Crash Course Catholicism

What are Human Rights? How are they different from other kinds of rights? Are Human Rights inherent, or are they a social construct? In this episode, we continue our exploration of Catholic Social Doctrine by considering the nature of Human Rights. This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of listeners. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course...

We are made in the image of God, and this truth has profound implications for how we understand the human person. In this episode, we explore key dimensions of human personhood, including freedom, responsibility, the capacity for transcendence, uniqueness and unrepeatability, and equality. Understanding the full depth and complexity of human nature is essential for social doctrine, because our und...

The whole of Catholic social doctrine rests on the answer to the question: What is a human being? In this episode, we discuss human nature and human dignity. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? What makes human beings unique in comparison with the rest of nature? Do human beings have a particular dignity, or are we just intelligent animals? Understanding what a human person is helps...

Catholic social doctrine did not suddenly appear in the nineteenth century. Its roots reach back to the very foundations of Scripture. In this episode, we explore the biblical vision of social life: a world shaped by justice, mercy, solidarity, and the command to love one another. From the law and the prophets to the teaching of Christ, the Bible reveals that social responsibility is not an option...

Happy New Year, friends! Welcome to the first episode on our next deep dive into the Social Doctrine of the Catholic church! This is an incredibly rich and important area of Catholic teaching that helps us to understand how human beings should function in societies. It covers topics such as human rights, the rights of workers, the responsibilities of employers, governments, and individuals, and th...

What do we know about the life of St Nicholas of Myra? What is his relationship with the modern-day Santa Claus? Should Catholics tell their children that Santa exists? PLEASE NOTE: This entire episode is one giant spoiler about the existence of Santa Claus. If you have small children who have not yet been disillusioned, you might want to listen to this one when they're not in the room. This p...

Cardinal St John Henry Newman is a Catholic saint who lived in the nineteenth century and was canonised in 2019. In November 2025, he was officially declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV. This is a title held by only 38 saints in the entire history of the church, and it is given to those whose writings are of benefit to the whole church. John Henry Newman was an Anglican priest and Oxfor...

caitlinwest.com FINAL EPISODE OF THE DEEP DIVE LET'S GOOOO In this episode, we consider common moral problems that people encounter when they read the Bible. Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so angry and cruel, while Jesus seems merciful and loving? Why does God give such harsh punishments to people in the Old Testament? Does the Bible condone things like slavery and genocide? What about...

www.caitlinwest.com - What should we do about all those apparent historical and scientific inaccuracies in the Bible? Like Genesis telling us the world was made in seven days, or that there was a flood that covered the whole earth, or that Jonah survived in the belly of a whale for three days? And what about contradictions within the Bible? Why do some of the Gospel writers recount events differen...

⁠www.caitlinwest.com⁠⁠ - How did the Church decide which books to include in the Bible? Why are Catholic Bibles bigger than Protestant Bibles? Should we read the Old Testament? How do I read the Bible? In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the Bible by addressing common questions about the Bible. This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of listeners. If you have found these episodes he...

www.caitlinwest.com - In this episode, we conclude our overview of the Bible by looking at the 7 catholic epistles, and the book of Revelation. The aim of these episodes is to provide us with a bird's-eye view of the whole Bible, to help equip us to begin reading it, or to read it more deeply. In this episode, we'll look at the following books: Hebrews James 1 and 2 Peter 1, 2, and 3 John Jude Rev...

www.caitlinwest.com - GUYS IT'S OUR 100TH EPISODE!!! In this episode, we continue our overview of the Bible by looking at the 13 Pauline Epistles. We consider when each letter was written and why, and what its key aims and themes are. The aim of these episodes is to provide us with a bird's-eye view of the whole Bible, to help equip us to begin reading it, or to read it more deeply. In this episod...

www.caitlinwest.com - In this episode, we continue our overview of the Bible by looking at the first five books of the New Testament: The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. We consider who wrote each book, when it was written, and what its key aims and themes are. The aim of these episodes is to provide us with a bird's-eye view of the whole Bible, to help equip us to begin reading it, or to re...

www.caitlinwest.com In this episode, we take a brief intermission from our Bible deep dive to chat with Tim Hutchinson, a convert from Protestantism to Catholicism. Tim grew up in a vibrant Evangelical Christian community where he learned to love God and the Bible deeply. But one question kept troubling him: why are Protestant denominations so divided? Surely the Church Jesus founded wasn’t meant...

www.caitlinwest.com In this episode, we continue our overview of the books of the Old Testament. We discuss the Wisdom books and the Prophetic books, and consider what each book is about, who wrote it, when it was written, and what its key themes are. The aim of these episodes is to provide us with a bird's-eye view of the whole Bible, to help equip us to begin reading it, or to read it more deepl...

www.caitlinwest.com Welcome to the books of the Bible! In these next few episodes, we'll go through all 73 (!!) books of the Bible - both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We'll briefly summarise each book, and discuss what it's about, what its key themes are, and where it sits in the Bible and the broader narrative of salvation history. The aim of these episodes is to provide us with a bir...

www.caitlinwest.com What is the Bible, really , and how do we read it? How can we say that the Bible is both the Word of God and the work of human authors? What should we do when we come across a tricky passage that we don't know how to interpret? Welcome to our next deep dive! In these next few episodes, we'll unpack some of the most common questions about the Bible, and lay a foundation for how...

www.caitlinwest.com To wrap up our deep dive into the existence of God, in this episode we take a look at the life of St Augustine. St. Augustine is a doctor of the church, and one of the greatest saints in the history of Christianity. But before his conversion, he spent his youth struggling with sin, heresy, vanity, and lust. He was the product of a culture that celebrated male sexual exploits as...

www.caitlinwest.com "The fact that people's religion tends to align with the culture and country that they grew up in shows that religion is just a cultural construct" "There are so many hypocritical people who have used religion to abuse others, to start wars, or to seek power. These people undermine the validity of religion." "We no longer need God; science explains everything we need to know."...

"Atheists don't need to substantiate their position; the burden of proof lies with the theist because they're the one making a positive claim to belief." "God is just something people turn to for comfort." "Atheists just believe in one god fewer than Christians do." "There is no evidence for the existence of God." "If God is good and He loves me, then why is He so difficult to find?" In this episo...

In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the question: How do we know God exists? Today we will give an overview of various popular arguments for the existence of God, including the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the fine tuning of the universe, William Paley’s Watchmaker Argument, the argument from aesthetic experience, and Pascal’s wager. ⁠Donate via PayPal⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon!...

In this short, bonus episode, we discuss what a papal conclave looks like. How does voting work? How many votes are needed for someone to be elected pope? Why is the process so secretive? The information in this episode comes from "Universi Dominici Gregis", an apostolic constitution which outlines the prescriptions for papal elections. The full document can be found here . ⁠Donate via PayPal⁠⁠⁠ ⁠...

In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the question: How do we know God exists? Today we will wrap up our discussion of St. Thomas Aquinas's Five Ways by analysing the Fourth Way (the argument from gradation/degree) and the Fifth Way (the argument from order). Aquinas' Five Ways are among the most famous arguments for the existence of God, and they have been hugely influential in the hist...

Welcome to our deep-dive into the question: How do we know God exists? In this series, we return to the topic of God's existence, which we covered aaall the way back in Episode 2 (!!), and we break it open to explore it more deeply. In this episode, we look at St. Thomas Aquinas's first three 'ways', or arguments for God's existence. These are among the most famous arguments for the existence of G...

Welcome baaaaaaaack it's Season 3! In this season, we're plumbing the depths of Catholicism and the Catechism, doing deep-dives into topics that we have only touched on previously, like the existence of God, the bible, the social doctrine of the church, and theology of the body. In this episode, we round off an exploration of the three theological virtues - Faith, Hope, and Love - which we began i...