Summary of My Theology: on Hell

Posted on 12 February 2011 by Ron Conte

1. Immediately after death, each and every human person is judged by God. (Pope Benedict XII, On the Beatific Vision of God) 2. All those persons who die unrepentant from actual mortal sin are sent to Hell by God. (Pope … Continue reading →

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The Distinction between Lying and Mental Reservation

Posted on 12 February 2011 by Ron Conte

Lying is the direct and deliberate deprivation of truth from an assertion. It is the intentional choice of an act inherently directed at asserting what is false. Lying is intrinsically evil and therefore always immoral. Mental reservation, properly defined and … Continue reading →

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Which Papal Encyclical has been most thoroughly rejected by Catholics?

Posted on 11 February 2011 by Ron Conte

The faithful sons and daughters of the Church should accept the teaching of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium. We should not reject any encyclical in which the Magisterium teaches from Tradition and Scripture, or from natural law. … Continue reading →

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Lying and Ethics by Example

Posted on 11 February 2011 by Ron Conte

In discussions on lying, many Catholics approach the question by proposing various examples of acts that seem to be both lies and moral. They then resolve this conflict by either claiming that lying is not always immoral, or by claiming … Continue reading →

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Errors on Lying at the New Theological Movement blog

Posted on 10 February 2011 by Ron Conte

In this post, It is a sin to lie, even to Planned Parenthood, a Catholic priest, posting under the pseudonym ‘Reginaldus’, discusses Catholic doctrine on lying. The main point of the post is that lying is always immoral. This point … Continue reading →

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Unintended Bad Consequences

Posted on 9 February 2011 by Ron Conte

One common error in Catholic ethics is the claim that an act cannot be made immoral by a bad consequence, if that consequence is unintended. On the basis of this claim, unintended bad consequences, no matter how severe, are incorrectly … Continue reading →

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Ethics by Example

Posted on 8 February 2011 by Ron Conte

There is a certain erroneous approach to ethics that might be called ‘ethics by example’. In this approach, an intrinsically evil act is said to be sometimes moral, if anyone can cite an example of that type of act that … Continue reading →

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Ethics without Sacrifice

Posted on 8 February 2011 by Ron Conte

The latest trend in Catholic ethical thinking is what might be called ‘ethics without sacrifice’. In this approach to morality, any moral analysis is said to be incorrect if it implies that one must suffer in order to avoid sin. … Continue reading →

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Is Lying Always Wrong? — part 3: Saint Augustine

Posted on 7 February 2011 by Ron Conte

It is often incorrectly stated that St. Augustine defined lying as follows: ” ‘A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.’ ” This text is a quote in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2482; … Continue reading →

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143 German Catholic theologians commit public formal heresy

Posted on 7 February 2011 by Ron Conte

The German daily sueddeutsche.de has published the Memorandum of 143 Catholic university professors and theologians, mostly from Germany, with some from Austria and Switzerland. [Google translation] The document begins with a brief discussion of the sexual abuse crisis in the … Continue reading →

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Intramural apologetics: teachers of heresy abound

Posted on 6 February 2011 by Ron Conte

Catholic laypersons are called by Christ and His Church, in the apostolate of the laity, to evangelize the world, to bring Christ and His teaching to those who do not know the Truth. But we are hobbled in our efforts … Continue reading →

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Is the Magisterium able to answer all moral questions?

Posted on 5 February 2011 by Ron Conte

I have been surprised and dismayed lately, in the wake of the distorted news coverage of the Pope’s comment on condoms, to read several different prominent Catholics making the claim that the Magisterium is unwilling or unable to teach and … Continue reading →

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