“There are no bad questions” is one of those collected pearls of wisdom that sounds good on the surface. Questions encourage thought, we’re told, and encouraging thought is always a good thing. Right? Well, perhaps we should examine the premises here. Do questions encourage thought? They certainly can do so. After all, if inventors didn’t ask questions about how a task might be done more efficiently, a lot of the conveniences we depend on today might never have been invented.... Read more
When the rapper Clifford Harris Jr. (also known as T.I.) told the world during a podcast episode aired in November 2019 that he has had his daughter’s physician check her hymen during annual exams, to assure himself his daughter hadn’t been engaging in sexual activity, I was appalled and decided to write about it in my next essay for Catholic Answers’ online magazine. My editor was skeptical about the appropriateness of the topic for a family-oriented web site, but I... Read more
“Want to go with me to confession?” My roommate routinely asks me this question, knowing that I’ll occasionally say yes. I happen to appreciate the question (some people wouldn’t), and have let her know that I want her to keep asking it. So, she does. If she didn’t, I doubt I’d get to confession at all. This time, I said yes. When we arrived at the church, where confession is still held outdoors, we were both surprised to see a... Read more
A few years ago, the Church marked the fiftieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae, Paul VI’s reaffirmation of the Church’s traditional teaching on artificial contraception. In honor of that milestone, Catholic Answers published a book of essays on the document. The staff was always offered hot-off-the-presses copies of new products, and I was eager to see this one. I still remember pulling off the plastic wrap and thumbing to the table of contents. My eyes widened when I saw the list... Read more
After twenty years of navigating discussions with strangers online, a dozen of those years spent as a people herder for a large online discussion forums site, it’s rare for an unkind personal remark directed my way to get under my skin. When you’ve been called a b*tch, a nutcase, and even an “overweight hyena,” you either start to let insults rolls off your back or you find a new time-wasting hobby far from the slings and arrows of the online... Read more
Catholic Answers always provided health insurance for full-time employees, but for many years I could only afford the basic plan for which my employer paid the full premium. Not much was covered. It was possible to level up to a better plan, but they were financially prohibitive. Nonetheless, I counted myself fortunate because I knew that there were plenty of employers who didn’t pay the full premium for even a basic, not-much-covered option. Then I got luckier. The insurance carrier... Read more
A couple of months ago, I examined the case of a lay moral theologian who presumed to offer advice to an elderly Catholic married couple about their sex life. I’ve noted there and elsewhere that, toward the end of my tenure at Catholic Answers, the apostolate moved away from the one-to-one apologetics I specialized in, preferring to focus strictly on theology and philosophy. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Catholic Answers chose to open up its platform to “Dear... Read more
I like to say that I became a professional Catholic apologist by “on the job training.” In addition to continuing education in the faith, I also started out working under the supervision of a manager at Catholic Answers. For the first six months or so after I was promoted to staff apologist, my manager double-checked the answers I wrote in response to clients on Catholic Answers’ platforms and reviewed everything I submitted for publication. For the most part, I learned... Read more
Today is the feast of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, an Italian physician who died of septic peritonitis on April 28, 1962, following the birth of her fourth child. Every year around this time, Catholic and pro-life social media is filled with tributes to Gianna’s heroism in refusing an abortion to save her own life, essentially turning her story into a morality play. The lovely young Wife and Mother, so goes the story, bravely scorns her Evil Physicians’ advice to abort... Read more
Imagine, if you will, that you are a woman in her seventies, happily married for over forty years. Your 70-something husband has been very considerate of the physical issues that arise with advancing age—not only agreeing that marital intercourse isn’t possible (for whatever private reasons the two of you have presumably assessed) but to separate bedrooms so you both can get a good night’s sleep. Then, one fine evening, you’re happily kissing your husband good night when he takes you... Read more
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