New Feature: Ask a Catholic

One of the major projects of this blog is to start a discussion about the faith, especially in helping people understand what it means to have faith. I’ve learned some things as I rediscovered my faith over the years, and I’d like to help others who may be going through a similar journey  by sharing the little information I know. So, I’d like to make a regular thing where we can get the nagging questions on the table and hopefully fostering a discussion.

So on every Friday, I’ll try to answer a question from you, the reader, to the best of my ability. I’ll do as much research as I can: finding the relevant passages, and other commentaries on the subject. We can then talk about those questions in the comments and hopefully each week we can leave with more answers than questions.

So, leave a question in the comments or email me at mark@theshibboleth.com. I’ll be as discrete as you want me to be: if you want to be anonymous, just let me know.

Caveats, Disclaimers, and Notes

I’m just a layperson: I don’t have authoritative answers. I’ll try my best to provide some insight into a question and hopefully start a discussion. It’s also important to note that I’m coming from the perspective of a previously-lapsed Roman Catholic, and there is likely disagreement on subtleties of the faith. I apologize for any misrepresentations or misinterpretations, and I encourage a discussion about that.

I also want to note that, given the purpose of this blog, I’m far more likely to post and answer questions that are asked in good faith. It’s hard to describe what that means, but something to keep in mind is that I’m not open to being converted, so avoid those types of questions.

Because I want to make sure I take the time to answer each question fully after doing some research, I’ll likely only answer one question a week. I’m not sure if this will be popular or not. If it isn’t at first, I’ll try to answer general questions I’ve seen asked before about the faith. If they aren’t interesting to you, be sure to ask your own!