Any professional apologists in Catholic Answers Forums?

[PRmerger]

I’m just being nosy here…but sometimes I wonder why we never see any professional apologists’ names as contributors to the discussions.

I’m not talking about, obviously, Jimmmy Akin’s amnnouncement posts, or Karl Keating’s e-letters, or any of the apologists in the “Ask an Apologist” forum.

It’s just that when I read some of the threads I think, “Wow! If only Rosalind Moss could answer this one!” or “This sounds like Tim Staples’ “voice”, but the author is 1234Holy (or whatever)”

I understand that they deserve anonymity, just like we all desire…

Does anyone else wonder if we’re ever chatting with a “professional”?

 

[Milliardo]

Probably they’re posting, but since they use usernames that hide their identity, we can’t really tell. Much like I wonder if there are celebrities who post here; of course, I can’t tell either since we use usernames that hide our identities.

 

[montanaman]

Much like I wonder if there are celebrities who post here; of course, I can’t tell either since we use usernames that hide our identities.

Yeah, it’s probably pretty obvious from my moniker who I am: Ted Turner*.

*Some of that probably isn’t true.

 

[mosher]

I have seen a few who work for Catholic Answers post here on occasion by their true name. However, it seems as if they are really busy in the real world to be posting too much here unless they feel that it is a particular call to do the work of God through this medium.

 

[Saint_Sinner]

I personally kinda doubt they have the time but maybe some are involved. That wishy washy enough for ya’

 

[Elzee]

I personally think it would be a good idea if each apologist picked just one thread a month to respond to. One post, no followups, but they would use their real name so we know who they are. Or, if that’s too much to add to each of their schedules, maybe they could divvy up the months between them and we get treated by just one of them each month.

What do you think Karl???

 

[Ex_Cathedra]

I have gotten a few PMs from some of the Apologetic Big Wigs commenting on my signature.

But that is cause I rock and stuff.

It would be cool if they did post in the Apol Forums. But then again we’ve got some great amateur apologetics up in here. We don’t need those big guys , we’d all just get lazy if the big guys fought all the battles. Heh heh heh.

 

[NotWorthy]

Just to set the record straight, I am NOT a professional, big-time, world famous Catholic Apologist…But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!!!

 

[Montie_Claunch]

…I understand that they deserve anonymity, just like we all desire…

We do?

 

[Coder]

There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people here:

CARose
DeFide
itsjustdave1988
mercygate
Tantum Ergo

I think there are many others. I can be helpful.

If I’m not mistaken, itsjustdave1988 has formal training in theology.

 

[jmcrae]

Since it’s their “day job,” they probably don’t want to give advice for free. After all, who would buy their books if you could get their advice for free on Catholic Answers, right?

Also, they would make a pretty good big red target for the anti-Catholics.

I used to post on a forum that was frequented by a few 'big names" but it kind of got ugly with the anti-Catholics always picking on them. I can really understand why they wouldn’t want the grief.

 

[jmcrae]

PS: I also get the feeling that they wouldn’t “fit in” in a lot of these Forums. As I understand it, Scott Hahn is charismatic, but I’ve never seen a “pro-charismatic” on line forum. He’d probably get spammed to death for being “too liberal” if he ever did join up.

 

[PRmerger]

There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people here:

CARose
DeFide
itsjustdave1988
mercygate
Tantum Ergo

Ooohh…this is very interesting, indeed! I guess we’ll never know who’s truly behind the usernames, but it’s quite fun to speculate, is it not?

 

[milimac]

I wonder too if they go to the non-Catholic boards like CARM to defend the faith and evangelize. I know Karl Keating mentioned a post he saw on CARM. Seems that it would be difficult to read posts and not want to respond to one or two.

 

[Fidelis]

Actually, we’ve gotten this question a lot in the past from Protestants who are used to using Catholics as punching bags and can’t believe there are actually Catholics who know their Faith and can defend it biblically and rationally.

“How can that be?” “These people HAVE TO BE professional shills posing as average Catholics!”

Believe it, folks.

 

[Church_Militant]

Actually, we’ve gotten this question a lot in the past from Protestants who are used to using Catholics as punching bags and can’t believe there are actually Catholics who know their Faith and can defend it biblically and rationally.

“How can that be?” “These people HAVE TO BE professional shills posing as average Catholics!”

Believe it, folks.

As one of the people who has actually had that asserted to me, I can tell you that I had the hardest time answering the PM because I was laughing so hard. If we “trench warriors” shake them up, then they don’t even want the folks who do this for a living to get hold of them!

One thing that I find interesting is that these reactions mean that we really are being well trained in our faith, and frankly I think we need to first praise God for the folks like Karl Keating and Jimmy Akins and their staff as well as guys like John Martignoni, Steve Ray, Scott Hahn, and all the rest who do the homework so that we can find the answers that we need.

That said, I think too that we all need to find our pockets and dig in and financially support CAF and all those as the Holy Spirit guides us to. I’ve been talking to some of the staff here at CA and this last crash that was caused by a hacker has really necessitated some seriously increased spending in order to insure that we can get on here and have these discussions and readily get the info that we need. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I plan to do all I can to insure that CAF and John Martignoni and Steve Ray are always there when I need them. I encourage everyone to pray for CAF (and all the other “pros”) and to give as you feel led by the Holy Spirit.

(Sorry about that plug, but it’s really been on my mind since the crash and CAF’s return.)
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,

 

[Church_Militant]

Here’s an edited (for anonymity) excerpt from one of those PMs I mentioned.

You know what _________? I enjoy reading your posts. I think you are a brilliant writer and I admire you for that. The problem is… you are one dangerous Hombre. I can’t out debate you. If I try… you merely chew me up and spit me out. But for all of your brilliance you are dead wrong. I really think you are a tool of Lucifer himself. I don’t know if you are an innocent victim of Satan and just totally blind to the truth or whether you are a willing accomplice of him. All I know is that your rhetoric needs to be stopped. It is quite obvious that I cannot stop it. The only thing I can do is pray for your soul. You need to be released from the bondage you are under. I am going to put your name on every Evangelical prayer organization I can find on the internet. You are too valuable to lose to the Catholic Church. You would be a great asset to Christianity if you were truly saved, then you could legitimately claim the title _________. Until then you are merely a usurper of the truth.

 

[Fidelis]

You know what _________? I enjoy reading your posts. I think you are a brilliant writer and I admire you for that. The problem is… you are one dangerous Hombre. I can’t out debate you. If I try… you merely chew me up and spit me out. But for all of your brilliance you are dead wrong. I really think you are a tool of Lucifer himself. I don’t know if you are an innocent victim of Satan and just totally blind to the truth or whether you are a willing accomplice of him. All I know is that your rhetoric needs to be stopped. It is quite obvious that I cannot stop it. The only thing I can do is pray for your soul. You need to be released from the bondage you are under. I am going to put your name on every Evangelical prayer organization I can find on the internet. You are too valuable to lose to the Catholic Church. You would be a great asset to Christianity if you were truly saved, then you could legitimately claim the title _________. Until then you are merely a usurper of the truth.

High praise indeed!

 

[jmcrae]

Indeed, that is very high praise.

It reminds me of when I was first converting - someone from James White’s organization contacted me privately to try to talk me out of it.

Believe me, I was no “apologist” in those days. I had the barest grasp of the basic teachings (birth control - bad; Deuterocanon - good; abstinence from meat on Fridays - um, probably good - and I could quote a few lines out of context from two or three of the Early Fathers - St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, and I think I had a couple of lines from St. Augustine that I pulled out from time to time); I certainly didn’t know any kind of deep theology (and still don’t - I’m up to the place now where I have some books on my shelf, but I haven’t actually read them through, yet - I’ve picked at them a bit, but haven’t really read them, yet) - anyway, after several days of back and forth with this guy, he finally said, “Well, it’s clear that you are only pretending to be a new convert - it’s clear that you’ve been a Catholic apologist for years, and you’re just pretending, so that you can waste my time.”

(Hey, buddy; you contacted me, first - I didn’t even know you were coming.)

That swelled my ego up quite a bit, I must say - but I think I realized even then that just because he was flummoxed didn’t mean that I actually knew anything. Since that time, I’ve learned huge amounts of stuff - stuff that I never even realized existed, before - and the journey continues.

The great thing about the Catholic Church is that if you attend Mass at all regularly, you become steeped in the teachings. You don’t even really know you’re learning stuff, but when you come away from each Mass and each event at Church, whether it’s Bible study, Catechism or even just choir practice, you know something more that you didn’t know before, and just like drops of water wear away a stone, you gradually penetrate and wash away the darkness and ignorance - things just fit together and make sense, in the Catholic Church.

 

[quasimodo]

Indeed, that is very high praise.

It reminds me of when I was first converting - someone from James White’s organization contacted me privately to try to talk me out of it.

Believe me, I was no “apologist” in those days. I had the barest grasp of the basic teachings (birth control - bad; Deuterocanon - good; abstinence from meat on Fridays - um, probably good - and I could quote a few lines out of context from two or three of the Early Fathers - St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, and I think I had a couple of lines from St. Augustine that I pulled out from time to time); I certainly didn’t know any kind of deep theology (and still don’t - I’m up to the place now where I have some books on my shelf, but I haven’t actually read them through, yet - I’ve picked at them a bit, but haven’t really read them, yet) - anyway, after several days of back and forth with this guy, he finally said, “Well, it’s clear that you are only pretending to be a new convert - it’s clear that you’ve been a Catholic apologist for years, and you’re just pretending, so that you can waste my time.”

(Hey, buddy; you contacted me, first - I didn’t even know you were coming.)

That swelled my ego up quite a bit, I must say - but I think I realized even then that just because he was flummoxed didn’t mean that I actually knew anything. Since that time, I’ve learned huge amounts of stuff - stuff that I never even realized existed, before - and the journey continues.

The great thing about the Catholic Church is that if you attend Mass at all regularly, you become steeped in the teachings. You don’t even really know you’re learning stuff, but when you come away from each Mass and each event at Church, whether it’s Bible study, Catechism or even just choir practice, you know something more that you didn’t know before, and just like drops of water wear away a stone, you gradually penetrate and wash away the darkness and ignorance - things just fit together and make sense, in the Catholic Church.

I had a similar experience, although I am a cradle Catholic. I knew nothing but what I heard at Mass. I was in a protestant bible study and was told by a guy who had attended Moody that while he could not keep up with me, he knew I was wrong. He couldn’t tell me why I was wrong but he knew I was wrong … I guess cuz if I was right, his little group was in a whole lot a trouble.