

Catholic Answers Live
Catholic Answers
Catholic Answers LIVE is a daily, call-in radio program of Catholic apologetics and evangelization airing live from 6-8 pm ET.
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Dec 10, 2025 • 0sec
#12495 Can “Cafeteria Christians” Be Saved? The Four Types of Bad Christians - Trent Horn
“Can Cafeteria Christians be saved?” This question opens a discussion on the complexities of faith and morality, addressing the challenges faced by those who pick and choose their beliefs. Other topics include the moral implications of conformist and nonconformist attitudes, as well as the distinctions between various types of Christians and their approaches to morality.
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Questions Covered:
05:00 – Understanding the grid of extremes
14:45 – Cafeteria Christian conformist and morally lax
18:23 – Prog Christian Conformist and morally rigorous
31:35 – Barbaric Nonconformist and morally lax
45:35 – Fundamentalists nonconformist and morally rigorous

Dec 10, 2025 • 0sec
#12494 Do You Have to Kneel During the Consecration? - Tom Nash
“Is there an obligation to kneel during the consecration?” This question opens a discussion on liturgical practices, alongside inquiries about whether individuals should approach for a blessing if not receiving communion, and the role of the sign of peace in the Novus Ordo. The episode addresses various aspects of Mass participation and the significance of different rituals.
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Questions Covered:
02:18 – Is there an obligation to kneel during the consecration?
07:45 – Should people go up to receive a blessing or stay in their pew if they are not disposed to receive communion?
12:20 – I’m in OCIA. Should I be going to Mass?
17:53 – The sign of peace throws me off in the current place in the Novus Ordo. What should I be doing?
21:08 – Why is the penitential act missing in these last couple of Sunday masses?
29:08 – Is it better to think about the sacrifice of the cross or of Jesus as the high priest during the Mass?
35:33 – Are choir members required to kneel like the rest of the congregation?
42:35 – Why would 1st century Christians recognize more, the Latin Mass or the Novus Ordo?

Dec 9, 2025 • 0sec
#12493 Do I Have to Shake Hands at the Sign of Peace? Mass Questions - Tom Nash
“Do I have to shake hands at the Sign of Peace?” This question opens a discussion on the Mass, addressing the significance of gestures during the liturgy. Other topics include the meaning behind “I am not worthy” and the appropriateness of kneeling when the host is present. Additionally, the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox Masses are explored, along with the practice of raising hands during the ‘Our Father.’
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Questions Covered:
04:16 – Do I have to shake hands at the kiss of peace?
11:55 – When we say, I am not worthy… What does it mean when it says, only say the word… What is the word?
14:09 – Is it correct to kneel when the host is out of the tabernacle?
17:48 – How does the Catholic Mass differ from the Orthodox Mass?
22:35 – Is raising your hands during the ‘Our Father’ encouraged?
28:48 – How do you handle explaining and wrapping peoples heads around the real presence without looking crazy?
36:53 – How is receiving communion in line vs at an altar rail viewed by the Church?
42:00 – What do all the hand movements after the consecration mean?
51:20 – My wife and I are in OCIA. What’s the reason for the dismissal of the candidates and catechumens during mass?

Dec 9, 2025 • 0sec
#12492 Is Unwritten Apostolic Teaching Unreliable? Oral Traditions - Karlo Broussard
“Is unwritten apostolic teaching unreliable?” This question opens a discussion on the reliability of oral traditions in the Catholic faith. The conversation also touches on uncontested apostolic beliefs beyond Scripture and whether all oral traditions eventually became part of Scripture, providing a comprehensive look at the role of tradition in Catholic teaching.
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Questions Covered:
04:05 – Is unwritten apostolic teaching unreliable?
15:20 – Uncontested apostolic beliefs beyond Scripture
33:46 – Did all oral traditions become Scripture?
47:45 – Best argument against Sola Scriptura

Dec 8, 2025 • 0sec
#12491 Debunking Sola Scriptura or “Bible Alone” Theology - Karlo Broussard
“Debunking Sola Scriptura or “Bible Alone” Theology”The episodeaddresses key topics such as the meaning of 2 Timothy 3:16–17, whether Scripture alone makes us complete, and the implications of Paul’s views on the Old Testament’s sufficiency.
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Questions Covered:
02:30 – Definition of Sola Scriptura
08:45 – Responding to 2 Timothy 3:16–17
17:20 – Does Scripture make us “complete”?
22:33 – Is Paul saying the Old Testament is sufficient?
32:50 – Responding to Mark 7 / Matthew 15 on tradition
44:55 – Bereans and Acts 17:11

Dec 6, 2025 • 0sec
#12490 Why Don’t We Remember Being Babies? Multiverse and Cryptids - Jimmy Akin
“Why don’t we remember being babies?” This question opens a fascinating discussion about memory and development, alongside intriguing inquiries about the implications of an infinite multiverse on God’s creation and redemption. Other topics include the possibility of witnessing historical events from afar and the nature of cryptids, exploring whether they could be demons in disguise.
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Questions Covered:
11:20 – My 8-year-old wants to know why we don’t have memories from when we are babies?
29:40 – Greetings from Northern England, where we also eat dinner in the middle of the day! My question is this: If an infinite multiverse does indeed exist, does that mean that in each universe God would either have to 1) not create rational beings capable of falling or 2) when he does, incarnate in each universe to redeem it? If a third option is possible it would seem that the fall and the incarnation are not necessary, and if they aren’t God wouldn’t be perfectly good in allowing them.
43:26 – If we could quickly travel vast distances in space and also had extreme telescope technology. Would it be possible to travel thousands of light years away, then turn our amazing telescopes back on earth and watch the pyramids being built or travel 65 million light years and see what killed the dinosaurs etc.?
50:00 – Could some cryptids be demons in disguise?

Dec 5, 2025 • 0sec
#12489 Can Demons Possess Parasites? Marriage and Sacraments - Jimmy Akin
“Can demons possess parasites?” This intriguing question opens a discussion on the nature of possession and its implications for smaller creatures. The conversation also touches on the validity of a civil marriage conducted under extreme circumstances, and the complexities of the law of attraction in relation to Catholic theology. Join us as we navigate these thought-provoking topics.
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Questions Covered:
01:54 – If I were stranded on a desert island with a woman and we wanted to be married, could we exchange vows and consider ourselves married until we are rescued and finally have access to a priest?
05:38 – From the perspective of Catholic theology and canon law, how would the church view Adolf Hitler’s marriage to Eva Braun—conducted in a civil ceremony in the Führerbunker shortly before suicide? Specifically, how would factors like lack of sacramental intent, possible impediments (e.g., public notoriety, consent, coercion, psychological state, lack of openness to children), and the lack of Catholic form (or emergency situation) affect its validity or liceity?
21:26 – How true is the law of attraction, and how much do we create our reality with our thoughts and feelings?
34:47 – Here’s a weird one. We know that demons can possess people and animals, but can demons possess creatures smaller than this? Say, Parasites, bacteria and viruses? Given the overwhelming role that the gut microbiome plays in mood, emotions, cravings etc., it would seem advantageous for a demon to possess these smaller creatures and manipulate man via biochemical means if they couldn’t possess him directly. If this is possible, would this be a case of possession or oppression? Additionally, might this be the reason that some demons can only be cast out by fasting? I.e fasting radically changes the gut microbiome and perhaps the creature they are possessing are killed off by the process of fasting.
45:42 – Is bilocation cloning, time travel, or doppelgängering (like something that’s not the bilocated person taking the form of the person, like an angel or something)? In the first and second example, what’s going on with the soul there? Is it two of the same soul in two places? Or two bodies one soul? Is that two different people? What happened when one of them goes away? What is going on?!

Dec 5, 2025 • 0sec
#12488 Why Don’t All Christians Speak in Tongues? - Tim Staples
“Why don’t all Christians speak in tongues?” This question opens a discussion on the Church’s teachings about this practice, including why not everyone experiences it and the belief that it is not essential for salvation. Other topics addressed include the authority of the papacy in the early Church and the significance of having a Mass said for the deceased.
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Questions Covered:
05:10 – What does the Church teach about speaking in tongues? Why can’t everyone speak in tongues? and Why do we reject the notion that speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation?
19:00 – What specifically can we do or not do in terms of blessing others?
39:48 – My friend argues that the authority of the papacy didn’t exist in the early Church. How can I better explain that the pope had supremacy from the beginning?
41:45 – What is a male in the context of priestly ordination?
53:00 – What does God do differently if I have a mass said for my deceased father?

Dec 4, 2025 • 0sec
#12487 Are Laypeople Supposed to Raise Their Hands During the Our Father? AMA - Tom Nash
“Are laypeople supposed to raise their hands during the Our Father?” This question opens a discussion on the practices of the Mass, alongside inquiries about the role of saints in intercession, the meaning of almsgiving in Sirach 3:30, and how to reconcile personal distrust in the Church while seeking to return.
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Questions Covered:
03:58 – Are we supposed to raise our hands or hold hands during the Our Father as Mass?
15:38 – I notice people specifically ask saints to heal or protect them, not God. It’s off-putting. Can they do other things apart from interceding?
23:10 – In Sirach 3:30 it says that almsgiving atones sin. What does that mean?
24:50 – How do I reconcile my distrust for the Church? I want to return but I’m conflicted.
45:20 – I’m a Christian and a minority. How do you deal with people who tell me I should convert because their religion is better?
50:34 – I get frustrated when the choir sings and adjusts the responsorial Psalm. What would you recommend I do?

Dec 4, 2025 • 0sec
#12486 Why Did the Jewish People Deny Jesus? - Joe Heschmeyer
“Why did the Jews deny Jesus as the Messiah and the early Church?” This question delves into the historical and theological reasons behind the Jewish rejection of Jesus. Additionally, the discussion touches on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s origins, Peter’s role in the early Church, and the fate of Mary Magdalene, providing a rich exploration of early Christian history.
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Questions Covered:
05:15 – Why did the Jews deny and miss Jesus as the Messiah in the times of the early Church?
12:52 – When the Church of the Holy Sepluchre was erected, was it considered a Byzantine?
21:43 – How did the early Church view Peter’s role?
29:38 – What happened to Mary Magdalene?
32:58 – Did Paul assume Sola Scriptura in 1.Timothy 3:15?
49:00 – How did the Early Church communicate the gospel?


