Open Forum

Do human beings really have free will? Do modern people really have gifts from the Holy Spirit? Listen in on Jimmy Akin’s response to these questions and more.

Questions Covered:

• 01:26 - How can I explain to a Protestant that priests, like the Apostles, have the authority to forgive sins?
• 04:49 - How can I respond to the Protestant claim that Jesus is the Rock and is Peter’s compass?
• 12:50 - Can our loved ones in Purgatory hear our petitions?
• 15:55 - If you misspeak or forget words to your Act of Contrition, is your absolution still valid?
• 18:33 - How was the first matter made that caused the Big Bang?
• 21:47 - Could you help me articulate the difference between the Father and the Holy Spirit?
• 28:33 - Does Mary pray the rosary to herself, as portrayed in The Song of Bernadette?
• 31:05 - Can non-baptized believers call themselves Catholic?
• 32:50 - How do we argue that we have free will instead of just psychological conditioning?
• 42:10 - What are the respective effects that baptism, confession, divine mercy, and plenary indulgences have on our sin?
• 44:24 - Does the power given by Jesus to bind and loose work on evil spirits?
• 51:59 - I’ve been having really vivid dreams of the devil. Is there anything I should do?

Resources Mentioned:

• Erasing Death by Sam Parnia

Want more from Jimmy Akin? 

• • Teaching with Authority 
  • A Daily Defense: 365 Days (plus one) to Becoming a Better Apologist 
  • The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church