#11740 Ask Me Anything - Jimmy Akin

Questions Covered: 06:42 – Is it possible to reconcile Young-Earth Creationism with findings of science that appear to say the earth is much older?  13:55 – During the apostolic age, was a mustard seed considered a weed or a harvestable crop?  19:11 – Did Jesus have an elemental soul like humans do?  22:43 – I’m having a lot of problems with two dioceses. They’re restricting my ministry and not telling me what’s wrong. What’s the next level I can go to to try and sort this out?  33:36 – How do the Catholic observances of holidays and seasons and feasts reconcile with Mathetes’ Epistle to Diogenetus, which seems to say that holidays and seasons are not Christian?  41:07 – With all the suffering in the world today, has anyone proposed that purgatory might be this world?  47:31 – Is it okay for Catholics to use supplements for your mood like adaptogens?  49:49 – What are some good sources I can read concerning typology of St. Peter in the Old Testament?  …

Questions covered: 13:53 – How do we respond to scientific theories like the special theory of relativity that are based on thought experiments that seem to contradict Christianity? 18:16 – Alexis Carrel was a Catholic biologist who studied eugenics for the country of France. Can his profession be reconciled with his Catholicity? 29:54 – In our modern era, science is viewed as objective truth that matters more than faith; but also there’s a modern philosophy that everyone has their own truth. As a scientist, how do you use your profession to bolster your faith within that odd philosophical framework? 35:06 – What evidence is there that we have a soul that is rational and has intellect? 41:40 – How do you compare the difference between an atom being self-aware and a cell being self-aware? 45:15 – Can you recommend any reading or viewing material on how faith and science are complimentary? 47:28 – How should I teach chemistry from a Catholic worldview? …

Questions Covered: 01:27 – What is the history of the use of the tetragrammaton/divine name in worship, particularly as it relates to Jehovah’s Witnesses?  07:44 – I heard your show where you mentioned a study in India on near death experiences where the people in India would see some spirits that were either good or evil spirits. Christians see angels, good or bad. So non-believers could argue that the fact that people don’t see the same thing is proof that these visions are due only to chemical reactions of a dying brain. How would you respond?   13:52 – What would be the best way for us as Catholics to answer some Protestants who claim what’s happening in Israel right now has to do with the 2nd coming of Jesus that in there minds is gonna happen soon or at any moment?  17:49 – Which allegedly evidential NDE do you think is the strongest?  23:57 – If the Pope has the keys to heaven and hell, could the Pope/Church canonize someone that God would not have allowed into heaven by ordinary means, but since the church/pope utilized the authority of those keys they now get in? what about the reverse a just person going to hell because the church invoked the keys of authority to condemn them?  28:25 – From what I understand, the Jesuits are not allowed to hold positions of Authority or power. Is this true? And if so, did it change to permit Pope Francis to be Pope?  29:55 – Maybe better for a weird questions episode but I recently had several blessed, holy objects go missing around the house and it occurred to me, if it WAS demons, is there    34:53 – From my 15 year old : Is God alive both scientifically as well as theologically?  39:30 – From my 13 year old: In the Skinwalker Ranch episode of Mysterious World there were three wolf- like activities and one of them was a wolf-like creature running around in the horse pen. One thing that I realized was that the description for the wolf was almost the same as the beast of Gevaudan. Do you think the beast could have been a skin walker? They were both red, had poofy tails, head like a wolf, heyena like bodies and boar like legs. I’d like to hear your thoughts.  43:51 – I remember a very helpful episode where you discussed the career of Dr. Steven Greer. I have been very curious about what you know about the legitimacy of the UAP claims by Bob Lazar and David Grusch?   48:56 – How can we better understand the word “Belief” with regards to God and our faith, and do Catholics and Protestants (specifically Lutherans, understand this idea of belief in God differently). Is it just about saying you know of God’s existence and profess to others that you know and understand of his existence; or, is there a deeper understanding of “belief in God” which also calls us to act or respond to this understanding of “belief” in Him. If there is a deeper understanding (or action) of belief, where do we find this ( in history, in scripture, or in the actual definition in or meaning of the word)?  …

Questions Covered: 03:09 – What are your thoughts on the prophecy of the angelic pope and great Catholic monarch? 06:40 – Until the Second Coming, we won’t have our bodies if we are in heaven (provided we get there, of course). How will we interact, then, with our loved ones who we hope are in heaven and we long to see again? What does that even look like? I believe the Church does not have definitive teaching on this, but what has been the speculation? 17:46 – Do you think there were sasquatches on the Ark? 19:56 – We say the Trinity is three Persons. I have been told, on inquiry, that these are not three “selves” as we would normally understand “persons”, but I’m also told that the Holy Spirit is the “love” between the Father and the Son, and that the Holy Trinity is a “community”. But only distinct selves can love each other or be in community; both of these, it seems to me, cannot be true. Can you elaborate? 23:54 – Is there any equivalent to Eucharistic Adoration for the Precious Blood? If so, why? If not, why not? 28:43 – What is the difference between feasting and gluttony? 31:49 – Someone w/ surname of Murray said the name meant they are descended from Mary, after she moved to France. (Pardon my French but WTH??!?!?!?!!) 33:49 – Make or dismiss the case that after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mother Mary first and in private. 34:40 – What’s a good book that talks about how the apostles died rather than denying the Resurrection? 40:10 – What’s all this about the red heifers being prepared for slaughter in Israel as fulfillment of a prophecy? 46:24 – Please give your feedback on this statement: “Receiving on the tongue is the default option.” 46:56 – What really is sleep? 50:35 – What does the Church state about forcing men to take psychological exams before being accepted to seminary? …

Questions Covered: 05:42 – How is it that we can’t keep cremated remains on the mantle but we can keep relics of saints? 13:10 – Do most Catholics believe that most people go to hell or most people go to purgatory? 19:00 – After purification in purgatory, do you think we’d even have the ability to think the same kind of thoughts we have here on Earth? 22:18 – In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, is the Rich man in purgatory or hell? 37:02 – Can the souls in purgatory pray for themselves? 41:54 – What do people do in Heaven? Also, what is this whole new heaven and new earth thing all about? 46:45 – Did Vatican II change the Catholic understanding of baptismal ecclesiology? My pre-conciliar catechism says we are born as soldiers of Christ, and priests are the officers. I like that. But now it feels like priests and laity are more like colleagues. …

Questions Covered: 12:46 – In Purgatory, are human memories saved in the soul or in the body?  19:16 – I’m Protestant and it seems to me that scripture indicates that upon death one immediately either goes to Heaven or Hell. Is that not the Catholic view?  30:32 – How did people come up with the idea of Universalism when it seems clear in scripture that people will be lost?  39:52 – I want to pray for people in purgatory, but there’s so many people I know who have died, some from long ago. How do I know who I should be praying for, or if that person is even still in purgatory?   43:53 – My Protestant friend thinks purgatory is very legalistic or transactional, in that mortal sins send you to hell but venial sins only to purgatory. How can I answer him?  …

Questions Covered: 00:45 – Is in Persona Christi limited to the priest celebrating the mass or does it extend to the magisterium? 10:04 – Is there a possible connection between “calling no man father” and people in the New Testament being baptized and assigning their spirituality on those who baptized them? 17:04 – At what point is a marriage considered sacramental outside the Catholic Church? 22:33 – Why should I become Catholic if my western rite Orthodoxy is so similar without the baggage? 46:12 – My father is not a Catholic and is battling cancer. I’ve been offering holy communion for him. Is that allowed? What does the Church say about cremation? 49:59 – Should we respond with ‘because God said so’ when approaching social issues in apologetic debates? …

Questions Covered: 05:41 – Is there any problem for a Catholic to believe in Mary as Co-Redemptrix? 21:50 – Why was Jesus baptized? 34:22 – My Baptist cousin is in seminary. What good resources could I use to challenge him without being confrontational? 42:22 – You’ve mentioned that you are a fan of the synodal process. Can you express why and what the process is? …

Questions Covered: 03:02 – How is God being good in the story of the tower of Babel? 08:02 – What is the logic behind Mary’s sinlessness allowing her to freely consent to the incarnation? 18:03 – Is it alright for churches to have concerts in the actual church building? 21:49 – How can perfect contrition be mastered so that it can be had at will? 29:22 – How does full consent of the will and being culturally acceptable of a sin work together when considering something to be a mortal sin? 35:01 – What is the Church’s position on separation of church and state? 40:43 – How do we know Christian view of creation is correct? 45:36 – What is the case for the early Church being the Catholic Church? 48:40 – God asks things of all of us, why aren’t we in the same situation as Mary was? 50:33 – I live around a lot of 7th Day Adventists, and they say that you can be SDA and not have anything to do with Ellen White. How should I respond to this? …

Questions Covered: 07:30 – Does non resistant, non belief have any bearing for protestant exploring Catholicism? 19:50 – If you’re praying the rosary while doing everyday things like mowing the lawn, do those things become good works? 31:02 – I’m converting to Catholicism. I’m convinced but what if God is a fundamentalist? 41:12 – Is Quo Primum by Pope Pius V ex cathedra? Can later popes get rid of the latin mass? 50:08 – If you’ve already been consecrated to Mary, can you be consecrated to other saints or Jesus? 52:00 – If angels are morally infallible, are they also inerrant? Can they make a mistake? …