Choose a topic from Vol 4:

Religion - Yes or No

Necessity of Religion
Reality of Religious Experience
Religion and life
Religious statistics
Nature of religion
Necessity of worship
Neglect of religion
Religion and history
Conversion of mankind

The Christian Church

Nature of the Church
Necessity of the Church
Visible organisation
Hierarchical constitution
Papal supremacy
Perpetuity of the Church

"This Shall Be the Sign"

Notes of identification
Unity of the Church
Holiness of the Church
Catholicity of the Church
Apostolic succession
"Roman" but not "Roman Catholic"

Dogmatic Authority of the Church

Authority in religion
Catholic Church infallible
The Pope infallible
Papal definitions
Dogmatic spirit of the Catholic Church
"Religion of the spirit"
Individual freedom
Re-stating Christianity
Athanasian Creed
Meaning of faith
Faith and reason
Faith and science
Religion and education
Religion and morals
Catholic countries backward
Universities and religion
Natural Moral Law
Christian principles of morality
Catholicism versus the world

The Power-Complex Illusion

Legislative power of the Catholic Church
Coercive power of the Catholic Church
Catholic Church and political ambitions
Divided allegiance of Catholics
Rome and totalitarianism
Aim of the Catholic Church in America
Catholic Action
Political freedom of Catholics
Catholic infiltration of civic life
Catholicism anti-democatic
Rival totalitarianisms, Rome and Moscow
Catholic attitude to Protestants
Spanish Inquisition
Church and State
Federal Union or "One World State"

Life-Or-Death Social Problems

Social reform necessary
Socialism
Trade unions
Communism
Protestant Churches and Communism
Capitalism
Social apathy of Churches
Catholic social teaching
Marriage
Family life
Primary purpose of marriage
Religion and marriage
Form of marriage
Mixed marriages
Birth control
"Catholic birth control"
Divorce and re-marriage
Catholics and civil divorce
Nullity decrees
Therapeutic abortion
Euthansia or mercy-killing
War

Those Exclusive Claims

Divided Christendom
Do divisions matter?
The "Only True Church" claims
Cause of sectarian bigotry
Reunion Movement
Catholic non-cooperation

Religious Liberty

Religious freedom
Catholic intolerance
Protestants and the principles of religious liberty
Rome and the "Four Freedoms"
Heresy and heretics
Religious rights of Protestants
Religious persecution
Anti-semitism
"Rome's historical record"
Protestant missionaries in Spain
In Italy
In South America
Conditions in Colombia

Are Only Catholics Saved

"Outside the Catholic Church no salvation"
Beliefs of Catholics
Salvation of Pagans
Salvation of Protestants
Why become a Catholic?
Duty of inquiry
Salvation of apostate Catholics
Test at the Last Judgment
Obstacles to conversion
Truth of Catholicism

Duty of inquiry

1630. Is it absolutely necessary for a Protestant to make a research outside the limits of his own inherited religion to clear his conscience before God?

Not if he is personally contented with his religion, has never adverted to any reasons for doubting his position, and experiences absolute peace of conscience in it. He should riot/ of course, remain a Protestant merel) because he has inherited the religion he professes from his parents. Hei should have better reasons than that; and if, on inquiry, he discovers that! his parents were mistaken, he has no duty to go on making the same mistake] just because his parents did not advert to their error. But if any ProtestantB6 does experience doubts about his position, with consequent uneasiness of) conscience, then he is obliged before God to go into the matter sufficiently; to solve those doubts and adopt a religious position his conscience can! wholeheartedly approve.

1631. A Catholic told me that a Protestant is doomed to damnation however good he may be, if he has thoroughly investigated the Roman Catholic religion, yet still prefers to remain a Protestant. Is that so?

Not if, despite his thorough investigation, he fails through no fault of his own to become convinced of the truth of the Catholic religion, and is still honestly persuaded that his form of Protestantism is right. Personally, however, I would say that if a man did investigate the Catholic religion yet did not become convinced of its truth, then either he would not have investigated it with sufficient thoroughness, or would not have done so impartially owing to inherited prejudices, or would not have prayed enough and as earnestly as he should to God for the grace to see its truth and for the courage to embrace it.

1632. I have studied Catholicism with some care, but have decided against it

That could be because you have not studied it with sufficient care; or it may be that the full significance of what you have read has not yet dawned upon you. The knowledge of a thing and the realization of it are two very different things. When one studies the life of G. K. Chesterton, one wonders why he did not become a Catholic long before he did. But, as he quaintly put it, one often sees a thing for the first time when he looks at it for the hundredth time. And then there is always the factor of the grace of God. If you-continue to pray earnestly to know God's will, you may yet see things differently.

NEXT TOPIC »

MORE FROM VOLUME 4

"THAT CATHOLIC CHURCH
A Radio Analysis"
- Book Title