#12230 Why Didn’t Jesus Write a Gospel? & More Weird Questions - Jimmy Akin

Catholic Answers Live

In this episode of Weird Questions with Jimmy Akin, we start with a surprisingly common theological puzzle: Why didn’t Jesus Himself write anything down—like a Gospel? We explore what this reveals about Jesus’ mission, oral tradition, and how the Church transmits truth.

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Questions Covered:

• 07:15 – Why is there no gospel according to Jesus, or, why is there nothing written attributed to Jesus?
• 13:47 – Could there be aliens (intelligent species from a distant planet) enjoying eternal life in heaven?
• If there are intelligent aliens living on other planets, do they have guardian angels?
• 17:18 – Do dogs remember their previous experiences? I have a foster dog that was rescued from a hoarding situation. Now he is safe and well cared for, but I worry that he remembers being hungry and lost.
• 23:32 – Could there be an alternate universe/dimension where 2 + 2 =5? Is that a mathematical truth that only applies to our universe?
• 28:41 – I suspect I know the answer, but: in some fantasy-genre systems of magic (in particular, I’m thinking of the works of Tamora Pierce, which are aimed at young girls), magic is described as natural-born talent which involves being able to engage your personal energy to achieve desired results like healing, transfiguration, etc… It is specifically mentioned that only some humans can do this, and the ability is from birth, so no involvement of demons or other supernatural figures. Of course this talent can be used for evil, like anything else. If, however, magic like this was a God-given talent, would it be licit to use this talent for things like healing on recognition that this is God working through you?
• 40:44 – Did Moses eat mushrooms and hallucinated the burning bush?
• 45:14 – Would it be a formal apostasy, heresy, or schism to profess belief in a multiverse and/or simulation hypothesis where an alternate reality exists in which the substance of our Divine Revelation either never happened or happened in an opposite way or where our dogmatic facts & moral laws do not apply or apply in the reverse?
• 52:18 – If we are living in a simulation with our physical bodies suspended in a hibernation capsule in the base reality, would our sacraments be valid? What if some of us are A.I. characters within the simulation and just don’t know it, do we still have a soul

Chapters

1. Why is there no gospel according to Jesus, or, why is there nothing written attributed to Jesus? (00:07:15)

2. Could there be aliens (intelligent species from a distant planet) enjoying eternal life in heaven? (00:13:47)

3. Do dogs remember their previous experiences? I have a foster dog that was rescued from a hoarding situation. Now he is safe and well cared for, but I worry that he remembers being hungry and lost. (00:17:18)

4. Could there be an alternate universe/dimension where 2 + 2 =5? Is that a mathematical truth that only applies to our universe? (00:23:32)

5. I suspect I know the answer, but: in some fantasy-genre systems of magic (in particular, I’m thinking of the works of Tamora Pierce, which are aimed at young girls), magic is described as natural-born talent which involves being able to engage your personal energy to achieve desired results like healing, transfiguration, etc… It is specifically mentioned that only some humans can do this, and the ability is from birth, so no involvement of demons or other supernatural figures. Of course this talent can be used for evil, like anything else. If, however, magic like this was a God-given talent, would it be licit to use this talent for things like healing on recognition that this is God working through you? (00:28:41)

6. Did Moses eat mushrooms and hallucinated the burning bush? (00:40:44)

7. Would it be a formal apostasy, heresy, or schism to profess belief in a multiverse and/or simulation hypothesis where an alternate reality exists in which the substance of our Divine Revelation either never happened or happened in an opposite way or where our dogmatic facts & moral laws do not apply or apply in the reverse? (00:45:14)

8. If we are living in a simulation with our physical bodies suspended in a hibernation capsule in the base reality, would our sacraments be valid? What if some of us are A.I. characters within the simulation and just don’t know it, do we still have a soul (00:52:18)