Crash Course Catholicism

By Dr Caitlin West

Catholicism can seem overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be.

Crash Course Catholicism breaks down the beliefs, traditions, and teachings of the Catholic Church in a way that's thoughtful, accessible... more

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The podcast currently has 140 episodes available.

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Number 1: 122 - The World Can't Tell You Who You Are: Theology of the Body Pt. 3
Who are you when you strip everything else away? Before your job, your relationships, your achievements, and your possessions, what makes you you? JPII argues that the question "Who am I?" is one of the most fundamental human questions. Through his experience of original solitude, Adam discovers that he is not just another animal, or a passive part of Creation. He is something else: a child of God. In this episode, we discuss:Why Jesus points us to Genesis to understand the true meaning of marriage and human sexualityWhat it means to be created in the image of GodWhat the original human experience was like, prior to the FallWhat John Paul II means by "original solitude"How Adam discovers his uniqueness among the rest of creationWhy the question "Who am I?" is fundamental to human experienceWhy the world can't give us our identityWhy our relationship with God is our first and fundamental relationshipWhat original solitude can teach us about identity, silence, and prayer today This episode is part of our series exploring St John Paul II's Theology of the Body. In the next episode, we'll continue through Genesis and explore the other two fundamental experiences of original man: original unity and original nakedness. SUPPORT THE PODCAST This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links: Donate via PayPal: ⁠⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2⁠⁠ Support on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest⁠⁠ Contact: ⁠⁠www.caitlinwest.com⁠
September 14, 202635min
Number 2: Catechism 101: The Argument from Gradation
In this episode, we continue our series on St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways by exploring his Fourth Way: the Argument from Gradation, or Degree. This is perhaps the most challenging of Aquinas' Five Ways. Beginning with the observation that things possess qualities like truth and goodness to varying degrees, Aquinas asks what makes these comparisons possible. Ultimately, he argues that these degrees of perfection point towards a reality that possesses maximal truth, goodness, and being. In this episode, we discuss: What Aquinas means by "degrees" of truth and goodnessWhy goodness isn't limited to moral goodnessHow truth and goodness are inseperable from existence Why comparing degrees of perfection points towards a maximumThe difference between possessing a perfection partially and possessing it fundamentallyWhy Aquinas thinks limited or "borrowed" being requires an ultimate sourceWhy the source of all being must be the source of everything else that exists This episode is part of our series exploring St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways and the classical philosophical arguments for the existence of God. SUPPORT THE PODCAST This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links: Donate via PayPal: ⁠⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2⁠⁠ Support on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest⁠⁠ Contact: ⁠⁠www.caitlinwest.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/⁠
September 21, 202615min
Number 3: Catechism 101: The Argument from Contingency
In this episode, we continue our series on St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways by exploring his Third Way: the Argument from Contingency. Aquinas begins with a simple but profound observation: the things we encounter in the world don't have to exist. You exist, but you could have failed to exist. The same is true of trees, mountains, planets, stars, and everything else we encounter in the created world. Philosophers describe things like these as contingent beings. But if everything were contingent, i.e. if everything depended upon something else for its existence, then what ultimately explains why anything exists at all? Aquinas argues that contingent beings must ultimately depend upon a Necessary Being: a reality that does not receive its existence from anything else and cannot fail to exist. In this episode, we discuss:What "contingency" means in philosophyThe difference between contingent and necessary beingsWhy things in the world don't contain the reason for their own existenceWhy a collection of contingent beings cannot ultimately explain itselfAquinas' argument for the existence of a Necessary BeingWhy the Argument from Contingency does not require the universe to have a beginning in timeHow Aquinas' Third Way differs from the Argument from Motion and the Argument from Efficient CausalityHow Aquinas' first three Ways point towards the same ultimate reality from three different starting points This episode is part of our series exploring St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways and the classical philosophical arguments for the existence of God. The First Way begins with change and leads us to an Unmoved Mover. The Second begins with efficient causality and leads us to a First Efficient Cause. And the Third begins with contingent existence and leads us to a Necessary Being. Whether you're interested in philosophy, Catholic theology, apologetics, metaphysics, or the relationship between faith and reason, I hope these episodes help make Aquinas' thought more accessible and encourage you to explore his arguments for yourself. SUPPORT THE PODCAST This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links: Donate via PayPal: ⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2⁠ Support on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest⁠ Contact: ⁠www.caitlinwest.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/⁠
August 31, 20268min
Number 4: 92 - Kalam, Fine Tuning, Beauty, and Consciousness
In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the question: How do we know God exists? Today we will give an overview of various popular arguments for the existence of God, including the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the fine tuning of the universe, William Paley’s Watchmaker Argument, the argument from aesthetic experience, and Pascal’s wager. ⁠Donate via PayPal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠⁠⁠ Contact the podcast: [email protected]. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/⁠ References and further reading/listening/viewing: William Lane Craig: The Kalam Cosmological Argument - Part 1: Scientific The Kalam Cosmological Argument - Part 2: Philosophical The Fine-Tuning of the Universe. Impossible Universe: The Reality of Cosmic Fine Tuning Reasonable Faith ⁠Pascal’s Wager: A Good Argument? ⁠ Does the Kalam Argument Work? w/ Dr. William Lane Craig & Jimmy Akin OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine Kalaam Argument for God Debated | Jimmy Akin & Trent Horn Trent Horn: Rebutting atheist objections to the fine-tuning argument The Argument for God Atheists Fear the Most Peter Kreeft Pascal's Wager W/ Peter Kreeft Twenty Arguments for God’s Existence C.S. Lewis, Miracles, Chapter Three Edward Feser: Five Proofs of the Existence of God Mackie on Pascal’s Wager
May 11, 202540min
Number 5: 90 - Aquinas' Five Ways Pt. 1
Welcome to our deep-dive into the question: How do we know God exists? In this series, we return to the topic of God's existence, which we covered aaall the way back in Episode 2 (!!), and we break it open to explore it more deeply. In this episode, we look at St. Thomas Aquinas's first three 'ways', or arguments for God's existence. These are among the most famous arguments for the existence of God, and they have been hugely influential in the history of the Philosophy of Religion. They have also been at times misunderstood and misrepresented, so in this series we're taking the time to delve deep and understand what, exactly, Aquinas is arguing. SUPPORT THE PODCAST This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate via PayPal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Contact the podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.caitlinwest.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ References and further reading/listening/viewing:Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Part 1, Question 2 Summa Contra Gentiles Edward Feser: Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide Five Proofs of the Existence of God "Scholastic regress arguments" Catholic Answers, "What Caused God?" Peter Kreeft, "The First Cause Argument" Summa of the Summa Thomas Joseph White: "The First Way" "The Second Way" "The Third Way (I, 2, 3)" The Thomistic Institute: "Five Ways to Prove God Exists (Aquinas 101)" "St. Thomas Aquinas' Favorite Argument for the Existence of God (Aquinas 101)" "What's Wrong With St. Thomas Aquinas' First Proof for the Existence of God? (Aquinas 101)" "How St. Thomas Aquinas' Second Way for Proving the Existence of God Works (Aquinas 101)" "How St. Thomas Proves God's Existence Through Efficient Causality (Aquinas 101)" "What is Efficient Causality? (Aquinas 101)" "St. Thomas' Third Way: You Didn't Have To Exist—But You Do! (Aquinas 101)" "The Third Way: How St. Thomas Argues for God’s Existence From Contingency (Aquinas 101)" "The Third Way: Another Take On The Argument (Aquinas 101)" Bishop Barron on Thomas Aquinas and the Argument from Motion
April 15, 202536min