Jimmy Akin's Blog, page 10
October 24, 2011
Only 4 Days Left! (But I Can Still Save You $100 Or More!)
Here's the deal: Catholic Answers is currently planning it cruise for May 11-21 of next year.
It's going to go all kinds of interesting places: Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc. There will be a pre-event in Rome, and the trip itself will feature a visit to Fatima.
Now the money part: If you register for the cruise by October 28, I can save you $100 per person. (So if you take two people, I can save you $200; three people, $300; etc.)
Just put the super-secret code "Jimmy" in the "Special Request and Notes" section of your online application.
This exciting, faith-building experience would be a nice Christmas gift for you and your spouse, others in your family, or just yourself!
But remember, there's a time limit on this one, so register by October 28th so I can get you the discount!
More info here: www.CatholicAnswersCruise.com
October 22, 2011
PODCAST 017 Is Women's Ordination a Heresy?
Click Play to listen . . .
or you can . . .
CLICK HERE!
. . . or subscribe another way (one of many ways!) at jimmyakinpodcast.com.
SHOW NOTES:
JIMMY AKIN PODCAST EPISODE 017 (10/22/11)
* BEN ASKS ABOUT WOMEN'S ORDINATION AND HERESY
Canons relating to the Church's Magisterium, including the definition of heresy: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2H.HTM
Who must make the profession of faith: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2R.HTM
Text of the profession of faith: http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfoath.htm
Doctrinal commentary on the profession of faith: http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfadtu.htm
WHAT'S YOUR QUESTION?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO ASK?
Call me at 512-222-3389!
jimmyakinpodcast@gmail.com
Today's Music: Cover Me (JewelBeat.Com)
Copyright © 2011 by Jimmy Akin
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The Weekly Benedict: 4th Week of Oct., 2011
[image error]Here are the initial entries for The Weekly Benedict:
SPEECH: To the Prefects of Italy (October 14, 2011)
ANGELUS: Angelus Message for Oct. 16
HOMILY: 16 October 2011: Holy Mass for the New Evangelization
SPEECH: To a delegation of the Syro-Malabar Church (October 17, 2011)
AUDIENCE: 19 October 2011, The Great Hallel, Psalm 136 (135)
SPEECH: To the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Australia on their ad Limina visit (October 20, 2011)
[image error]
Introducing: The Weekly Benedict
I love Pope Benedict!
Among the many reasons are, he's an awesome teacher. As a result, I've tried to study his thought closely, and I'm frequently amazed and delighted by the insights he provides.
The problem is accessing all of his teachings.
The Vatican Information Service and similar press agencies run by the Holy See provide news stories that contain brief English-language quotations from his writings and speeches, but I don't want excerpts. I want full documents.
The Vatican web site's section on Pope Benedict provides full documents, but they aren't always in English, and they aren't always released in a timely manner. Sometimes you have to wait weeks (or longer or till never) for an English translation to appear.
The Vatican web site also has an arcane--even Byzantine--organizational scheme in the Pope Benedict section that requires you to click multiple links to check each category to see what may have been posted recently.
What should happen is this: The Vatican web site guys need to (a) devote the resources to translating all of Pope Benedict's interventions into English in a timely manner and (b) they need to create a page or RSS feed that links them as they are released.
So far they haven't done that.
But I hate having neat-o keen Benedict documents slip past me because of the irregularity and user-unfriendliarity of it all.
As a result, I'm creating The Weekly Benedict.
Here's the plan: Once a week, if I at all can (I may sometimes have to miss a week, in which case I'll do double duty next time), I'm going to check a set of links I've developed that unwind the complicated organizational scheme that the Vatican web site uses to present Pope Benedict's documents. If I find a new document posted in English, I'll include it in a blog post under the heading "The Weekly Benedict" in the "+Benedict" section.
Depending on how much time I have to read the documents as I find them, I may provide quotations, notes, or commentary to help the reader find interesting things.
I'd call this thing "This Week with Pope Benedict" if the Vatican web site released English translations within a week of when Pope Benedict gave particular communications, but they don't, so there we are.
It should, nevertheless, provide a way for English-speaking Benedict fans such as myself to access his thought in as timely a manner as possible.
To make things even easier, I'm creating a special RSS feed called JimmyAkin.Org +Benedict to make distribution easier.
Here's the direct link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jimmyakin/benedict
If you already subscribe to the regular JimmyAkin.Org feed or the JimmyAkin.Org +Religion feed then you will get these posts automatically and do not need to subscribe separately.
So that's the plan, anyway. We'll see how it works out in practice. I may need to adjust things as we go, but hopefully it will provide a new and better way for English-speakers to stay up with the thought of our wow-awesome Pope Benedict XVI!
Hope this helps!
The Weekly Benedict: Sources
The following are the links I check on the Vatican web site to compose The Weekly Benedict.
Frequently recurring:
Angelus (2011)
Audiences (2011)
Homilies (2011)
Letters (2011)
Pontifical Messages (2011)
Speeches (2011): Oct. | Nov. | Dec.
Periodic:
Urbi et Orbi (given for Christmas and Easter)
Lent (released late in the previous year, e.g., Oct.-Dec.)
World Communications Day (May-June-ish)
World Day for Consecrated (Feb. 2)
World Day for Migrants and Refugees (late in year; e.g., Aug.-Oct.)
World Day of Peace (Dec. 8)
World Day of Prayer for Vocations (Varies; has been between Nov. and Feb. in recent years)
World Day of the Sick (Varies; has been between Nov. and Feb. in recent years)
World Food Day (Oct.)
World Mission Day (not predictable from recent history)
World Youth Day (includes the annual, "off-year" celebrations)
Irregularly recurring:
Apostolic Constitutions
Apostolic Exhortations
Apostolic Letters
Encyclicals
Prayers
Apostolic Voyages Inside Italy
Apostolic Voyages Outside Italy
October 20, 2011
Introducing: The Weekly Benedict
I love Pope Benedict!
Among the many reasons are, he's an awesome teacher. As a result, I've tried to study his thought closely, and I'm frequently amazed and delighted by the insights he provides.
The problem is accessing all of his teachings.
The Vatican Information Service and similar press agencies run by the Holy See provide news stories that contain brief English-language quotations from his writings and speeches, but I don't want excerpts. I want full documents.
The Vatican web site's section on Pope Benedict provides full documents, but they aren't always in English, and they aren't always released in a timely manner. Sometimes you have to wait weeks (or longer or till never) for an English translation to appear.
The Vatican web site also has an arcane--even Byzantine--organizational scheme in the Pope Benedict section that requires you to click multiple links to check each category to see what may have been posted recently.
What should happen is this: The Vatican web site guys need to (a) devote the resources to translating all of Pope Benedict's interventions into English in a timely manner and (b) they need to create a page or RSS feed that links them as they are released.
So far they haven't done that.
But I hate having neat-o keen Benedict documents slip past me because of the irregularity and user-unfriendliarity of it all.
As a result, I'm creating The Weekly Benedict.
Here's the plan: Once a week, if I at all can (I may sometimes have to miss a week, in which case I'll do double duty next time), I'm going to check a set of links I've developed that unwind the complicated organizational scheme that the Vatican web site uses to present Pope Benedict's documents. If I find a new document posted in English, I'll include it in a blog post under the heading "The Weekly Benedict."
Depending on how much time I have to read the documents as I find them, I may provide quotations, notes, or commentary to help the reader find interesting things.
I'd call this thing "This Week with Pope Benedict" if the Vatican web site released English translations within a week of when Pope Benedict gave particular communications, but they don't, so there we are.
It should, nevertheless, provide a way for English-speaking Benedict fans such as myself to access his thought in as timely a manner as possible.
To make things even easier, I'm creating a special RSS feed called JimmyAkin.Org +Benedict to make distribution easier.
Here's the direct link: xxx
If you already subscribe to the regular JimmyAkin.Org feed or the JimmyAkin.Org +Religion feed then you will get these posts automatically and do not need to subscribe separately.
So that's the plan, anyway. We'll see how it works out in practice. I may need to adjust things as we go, but hopefully it will provide a new and better way for English-speakers to stay up with the thought of our wow-awesome Pope Benedict XVI!
Hope this helps!
New +Religion Feed
Some time ago I got a request in the combox to set up a feed for the religious content of the blog so that those who want to subscribe but who aren't interested in the non-religious stuff I also talk about will have a way to have just they content they are interested in delivered to their feed readers.
At the time, I didn't think there was a way to set up such a feed on TypePad. At least the user interface doesn't natively have a way to set up that kind of feed.
But I aim to please, and I've found a workaround.
You'll notice, if you look at the category cloud in the lower right margin that there is a new category called "+Religion." The plus is in the title purely to force it to the top of the category list, so when I'm composing a post, I don't have to scroll through loads of categories (the UI only shows me the top 5-6 without having to scroll). I can just click the +Religion category, and it will be included there.
After creating the +Religion category, I then created a feed for it on Feedburner.
The result is that you can now subscribe to the JimmyAkin.Org +Religion feed, and you'll get all and only the religious content I post. (Unless, in a particular case, I forget to check the +Religion box to put it in that category.)
It's full address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jimmyakin/religion
If you want the full Jimmy Akin experience, though, just subscribe to the regular JimmyAkin.Org feed, and you'll get everything.
So, it involves a little more work on my part per post, but the new solution should allow those who are just interested in the religion stuff to more easily get the material they are interested in.
Hope this helps!
October 18, 2011
Why Is Chuck Colson Sweeping Mormonism Under the Rug?
I have a lot of respect for Chuck Colson. I have ever since I was an Evangelical and learned of his work with Prison Fellowship. I listened to his radio appearances, read his writings, and admired his sincere conversion to Christ following the events of Watergate.
To my mind, he's a good guy.
But I flat out disagree with a recent opinion piece he wrote.
Here's what he has to say:
Presidential Religion: Enough, Already!
A few days ago I was on the air with Los Angeles's outstanding drive-time host, Frank Pastore - a keen worldview thinker. Frank told me his phone lines have been burning up over the comments made by a prominent evangelical pastor who said that presidential candidate Mitt Romney belongs to a cult.
Should Christians vote for a Mormon? Is Mormonism a cult? Let me say right off: These questions are an enormous distraction in an important presidential campaign. The secular media is using the pastor's comments to paint evangelicals as bigots. The Chicago Tribune is calling this "hate speech."
I want to say this to every Christian listening to my voice: Let's stop criticizing candidates for their religious convictions.
Where to begin with this?
I heard about the remarks that the pastor made regarding Mormonism being a cult, and I agree with Colson that this is not helpful.
But the idea that we should stop criticizing political candidates for their religious convictions? What is Colson thinking?
October 16, 2011
PODCAST 016 Confessing Sins You Meant to Commit but Didn't; Tattoos for a Purpose; the Rapture
Click Play to listen . . .
or you can . . .
CLICK HERE!
. . . or subscribe another way (one of many ways!) at jimmyakinpodcast.com.
SHOW NOTES:
JIMMY AKIN PODCAST EPISODE 016 (10/16/11)
www.CatholicAnswersGala.com (register by Oct. 19 and be automatically entered to win a FREE iPad 2 loaded with Catholic Answers audio and video).
www.CatholicAnswersCruise.com (register by Oct. 28 and put the secret code "Jimmy" in the Special Requests and Notes section of your online application and save $100 *per person*).
* ANONYMOUS ASKS ABOUT CONFESSING SINS YOU MEANT TO COMMIT BUT DIDN'T
* BOB FROM FLINT ASKS ABOUT GETTING A TATTOO FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE
* JACK FROM ARDMORE ASKS ABOUT THE RAPTURE
WHAT'S YOUR QUESTION? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO ASK?
Call me at 512-222-3389!
jimmyakinpodcast@gmail.com
Today's Music: Eine Kline Nachtmusik (JewelBeat.Com)
Copyright © 2011 by Jimmy Akin
October 15, 2011
Cooking with Shirataki "Miracle Rice"
I love rice. But it's high in carbs, so naturally I've wanted a low-carb substitute for it.
I've tried a number of things. For example, grading and cooking cauliflower. Texture-wise, that's not a bad substitute, but it tastes like cauliflower and not rice. Even when fried with oils and spices that you would use making fried rice, it still has that cauliflower taste in there somewhere.
I've thought for a long time that low carb pasta makers ought to make low carb orzo, which could be used as a rice substitute, but thus far I haven't found that--at least with Western-style low carb pasta.
I have found basically that with Eastern-style low-carb pasta.
Recently I tried a rice substitute made from shirataki, which is the root of a plant in Asia. It's the same material as shirataki noodles, just in a different shape.
I ordered a box of "Miracle Rice" from Amazon, and here's what an individual package looks like (click to embiggen):
As soon as I got the stuff, I realized I've seen it repeatedly in Asian markets. It's just that since the label wasn't in English I wasn't sure that what I was looking at was shirataki or that it was meant as a rice substitute.
Here's what it looks like out of the package:
In this picture I was rinsing it (something you're supposed to do with a lot of even regular rice), prior to blanching it, which is all the cooking this type needs. It's already soft, but the blanching removes shirataki aroma and makes it smell and taste neutral. Same as with shirataki noodles.
And here it is all blanched:
Next I made a stir-fry with beef and vegetables so as to make beef fried rice. Here's the stir-fry in progress. As it was cooking, I thought, "This looks and smells so good, all I need to do is add my final spices and soy sauce and I'd have a great stir fry even without the rice. Mmmmm!"
And here's the final product: low carb beef fried rice made with shirataki rice:
So how was it?
It was quite good!
It was certainly the best low carb rice substitute I've had thus far--and by far.
The mouth feel is quite similar to that of regular rice. It's not unduly rubbery or anything. You can bite through an individual grain of this the way you can an individual grain of regular rice. The neutral taste does not stand out against the flavors and seasonings added to it, again like regular rice.
One point of difference is that this stuff is not as sticky as regular Asian rice, and so it is not easy to eat with chopsticks (assuming you're used to eating rice with chopsticks). However, I have an idea about how to fix that (more on that in the future).
I'm interested to try it in other rice applications soon, such as risotto, in a casserole, etc. Or in place of barley in soup (Mmmm. Vegetable beef soup. A childhood favorite.)
I'll let you know how it goes!
In the meantime . . .
YOU CAN ORDER SOME OF THE SHIRATAKI MIRACLE RICE FOR YOURSELF HERE!
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