And You Will Know The Truth How to Explain and Defend The Catholic Faith Sebastian R. Fama And You Will Know The Truth How to Explain and Defend The Catholic Faith Sebastian R. Fama Permission is hereby granted by the author to print, copy or distribute anything in this book. Additional copies of this book may be downloaded for free at www.StayCatholic.com/free_online_book.htm. Updated July 9, 2007 The Splendor of Truth Apostolate PO Box 181 Ansonia, CT 06401-0181 www.StayCatholic.com Table of Contents Introduction to The Essays - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1. Creationism or Evolution? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 2. The Bible - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 3. The Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 4. The Pope - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 5. Papal Infallibility - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 6. The Canon of Scripture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 7. Scripture Alone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 8. Tradition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 9. Justification - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 10. Baptism - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 11. The Mass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19 12. The Eucharist - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 13. Confession - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 14. Purgatory - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22 15. Indulgences - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23 16. Praying to saints - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25 17. Mary Ever-Virgin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26 18. The Immaculate Conception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27 19. The Assumption - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 28 20. The Rosary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 21. Statues and Holy Pictures - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 22. Scapulars, Medals and Relics - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31 23. Call no Man Father - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32 24. The Rapture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 33 25. Abstinence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 35 26. Contraception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 37 27. Natural Family Planning - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 39 28. Marriage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 40 29. Divorce and Remarriage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 42 30. Annulment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 43 31. Abortion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 44 32. Women’s Ordination - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 46 33. Traditionalists - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 47 34. The Words of Consecration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49 35. Salvation Outside the Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - 51 36. The Word of Faith Movement - - - - - - - - - - - - - 53 37. Jehovah’s Witnesses - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 55 38. Seventh Day Adventists - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 57 39. Mormons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 59 40. Freemasons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 61 i 41. Divination - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 63 42. Our Debt to the Catholic Church - - - - - - - - - - - 65 43. Knowledge is not Enough - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 67 Doctrinal Concordance of the Bible - - - - - - - - - - - - 68 Introduction to The Early Church Fathers - - - - - - - - 75 1. Creation Out of Nothing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 76 2. The Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 78 3. The Primacy of Peter/Rome - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 80 4. Peter’s Presence in Rome - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 82 5. Apostolic Succession - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 84 6. Tradition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 86 7. Justification - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 88 8. Baptism - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 90 9. The Mass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 92 10. The Real Presence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 94 11. Confession - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 96 12. Purgatory - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 98 13. Intercession of the Saints - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 14. Mary Ever-Virgin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 102 15. The Immaculate Conception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 104 16. The Assumption - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 106 17. The Mother of God - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 108 18. Contraception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 110 19. Divorce and Remarriage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 112 20. Salvation Outside the Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - 114 21. The Divinity of Christ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116 22. The Trinity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 118 23. Hell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120 24. Sabbath or Sunday? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 122 25. The Filioque Clause - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 124 How Old is Your Church? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 126 For Further Study - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 127 ii Introduction to the Essays Quite often those who object to Catholicism will do so on scriptural grounds. They claim the teachings of the Church are opposed to the teachings of the Bible. However, Scripture read in context fully supports Catholic teaching. The primary goal of my essays is to present the biblical case for Catholicism. I also refer to the writings of the Early Church Fathers. I do so in order to show that those who were taught by the Apostles believed and interpreted the Scriptures in the same way that the Catholic Church does today. I kept the essays short in the hope that skeptics would be more likely to read them. Feel free to copy and distribute anything in this book. Perhaps you are a skeptic. Perhaps you agree with those who say that the teachings of the Catholic Church are unbiblical. But have you ever examined the evidence that supports those teachings? You are certainly entitled to believe any thing that you wish. But shouldn't your opinions be based on evidence and not the prejudices of others? In the movie, "To Kill a Mocking Bird," Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of a crime that he obviously could not have committed. The story takes place in the American south during the early 1930's. The jury was composed of local townspeople all of whom were white. Despite clear evidence that indicated his innocence the jury found Tom guilty. The verdict was not based on the facts but on the bigotry of the jury. If you were on that jury would you have stood up for the truth or would you have succumbed to peer pressure like the others? You are in such a position now. There is a great deal of prejudice against the Catholic Church. Can you examine the evidence without that prejudice affecting your opinion? Perhaps you are a Catholic who thinks that apologetics (defending and or explaining the faith) is unnecessary. You may see it as a rude rejection of those who believe differently than we do. But that is simply not the case. Catholic Apologetics rejects false ideas but not the individuals who hold those ideas. Disagreeing with someone doesn't have to be an act of malice. In fact it can be an act of love. Let me illustrate my point with a little story. Suppose your neighbor plans on visiting friends in a distant city. He informs you that he will be leaving the following morning on the 10:00 AM bus. Being familiar with the bus schedule you realize that there is no 10:00 AM bus to your neighbor’s destination. However, there is a 9:00 AM bus. Would it be rude to correct your neighbor? After all he may reject what you have to say. And of course he has the right to do so. Still, if you truly care about him you are duty bound to tell him what you know. The same principal applies to our faith. With eternity at stake it would be foolish to ignore our differences. It is also important to point out that there are Catholics who don't have a good understanding of their faith. A good number of them leave the Church every year due to the efforts of anti Catholic groups and churches. If these individuals had known why the Church teaches as she does, many of them would never have left. As a Catholic apologist I wish to reach such individuals so that they can at least make an informed decision. Apologetics is an important part of the Church's work. In Jude 3 we are told to "Contend for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints." Paul tells Titus to "Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the Faith, instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of men whom reject the truth" (Titus 1:13-14). Finally, Peter tells us to "Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15). Jesus said that the truth would set us free. Common sense tells us that two opposing views cannot both be true. However, if the truth is to set us free, we must know what the truth is. Consequently a vehicle is needed to verify just what the truth is. Apologetics is that vehicle. For those who wish to become apologists