Quick Questions

• Philippians 2:6 says that Jesus didn't seek after equality with God. How does this square with belief in his divinity?
• As a Bible-believing Christian, I think the Catholic claim to interpret the Bible infallibly is false. This is just what the Watchtower claims for itself.
• We don't need all the ethical rules of organized religion. I think all we need to know about how to live is summed up in the Golden Rule.
• If Jesus didn't believe the Bible was the sole rule of faith, why did he quote it in his disputes with the Pharisees and the Sadducees?
• Does the Catholic Church believe in the devil? I saw on television a priest who said this isn't official Catholic teaching.
• Where did the idea come from that Jesus was a carpenter? My Bible says this was Joseph's profession and that Jesus was regarded as "the carpenter's son" (Matt. 13:55). Do we have any reason, apart from tradition, to believe Jesus took up Joseph's trade.
• Why does the pope kiss the ground after he disembarks from an airplane? My friend considers this practice to be nothing but superstition.
• I keep hearing about "social sin" and "structural sin." Whatever happened to personal sin?
• How do you explain Jesus' statement in Mark 2:23-27 that David and his men "entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest" when in fact, according to 1 Samuel 21:1-6, Ahimelech, Abiathar's father, occupied that office at the time?
• Revelation 3:7 proves Christ is the one who holds the key of David, not Peter. Isaiah 22 prophesies Christ's coming and his authority rather than Peter's. Matthew 16:18 has nothing to do with either.
• Explain to me our Catholic understanding of tradition. One book I read on the subject said tradition cannot change, yet it seems to me it has. The vernacular Mass is a prime example. Before Vatican II, we believed the Latin Mass was part of our tradition. Since then, it seems that it isn't.
• Your answer to the question about cannibalism and the Eucharist in the December 1990 issue of This Rock disturbs me. The promise in John 6 of the flesh of Christ to eat and his blood to drink sounds literal. Christ is present substantially (rather than supernaturally); if we eat only the accidents (appearances), how do we eat Christ, who said unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood we will not have life?
• What is the answer to a friend sho says we are worshiping the Babylonian goddess Ishtar when we honor Mary? He uses Jeremiah 44 as proof because we call Mary the Queen of Heaven.
• I'm tired of all of this theological stuff. Why can't we have the simple gospel of Jesus? Too much head and not enough heart, that's the problem with Christianity today.
• I don't have a problem with Christianity per se. I believe Jesus was a holy man and a prophet, even though I don't think he was unique as God's only Son.
• I was told by a priest that sexual intercourse between unmarried persons is acceptable so long as it reflects a relationship of love. Lots of people seem to believe this, but is it true?
• I read a book by a scripture scholar who said the Bible is inerrant only in religious matters that pertain to our salvation. He quoted Vatican II as the source of this "limited inerrancy" doctrine.
• Mormon missionaries visited my home recently and, among other things, condemned as unbiblical the Catholic custom of paying priests and bishops. They were quite proud of the fact that the Mormon Church has no paid clergy, claiming they follow the pattern set by the first Christians. I was uncomfortably silent because I had no idea where to look in the Bible for verses that support the Catholic position. Are there any?
• If the Church has the power to interpret the Bible, why doesn't it just issue and inspired, infallible commentary on the whole Bible and be done with it? Then we would know exactly what each verse means.
• The Bible says the sins of the fathers are visited on their children down to the fourth generation. How do you square this with Mary's Immaculate Conception, given she had a sinful human father?
• Jeremiah 25:9-12 says that the southern kingdom of Judah would be taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, for seventy years. Didn't the captivity last only forty-seven years and didn't Nebuchadnezzer die before it was over? This sounds like a false prophecy, so Jeremiah would be a false prophet.

• Aren't all images of Jesus false? In 1 Corinthians 11:14 Paul tells us long hair is unnatural and degrading for a man. All the pictures of Jesus show him with long hair, so they must be false images.
• Isn't confession to a priest an option? If you're sincerely sorry for your sins and confess them in your own heart, aren't you already forgiven?
• In my church I was taught that dancing is sinful. What I have seen of dancing confirms this is right. How can the Catholic Church condone dancing?
• Last year I left the Mormon Church and became a Catholic. I want to bolster my faith with more knowledge, especially on the subject of the nature of God so I can do a better job of explaining this to my Mormon family members. They constantly challenge my Catholic beliefs, especially that there is only one God. What do you recommend?
• Why do Catholics cling so tightly to the tradition of apostolic succession when there's no biblical support for it? All you can point to are dubious opinions of a few early Christian writers.
• At an adult Bible study I was trying to explain the Trinity. I said today we can understand, at least in theory, more about it than Augustine because we have the work of Aquinas to stand on, and Augustine understood the Trinity better than the first Christians. My pastor criticized me, saying we couldn't understand the Trinity at all because it's a mystery. Who's right?
• Why do Catholics kneel during their services? This seems unnecessary. Why not just sit still and listen to the preaching of God's word?
• I can't believe anything religion teaches. I consider myself a rational person. I want to see something myself before I believe it. If I can't see it, then I don't believe it.
• I recently read a quote from the Gospel of John that disturbed me. It was John 14:28, where Jesus says "the Father is greater than I." Doesn't this mean Jesus is saying he is less than God and not equal to him?
• I believe the Bible when it says he who divorces and marries another commits adultery, as we see in Mark 10:1-12 and Luke 16:18. But isn't Jesus leaving a loophole when he says in Matthew 19:9 "except for unchastity"?
• When I read the Bible I don't see much sense in the breakup of verses. Some come at the end of sentences and paragraphs, and some don't. Why was the Bible written that way?
• What's a good way to steer a conversation with Jehovah's Witnesses who come to my door?
• So many Protestants I know use the King James Bible. Who was King James, and what authority did he have to produce a Bible?
• I've been told that Mormons worship Satan in their temple ceremonies and that they wear satanic symbols on their clothes. Is this true?
• I don't feel comfortable working in apologetics because I don't have a theology degree, and I don't have the time or means to get one. Any suggestions?
• I've seen the acronym IHS all over the place--on altar cloths, holy cards, vestments, and prayerbooks--but I have no idea what it stands for. A friend signs his letters "IHS" and says it means "In His Service." What's the scoop?
• My daughter recently married a Seventh-Day Adventist (against my husband's and my intense opposition). He attacks the Catholic Church whenever he gets the chance. One of his main objects of scorn is our Holy Father, who, he says, is the beast spoken of in Revelation 13. He claims he can "prove" this because the pope's title, Vicarius Filli Dei Latin for Vicar of the Son of God), adds up to 666--the "number of the beast" mentioned in Revelation 13. Is this true? How can we respond?
• I believe in the authenticity of some Marian apparitions--I've been a follower of Lourdes since I was a youngster, and that was a long time ago--but suspect some more recent apparitions aren't legitimate. I'm particularly concerned about an apparition which is occurring in a city close to us. What should my attitude be?
• Is it okay for me to visit a Kingdom Hall, which is the name the Jehovah's Witnesses give to their church building?
• I know Catholic Answers staffers have had debates with leading (and sometimes unknown) anti-Catholics. I've been thinking about doing something similar in my area. Any suggestions?
• A speaker on the "Bible Answer Man" radio program denied Mary's perpetual virginity. He claimed that James, called one of the brothers of the Lord in Matthew 13:55, was one of Mary's "other" sons. He insisted that it was a different James who was the son of Mary the wife of Cleophas--this Mary stood at the foot of the cross.
• When I read John 6 it seems obvious to me that Jesus was speaking of "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" in a purely symbolic way.
• An Anglican priest tells me that his holy orders are valid and that he can consecrate the Eucharist and grant absolution. I've heard the opposite is true. What is the Catholic position?
• In a recent homily our parish priest said, "No matter what anyone tells you, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was a sin against hospitality." He said that Genesis 19, where the incident of Sodom's destruction is recounted, is one of the most misinterpreted sections of the Bible. He claims the inhabitants of those cities were destroyed by God for not being hospitable to strangers. What is the official Catholic teaching on the nature of the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? I'm worried that modern interpretations like this priest's are used to downplay the sin of homosexuality.
• You published an article called "Mary, Ark of the Covenant," in which the writer attempted to convince his readers that Mary should be venerated. I'd like to draw your attention to 1 Samuel 4, where we see that the nation of Israel put their faith in the Ark of the Covenant (like Catholics do in Mary), instead of in the true and living God. This was the reason for their destruction. They had turned from God to idols. I believe that millions of Catholics worship Mary in the same way Israel worshiped the ark of the covenant. If, as you claim, Mary is the "ark of the new covenant," I'm not sure that's something you should be proud of.
• A woman in my prayer group claims that all of the reported Marian apparitions around the world must be from God because their messages are consistent with the Bible and call people to prayer and repentance. She says "the devil would never do anything which would draw people closer to God" and concludes that none of these apparitions could possibly come from the devil.
• Revelation 22:18-19 says, "I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book." Doesn't this verse render the Catholic doctrine of sacred Tradition scripturally unviable since your Tradition is added to the Bible?
• My son was told by a CCD instructor that in an emergency a person desiring baptism could be baptized with soda, juice, or even urine. This sounds preposterous to me, bu I can't back up my objection, and I don't want my son to be given faulty information (either by me or by the instructor).
• A Mormon neighbor asked if I'd be interested in a tour of the local Mormon "stake center." I declined, but, not wanting to seem ignorant, didn't ask what a stake center is. (I knew he didn't mean "steak center"; he wasn't inviting me to a restaurant.) What exactly is a stake center?
• In this day and age, what's the right way to observe the third commandment, "Keep holy the sabbath day"?
• I'm distressed by a pamphlet I've seen on the brown scapular of our Lady of Mt. Carmel. On the front panel it calls the scapular "the assurance of salvation."
• Which is more important for an apologist, holiness or knowledge?
• Is it true that Pope Gregory I denied that the pope is the "universal bishop" and taught that the Bishop of Rome has no authority over any other bishop?
• Can you offer any biblical justification for the Catholic Church's former teaching that it's sinful to eat meat on Friday?
• Mormon missionaries recently visited my home, and we had a long discussion about differences between the Catholic Church and Mormonism. One of the things they take special pride in is their Church's teaching called "the Word of Wisdom," which proscribes smoking and the drinking of tea, coffee, and wine. How can I refute this false teaching?
• A friend recently pointed out that Joshua 10:12 and 2 Kings 20:9 say the sun was made to stand still and that ancient Chinese astronomical records made during the time Joshua and 2 Kings were written nowhere mention the sun standing still. Isn't this evidence that the biblical accounts are incorrect?

• Sometimes I don't know what to think about the Bible. Should we take it literally or symbolically?
• I've always thought that the Holy Family was poor and that in their poverty and humility Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are models for all families. But recently I read someone's claim that the Holy Family was not poor because the Greek word describing Joseph's profession (Tekton) indicates that he was a "master craftsman," a class of artisan who made a very comfortable living at his trade. What light can you shed on this?
• Is it true that at Trent the Church added the seven deuterocanonical books (Judith, Tobit, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Baruch, and Ecclesiasticus) to the Bible?
• Although I know what the Church teaches, I have no idea where to go to find out when and where the Church officially defined its teachings. How can I as a layman find out which councils and papal encyclicals taught a given doctrine? I'd be willing to go to the library and do the research but I wouldn't know where to begin, nor even if a public library would carry the types of books I'd need (our parish library has nothing that's helpful). Where can I find such information?
• A book I'm reading made a reference to "Pascal's Wager" but without any explanation. I gather it has something to do with proving the existence of God. What light can you shed on this?
• Where can I get solid Catholic apologetics materials in Spanish?
• The New Testament mentions three categories of Church leaders: bishops, presbyters, and deacons. So how can the Catholic Church justify its office of "priest"? The New Testament writers seem to understand "bishop" and "presbyter" to be synonymous terms for the same office (Acts 20:17-38).
• In your three-tape set, "I Escaped from the Watchtower," the former Jehovah's Witness being interviewed recommended a book entitled The Finished Mystery. What is the book about, who wrote it, and why is it important?
• How can you say that Peter had authority over other Church leaders when he referred to himself as only their "fellow elder" (1 Pet. 5:1). This proves Peter did not see himself as having any "primacy" in the Church. He was just a presbyter.
• If the Holy Spirit inspired the whole Bible, why don't the books all possess the same style of writing? If God never changes, why would his writing styles change so radically? Doesn't this prove the Holy Spirit wasn't the "principle author" of each book in Scripture?
• Did Aquinas say a baby has no soul until forty days (for a boy) or eighty days (for a girl) after conception, so abortion is okay before those times?
• Is it true that the new universal catechism of the Catholic Church is intended only for clergy and that lay people should not bother to read it because it's too technical? That's what our associate pastor said from the pulpit last Sunday. He made it clear he felt lay people should ignore it and let the experts decide if it's worthwhile or not.
• What are the Nag Hammadi writings, and do they reveal anything we don't already know about Christ or the Bible?
• What is gnosticism?
• How should I respond to an atheist who denies creation, claims there has been an infinite number of universes before this one, and believes that the universe was made not by God but through the "big bang," part of the universe's endless cycle of expansion and contraction?
• What is a miracle? Is it a violation of a law of nature? Didn't people in the past believe in miracles only because they didn't know much about science?
• What is the Catholic Church's official position on Freemasonry? Are Catholics free to become Freemasons?
• My priest, who is normally orthodox, recently returned from Ireland and was excited about using something called a divining rod. He had two sticks, one in each hand, and when he would pray they would twist in his hands and cross over each other. Does the Church permit this?
• Do we become angels when we die, as some popular songs suggest?
• This has been bothering me for ages. Who was Felix Culpa?
• When a Catholic and a non-Catholic get married, does the non-Catholic have to promise to raise the children of the marriage in the Catholic faith?
• How can Catholics say that Christ does not die again on the altar when the Council of Trent states that he is immolated in the Mass?
• I converse with Protestants who say the power to forgive sins has been given to all Christians. Why do Catholics say it has been given only to priests?
• Could you explain the criteria used in naming a church a basilica? A church in my area may be designated a basilica soon, and some of my non-Catholic friends have been asking about this subject. I need an answer.
• What is semi-Pelagianism? Recently a Protestant apologist said that the Catholic position on grace is a textbook case of semi-Pelagianism. And is there something called just plain Pelagianism?
• Some people in the Church of Christ movement argue that theirs must be the true church, the one established by Jesus, since it has a biblical name (Rom. 16:16 refers to "the churches of Christ"). They note that when a husband takes a bride, she acquires his surname. Since the Church is called, especially by Catholics, the bride of Christ, they argue that the true Church's name will be the Church of Christ.
• A fellow religion teacher insists that the Catholic Church accepts other theologies of the Eucharist besides transubstantiation. She says that Pope Paul VI had said this in his encyclical Mysterium Fidei. Is this so?
• I know that God is the most perfect being possible, yet he does not have the ability to make a being equal to himself. Wouldn't he be even more perfect if he had the ability to copy himself?
• A couple I know wants to have their marriage ended by the Church, and a priest told me that they should ask about the Pauline Privilege. What is that, and how does it differ from an annulment?
• Doesn't the fact that religions contradict each other imply that they are all wrong and that we should listen to none of them?
• Since there are so many religions in the world, the odds of picking one at random and being right are very low. Shouldn't I then refrain from picking any of them and just be an agnostic?
• In one of your tapes on Mormonism you claim Mormons believe God "cursed" certain people by giving them dark skin. Can you give me the references?
• Why is Natural Family Planning accepted by the Church while contraception is condemned? They both do the same thing--prevent pregnancy.
• I'd like to become an apologist, but don't know how to start. Where can I find a good school of apologetics?
• A priest told my girlfriend that it is okay for us to touch one another intimately before we are married. Is this correct?
• I read in a priestly newsletter that deacons will ask Rome for permission to offer the sacrament of holy anointing. Since we were taught in seminary that this could only be offered by a priest, I wonder how this might be done. What's next? "Extraordinary ministers" of the sacrament of penance?

• The Gospels place emphasis on the Samaritans (for example, in the parable of the Good Samaritan). Who were they and why were they important?
• Does the Jewish religion still have a priesthood today? Is it Levitical? Do its priests still offer sacrifice?
• I heard that we get our guardian angels at baptism. Is this true, and does it mean that the babies of non-Christians do not have guardian angels?
• How can Christian theologians say that God is both just and merciful? To be just means to give someone what he deserves, but to be merciful means to give him better than he deserves. Given those definitions, a person could not be just without being unmerciful.
• How can Christian theologians say that God is perfectly merciful if he still punishes some people? Wouldn't he be more perfectly merciful if he forgave every one?
• Were any of the Gospels written in Aramaic, since Christ and the Apostles spoke that language? Was Hebrew only spoken by the priests in the Temple? Did Pilate use an interpreter when he spoke to Christ?
• Aren't the images of Mary with the baby Jesus taken from pagan representations of goddesses with children? If not, how do you explain the fact that so many cultures have woman-with-child images in their religion?
• Are there any Bible verses I can cite to support the use of holy water? Fundamentalists say holy water is a superstition that has no basis in the Bible.
• Recently at my parish women have begun to give the homily after the Gospel reading at Sunday Mass. Sometimes they call it a "faith talk." Is this allowed now?
• Sometimes I hear people around me at Mass saying with the priest, "Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever." I was not taught to do this. Is this optional or should I say it also?
• New Agers talk a lot about nirvana. What exactly is nirvana, and how does it compare with the Christian idea of heaven?
• I was told that devout Jews believe in purgatory. Is this true?
• Who are the "other sheep" Jesus mentions in John 10:16? In a TV ad the Mormons say that verse refers to Jews who allegedly migrated to South America around 600 B.C.
• The Gospels place emphasis on the Samaritans (for example, in the parable of the Good Samaritan). Who were they and why were they important?
• What is the difference between a rabbi and a Jewish priest? In the Gospels were these two ways of referring to a single office?
• My wife is studying with Jehovah's Witnesses, and they have convinced her that celebrating birthdays is a pagan custom and not something Christians should do. She refuses to allow our children to celebrate their birthdays. What should I do?
• Why won't Jehovah's Witnesses accept blood transfusions, even when their lives are in jeopardy?
• Secularists have the American Civil Liberties Union, and Protestants have the Rutherford Foundation, but are there any Catholic legal defense organizations to protect the legal and civil rights of Catholics? Are there any organizations to make sure they get their ecclesial rights within the Church?
• I've heard that when a man leaves the priesthood, he undergoes a process called "laicization," which takes away his priestly powers, making him a regular layman. Is this correct?
• What can you tell me about the book Poem of the Man-God? Has it been condemned by the Church?
• Is it true that the Greek Orthodox Church believes in infallibility, but not in the Catholic sense?
• One of the causes of the Reformation was the selling of indulgences. Does the Catholic Church still sell them?
• Why are religious groups such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses called "cults," while other groups, such as Fundamentalists and Calvinists, are not? Don't all of these groups teach cultic doctrines?
• When did the custom of canonizing saints start, and is it true that canonizations are infallible?
• In a recent This Rock article ("Changing the Sabbath", December 1993), you stated that Christ used his authority to alter the sabbath in Matthew 12:8, but a footnote in my Confraternity Version of the Bible says he did not alter the commandment, but urged it be interpreted in a more reasonable way. How could he alter one of the Ten Commandments, anyway?
• In ancient Judaism the sabbath was from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. If Sunday is the Christian sabbath, should we celebrate it from sundown on Saturday to sundown on Sunday? Is this why attending an anticipatory Mass on Saturday evening fulfills our Sunday obligation?
• When a person commits mortal sin he implicitly rejects God and the entire life of holiness he had led up to that point, including the reward he would have gotten for his good deeds. When he repents and comes back to God through the sacrament of confession, does this mean he will have to start from zero in gaining new rewards?
• I heard there was a "secret Gospel of Mark" which contained additional material not found in the canonical Gospel of Mark. Is there any truth to this? What are we to make of this report?
• What is fundamental option theory? I understand that the pope discussed this in his recent encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, but I don't know what it is or why it is important. Was it one of the opinions he condemned?
• How can I defend the book of Judith against Fundamentalist attacks which charge it with blatant historical inaccuracies, such as stating that Nebuchadnezzar was king of the Assyrians instead of the Babylonians (Judith 1:1)?
• Papal infallibility can't be true because Pope Zozimus pronounced Pelagius to be orthodox and later reversed himself. What do you have to say to that?
• I am encountering a group known as the Christadelphians. How did they originate and what do they believe?
• Christadelphians I deal with claim many people will never be awakened from death (cf. Is. 26:14, 43:17, Jer. 51:57). They say that Paul implies this in 1 Cor. 15:18, where he says that if there were no resurrection then those who have died in Christ would have perished. How can this be refuted?
• Some Eastern Orthodox claim that the Catholic Church is under anathema because it added the word filioque ("and the son") to the Nicene Creed after the declaration that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. This was illicit, they say, because the Council of Ephesus condemned anyone who composes a new creed. How should we reply?
• I have heard some modern Catholic scholars suggest that angels are not personal beings but archetypes or symbols of cosmic principles. Is this correct?
• I have the Collegeville Bible Commentaryfor the New American Bible, but it seems really technical. Is this a good commentary?
• 1 Timothy 4:14 says that Timothy was ordained by priests. Doesn't that contradict the Catholic teaching that only bishops can confer Holy Orders?
• How can we show, from Scripture, that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son as well as the Father?
• Aren't all sins equally offensive to God? After all, James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it."
• In light of all the evidence proving evolution, to be a faithful Catholic does one have to believe that there was an original couple called Adam and Eve?
• I've heard Fundamentalists argue against the use of holy images by citing Deuteronomy 4:15, which says God did not show himself under any form. They say that by having such images we commit idolatry by trying to force God into a man-made form. What would be a response?
• Are non-Catholic marriages valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church? What if a Catholic marries a non-Catholic?
• I have always been taught that a person's soul and his spirit are the same thing, but in some passages Paul seems to distinguish the two from each other. What is going on in these cases?
• A friend of mine says she was baptized a Catholic when she was an infant, then rebaptized when her family became Baptists. What does rebaptism do, if anything?
• I recently watched a debate between a Christian and a Muslim. The latter said there were contradictions in the Bible and gave as an example a passage saying Solomon had 4,000 horse stalls and another passage saying he had 40,000. What should I make of this?
• I know of a priest who, during the consecration at Mass, used to say "This is our bread of life" instead of "This is my body." Was this valid? If not, did the people receive the body and blood of Christ? What if the priest makes only minor variations in the words? How much must be there for the consecration to be valid?
• During the Mass, when the priest says, "We offer you, Father, this holy and living sacrifice," what exactly is he offering and why? Also, to what did Jesus refer when he said, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19, 1 Cor. 11:24-25)? What was "this," and where does the Eucharistic sacrifice come in?
• My Protestant wife is objecting to my taking our new baby to Mass with me on Sunday. She says that until he is a little older, she can't bear to be separated from him for that long (she doesn't want to go to Mass with us). The trouble is that since our boy was baptized as a Catholic a month ago he has the requirement to go to Mass every Sunday, doesn't he?
• You stated that when the Latin Mass says Christ's blood was shed "pro multis," normally rendered "for many," it can equally be translated "for all" since "many" is a biblical idiom that often means "all" (cf. Dan. 12:2, Rom. 5:12). If so, why was this not stated for 1900 years? Also, did "for many" always mean "for all" in the Bible?
• Dissenters from papal authority, trying to downplay the authority of documents such as Humanae Vitae and Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, use Joan of Arc as an example of the Church making a decision and then reversing it, thereby proving itself fallible. What is the story of Joan of Arc, and does it make a dent in infallibility?
• I heard that it's the Church's teaching that unbaptized babies go to hell rather than limbo. Is this true?
• Are sacraments efficacious even if not understood by the one receiving them? Doesn't grace require active cooperation of faith, knowledge, and will?
• I've been seeing television programs about people trying to find the ark of the covenant. What should a Catholic think about these efforts? Does the physical ark of the covenant still exist, and can it be found?
• What is an ark, anyway? The Bible talks about the ark of the covenant and Noah's ark. Does this mean that the ark of the covenant was shaped like a boat?
• In a popular Catholic devotion known as "The Litany of Humility," we ask Jesus to grant us the grace to desire "that others should become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should." This doesn't seem to make sense. Since we should all avoid sin completely, doesn't this mean we all should become equally holy, making it non-sensical to ask for others to be holier than us?
• Are homosexuals born with this disorder? I have never heard a definitive answer on this subject. I believe this behavior is not learned, but if it happens at birth, why would God place such a heavy cross on any human being he created?
• Some Messianic Jewish congregations baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. Are these baptisms valid?

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