Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 8
4:00 – In Philadelphia, Fears That Abusive Priests Still Active
Three weeks after a scathing grand jury report said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had provided safe haven to as many as 37 priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors, most of those priests remain active in the ministry. Matthew Bunson, co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal, joins us for analysis.
4:20 – Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media
According to the media, the church is rapidly shrinking, both in numbers and in effectiveness. But the good news is, much of the bad news is wrong. Sociologist Bradley Wright uncovers what's really happening in the church: Christians are more respected by secular culture now than they were ten years ago; divorce rates of Christians are lower than those of nonbelievers; Christians give more to charity than others do. Wright reveals to readers why and how statistics are distorted, and shows that God is still effectively working through his people today.
5:00 – Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection
Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can't "prove" Jesus is the Son of God, certainly doesn't disprove it. Indeed, Benedict maintains that the evidence, fairly considered, brings us face-to-face with the challenge of Jesus-a real man who taught and acted in ways that were tantamount to claims of divine authority, claims not easily dismissed as lunacy or deception. Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection is Pope Benedict XVI’s follow-up to Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordon to the Transfiguration. Fr. Joseph Fessio joins us today as the book is released in Rome.
5:40 – In Philadelphia, Fears That Abusive Priests Still Active
Three weeks after a scathing grand jury report said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had provided safe haven to as many as 37 priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors, most of those priests remain active in the ministry. Matthew Bunson, co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal, joins us for analysis.
Is Life Worth Living?
ReplyDeleteAl, I looked up the book you referenced on Monday's show. You misstated the title. It's not "Better To Have Never Been Born." It's "Better Never To Have Been: The Harm Of Coming Into Existence."
I prefer the actual title of the book. The author, David Benatar, might not be a stickler about it, but orthodox Catholics certainly know the difference between being conceived and being born.
This guy Benatar is definitely not cosmically correct, and his life trajectory is clearly in the direction of hell. He's got free will, so he can believe what he wants. But he will pay a horrible price for bucking the cosmically correct: i.e., he will be subjected to unending agony in our Lord's infinite chamber of pain.
Aren't you scared about that, Mr. Benatar? I'm sure you really believe what you are saying. But don't you see the risk in believing what you believe? Don't you realize that it would be wise to change your mind? I don't exactly know how you would go about abandoning a genuinely held belief; but, my God, Mr. Benatar, aren't you the least bit scared?
Al disagrees with Mr. Benatar. Al thinks it's always better to be born -- sorry, I mean conceived. That's because, according to Al, being is preferable to non-being. During Monday's show Al said that life is worth living.
Three days later, on Thursday, Al played a segment from the Truth & Life audio bible. It was Jesus at the Last Supper in the gospel of Mark. Jesus spoke of his impending betrayal: "... but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."
Jesus leaves it at that. But I think we all know to what he is referring. There is something out there, something really bad, something so bad that it would make life not worth living. Are you going to argue with Jesus, Al?
And does anybody think that Mr. Benatar deserves to be punished because of his beliefs?