#11929 Ask Me Anything - Jimmy Akin

Questions Covered: 07:16 – Why should we follow the natural law? 22:01 – Is it considered idolatry when protestants use grape juice for their communion? 32:12 – In John 17:12 it makes it sound like Judas is destined to be condemned. How is this not evidence for predestination? 37:57 – Why did the devil exist in the first place? 44:10 – How does my exploring Catholicism fit in with invincible ignorance? …

Question Covered: 06:07 – How can Catholics affirm evolution if we believe that Adam and Eve could not have experienced death and decay before they fell into sin? 11:25 – How does Prevenient grace work if the concept of total depravity is heretical? They seem like the same thing? 19:00 – Why is it necessary for Jesus to continually offer his body through priests? 23:30 – How can I discuss uniquely Catholics doctrines to my evangelical friends and family? 38:34 – I’m Catholic looking into Orthodoxy. Am I wrong to assume that papal primacy wasn’t as apparent as we claim because if it was, they wouldn’t have split? 47:52 – Is it true that souls in purgatory can’t pray for themselves but can pray for us? …

Questions Covered: 06:58 – When do thoughts become mortal sin? 15:57 – If you die wearing a brown scapular, do your loved ones have to pray for you? Do you have to go to purgatory? 20:42 – I’m just now returning to the Catholic faith. I’m meeting with my priest tomorrow. How do I properly prepare? What should I expect? Send words of eternal life and secrets from heaven 32:13 – I was in line for confession and the priest stopped right before I got to go. What do I do at that point? Can I receive communion since my intention was there? 42:02 – Will parents be culpable for their children’s sin before they reached the age of reason? 47:01 – What are the miracles attributed to the Miraculous Medal? Is it Just superstition? 51:50 – What is the Church position on immigration law? …

Cy and Matthew discuss the Synod on Synodality, recognition of saints among Catholics and Orthodox and the results of the 2024 U.S. election. …

Questions Covered: 01:48 – What do you mean that it is ok to believe Adam and Eve are symbolic? 06:20 – What are the restrictions on Fridays? Does that include all animal products or just animal flesh? 10:22 – Why did God mandate Hosea to have relations with the prostitutes? 15:08 – Can we truly know if we are saved? 19:10 – I found a ring with the initials SMOTJ. I discovered it was the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. What is it and is it Catholic? 22:30 – How do I respond to the claim that there is no evidence that the Deuterocanon was not included in the original canon of the Old Testament? 29:04 – Once you discover the talents that God has given you, how do you use them to the best of your abilities? 30:52 – Is polygamy acceptable in an apocalyptic situation? 37:12 – Why don’t Catholics baptize by immersion and in the name of Jesus? 43:40 – Do you have any speculation as to why the book Esther wasn’t found in the dead sea scrolls? 46:45 – When did the bread that Jesus had at the last supper turn into his body and blood? 50:17 – What are your thoughts on Dr Scott Hahn’s theory and book on the Fourth Cup? 52:36 – Is the Church’s definition of death, the separation of body and soul? Would Elijah resurrect a child in 1 Kings 17:17-24 back up this definition? …

Questions Covered: 06:01 – John 14 Jesus says He is the way the truth and the life. How would this affect people who haven’t heard the message of Jesus? 08:35 – Why do some Catholics justify doing bad things in a civil marriage and later dismiss that former behavior saying it was not an issue because it wasn’t a valid marriage? 15:09 – Is it necessary to believe in historic Adam and Eve? 21:09 – Why does one need to be baptized to merit anything? How do you answer the atheist object of why would God send an unbaptized but otherwise good person to hell? 32:08 – Can you help me better understand Matthew 24? 45:29 – Why did God allow certain things in the old law like capital punishment? 52:50 – How is it not blasphemy to pray to the saints? …

Questions Covered:  03:05 – I have an Eastern Orthodox friend – How can you prove Mary’s sinlessness through scripture and history?    12:10 – Can you explain your article that said Miracles happen? If they do, why do we rarely ever see them?   19:05 – How do I go by the code of canon 988 in confession, which says I must confess all past mortal sins?   34:25 – If somebody has a phobia is that something they will need to detach from in Purgatory?    38:08 – I struggle with the idea that rituals would mean something to God. Is there a scriptural reference for their importance?  43:06 – Why did St. John the Baptist send his disciple to ask Jesus who he was, if he recognized Jesus in the womb?  47:28 – My church does a communal Rosary during the time I can go to Adoration. How can I respond well to this since it prevents me from doing private prayer?  52:14 – Why do bad things happen to good people?  …

Questions Covered: 03:08 – How do atheists handle the question “How do you know what is essential to the category of God”?  07:45 – I met an atheist who believes in the idea that the universe is circularly caused. How can I respond to this?  13:40 – How can I interpret paragraph 9 of Inter mirifica as it relates to media?  19:14 – What did St. Paul think of his previous faith and Judaism?  29:23 – How do I respond to people who say you shouldn’t judge?  34:40 – Is Tradition infallible?  41:31 – Can a Catholic consider corporal punishment in general inadmissible?  …

Questions Covered: 03:10 – What happens if someone commits a mortal sin under baptism of desire? 05:28 – When Pope Pius XII issued liturgical forms to include vernacular, what was the purpose of that? 08:04 – Can Latin Mass societies begin the Easter Vigil Mass at a different time than is standard today? 12:49 – Is it okay for me to use the New Oxford Bible translation for a Catholic Bible study? 16:12 – How can we be so sure that Jesus wasn’t just using symbolic language during the last supper? 29:16 – What is your advice on what I can do since I can’t participate in the sacraments as a non-Catholic? 33:59 – Would a person that has to go to RCIA classes have to pay for the classes? 46:17 – The World Health Organization says that no amount of alcohol is good for a person. How does this square with the Catholic religion and their use of alcohol? …

Questions Covered: 05:13 – What is the matter in the sacrament of confession? 12:33 – What do you recommend to read for someone who wants an intro to the Church Fathers? 18:10 – How do we make the argument that Enoch is not inspired scripture? 23:56 – If we are not supposed to judge people, how do we judge anything in our lives? 31:20 – Why should Catholics consider Mary perfect? 38:32 – What evidence in the Early Church apart from Paul do you have to justify calling priests father? 48:08 – My husband is not Catholic. How do I convince him of the authority of the magisterium? …