Answer to:
What's the origin of the word "trivia"? Of note too is that the "three ways" referred to the trivium, the first three courses of medieval education (logic, rhetoric, and grammar, which were followed by the quadrivium, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music). Picturing quibbling logicians, rhetoricians, and grammarians may give you an idea as to why "trivial" ("of the trivium") began to take the sense...

Answer to:
What languages were used in The Passion of the Christ? A slight correction of the other entries for this question: Aramaic is not a dead language. There are still Aramaic speakers in various dialects, predominantly in Syria, but scattered around the region as well. Most, I believe, speak dialects in the Syriac branch.

| 2 people like this

Answer to:
Why are Catholic Priests forbidden to marry? Some Catholic priests can marry. The eastern patriarchates, while in full communion with the Holy Catholic Church, under the authority of the Roman Pontiff, and bearing the whole faith and Tradition handed down to them from Jesus and the apostles, have their own disciplinary law, individual rites, traditions (as opposed to Tradition) that have developed native to their lands and are best...

| 1 person likes this

Answer to:
What is the reasoning for the pelican in most of Mother Angelica's pictures? While I am not familiar with Mother Angelica, the pelican probably refers to Christ. I think that the association came about because medievals believed that the pelican would stab its breast with its beak to provide blood for its brood, just as Christ gave His blood for mankind. [Edit: Here's a bestiary giving their beliefs in their own words: ...

| 1 person likes this

Answer to:
Why are all important mafia bosses called Don? It is a title in Spain (Don/Dona) and Italy (Don/Donna) descending from Latin "dominus," master, lord. It is thus cognate with French/British/Portuguese Dom/Dame and British Dan (judge). Back to the entertainment aspect. Interestingly, you'll note Puzo's _Godfather_ can be broken up as God-father. Dominus is the Latin translation for Hebrew Adonai and Greek Kurie, a title...

| 4 people like this

Answer to:
What is considered "fashionably late"? Late enough to arrive when the party is in full swing, rather than at that period when people are staring awkwardly at their feet. Even better, right at the inflection point when the transition from the latter state to the former is taking place, early enough that you're noticed by everyone and can take credit for the "chemistry" of the party, dahling.

| 5 people like this

Answer to:
What is the sound of one hand clapping? This is one of the most famous beginnings to a Zen koan in the West, though it is relatively recent. A koan is akin to a mini-catechism, though where in Christian catechisms, the content (answers) is more important, in Zen Buddhism, the process of working out the proper responses to the koan is emphasized as the movement towards enlightenment. The student's wrong responses are punished...

| 2 people like this

Answer to:
How is punk rock different from rock? [This repeats many of the above answers, but I've gone this far, may as well post. I'm sure much of this is subjective and even wrong by somebody's lights, so have at it.] Punk is a subgenre of rock originating in the seventies as a reaction to other music on the airwaves at that time. As the Buzzcocks sang, "I hate disco, boogie, pop; they go on... and on and on... and...

| 8 people like this

Answer to:
Where I can learn about the basics of psychology? Anonymous's answer is a bit misleading. Disclaimer: My training was preparing me for work in psychophysics (the psychology of perception) though I abandoned the field, alas. Much of _Psychology Today_ (from my experience with the magazine) is concerned with clinical and pop psychology, especially addictions and therapy. It deals with the latest trends, not the enduring principles of...

| 2 people like this

Answer to:
Why do people get so excited about seeing celebrities when they are just normal people? With tongue firmly in cheek: Typically, celebrities are not "just normal people;" they are more celebrated and famous than normal people. Normal people do not get feted by the press, mobbed by groupies, or excoriated from the pulpit. Celebrity writers tend to write in a manner that gets published more. Stage actors tend to be more articulate than normal people. Intellectuals...

| 4 people like this

Answer to:
What books are good for teaching children the Catholic faith and its beliefs? The Bible of course. Concentrate on the New Testament for the younger ones, and gradually show how specific passages in the Old Testament point to Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church serves to guide interpretation of the Bible according to the faith of our fathers, and is indispensible. To my goddaughter I gave an abbreviated form of the CCC (perhaps Mary J Graham's?), which...

| 2 people like this

Answer to:
What is the Catholic church's stance on premarital sex? It's the same as every Christian denomination's stand on sex outside of marriage. "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." It makes mock of the covenantal union, and is a grave offense against the dignity of marriage.

| 1 person likes this

Answer to:
Is there a god, and either way, how do we know? Objectively, there is no one single definitive proof of God's existence that trumps all arguments against it. We know God exists by signs, thought, revelation, prayer, and love. We believe in His existence because we see many of the things in this world that point to Him, that speak of His nature in their own. Many of the arguments for God, while not definitive, also point to Him. We...

| 3 people like this

Answer to:
What are some things a Baptist man can do to appeal to the parents of a Catholic woman he'd like to date? Convert! (Sorry, just making with the funny.) Assuming that your respective religions are important both to you and to them: First: Love their daughter and be loved in return. This is the primary requirement of any daughter's parents. Second: I find myself offended when certain strains of Christianity say that Catholics are not Christian. Don't do that. Third: Investigate...

| 2 people like this

Answer to:
What is eschatology? It is the study of last things and the end times. In Christian theology, it covers inquiries that focus on personal last things (what happens after we die? what is the mechanism of resurrection? is there a purgation before we see God? how is immortality reconciled to imperfect flesh?) and also the end times of the world (usually focused on the Revelations to John; what will the Second Coming...

| 1 person likes this

Answer to:
How did the months of the year get their names in Spanish? From the Latin months of Iberia's Roman conquerors: Mars, Roman god of war: marzo Aprilis, "sacred to Venus," cognate with Greek Aphrodite: abril Maia, Roman goddess: mayo Iuno, Roman goddess: junio Iulius Caesar, deified Roman consul: julio Augustus, deified Roman emperor: agosto September: 7th month: septiembre October: 8th month: octubre November: 9th month:...

| 2 people like this

Answer to:
What is the etymology of the word democrat? It is from the Greek. Demos is "people." Kratos is "rule" or "power." Democracies originated in ancient Greece, forming in response to a breakdown in oligarchic (government by the aristocrat class) rule. Democracies would typically empower a larger portion of its citizenry to decide in matters of interest to the state. Democracies in Greece were not the...

Answer to:
Is there any doctrinal basis for Christian boys being circumcised? Short answer: no. Long answer: The Mosaic laws require that boys be circumcised (Genesis 17:10ff, Joshua 5:2ff). When Chrisitianity was new, a faction of Christians of Jewish descent ("Judaizers") demanded that all Christian converts of Gentile descent be inducted into the old Covenant and follow all the Levitical laws, including circumcision and dietary restrictions. This...

| 8 people like this