And You Will Know The Truth How to Explain and Defend The Catholic Faith Sebastian R. Fama Large Print Edition 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. www.StayCatholic.com July 9, 2007 Table of Contents -- Use the pdf bookmark links for easy navigation -- Introduction to The Essays - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 1. Creationism or Evolution? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 2. The Trinity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 3. The Bible - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17 4. The Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 5. The Pope - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23 6. Papal Infallibility - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27 7. The Canon of Scripture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31 8. Scripture Alone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 33 9. Tradition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32 10. Justification - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34 11. Baptism - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 38 12. The Mass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 40 13. The Eucharist - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 42 14. Confession - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 44 15. Purgatory - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 46 16. Indulgences - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 48 17. Praying to saints - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 52 18. Mary Ever-Virgin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 54 19. The Immaculate Conception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 56 20. The Assumption - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 58 21. The Rosary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 60 22. Statues and Holy Pictures - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 62 23. Scapulars, Medals and Relics - - - - - - - - - - - - - 64 24. Call no Man Father - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 66 25. The Rapture - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 68 26. Abstinence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 72 27. Contraception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 76 28. Natural Family Planning - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 80 29. Marriage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 82 30. Divorce and Remarriage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 86 31. Annulment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 88 32. Abortion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 90 33. Women’s Ordination - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 94 34. Traditionalists - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 96 35. The Words of Consecration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 36. Salvation Outside the Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - 104 37. The Word of Faith Movement - - - - - - - - - - - - - 108 38. Jehovah’s Witnesses - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 112 39. Seventh Day Adventists - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116 40. Mormons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120 i 41. Freemasons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 124 42. Divination - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 128 43. Our Debt to the Catholic Church - - - - - - - - - - - 132 44. Knowledge is not Enough - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 136 Doctrinal Concordance of the Bible - - - - - - - - - - - - 138 Introduction to The Early Church Fathers - - - - - - - - 151 1. Creation Out of Nothing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 153 2. The Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 156 3. The Primacy of Peter/Rome - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 159 4. Peter’s Presence in Rome - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 162 5. Apostolic Succession - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 165 6. Tradition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 168 7. Justification - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 171 8. Baptism - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 174 9. The Mass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 177 10. The Real Presence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 180 11. Confession - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 183 12. Purgatory - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 186 13. Intercession of the Saints - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 189 14. Mary Ever-Virgin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 192 15. The Immaculate Conception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 195 16. The Assumption - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 198 17. The Mother of God - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 200 18. Contraception - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 203 19. Divorce and Remarriage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 206 20. Salvation Outside the Church - - - - - - - - - - - - - 209 21. The Divinity of Christ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 212 22. The Trinity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 215 23. Hell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 219 24. Sabbath or Sunday? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 222 25. The Filioque Clause - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 230 How Old is Your Church? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 234 For Further Study - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 235 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. They are by no means an exhaustive study on the subjects they cover. They are designed to address the most common objections to Catholicism and thus remove any stumbling blocks to further investigation. Toward that end suggestions for further study appear on the last page. 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 of the case 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. 1 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