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Dear catholic.com visitors: This website from Catholic Answers, with all its many resources, is the world's largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. A fully independent, lay-run, 501(c)(3) ministry that receives no funding from the institutional Church, we rely entirely on the generosity of everyday people like you to keep this website going with trustworthy , fresh, and relevant content. If everyone visiting this month gave just $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. Do you find catholic.com helpful? Please make a gift today. SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW MONTHLY DONATIONS! Thank you and God bless.

Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief. 

Questions Covered:

  • 00:59 - A Protestant told me that Catholics took books out of the Latin Vulgate. Is this true? 
  • 06:11 - How do we reconcile ourselves with slavery in the Old Testament? 
  • 14:08 - Must we receive the Eucharist in both species? 
  • 17:32 - Can you help me understand purgatory better? I really want to become Catholic, but this is holding me up. 
  • 28:56 - What is the significance of the mortar board that is placed on top of the chalice at Mass? 
  • 31:45 - My godson was killed in a motorcycle accident this year. Everyone has been asking me, how can this be God’s will? How can I respond? 
  • 41:01 - I had this conversation with a Jehovah’s Witness who asked me why Catholics don’t call God by his name, Jehovah. How could I respond to this? 
  • 49:30 - How can I explain original sin to a non-Catholic? 

Book Tim to speak at your parish or next event. 

Want more from Tim Staples? 

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