Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 278

Can a Catholic be a Socialist?

The simplest definition of socialism is that it is the economic philosophy which advocates government ownership and control of goods and services. There are lots of variations on the theme, but let’s stick to that one for a simple definition, and add to it the underlying assumption that the government ownership would, necessarily include, an [...]

Religion and Politics

It is somewhat dis-spiriting to find that my posts on healthcare (and therefore politics) elicit far more comments and stimulate far more discussion and controversy than any of my religious posts. This is probably because I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to politics and simply throw my own opinion and [...]

Fourth of July

What do I love about America? Here’s my list.

Hooray for Health Care

My previous post on my experience of the National Health Service elicited a large number of comments–both pro and con. I think some of the people were missing the point. Because I said my experience of national health care in Britain was more positive than negative, and that in principle I have no objection to [...]

100 Biblical Arguments…

…Against Sola Scriptura. This little book–like it’s forthright title–comes right out and does what it says it will do. Well known internet apologist Dave Armstrong does what he does best–he gathers evidence, piles it up, explains it and then does it again with more evidence. His website is an amazing treasure trove representing hours–yea a [...]

Evangelize with Catholic Holy Cards

So a few months ago I got this idea. I have too many ideas and not enough time. The idea is this. You take a holy card with a Catholic image on the front, and you print Bible verses which connect with that image on the back. Then you include an address where they can [...]

My Experience of the National Health Service

I lived in England for twenty five years and lived with the National Health Service. The argument for the National Health Service was simple: through taxes the state provides basic health care for the whole population. I hear my right wing American friends grumbling about yesterday’s Supreme Court decision and raising their voices about the [...]

Comment Box Rules

I operate an open comment box on this blog. New commenters will need to be approved and then they are welcome to say what they want. I don’t mind if they use the blog as their own soapbox. I don’t mind if they question or criticize the Catholic church. I don’t mind if they question [...]

Would God Send Anyone to Hell?

Would a good God send anyone to hell? Some folks tootle on about the Christian God being some sort of “invisible moral enforcer”. He’s the big school monitor in the sky; the eternal policeman. They reject that sort of God, and that’s okay because that’s not really the God of the Catholic faith anyway. We [...]

Can You be Good Without God?

Atheists like to tell us that they can be “good without God.” What they rarely do is define what they mean by “good”. If they mean they can have good manners, do volunteer work, give to worthy causes to make the world a better place, then of course they can be “good without God.” If [...]