Betting on the Narrow Door I would like to add my own thoughts to the ongoing debate over whether the number of the damned exceeds the number of the saved. The following is from a chapter of my book: The question of eternal salvation—of where we go after death—is directly related to one’s metaphysical and religious worldview. In Catholicism, as in most religious traditions, the good are saved eternally, while the evil are damned. Without entering deeply into the full theology of salvation, a fundamental question arises: are more people saved or damned? Do more people go to Heaven or to hell? At the outset, it is important to note that within Catholic orthodoxy, both a sound optimism and a sound pessimism are permitted, allowing for a certain degree of theological latitude. Only when one adopts a radically different metaphysical position—such as agnosticism or atheism, which deny any transcendent reality—does the question of eternal salvation cease to apply. It is meaningless to discuss …

Presuppositions or First Principles?

¿Hemos olvidado la Segunda Escolástica?

Dogmatic Faith in an Age of Futurism

Negative Apologetics: The Way of Elimination to the True Religion

The Duty to Seek the True Religion

"Do Penance": Christ's Forgotten First Command

Why Were Catholics Better Missionaries Than Protestants?

Should Christians Read Novels? I both like and dislike reading novels. I like them because they are an entertaining read, plus it is food for the mind (reading is always good, at least mentally). I dislike them because they are not real, unless they are a sort of “factional” genre, if that is considered a genre. Novels are actually important for the spiritual life. In my recent interview with Christ Spellman (see below) I was reminded of this. Psyche in psychology has traditionally been interpreted as mind, in its immaterial aspect, or soul. Hence what is good for the body is good for the soul and vice versa: Mens sana in corpore sano as the classic saying goes. The soul and body, though distinct, are so intimately united that psychologists — who aren’t material reductionists — cannot truly distinguish certain effects of the body from the soul. I always wondered that if our souls come from God then how is our personality similar to our parents? Hence psychological tendencies must stem …

The Golden Age That Never Was “Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” (Eccl. 7: 10) This article is comical in the sense that I wrote a book on the opposite topic, namely, defending pessimism. Nevertheless, with the proper qualifications, the principle of contradiction is not violated.[1] As humans, we have a strange tendency, an effect of Original Sin. We are inclined to externalize responsibility. Instead of seeking personal holiness, we are immersed in Church politics. We tend to think that the past was better, in many ways, than the present, especially in the moral sense. Not recognizing the error of accent or emphasis, we focus and even fabricate an error in doctrine at the highest levels, without distinguishing the one from the other. There’s an inclination in so-called traditionalism to say that Vatican II taught errors (broad brush but good for now). When the reality is that the optimism promoted by Vatican II may not …

The Woman Who Will Lead Islam to Christ

When Defending Tradition Turns Into Reaction

A Fraternal Correction of a Flawed Argument: On Heresy, Jurisdiction, and the Limits of Private Judgment

Metaphysical Questions about the Schools of Tradition

Rules for a Happy Eternity: Bishop Challoner's Guide for the Catholic Life

Reclaim June: The Sacred Heart Against the Spirit of the Age

The SSPX and the Appeal to Epikeia: Fidelity or Ecclesial Disobedience? – Restoring Reason

Reflections on Exemplar-Participatory Ontology of Creation: Appreciations and Questions – Restoring Reason

Lilith, the Nephilim, and the Spirit of Rebellion – Restoring Reason

The Catholic Doctrine of the Literal Sense – Restoring Reason