I find this guy's story very touching. He talks vert strickingly about the dangers to our souls, our Faith from WITIHIN the Church. In my experience this is true, the wolves are well within the sheepfold, this is were the greatest danger lies: ]
Within was just some of it. He also touched on the Islamization of Europe, the loss of the sacred in Protestantism, relativism, and how he lost jobs because he stuck to his Catholicm's teaching on marriage being btw one man and one woman, and more. Excellent find, padraig.
I think ,Deana one thig I notice about English and French Catholics when they are good they are very,very good apologists for the faith, because tehy go away and think about things. My own spirituality is much more flying from the heart,as a contemplative I just like to stare at God with my heart open. So I appreciate all the more folks like Michael who can engage in Apologetics.Not I suppose that when alled to do so I cannot open my mouth and speak, but I'd realy rather than pray for folks than debate with them. But anyway I watched with a little awe an episode of Michael's show last night in which he and a fellow Catholic Professor of Philosphy, William Lane Craig debate with a young Scientist /agnostic about the existence of God and danced rings around him. The poor young guy was left gaping like a gold fish: Smart dudes. 8) Like you my ears go up when I hear Catholic intellectuals pose the danger of Modern Islamisation, for it is a high point of modern Catholic Prophesy.
I was unaware of Michael Coren until now, he's very impressive. On Friday I heard Dr. Peter Kreeft speak about Modern Islam and he and Michael share the same view; after a thousand years of battling with swords to take over, they finally are gaining territory in Europe through the family. They are producing many more children than the European and taking the cities by leaps and bounds. And to think all the problems started in that little tent!
I watched that interview...his name was Michael Payton, not Christopher Hitchens - here is a link to the William Lane Craig/Christopher Hitchens debate pictured above. It was at Biola University. It is also very good, and in fact a little comical: Michael Payton, the poor athiest professor on the Michael Coren Show on Padraig's link just didn't have a chance...he was so far below the other two in knowledge and intellectual debating skills....not to mention he has to debate a subject that he can't win. However, from a purely subjective standpoint, he was too young and inexperienced! These guys (Michael Coren and William Lane Craig) had him over the boulder from the beginning. He sounded a lot like a politician, he never really said anything...he filled his sentances with suppositions and kept trying to turn the questions back on the other two...didn't work. I have heard some athiests give much better arguements than he did. Normally if both sides are equally matched, you come at worst, to a stalemate. This debate didn't even come close to that. He couldn't even explain why Michael shouldn't steal his wallet! They were laughing at him...that is basic stuff for an athiest to be able to explain with social order and instinctive behavior and societal rules and the like. Not to say it explains away God in any way, of course not, but this poor guy was so badly intimidated by their knowledge, I really felt bad for him. My guess is that before this, the only debates he has had on this subject were with young students, where he had the first and last word. Perhaps this experience will begin his conversion. Now I am going to watch the Journey Home episode with Micheal Coren posted above, I haven't done that yet...Perhaps in 10 years we will see the young professor on A Journey Home, talking about how this debate experience started him on an intellectual quest that brought him right into the bosom of Catholicism! :wink:
