This article brings up how Talarico warps scripture to meet his political needs & aspirations. I hope someone in the press that knows the Bible challenges him on his views. I'm not sure Paxton or Cornyn have the Biblical knowledge to really press Talarico on his preaching. What would you ask him or tell him?

https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2026/03/13/james-talarico-used-gnostic-fan-fiction-to-rewrite-jesus-n4950629

Texas senate hopeful James Talarico uses the gnostic 'Gospel of Thomas' to prove that Jesus was a feminist, offering that men must not be male, but must be female, and vice versa. pic.twitter.com/QjGOMPympG

— Protestia (@Protestia) March 4, 2026

I hope pastors do rebuke Talarico because you know the MSM will not and will amplify his distortions.


https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastors-have-a-duty-to-rebuke-talarico

nortex97 said:

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I think he just uses the word 'christianity' and symbology as a brand, and find it disgusting. A parody, even of others faith to subtly mock and anger them. Will leave it at that for this forum.

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You're probably right but I hope people see through his distortions and claims.

How does heresy work outside of the Catholic Church? I understand those rules because we have clearly defined dogma. But if you are not Catholic how can one be a heretic? Just asking because this sounds like one person's interpretation vs conventional, but not dogmatic, interpretation.

This is an odd statement. Do you not believe heresy predates Catholicism?

10andBOUNCE said:

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antithetical to scripture in every way?

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Agree.

Well that is a matter of interpretation isn't it?

Define heresy before we go down this rabbit hole.

Let me add that I was asking how it works outside of defined dogma, because as a Catholic I cannot call any theologian, teacher, or master of another denomination a heretic if they are not Catholic. As a Catholic we have defined dogma. We have a teaching body (Magisterium) and the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith that handles this type of thing.

Therefore some of what I have heard are not in alignment with defined Catholic interpretations, but he is not a heretic. Maybe that helps clear up my question. Fire away.

Adding more to my take of this…

I have been reading a book by a former Dominican theologian, Matthew Fox, about Aquinas of whom he has a great deal of knowledge.

He points out that Aquinas, a Doctor of the Catholic Church, who frequently cites Aristotle and Dionysius throughout all of his works. For a time, Aquinas was forbidden reading because of this. Now, it has been said that Aquinas "baptized" the works of these non-Christian masters.

We should not limit our reading to just a few sources. If truth is truth, it can only come from the Holy Spirit- that is how Aquinas approached these sources.

When Jesus said, "eat my body and drink my blood" is it heresy then in your view that he was speaking about the real presence and not mere symbolic?

We have 40,000 denominations- are we all heretics to each other? Let's find the common ground.

I agree that his views are not in alignment with mine as a Roman Catholic when it comes to abortion. That doesn't make him a heretic as I understand what that word means- just Presbyterian.

Do you agree with his statement that Islam can lead one to God?

I'm really not interested in denominational affiliation. It won't matter when we stand in front of our maker. When that day comes there will be truth according to His word and not truth. I'm interested in the truth. This man is either deceived or a deceiver.

PabloSerna said:

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Do you agree with his statement that Islam can lead one to God?

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NO! I suggest you read:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Two-Swords-of-Christ/Raymond-Ibrahim/9798888457238

That book changed my mind on Islam. I had a view prior to reading that book because of friends that are Muslims but Islam text are far different from my observations of them.

PabloSerna said:

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I agree that his views are not in alignment with mine as a Roman Catholic when it comes to abortion. That doesn't make him a heretic as I understand what that word means- just Presbyterian.

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You think his views on abortion make him a Presbyterian?

Exactly. What an absurd proposition. Another piece on Talarico's disingenuous/vacuous christian veneer;

Quote:

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As the Church has reiterated time and again over the centuries, starting with St. Paul's letter to the Romans and most recently and notably in Pope Saint John Paul II's Veritatis Splendor, the ends and means of action determine its morality, and they must be aligned in their righteousness. Or to put it more simply, using the words of Aquinas, "No evil can be excused because it is done with a good intention."

Among other things, James Talarico used the Virgin Mary's submission to God's will to justify abortion. He advocated for abortion centers in all federal buildings and national parks. He declared that God is nonbinary and that there are at least six genders. He claimed that whiteness is a systemic virus. And while he decries being told to hate his neighbors, he repeatedly accuses Republicans of the most heinous and ugly motivations. In short, he encourages both morally dubious ends and morally dubious meansas even David French concedes. Nevertheless, French judges him a good man because of his righteous heart.

This is a classic example of what Eric Voegelin called Gnostic Dream World thinking, the type of thinking that preponderates on the contemporary political Left and has been the source of innumerable stupid, destructive, morally egregious acts by individuals and governments the world over. "In the Gnostic dream world," Voegelin famously wrote, "nonrecognition of reality is the first principle. As a consequence, types of action that in the real world would be considered as morally insane because of the real effects that they have will be considered moral in the dream world because they intended an entirely different effect."

French knows Talarico is a good man because he believes in God and says some really neat-o things. Never mind that his actions, his political policies, and his declared positions have muddled the moral universe or would, if enacted, result in moral abominations. He says them nicely and with a smile, using Christian rhetoric. Therefore, he's more Christian and more righteous than thou.

Note as well that while French declares that Talarico "acts like a Christian," he never explains how, never provides any examples of his Christian behavior, or explains how they might be more "Christian" than the good deeds of his Republican opponents. French thinks Talarico is a good and decent man, not because of any acts he can relay to us, but because of a feeling he has. French likes Talarico. French feels good about him and his religious expression, which again makes Talarico the real Christian in American politics.

Here we see the impacton the open, unabashed, self-described "conservative Christian," David Frenchof the emotivism that has replaced traditional moral judgments in our society. As the recently deceased moral philosopher Alastair MacIntyre noted, one of the greatest tragedies of our contemporary era is the devolution of morality to a state of emotive expression, a condition in which feelings and sensations are elevated above objective reality and traditional conceptions of right and wrong, good and evil, etc. MacIntyre wrote that emotivism is the "doctrine that all evaluative judgments and more specifically all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling, insofar as they are moral or evaluative in character." He continued:

Factual judgments are true or false; and in the realm of fact there are rational criteria by means of which we may secure agreement as to what is true and what is false. But moral judgments, being expressions of attitude or feeling, are neither true nor false; and agreement in moral judgment is not to be secured by any rational method, for there are none. It is to be secured, if at all, by producing certain non-rational effects on the emotions or attitudes of those who disagree with one. We use moral judgments not only to express our own feelings and attitudes, but also precisely to produce such effects in others.

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chap said:

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PabloSerna said:

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I agree that his views are not in alignment with mine as a Roman Catholic when it comes to abortion. That doesn't make him a heretic as I understand what that word means- just Presbyterian.

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You think his views on abortion make him a Presbyterian?

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There are about a dozen Presbyterian groups in the US, so you have to hone in a bit. He is a part of the PCUSA, and the PCUSA would not consider his teaching to be heresy. So yes, his views on abortion would mean he is in alignment with his Presbyterian church.