Happiness

this is a footnote on Matthew 16:21-23 NABRE: "[21-23] This first prediction of the passion follows Mark 8:31-33 in the main and serves as a corrective to an understanding of Jesus’ messiahship as solely one of glory and triumph. By his addition of from that time on (Matthew 16:21) Matthew has emphasized that Jesus’ revelation of his coming suffering and death marks a new phase of the gospel. Neither this nor the two later passion predictions (Matthew 17:22-23; 20:17-19) can be taken as sayings that, as they stand, go back to Jesus himself . However, it is probable that he foresaw that his mission would entail suffering and perhaps death , but was confident that he would ultimately be vindicated by God (see Matthew 26:29)." (source: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16) PROBLEM:  Jesus could not predict the future? Was he a true prophet? He didn’t know about his death and resurrection? He could only foresee tentatively?

    1.  The USCCB’s words “The Stations of the Cross is an ancient and venerable devotion which is designed to foster a devotion to and meditation on the mystery of the Passion of Christ. As commendable as such a devotion may be, it can never fulfill the purpose of Eucharistic adoration, that is to draw us more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s presence in the Holy Eucharist.  Therefore, neither the Stations of the Cross nor any other devotion shou ld be prayed during exposition of the Eucharist"   (citation:  "Devotions and Eucharistic Adoration,"  https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/adoration/devotions-and-eucharistic-adoration#:~:text=As%20commendable%20as%20such%20a,during%20exposition%20of%20the%20Eucharist.)       2.  No Rosary during adoration: Note that the Rosary is a devotion according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1674: "Besides sacramental liturgy and sacramentals, catechesis ...

you have judgments, beliefs, and semantic-reports. These are immaterial. These are different than the physical brain. Normative (your judgments and beliefs provide the right reasons to act). Semantic (your reports accurately describe your experiences) Main Question: How is it that your judgments, semantic-reports, and beliefs match with what is happening in the brain? Hypothesis 1 of the atheist: brute fact Reply: Arbitrary and possibly question begging hypothesis 2 of the atheist: evolution Reply: evolution explains the physical brain but not the judgments, reports, and beliefs matching with the brain. Hypothesis of the theist: A powerful mind created the normativity, reports, and beliefs to be harmonized with the physical brain states MY THOUGHTS ON THIS ARGUMENT: I'm not so convinced. The reason is I'm still skeptical as to show that evolution cannot explain the judgments, reports, and beliefs harmonizing with the brain. Why not say that evolution causes the brain states in ...

 Catholic teaching: the muslims do worship the same god as christians. Catechism of the Catholic Church 841: “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator , in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims ; these profess [note: not actually, but only by profession] to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God , mankind's judge on the last day." Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate, 3: “The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems . They adore the one God , living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God .” Argument: “  As an analogy, imagine a child who was adopted but didn't yet know it. He or she might say,...

"Also, the souls of those who have incurred no stain of sin whatsoever after baptism, as well as souls who after incurring the stain of sin have been cleansed whether in their bodies or outside their bodies, as was stated above, are straightaway received into heaven and clearly behold the triune God as he is, yet one person more perfectly than another according to the difference of their merits . But the souls of those who depart this life in actual mortal sin, or in original sin alone, go down straightaway to hell to be punished, but with unequal pains." -council of Florence 1438-1445

  Consider the following two claims that some people seem to accept [so, for example, i guess that most secular college students would accept these 2 claims] : Same-sex and opposite-sex sexual relationships are on par [so it’s not like it’s better to be in a same-sex sexual relationship than opposite sex sexual relationship, and vice versa–no…rather, they are on par or equal to each other]. Heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality are on par [so it’s not like it’s better to be heterosexual than homosexual , or it’s not like it’s better to be homosexual than heterosexual, or it’s not like it’s better to be bisexual than homosexual, or it’s not like it’s better to be bisexual than heterosexual–no! Rather these three orientations are simply on par or equal] , and persons of one orientation do not have reason to try to change to another [so, if i’m a homosexual, i do not have reason to try to change to be heterosexual or bisexual, etc. because they are all on par to each other]...

argument: Joseph smith, the Modalist, who is contrary to 3 nephi 19:28 showing non-modalism: “ Luke 10:23 All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth  t hat the Son IS the Father, and the Father IS the Son , but him to whom the Son will reveal it.” (Joseph Smith Jr.,  Inspired Revision of the King James Version: Containing the Old and New Testaments) Versus  3 nephi 19:28: “ Father, I thank thee that thou hast  purified  those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them” Argument 1 against LDSC: Joseph Smith revealed a mistranslation of the papyri as recorded in the “Pearl of Great Price” (which is a LDS revelation): [Note: Joseph Smith is not only telling us who these figures are but where we'll find their identities.] Joseph Smith’s mistranslation of the papyri from Egyptian hieroglyphs to English: 1. Misidentifies the Egyptian god Isis as the Pharaoh. 2. Misidentifies the Egyptian god Osiris as Abraham. 3. Mi...