Blog Archives

Is the Mayan calendar date of December 21, 2012 related to the Apocalypse?

Posted on 10 January 2011 by Ron Conte

1. Is the Mayan calendar date of December 21, 2012 related to the Apocalypse? The Mayans did not expect the end of the world on that date. And there are Mayan artifacts with calendar dates on them well beyond that … Continue reading →

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On Direct and Indirect Abortion: the new proportionalism

Posted on 9 January 2011 by Ron Conte

There are three fonts of morality: (1) intention, (2) moral object, (3) circumstances. In order to be moral, each and every knowingly chosen act must have three good fonts. If any one or more fonts is bad, the act is … Continue reading →

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Abortion in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services

Posted on 8 January 2011 by Ron Conte

The ERD, fourth edition prohibits Catholic hospitals from performing, authorizing, or formally cooperating with direct abortions. Direct abortion is prohibited by directives n. 45 and following: “45. Abortion (that is, the directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the … Continue reading →

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Communion in the hand or on the tongue?

Posted on 7 January 2011 by Ron Conte

The mode of reception of Communion, on the tongue or in the hand, is not a doctrine or dogma, but is a matter of discipline. And the Church does have the authority to decide such questions. She can permit one, … Continue reading →

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Are the recent bird and fish deaths related to the Biblical Apocalypse?

Posted on 7 January 2011 by Ron Conte

The incidents of bird deaths include whole flocks of birds dying suddenly, with signs of blunt force trauma. The incidents of fish deaths include large numbers of fish of the same species dying at the same time. These types of … Continue reading →

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Which matters of faith or morals are open questions?

Posted on 7 January 2011 by Ron Conte

There is an alarming tendency among theologians and the laity in general to treat nearly all matters of faith or morals as open questions. Infallible Teachings Unless there is an infallible magisterial teaching on a particular point, explicitly stated in … Continue reading →

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intrinsic evil: theft versus expropriation

Posted on 6 January 2011 by Ron Conte

From The Catechism of Catholic Ethics (n. 207) “Theft is narrowly defined as the direct and voluntary deprivation of goods owned by another person. Love of God and neighbor requires us to respect the right of our neighbor to own … Continue reading →

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Intrinsically evil acts: masturbation

Posted on 3 January 2011 by Ron Conte

In order to be moral, each and every sexual act must be marital and unitive and procreative. The good moral object of every moral sexual act is these three meanings intended by God: marital, unitive, procreative. The type of sexual … Continue reading →

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Marital Sexual Ethics: post-coital unnatural sexual acts

Posted on 3 January 2011 by Ron Conte

After an act of natural intercourse, if the wife has not reached sexual climax, is it moral for her husband to bring her to climax with his hand or mouth? No, it is not moral; it is a grave sin. … Continue reading →

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Noah and the Flood: literal or figurative?

Posted on 3 January 2011 by Ron Conte

Most interpretations of the Biblical story of Noah and the Flood assume that the story is either entirely literal or entirely figurative (and therefore fictional). This assumption is unwarranted. Many Scripture passages contain both literal and figurative elements. For example, … Continue reading →

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The single source heresy

Posted on 2 January 2011 by Ron Conte

In this heresy, a believer relies entirely or mainly on one source, such as one theologian or one Saint, as the basis for a doctrine. Instead of relying on the teachings of Sacred Tradition, and Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium, … Continue reading →

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Killing in self-defense: it is moral to intend the death of the aggressor?

Posted on 2 January 2011 by Ron Conte

I’m beginning to see the fittingness of the title ‘Vox Nova’ for the group blog at vox-nova.com. They have new things to say on matters of faith and morals — new because these things are not found in Tradition, Scripture, … Continue reading →

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