The Catholic Blog of Shane Schaetzel
The paperback version of my book will be published on, or just after, the publication of the digital version this Sunday, November 22, 2020, the Solemnity of Christ the King. It will be available through Amazon and most major retailers. Local Catholic bookstores should be able to order this book for you as well. I’ve […]
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Are Catholics Christian? Is the Catholic Church a cult? Do Catholics worship Mary? These are common Evangelical questions that Catholics deal with in America’s Bible Belt and elsewhere. This book is designed to help Catholics answer those questions, and help Evangelicals understand those answers in a way that speaks to them. Shane Schaetzel, an Evangelical […]
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I have been asked to share my thoughts on the “off the cuff” statements Pope Francis recently made on gay civil unions during a documentary film. Since the Leftist news-media has seized this opportunity to push the homosexual agenda even further, and some Evangelical Protestants are reacting with hysteria, this is probably a good time […]
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What do we call it when a pope doesn’t act like a pope? That’s something modern Catholics struggle with, because for over a century, we’ve had some pretty good popes, including a few Saints! Catholics haven’t had to deal with corrupt popes, or even heretical popes, in a very long time. It’s been centuries. So […]
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Ever since the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court, she has come under relentless attack from media personalities, and political pundits, for her alleged membership in the “dark and mysterious cult” called the ‘People of Praise’ (POP). So what are the ‘People of Praise?’ Are they a cult? I’ll address […]
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I have spent my entire adult life looking for the truth about God, the Bible, Jesus Christ and Christianity. The first decade was spent wandering through a sea of chaotic spirituality, rummaging through various Evangelical churches and mainline Protestant denominations. I even briefly delved into the foreign religions of Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses for a […]
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I live in the Bible Belt, and I recently had a Baptist ask me if the Catholic Church is as strict as his church. I told him that all depends on what you mean by “strict.” He elaborated by telling me that at his Baptist church, nobody is allowed to smoke, drink or dance, and […]
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Who are those nice folks coming to your door witnessing for Jehovah? Well, I could go into a long story about their origin, peculiar practices, problematic “prophecies,” and methods of psychological coercion, but that would just make for a long post. Instead, I’ll cut to the chase. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, better known […]
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This morning I read an article (see here) that made me laugh, because it relayed a story about a cardinal in the Catholic Church who doesn’t seem to understand some very basic terms. He suggested that Catholics who protest some actions of the pope ought to become Protestants, because that’s what they essentially are. I […]
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What is Mormonism? Some Evangelical Christians refer to Mormonism as a “cult.” I think that term is a little too harsh as well as inaccurate. A “cult,” in the English sense of the word, means: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious. However, the word has extremely negative connotations that suggest elements of mind-control and […]
Read MoreAs we approach the release of Pope Francis’ Amazon Synod Exhortation (late January or early February), it’s very important to keep your eye on the ball. The objective of the looney Left is to portray traditional Catholics as hysterical retrogrades who cannot handle any change. We MUST NOT let this narrative play out. As I […]
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The Catholic Church in Germany has been the leading proponent of heterodox (heretical) teaching and practice for decades now. While we can find many examples of heterodoxy, innovation, and outright lunacy in other places throughout the Church, the German bishops have taken a leading role and are now in the process of positioning themselves as […]
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Arianism is a word we don’t hear much in the modern world, but it’s ideology permeates the entire planet both inside and outside of Christendom. Many Christians mistakenly believe Arianism was defeated centuries ago, but in truth, it never left us. It just morphed, changing forms, and remains with us today in many different manifestations. […]
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Living in the Bible Belt, I run across a lot of misconceptions about what Catholicism is. Of course, I ran across these things in Southern California too, so the problem isn’t just limited to the Bible Belt. Strangely, I’ve even seen Catholics display some pretty funny ideas of what makes one Catholic. I remember the […]
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For those of you who still might think Freemasonry is just some harmless boys club with funny hats, think again. No organization has been condemned by the Catholic Church more than the Masonic Lodge. The Catholic Church has imposed the penalty of excommunication on all Catholics who become Freemasons (or members of the Masonic Lodge). […]
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One of the common accusations leveled against Catholics by both Protestants and Muslims is that we worship idols. One of the reasons why this happens, particularly among Muslims, but also among some Protestants too, is that they really don’t understand what an idol is. Their knowledge of the subject is elementary, almost childlike. If they […]
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What would happen if the Catholic Church ordains women? A growing number of Catholic laity seem to be fine with the idea. A fairly good size of Leftist clergy seems to be fine with it as well — even advocating it. So let’s play a little game of “what if?” Suppose in some alternate universe, […]
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As a trained catechist, and Catholic apologist, I’m frequently asked by Catholic parents how to keep their kids Catholic. Let me begin by saying you have to do it yourself! You can’t trust Catholic schools or parish catechism programs to do it for you. We have 50 years of failed history as an example. If […]
Read MoreThe following is a very simple and rudimentary guide to what Catholics actually believe. It is written by a Catholic, a trained catechist (teacher of the Catholic faith), and apologist defender of the Catholic faith). However, this work will be very unapologetic. It’s just going to be very simple, yes or no answers, with very […]
Read MoreI’ve grown rather weary of the “what would Jesus do?” cliche because everyone is using it now. I would rather ask “what did Jesus do?” I think that’s a better question, because it helps to prevent us from injecting our own personal feelings and prejudices into the speculation. To be sure, the Jesus most people […]
Read MoreAre Catholics considered Christian by Evangelical standards? You’ve probably heard different things from different people. The best way to determine this is to take a good look at the most commonly-agreed Evangelical Statement of Faith and see where Catholics stand in relation to that. The following is from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). This […]
Read MoreLiving in the Bible Belt of the United States can be a bit amusing at times, especially when some Evangelicals refer to Catholic statues and icons as “idols.” At the same time, however, I have sympathy for these folks, because I too was once as confused as they are. I have to admire their zeal. […]
Read MoreBefore I begin this essay, allow me to give full disclosure. First, I am not a priest. Second, I am married. Third, I don’t want to be a priest — ever. Fourth, I will probably never be a priest and that’s just fine with me. Truth be told, I enjoy my freedom as a Catholic […]
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A video chronology of the decline of the Catholic Church. Living in the Ozark Mountains, deep within the Bible Belt, I am immersed in a Baptist/Pentecostal (Evangelical) culture that is, for the most part, ignorant about the Catholic Church and what’s going on therein. The Catholic population of the Ozarks is between 3% and 6%, […]
Read MoreLiving in the Ozarks, which is deep within the Bible Belt, I tend to get a lot of questions from local Evangelicals about Pope Francis. Lately, I’ve been hit with many, in rapid fire, and they’re not the good kind of questions. Much of this has been brought on by news reports concerning the Holy […]
Read MoreThe short answer is NO. Catholics do not worship Mary. Now here’s the long answer. In spite of the constant yammering of anti-Catholics who claim that Catholics do worship Mary, the simple and undeniable fact is we do not. It’s the height of arrogance when one religious group (such as Muslims or anti-Catholic Protestants for […]
Read MoreThis is probably the most misunderstood doctrine among non-Catholics. Even some Catholics don’t understand it. To be clear, let’s define it. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is a dogma, meaning that is is a required belief of all Catholics. In other words, if you don’t believe in the Immaculate Conception, then technically speaking, you’re […]
Read MoreDuring the last few hundred years, it has become in vogue for some Protestant Christians to not only question the virginity of Mary, but to actually oppose it openly and militantly. Many traditional Protestants have gone the way of doubting the virginity of Mary altogether, relegating it to an early Christian myth. Meanwhile most of […]
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It seems strange to have to say that Catholics are Christian but to a growing number of Evangelicals (particularly in the English-speaking world) it needs to be pointed out. Catholic Christianity is Complete Christianity. In fact, we Catholics were the first Christians because we Catholics were the original Christians. Sadly, a lot of Catholics have […]
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Catholic Bibles are known to have more books than Protestant Bibles, and there is a very good reason for this. I’ll explain below. First, it’s important to note that the New Testament of the Bible is exactly the same between Catholics and Protestants. There is no difference at all. They both consist of exactly twenty-seven […]
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