Shows / Considering Catholicism
Considering Catholicism
Catholic Church, faith, culture, and history are explained clearly and simply for anyone curious about historic Catholicism. Faithful to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Episodes
Considering CatholicismBible Study of Genesis, Part 1: Seven Days (#189)
We begin a study of the Book of Genesis with the creation of the cosmos and what the Bible and the Catholic Church tell us about how God brought it about. Greg…
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"Star of the Sea?" (#188)
Why is Mary sometimes called the "Star of the Sea?" And why are statues of her sometimes even more prominent than statues of Jesus in Catholic Churches? A…
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What is the Bible About? (#187)
Most people today don't think that the Bible makes much sense. Even Christians who respect it as God's Word struggle to explain it. In this episode, Greg…
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Pastors and Priests, Part 2 (#186)
Ed the Protestant returns to ask Greg about the differences between Protestant pastors and Catholic priests. In Part 2, they explore what a Catholic priest is…
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Pastors and Priests, Part 1 (#185)
Ed the Protestant returns to ask Greg about the differences between Protestant pastors and Catholic priests. In Part 1, they explore how much contemporary…
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How to Join the Catholic Church (#184)
How does someone officially enter the Catholic Church, so they become eligible for the Eucharist and other sacraments? Former guest Angie Griffith (episodes…
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From the Vault: Explaining Lent to a Protestant (#183)
Last year, Ed the Protestant asked Greg why Catholics make such a big deal out of Lent. In this re-released episode, Greg explains the liturgical season of…
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Annulments, Part 2: Process (#182)
In the last of a series of episodes about marriage, guest Carla Niziolek explains the process by which the Catholic Church considers declaring that a valid…
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Annulments, Part 1: Grounds (#181)
In the third of a series of episodes about marriage, guest Carla Niziolek explains the various grounds the Catholic Church considers to declare that a valid…
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Myths About Catholic Marriage (#180)
In the second of a series of episodes about marriage, Greg and Cory take on some common myths about Catholic sacrament of holy matrimony. Support this ministry…
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How is Catholic Marriage Different? (#179)
The Catholic Church's understanding of marriage differs greatly from Protestant, evangelical, or secular concepts. It's not just "traditional." The Church…
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What About Weed? (#178)
What is the Catholic perspective on marijuana and its legalization for recreational use? Greg explains how it can diminish our essential human qualities. If…
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AI, Robots, and Reality (#177)
Within the next few years, artificial intelligence paired with mass-scale robotics manufacturing will change our economy, workplaces, and daily lives in ways…
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Is the Catholic Church Still Catholic? (#176)
If you're reading the news, you might be thinking that the Catholic Church is abandoning Catholic doctrine, morality, and tradition. It's like the old joke…
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Speed Bumps on the Road to Rome, Part 3: Doctrinal Questions (#175)
People who are considering Catholicism, especially those coming from Protestant or Evangelical backgrounds, are sometimes hesitant to commit because of…
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Speed Bumps on the Road to Rome, Part 2: Historical Baggage (#174)
People who are considering Catholicism are sometimes hesitant to commit because of its historical baggage. Incidents like the Crusades, sexual abuse, or…
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Speed Bumps on the Road to Rome, Part 1: Cultural Barriers (#173)
Many folks who are considering Catholicism have to overcome hurdles or barriers on their road to the Church. In this three-part series, Greg and Cory take on…
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Catholicism vs. Communism (#172)
Marxism has been in the news again lately. Cultural Marxism (i.e., "wokeism," DEI, and radical social justice movements) and various globalist ideologies try…
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Three Questions About Baptism (#171)
All Christian churches practice the sacrament of baptism, but they don't all understand it in the same way. From a Catholic perspective, Greg answers three…
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Armor for the Battle (#170)
As our society kicks out the load-bearing walls of the civilization that Catholicism built, things are going to get weirder and darker. Spiritual warfare and…
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My Story and the Purpose of this Podcast (#169)
On the second anniversary of the podcast, Greg finally tells his own story: how he became a Christian, his life as a Protestant, and his conversion to…
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Snapshot: Is Mary Really the ”Mother of God?” (#168)
On January 1, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. For most American Protestants, especially evangelicals and Pentecostals, the…
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Snapshot: Is the Christian Life Worth It? (#167)
Anyone considering ancient and biblical Christianity, particularly Catholicism, has to ask, “Why does the Christian life have to be so hard? If God wants us to…
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Christmas Snapshot: Mary’s Place in the Manger (#166)
What was Mary doing in the manger? Obviously she gave birth to Jesus among the sheep, but why her? Why was she chosen? And did her role end once he was born…
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New Age But the Same Old Devil (#165)
Part 2 of Greg's conversation with Angie Griffith, a Considering Catholicism listener who spent over a decade as a music industry executive in Nashville. After…
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From New Age Nashville and On the Road to Rome (#164)
Angie Griffith spent more than ten years as an executive in the music industry in Nashville. She was also enmeshed in New Age religion. Then the Holy Spirit…
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Snapshot: Is Christianity Impractical or Impossible? (#163)
If you’re not crazy for being a Christian, can you realistically pull it off? Because living out your faith, living the Christian life, in the face of all of…
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Snapshot: Is Christianity Crazy? (#162)
How do all the agnostics, atheists, secularists, nihilists, and neopagans that make up our 21st-century culture view the Christian religion? Culturally, we’re…
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Searching for a Christmas Playlist (#161)
Every year, Greg tries to build a new Christmas playlist on his phone, and every year, he realizes how few decent Christmas carols there are. Why not? Why…
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Good Popes, Bad Popes, Mostly Average Popes (#160)
A listener named John asks, "What about bad popes who lived immoral lives, etc? How can they lead the Church?" As Greg explains, there have been good popes…
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Snapshot: Discover Advent (#159)
We have begun Advent, the liturgical season of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Advent means "coming" or "arriving," but what, exactly, is coming? And…
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Snapshot: Stuff Jesus Never Said (#158)
Those who want to change the Church's teaching on homosexuality and same-sex marriage like to argue from Jesus' silence on the issue: "If Jesus didn't bother…
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The Crusades (#157)
Ed asks about the Crusades: did the Catholic Church really launch brutal wars of colonization, invading Muslim ancestral lands with hordes of Catholic knights…
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Snapshot: Christ the King (#156)
In the last snapshot ("The End of Ordinary Time"), Greg pointed out that the Catholic Church has a major feast to celebrate the end of ordinary time and the…
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Snapshot: The End of Ordinary Time (#155)
Ordinary Time is coming to an end, very soon. If that sounds alarming and weird to you, then listen to this short explanation of the Catholic conception of…
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Charity and Social Justice (#154)
Ed the Protestant asks about the Catholic Church's commitment to charity and the poor. Greg explains where that comes from and the related but very different…
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Listener Questions, Part 2 (#153)
Greg answers questions sent in by listeners (send your own to consideringcatholicism@gmail.com): "I'm a recent convert to Catholicism, but my wife is still…
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Demons (#152)
What does the Catholic Church teach about Satan and demons? Is he, or are they, the opposing force in the universe to God and angels? What do they know? What…
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Snapshot: ”God, Country, Notre Dame” (#151)
This iconic motto is all over merchandise at the University of Notre Dame. Non-Notre Dame fans find it arrogant and annoying. But most don't realize that it's…
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What is Evil? (#150)
What does the Catholic Church teach about what evil actually is? Is it the opposite of good, like light/dark or yin/yang? Is it moral failing? Being outside of…
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Snapshot: Taking Death Seriously (#149)
In this snapshot, Greg discusses why it's important to take death seriously in a culture that doesn't, and takes comfort in Catholicism which offers a…
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Snapshot: (Un)Happy Reformation Day! (#148)
For secular folks this is Halloween, for Catholics it's the eve of All Saints Day, but for Protestants it's Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed his…
Considering CatholicismThe Pursuit of Happiness (#147)
Greg and Ed discuss the concept of happiness and the responsibility to cultivate happiness in one's life. Pursuing immediate gratification does not lead to…
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Snapshot: More About UFOs (#146)
Snapshots are a type of episode: around 10 minutes on a single topic. Today, Greg follows up on a recent episode about whether UFOs are aliens, angels, or…
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Listener Questions, Part 1 (#145)
Greg answers questions sent in by listeners (send your own to consideringcatholicism@gmail.com!): How do I overcome my distrust of the Catholic Bible (the…
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Our Duty to Improve (#144)
Greg and Ed have an honest talk about what stewardship means. Because our life is a gift, God expects us to try and become the best possible versions of…
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Revisiting an Evangelical Protestant Church (#143)
Greg was traveling in the Rocky Mountains last week, and revisited a contemporary evangelical Protestant church that he attended sometimes before he converted…
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Can We Participate in Halloween? (#140)
Greg and Ed talk about Halloween. Can Christians participate? Are its origins really in the Catholic Church incorporating pagan Celtic rituals? And has the…
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What are Angels? (#142)
What are angels? How are they different from us? What do they do? What are the types or categories? Do we have a guardian angel, and what does he do? Greg and…
Considering CatholicismUFOs: Aliens, Angels, or...? (#141)
UFOs are in the news again, as Congress holds hearings about what the government knows about them. How should Christians feel about this issue? What does the…
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Why Does the Church Baptize Infants? (#139)
Greg and Ed discuss one of the most divisive issues between Catholics and evangelicals: infant vs. believer baptism. Please support the podcast…
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How to Choose a Church (#132)
So you or your friends or family are looking for a new church. How do you pick one? Is it like standing in the cereal aisle at the grocery store, surveying the…
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Is Catholicism...Spooky? (#138)
Ed the Protestant had breakfast with three of his friends, and they couldn't understand his attraction to Catholicism. From their perspective, it seems full of…
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What Do Catholics Have to Believe? (#137)
What must someone believe as infallible "dogma" in order to be "in the Catholic faith?" How does that differ from doctrines, teachings, and recommended…
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The Eldest Daughter of the Church (#136)
An invitation to take a free online course with Greg Smith about Catholic church history (and some other updates about the podcast). Sign up for the class at…
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What is Faith? (#135)
Christianity makes truth claims, like that Jesus rose from the dead. But what if we aren’t sure? Greg and Cory discuss the difference between certain…
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Is the Bible the Word of God? (#134)
Greg and Ed continue their conversation in the woods about the Bible, this time asking whether it is really the "Word of God?" Support this ministry so more…
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Where Did the New Testament Come From? (#133)
Greg and Ed sit in the forest and continue their conversation about the Bible--its sources, how it was compiled, the difference between the Catholic bible…
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Catholic vs. Protestant Bibles? (#131)
Protestants have been told that Catholic Bibles are wrong and weird and that medieval popes snuck suspicious extra books into the Catholic Bible! Which is…
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Do It Again (#130)
Why is modern life so unsatisfying? Why are so many of us discontent? Greg and Cory reflect on how Catholicism offers a boring yet fundamentally satisfying…