Are ghosts real? Can the souls of the dead appear to the living? And what should you do if you think your house is haunted?

In this episode of Crash Course Catholicism, we explore what the Catholic Church teaches about ghosts, spirits, and the supernatural. We consider whether souls from heaven, hell, or purgatory can appear to the living, how to approach claims of hauntings, and why the Church strongly warns against attempting to communicate with the dead through occult practices.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What happens to souls after death
• Whether ghosts and hauntings are compatible with Catholic teaching
• What St Thomas Aquinas says about ghosts
• Three possible kinds of ghosts
• The difference between praying to saints and attempting to summon spirits
• Why the Catholic Church condemns séances, divination, and occult practices
• What to do if you think your house is haunted

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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:

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Is Halloween a pagan festival or a Christian celebration? And is it okay for Catholics to dress up, go trick-or-treating, and celebrate Halloween?

In this episode of Crash Course Catholicism, we explore the history and origins of Halloween, its connections to All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, and what the Catholic Church teaches about celebrating Halloween today.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Christian origins of Halloween
• The history of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day
• How the pagan festival of Samhain influenced Halloween
• Where trick-or-treating, costumes, and jack-o'-lanterns came from
• Whether Halloween is inherently pagan or evil
• What the Catholic Church teaches about witchcraft, divination, and occult practices
• Whether Catholics can dress up as witches, ghosts, or monsters
• The importance of remembering death, judgement, heaven, and hell
• How Catholic families can celebrate Halloween without embracing its more problematic aspects

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

Has the universe always existed, or did it have a beginning? And if it began to exist, what caused it?

In this video, we explore the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God. The Kalam philosophical argument has its roots in medieval Islamic theology, and was popularised in recent years by philosopher William Lane Craig.

The Kalam argument begins with a simple claim: whatever begins to exist has a cause. But can we prove that the universe actually began to exist? And if it did, does that necessarily point towards God?

In this episode, we discuss:

• Whether science and the Big Bang theory point towards a beginning of the universe
• The difference between potential and actual infinity
• Why an infinite past might be impossible
• Hilbert's Hotel and the paradoxes of infinity
• Why Thomas Aquinas disagreed that reason alone could prove the universe had a beginning
• Whether a multiverse or cyclic universe could explain our existence
• Why the Kalam argument points towards a cause beyond the physical universe

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