Did one of the United Methodist's John Wesley's sons become
Catholic?
As far as I know, John Wesley, who invented the Methodist Religion in the 18 century, did not have any sons. He married a widow who had four sons, but they quarreled and separated. John Wesley did not even go to her funeral. His brother, Charles Wesley, the famous hymn writer, who ended his life estranged from John, had a son, Samuel, who became a Catholic, however, and that may be the one you had in mind. Neither John nor Charles themselves ever knew much about the Catholic Church and possessed an extremely erroneous and distorted vision of the Catholic Religion. By the way, it might be pointed out that the United Methodist Church was founded only in 1968 by a merger between the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
Reprinted from March 28, 1997
How did the Mormon faith originate?
The Mormon religion (Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints) is the invention of a man named Joseph Smith, who claimed to have been visited by an angel in New York in 1827,. The angel, Smith said, gave him some golden plates written in ancient Egyptian (which later disappeared) and some "magical spectacles" to read them with. He said the plates told how Jesus came to America and founded a church for the American Indians. Smith sat behind a blanket and dictated the Book of Mormon to an unemployed school teacher named Oliver Cowdery. This book claims to be a history of the inhabitants of our continent from 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. It is utter nonsense. Mormons believe that there is not one God, but many gods. Human souls pre-exist and men can become gods for a private planet. They hold polygamy as the divine plan for marriage and forbid their followers to drink Coca Cola and other beverages. They are aggressive missionaries and are required to tithe their gross income to their church. Thus the Mormons are very rich. There are various Mormon churches disputing with each other, but the main one is headquartered in Salt Lake City. Smith was lazy and illiterate and hunted buried treasure using "peep stones." He claimed many angels visited him and the Angel Moroni told him all religions were corrupt and wrong except Mormonism. He was killed in a riot. His successor, Brigham Young, had 21 wives and 47 children. Mormons are not Christians, although they claim to be.
Reprinted from May 16, 1997
How does one prove that everyone was born with original sin
and needs baptism? Church of Christ members do not believe this.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton saint that the doctrine of original sin is the only one that can be proved by just looking around at the evil in the world. However, God Himself, in divine revelation, told us about original sin. David said (Psalm 50:7) "in sin did my mother conceive me". It is clear that He is using the singular in the Hebrew (not referring to personal sins). Jesus said that baptism (rebirth by water and the Holy Spirit) is necessary to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:6). Saint Paul said (Romans 5:12) that "By one man sin entered the world… in whom all have sinned". By the way, there are several varieties of religions calling themselves "The Church of Christ". They were founded in America less than two centuries ago and have no connection with Christ. They are simply manmade religious inventions, which broke off from another manmade denomination called the Disciples of Christ.
Reprinted from May 2, 1997
Do the Eastern Orthodox admit women to Holy Orders?
The Eastern Orthodox, like the Catholic Church, do not ordain women. Catholics and Eastern Orthodox consititue three-fourths of all the Christians on earth. In the Old Testament, the true religion (the Jewish Religion) had an all-male priesthood as priesthood as well. To know more about this issue, I suggest you read the Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II, "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis," the document fo the Congregation for the Faith "Inter Insigniores," and such books as Manfred Hauke's "Women in the Priesthood?" published by Ignatius.
Reprinted from November 28, 1997
Did Martin Luther approve of polygamy?
Yes. Luther and his friends Bucer and Melanchthon wrote to Phillip, the Landgrave of Hesse, that polygamy is approved by the divine law. As a consequence, the Landgrave took a second wife, Margaret von Sale. Luther and his friends urged the Landgrave to keep the matter secret for fear of shocking people and because his actions violated the laws of the Empire. Bucer also told Phillip that, according to the teaching of Luther, he was permitted to lie were he to be questioned about his polygamy.
Reprinted from April 18, 1997
Is "Faith of our Fathers" a Protestant hymn?
No. It was written by Father Frederick Faber, an English Catholic priest, who was a convert to the Catholic Faith in the last century. It is a thoroughly Catholic hymn, although many Protestants sing it, unaware of its origins. By "dungeon, fire and sword," Father Faber meant the torture and murder of Catholics in England by King Henry VIII, King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I, the founders of the Anglican religion.
Reprinted from August 29, 1997