#11748 Ask Me Anything - Jimmy Akin

Questions Covered: 02:22 – I was at a gun show in Idaho not long ago and one of the vendors was a born again Christian group handing out Jack Chick tracts. I walked past them fairly quickly, not because I didn’t want to engage but because I was trying to catch up to my son-in-law. As I was walking back up the aisle they were on I was distracted by a vendor selling antique rifles, some going back as far as the Revolutionary War, when someone said to me “thank you for your service!” I turned to my left to see a guy, about my age, and he repeated himself. I thanked him but explained I hadn’t been in the military. He looked surprised then said something about the color of my eyes (hazel/green) and when I realized who I was talking to I knew I was stuck. It was the Pastor of the group handing out the JC Tracts. Long story short he asked me if I knew I was saved. I said yes. He asked if I knew I was going to heaven I said it’s my hope, but that ultimately was up to me. Then he commences to break out a green, hand held, KJV military Bible (one that I have), reads me some scripture, and asks if I will pray with him. I said of course! We commence the praying and I realize this was my altar call…I was being made born again. After the prayer he congratulated me…and I started to feel uneasy. It’s bothered me since. I know I hadn’t renounced my Catholic faith because the prayer was pretty generic, but there’s a part of me that thinks I made a mistake. Did I, or am I being overly scrupulous?  05:47 – How did authorship work in the ancient and medieval periods? For example, I heavily doubt that Homer made a fortune selling copies of The Iliad and The Odyssey or that Plato sold copies of The Republic. How were ancient writings circulated? I imagine having to hand copy every word from every scroll would put a damper on how accessible they would be in markets. Did every individual who copies the Odyssey have to copy down “Written by Homer” with it? What if someone wanted to take the same Odyssey and pass it off as their original work? Also, how would the average man living in these periods know which authors (who are trying to pass information down) are genuine and which authors are hacks?  16:26 – I just learned about Hilazon blue. Is there a checklist of all the things needed for rebuilding the Third Temple, and what’s left?  18:36 – You have mentioned before that God could have created a universe that appeared to be eternal, that is, without a beginning (I hope I have that right…). I do not understand this, as being “created” would seem to require a beginning (otherwise, God would not need to create it). Or are you saying that it merely has the “appearance” of always existing, but was created? In which case, does that mean that God is deliberately deceiving?  22:01 – Why do we restrict Protestants from receiving the Eucharist except in certain limited circumstances (grave necessity)? Children baptized into the Catholic faith are able to receive the Eucharist before being confirmed. There is no difference (as far as I am aware) between a valid Catholic baptism and a valid Protestant baptism, so there is no ontological difference between a baptized-but-unconfirmed Catholic and a baptized-but-unconfirmed Protestant. Belief cannot be the answer, since many Protestants (while in RCIA and before their confirmation) have the same faith as Catholics. Is it prudential?  28:34 – Why is the Protestant account for the canon of scripture untenable?  34:05 – How will we be able to interact in heaven with our loved ones without a body? (That is, until they are resurrected.)  35:44 – John 20:22, our Lord breathed on the apostles and gave them the Holy Spirit. Thomas was not with them. When did Thomas receive the Holy Spirit?  40:47 – What is a good source to use to get authentic news from what th…