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If there is one skill us Catholics should practice, it’s learning how to argue well. Or, spot a bad argument when one’s thrown at us. This episode we take a deep dive into the world of logic and fallacies and hopefully prepare you for the battle! Listen to episode: Types of Fallacies: * Ad hominem (“To the Man”) * Argumentum ex silentio (“Argument from silence”) * Irrelevant appeals (Appeal to Pity, Appeal to Popularity) * Appeal to faith * Argument from authority * Argumentum ad baculum (“Argument to the cudgel”) * Slippery slope * No true Scotsman * Red herring * Straw man Links: * Introduction to Logical Fallacies from March 2002 Journal of Science and Theology * 10 Christian Examples of Logical Fallacies * 15 Common Logical Fallacies * Book of Bad Arguments * Carson-Newman College Logical Fallacies hand list * Catholic Answers

So what exactly is martyrdom? Aren’t martyrs things of the past? And what’s the difference between red and white martyrs? We cover all this and more with this week’s topic – Martyrdom. Listen to Episode

The Rosary is a well known Catholic thing. But where did it come from? Why do Catholics use it? Is it considered Mary worship? And where do roses come into play? We answer all that and more in our first episode back from our break. Listen to Episode Here We are also looking for a sound editor to help edit our future episodes. If you have any experience with Garage Band or any other audio software and would like to be a part of our team, please email us mybftherhino@gmail.com to let us know!

Identity. That word is thrown around a lot nowadays. What is our core identity? Is it what we do for a job, is it what we make, is it who we marry? Declan and Justin hash out the struggles they’ve been facing recently and get to the root of what their core identity is: God’s children. Listen to Episode

In this episode, we start with the question: Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? And then we proceed to try and answer said question. Madness ensues. Listen to Episode

We did something different this week – we took our recorder to a theology on tap, listened to speaker Debra Classen of The Mute Swan Ministry, and recorded our thoughts right after. No planning, no rehearsal, just raw feelings and emotions. What transpired was an interesting conversation about the power of beauty in ordinary life. If you liked this style of podcasting, please let us know. Who knows, we might give it a try again. Listen to Episode

Justin has some big news for everyone. Declan wrote an article about Catholic Millennials. We’ve been away for a few weeks (not planned, couldn’t find time to record) but we are back this week with a jam-packed episode. The TLDR (or should it be TLDL?) version episode is this: Like the early Christians, we now face a New Frontier (internet, social media, etc.) for evangelization (sharing our faith). Like the early Church, we must rely on Peter’s domestic Church and Paul’s missionary Church in order to grow. Each version feeds off of each other. If that doesn’t make any sense, press play. Listen to episode

THEIST: “There is so much complexity in the world, it must have been designed by an Intelligent Designer. The best explanation for our world is an Intelligent Designer.” ATHEIST: “But then who designed the Designer?” THEIST: “Nobody.” (Or perhaps: “I don’t know.”) ATHEIST: “Well then you have explained nothing.” The above question represents a common conversation between theists and atheists across all ages. We take a stab at it ourselves… Listen to Episode Show Notes Can something come from nothing? * Science: Conservation of Mass/Energy * In experiments everything must be accounted for * Philosophy: Principle of Sufficient Reason * Presupposition for all thinking and knowing * Cannot prove- have to presume it to be true in order to do so * In the real world things do not just appear or disappear * To say the world appeared magically or without reason results in a nonsensical claim. If God is the cause of our Universe, who/what caused God? * Everything we experience in life has a cause * If God were caused there would be an infinite regress * God is first cause- without a first cause you cannot have a second cause, third cause, … * God is * uncaused * necessary being * exists by definition * does not have existence added to his essence * source and cause of existence of everything else (Not quite correct to call God the cause of himself- implies prior existence) Distinction between essence and existence and why they are distinct in us and not in God? * Whatever a thing has besides its essence is caused either by that essence (from within) or by an exterior agent (from without). * Essence associated with ‘What is man?’ (answered by a definition) * Existence associated “Is there a man?” (not answered by a definition) * If God’s essence is not his existence, then he would have to get it from within or without. * Not from exterior agent then he wouldn’t be God. * Not from his essence Would need to exist prior to existence * Therefore, God’s essence is his existence

Due to Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code and recently unearthed ancient writings claiming Jesus once said “My wife,” the topic of Jesus’ marital status has been hotly contested. So the question people now are asking is: Is Mrs. Jesus a Thing? Which we curtly respond: No.   Listen to Episode Show topic links * Mrs. Jesus * The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife – Harvard Divinity School * The Place of the Gospel of Philip in the Context of Early Christian Claims about Jesus’s Marital Status * Was Jesus Married? * Have They Discovered a New “Lost Gospel” That Says Jesus was Married?

Needless to say, this isn’t an easy topic to talk about. Listen to Episode

We’ve finally hit a major podcasting milestone and anniversary in the same week! We use this time to share what the past year has meant to us and what we hope for in the future. We also tie in some commentary on God’s Will. And we have a brand new logo thanks to Chris Byers […]The post MBFTR050: The Rhino Turns 1! appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

For Holy Week this year, we are going all out. Five episodes in five days! Today is episode 5 of 5. Listen to Episode This week we are examining common theories surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and hope to give our listeners something to chew on throughout the week. But first we have to establish […]The post MBFTR049: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

For Holy Week this year, we are going all out. Five episodes in five days! Today is episode 4 of 5. Listen to Episode This week we are examining common theories surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and hope to give our listeners something to chew on throughout the week. But first we have to establish […]The post MBFTR048: Resurrection Theory – It’s All a Myth appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

For Holy Week this year, we are going all out. Five episodes in five days! Today is episode 3 of 5. Listen to Episode This week we are examining common theories surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and hope to give our listeners something to chew on throughout the week. But first we have to establish […]The post MBFTR047: Resurrection Theory – Hallucinating Disciples appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

For Holy Week this year, we are going all out. Five episodes in five days! Today is episode 2 of 5. Listen to Episode This week we are examining common theories surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and hope to give our listeners something to chew on throughout the week. But first we have to establish […]The post MBFTR046: Resurrection Theory – The Disciples Stole the Body appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

For Holy Week this year, we are going all out. Five episodes in five days! Today is episode 1 of 5. Listen to Episode This week we are examining common theories surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and hope to give our listeners something to chew on throughout the week. But first we have to establish […]The post MBFTR045: Resurrection Theory – Resuscitation of Jesus appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

Are tattoos a moral issue? Doesn’t the Bible say something about not getting them? We go over all of these questions and more in this week’s Bonus episode! (Happy St. Patrick’s Day!) Listen to Episode Show Notes: “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks […]The post MBFTR044: Can Christians get Tattoos? appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

What is more important – focusing on your physical health or spiritual health? Does the body act as a prison for the soul? Does the soul just not want the body to enjoy the pleasures of the world? Throughout our lives we may experience this “battle” between the body and soul. But the Catholic perspective […]The post MBFTR043: Body or Spirit – Which is More Important? appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

What are the basic steps someone must take to enter the Catholic Church? As overwhelming as it may seem, becoming a Catholic is not as scary and hard as some may think. And it’s definitely worth taking a look into.  This episode is for anyone on the cusp of becoming Catholic or anyone who knows someone […]The post MBFTR042: So You Want to be a Catholic – RCIA appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.

Declan is recording solo and sharing his thoughts after only 2.5 hours of sleep. Listen to Episode Show notes: How did a sleepless night help Declan to grow closer to God? As promised, the link to the “Religiosity” article We need help doing a “Catholic Vote” episode, shoot us an email at mybftherhino(at)gmail(dot)com with any […]The post MBFTR041: A Few Nuggets for You to Enjoy appeared first on My Best Friend the Rhino.