly.
This was my attempt at something even simpler before (acknowledging there is a need for a wide variety of "levels" of simplicity and explanation):
A summary like this is important, nice work. People like Ray Kurzweil think the "singularity" (machines becoming self aware with the constant improvements to AI and similar technologies) will make all of this irrelevant. Sadly, an increasingly secular Western population readily believes this without a moment of consideration - almost eagerly.
As a Christian, I agree with nearly all of the above, but I struggle to understand the concept of Mary being without original sin, which is one of my reservations about Catholicism. She is fully human, and thus doesn’t make her exempt from the sin that is passed down from Adam and Eve. When quoting from Genesis, following into Genesis 3:16, isn’t God talking to Eve when he says ‘the woman’. If Mary is without sin, doesn’t that break the fact that all man is with sin, thus reducing God’s status of purity above man?
I’m open to criticism and learning more about this.
God preserved the Blessed Virgin Mary from original sin at the moment of her conception. To doubt God was capable of doing that means doubting His omnipotence.
And Mary was the Second Eve. Clearly there was no enmity between Eve and Satan because she had already been successfully tempted by him.
This sort of thing is very important. Many people say that Islam or Evangelicalism are simpler to explain, and that's why they do well. Well, they are indeed simpler to explain than the Catholic faith, but that doesn't mean they're true - it also doesn't mean we shouldn't try to explain things simply. Your emphasis on the four "essential" dogmas is important too – all are essential implicitly, but these being essential explicitly.
This was my attempt at something even simpler before (acknowledging there is a need for a wide variety of "levels" of simplicity and explanation):
https://www.wmreview.org/p/catholic-faith-explained
A summary like this is important, nice work. People like Ray Kurzweil think the "singularity" (machines becoming self aware with the constant improvements to AI and similar technologies) will make all of this irrelevant. Sadly, an increasingly secular Western population readily believes this without a moment of consideration - almost eagerly.
Hi Will,
As a Christian, I agree with nearly all of the above, but I struggle to understand the concept of Mary being without original sin, which is one of my reservations about Catholicism. She is fully human, and thus doesn’t make her exempt from the sin that is passed down from Adam and Eve. When quoting from Genesis, following into Genesis 3:16, isn’t God talking to Eve when he says ‘the woman’. If Mary is without sin, doesn’t that break the fact that all man is with sin, thus reducing God’s status of purity above man?
I’m open to criticism and learning more about this.
God preserved the Blessed Virgin Mary from original sin at the moment of her conception. To doubt God was capable of doing that means doubting His omnipotence.
And Mary was the Second Eve. Clearly there was no enmity between Eve and Satan because she had already been successfully tempted by him.