Stoking the Embers
Stoking the Embers
They Came After Catholics, So I Fired Back - Catholic Firebrand 🔥 #3
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They Came After Catholics, So I Fired Back - Catholic Firebrand 🔥 #3

"Throwin' Fireballs" at anti-Catholic haters hurling faulty arguments and claims at Catholics, after a viral video on IG sparks fires of both inspiration and rage

Description, Segment Breakdown, Key Highlights below

“Throwin’ Fireballs” - In this explosive episode of Fire Branded, I bring the heat. Throwing Fireballs is my rallying cry to Catholics who feel overwhelmed, intimidated, or confused by anti-Catholic noise online. Using a recent Instagram clip that unexpectedly went viral, I unpack why so many people—some inside the Church, some far outside—feel compelled to take swings at Catholicism. And I expose what’s really going on beneath their loud objections: a deep, unspoken recognition of the Church’s authority.

Video Version on YouTube

I walk you through the comments, the pushback, the hecklers, the four-paragraph smartphone essays written in righteous fury—and explain why those reactions actually prove the point: people don’t attack what they aren’t threatened by. They don’t fight what they don’t respect. And they definitely don’t write novels in your comment section unless the Church is pressing on their conscience.

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From Protestant misunderstandings of worship, to accusations of “idolatry,” to the recurring question of whether Christians “need” religion at all, I explain how to understand these claims, respond to them, and—more importantly—not fear them. With humor, clarity, and that unmistakable Catholic Firebrand energy, I show young or inexperienced Catholics that the Church’s teachings have depth, power, and airtight logic behind them.

And then, as always, I pivot to the heart: a powerful call to return to the sacraments, recover your Catholic identity, and stop postponing the life God has been calling you to live.

This episode is apologetics, encouragement, evangelization, and spiritual boot-camp rolled into one fireball.


Segment-by-Segment Show Notes

00:00–02:00 — The Firebrand Entrance

  • Opening banter, fast-paced intro, humor

  • Today’s theme: Throwing fireballs

  • Encouragement for inexperienced or nervous Catholics

02:00–05:00 — The Viral Clip

  • You recap the spontaneous video that exploded on Instagram

  • Central message: The Catholic Church is “big time”—one of God’s greatest works

  • Prediction: Many will face Christ and answer for their attacks on His Church

05:00–11:00 — The Pushback Begins

  • Stupid comments, ignorant comments, long comments

  • People claiming I’m “threatened”

  • My retort: Why would a 2000-year-old Church fear you?

  • Humor + teaching on cultural hostility toward Catholicism

11:00–18:00 — Protestant Objections & Worship Explained

  • “I follow Jesus, not religion”

  • The biblical definition of worship: priest, altar, sacrifice

  • Why Protestant definitions of worship reduce everything to “prayer”

  • Distinguishing devotion from worship

  • Why Catholics don’t worship Mary—and why Protestants think we do

18:00–26:00 — Religion Is Part of Reality

  • I explain that religion isn’t invented—it’s built into human nature

  • Christ practiced religion and established the Church

  • Critical distinction between nice and good

  • Why “I don’t need religion to be good” collapses under logic

26:00–33:30 — Human Nature, Culture, and Morality

  • Pagan cultures didn’t view murder as “wrong,” only socially disruptive

  • Many modern “human rights” are actually moral errors

  • The difference between natural moral intuition vs. revealed ethics

33:30–40:00 — Responding to Claims About Mary

  • A commenter claims Mary wasn’t sinless because she was “troubled”

  • I dismantle the argument point-by-point:

    • Fear isn’t proof of sin

    • Mary’s humility is the issue in the text

    • Zechariah doubted; Mary didn’t

    • Nothing in Luke contradicts the Immaculate Conception

40:00–47:00 — Community, Substack, and Discord Invitations

  • Why join the newsletter

  • How the Discord server works

  • What the Scripture Sessions are

  • Invitation to the Firebrand Forum

47:00–52:00 — Final Exhortation: Come Back Home

  • Stop postponing your return to the sacraments

  • Confession changes everything

  • Now is the time—God is calling His children home

  • Encouragement rooted in your 30 years of evangelization

  • “I believe in you—because God believes in you.”


🔑 Key Highlights (Bullet Points)

  • Why anti-Catholic comments are usually a sign of respect-in-disguise

  • The difference between Catholic worship and Protestant “worship”

  • Why religion is not optional—it’s part of how humans were created

  • Understanding biblical worship: priest, altar, sacrifice

  • Why prayer ≠ worship, biblically

  • Why people misunderstand Catholic devotion to Mary and the saints

  • How to understand claims about Mary’s “fear”

  • What’s missing in the “I don’t need religion to be good” mindset

  • How the sacraments give the supernatural strength needed for salvation

  • A strong exhortation for fallen-away or lukewarm Catholics to come back now

Thank you

, , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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