Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 75(2) May 2025
Book Review
100 Tough Questions For Catholics:
Common Obstacles To Faith Today
by David G. Bonagura, JR.
Sophia Institute Press
This
proved a delightful and easy read. Young adults submitted questions and
the author has answered them, thankfully in a very straightforward manner.
Let us examine some of the questions. How do we know that God exists? The author looks at two of the best known arguments for God's existence. The argument from contingency says that everything we experience in the world depends on something else. Something does not come from nothing. The "something" outside the entire order of existence is what we call God. The argument from design and order in the universe says that every aspect of the universe is intricately designed and functions according to precise order. From this observation, we conclude that God exists.
Why does a good God allow natural disasters? This is an important question for healthcare workers to reflect on. The author says that we need to have the humility to accept that this remains a mystery. What do we say to a parent who has lost a child? In the Book of Job, God reminds us in the person of Job that we are not God. We do not know everything.
If God is omniscient, how can we have free will? God who is beyond time knows what we choose to do. But his knowledge has no impact on our choices which we make freely.
Do not the Biblical miracles contradict science? The author reminds us that science is a measuring tool invented by finite creatures. It has limitations and, on rare occasions, God suspends the laws of science to help us grow in faith.
Does not the theory of evolution contradict the Bible? No, the theory does not contradict the idea of God or creation.
As expected, there are plenty of questions about morality. Why is the Church against in-vitro fertilisation? Because it morphs procreation from an act of love between spouses to a laboratory experiment involving multiple partners.
I found this work hugely informative and helpful.