Unlimited Opinions - Philosophy, Mythology, Theology, & More

In this episode (as in all the others), we look at why the Catholics are correct! We continue our discussion on the Reformation, this time looking at English and French political history, persecution, toleration, the Inquisition, the Council of Trent, and much more. We also compare these events in Church history to the modern controversies of the Council of Vatican II, the ongoing Synod of Synodality, and Bishop Burke's dealings with St. Stanislaus Church!

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We really don't like predestination! Join us as we look at the history of the Catholic Church during the Reformation! In this episode, we discuss the Fifth Lateran Council, the Jesuits, the rise of Lutheranism, the teachings of Zwingli and Calvin, and much more. We also find a way to rant about Covid and the most recent Republican presidential debate!

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Wow, some of these popes really sucked! Join us as we look at the decline and rebirth of the Roman Catholic Church from 1300 to 1500. We discuss the Great Western Schism, heterodox movements, the Black Death, Joan of Arc, humanism, Michelangelo, and much more! This period of time faces some of the greatest lows of the Catholic Church and some of the greatest highs, and so makes for a very interesting discussion.

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In this episode, we find out that words are really hard to say! We break down the history of the Eastern Catholic Church and its eventual schism, becoming what we now know as the Eastern Orthodox. We look at the political background and disagreements that lead to the Great Schism, the events of the Schism itself, and the current Eastern Rites that have since been reunited with Rome. We also really enjoy thinking about what happens when infants receive Communions directly after Baptism!

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The history of indulgences may not be what you think! In this episode, we continue our discussion of the Middle Ages, looking at the Crusades, the development of the Liturgy, and the intellectual renaissance! We break down St. Thomas Aquinas' theological writings, look into why the Crusades were so popular, and discuss the sacraments, holy architecture, and Dante's Divine Comedy. As always, we go on many tangents, and what was meant to be a short episode ended up being over an hour long!

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A societal revival and a long rant on what our lives mean after we die! Join us as we discuss all this in more in another two part episode, now looking at the next 500 years after the Dark Ages. In this episode, we discuss how all of medieval life was directed towards the salvation of souls, the two swords doctrine, the various anti-popes and reform movements, the development of Canon Law, the origins of the Franciscans and Dominicans, and much more! We also go on many rants, talk about St. Joan of Arc, and discuss why a liberal attitude towards criminal justice reform may not be the best.

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This chapter was so dense that we still had over an hour's worth of thoughts for the second episode! Join us as we look at the rest of the Dark Ages, specifically covering the Vikings, the decline of Western culture, the theology of the Dark Ages, the continuing formation of the liturgy, and much more! We of course keep asking the central question: were the Dark Ages truly dark?

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The first two-parter in Unlimited Opinions history! Join us as we look at the Catholic Church during the Dark Ages, beginning with the fall of Rome, the conversions of the various barbarian tribes, the invasion of the Muslims, and the low point of papal history! Throughout this episode, we continuously ask whether or not the Dark Ages were truly dark, given the presence of strong theological centers in monasteries and the presence of a new Christian legal system. We also go on plenty of rants, including one about Andrew Tate and starting our own combination fraternity-monasteries!

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Join us for our first in-person episode in many months! In this episode, we look at the philosophical ideas of the Church Fathers, the natures of Jesus Christ, the relationship of the Holy Trinity, and the authority of the Church. Focusing on figures like Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, and especially Augustine, we look at the early Church's answers to the false teachings of Arianism, Docetism, Nestorianism, Monarchianism, and more! We also manage to revive the age-old debate of whether or not God exists within time, this time focusing on if God is changeable in His perfection!

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We begin this episode with a guarantee to not go on any rants, which itself prompts a rant! We discuss how Christianity came to be accepted in the Roman Empire, the flawed conversion of Emperor Constantine, the early Liturgy, the first monks, and much more! Centered around figures such as St. Augustine, Julian the Apostate, and St. Simeon Stylites, this is a wide-ranging discussion that covers many topics. As always, we share our own opinions on topics like allowing priests to marry, the value of architecture, and personal gripes with certain prayers at Mass!

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In this episode, we find out that the Church had it pretty well figured out in the beginning! Join us as we look at the first few centuries of the Catholic Church, looking at the theological battle against the Gnostics, the development of Church hierarchy, the early Liturgy, the first martyrs, and more! As always side tangents abound, and we critique things like the Snow White remake, compare ancient Church debates to modern day issues, and somehow end up talking about Donald Trump.

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In this episode, we mostly just talk about panhandlers! Mixed in with the many rants are discussions of the very beginnings of the Catholic Church. We look at the ties between early Christianity and Judaism, the sacraments practiced by the early Church, the first ecclesial offices, the spread of Christianity, and much more! We also talk about a certain McDonald's in Washington, DC, an unfortunate lack of tubing, and why St. Paul gets to be in the Bible.

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A new season and a new book! Join us as we discuss the introduction to James Hitchcock's History of the Catholic Church and our plans for Season 6! We break down the importance of the Church's historical character, the issues with the modern historical-critical method of examining the past, and what one's approach should be in analyzing Church history. We also discuss Gnosticism, modern feminism, and more, and we somehow end up in another rant about whether or not PhDs should be called Doctor!

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Join us for the very first episode of Unlimited Guests, where we bring on anyone willing to talk to us! For the first time in our over 2-year history as a podcast, we've brought on someone other than just the two of us! For this episode, we talked to Dr. Austin Freeman, the author of the book that we just covered on Season 5: Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology through Mythology with the Maker of Middle-earth.

We discuss Dr. Freeman's background with Tolkien, the varied reactions to his book, the issues with modern academia, and much, much more. Perhaps most surprisingly, it was revealed that Dr. Freeman knows that we exist, but in fact listened to all of Season 5! With that in mind, we're still not sure how we got him to agree to an interview, but it's an episode you don't want to miss!

• Get a copy of Tolkien Dogmatics here: https://lexhampress.com/product/224282/tolkien-dogmatics-theology-through-mythology-in-middle-earth
• Follow Dr. Austin Freeman on Twitter! https://twitter.com/DrAustinFreeman
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Season finale! Join us as we discuss the last chapter of Dr. Austin Freeman's fantastic Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology through Mythology with the Maker of Middle-earth. We look at all of J.R.R. Tolkien's thoughts on death and the afterlife. We look at how the the different races of Men and Elves view the concept of death within his works, purgatory as seen through Leaf by Niggle, and what the nature of heaven and hell are. We also go on many, many tangents, as per usual! Be sure to also catch our big announcement in this episode for a very special upcoming episode of the podcast!  Follow us on Twitter, and give us book suggestions for Season 6!

In this episode, we talk about Matt Walsh's What Is A Woman?, the early 2000's children's show 3-2-1 Penguins, and a whole lot of other things that tangentially relate to our main topic! We break down exactly how J.R.R. Tolkien presented the Christian life throughout his writings, discussing the everyday practices of grace, mercy, repentance, humility, and prayer; the concept of Christian ethics; and even Tolkien's political beliefs! We look at all these concepts through the characters of The Lord of the Rings, other writings such as Leaf by Niggle, and even Tolkien's own life. Additionally, give us book recommendations for Season 6 by tweeting at us! @UlmtdOpinions

What's the central point of all of Catholicism? The fact that you're a sinner, of course! Join as we dive into Tolkien's thoughts on the Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary, Protestantism, and the sacraments! As per usual, we also go on many tangents, including on the loss of creative beauty over time, whether or not we believe in relics, and the issue of Mother Teresa!  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Want to learn how to mess with Calvinists? Need some movie recommendations? We've got both of those things covered in this episode of Unlimited Opinions! Join us as we look at how Tolkien's ideas of Christ and salvation are apparent in his writings. We look at the incarnation as seen through the Wizards; the roles of Christ as seen through Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn; the harrowing of Hell; and much more! All the while, we discuss whether or not it's appropriate to discuss these parallels, considering the fact that Tolkien never intentionally included an allegory for Christ in his writings.  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

In this episode, we accidentally try out a new format in which one of us reads the wrong chapter! Join us as we look at depictions of Satan and other demons in Tolkien's writings, primarily through the lens of Morgoth and Sauron. We discuss how Satan fell, the temptations of the modern world, spiritual warfare, and much more! As always, we go on plenty of tangents, such as talks about letters to the editor of a local newspaper and boxes of way too many books!  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Wow, the modern world really sucks! Join us as we explore this idea and more as we talk about how evil is represented through J.R.R. Tolkien's works. We look at how it can occasionally be good to hate, the three enemies of the soul, temptation, Satan, atheism, and so much more. There are nearly infinite ways to discuss evil as shown through Sauron, Morgoth, Saruman, Wormtongue, Gollum, Lotho Sackville-Baggins, etc., so join us as we attempt to scratch the surface of Tolkien's ideas of evil!  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions