Can a Catholic take an oath proclaiming the "final authority" of the Bible?

[Bob_Forester]

I have long considered joining the “Christian Medical and Dental Association” because I share many similar values and interests with them. (I am already a member of the Catholic Medical Association). However, they require consent to a Statement of Faith that includes:
I believe: In the divine inspiration and final authority of the Bible as the Word of God;
Can a Catholic in good faith take an oath proclaiming the “final authority” of the Bible? By taking this oath and speaking to this group publicly as a Catholic physician wouldn’t I potentially bring scandal to the Church by showing disrespect for our Tradition and papal authority? How might I cogently explain my dilemma to a non-Catholic Christian?
Thank You!

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

I have long considered joining the “Christian Medical and Dental Association” because I share many similar values and interests with them. (I am already a member of the Catholic Medical Association). However, they require consent to a Statement of Faith that includes:
I believe: In the divine inspiration and final authority of the Bible as the Word of God;
Can a Catholic in good faith take an oath proclaiming the “final authority” of the Bible? By taking this oath and speaking to this group publicly as a Catholic physician wouldn’t I potentially bring scandal to the Church by showing disrespect for our Tradition and papal authority? How might I cogently explain my dilemma to a non-Catholic Christian?
Thank You!

I don’t know the organization or what they stand for.

I would not take that oath.

Christ is the final authority and it is the Church that is His pillar and bulwark.

God bless

 

[JRKH]

I have long considered joining the “Christian Medical and Dental Association” because I share many similar values and interests with them. (I am already a member of the Catholic Medical Association). However, they require consent to a Statement of Faith that includes:
I believe: In the divine inspiration and final authority of the Bible as the Word of God;
Can a Catholic in good faith take an oath proclaiming the “final authority” of the Bible? By taking this oath and speaking to this group publicly as a Catholic physician wouldn’t I potentially bring scandal to the Church by showing disrespect for our Tradition and papal authority? How might I cogently explain my dilemma to a non-Catholic Christian?
Thank You!

I basically agree with Roman Catholic on this however -

As Catholics we DO believe that the Bible contains the inspired word of God, so we’re OK on the first part.
As to the second part, don’t we actually believe that as well?
After all The Church canonized the Bible, and the Bible points directly to the Church
Matthew 16 - Upon this Rock
Matthew 18 - Tell it to the Church
Paul - Pillar and Foundation of the Truth
and so many more passages that point directly to the Authority of the Church. So the Bible, as the “Final Authority” itself defers to the Church.

I’m sure that isn’t what they indend in their oath, but it’s the Catholic take on it.

Maybe you should ask them what they mean by this statement in their oath. Perhaps you can still take it.

Peace
James

 

[Hesychios]

…However, they require consent to a Statement of Faith that includes:“I believe: In the divine inspiration and final authority of the Bible as the Word of God;”

One does not need to be a Roman Catholic to see that this notion is incompatible with the Apostolic Christian Faith. Christ is the final authority. The church…the body of Christ…makes use of scripture, scripture does not make use of the church.

The collection of Holy Scripture cannot interpret itself, the reader or listener does that to the best of his or her ability. The above statement assumes that all readers of scripture will interpret it in the same way for it to be a universal standard, but we know that this is not the case. It is not even possible to get all translators to agree on scriptural meanings, and we are at their mercy. This is a recipe for religious anarchy and invention, the idea has long since been discredited.

Only through the pastoral guidance of the church can the message of Holy Scripture be properly understood. The church is the standard.

*St. Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the **charismata of God were, there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession. His teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of the Vatican, which, in renewing the decree of Trent declares its “mind” to be this - that “in things of faith and morals, belonging to the building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy Mother the Church, whose place it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” *
Providentissimus Deus Leo XIII 1893

 

[Steadfast]

The short answer is no, you probably shouldn’t subscribe to that view. As it stands, it is incompatible with the teaching of the Church.

 

[chris_molter]

It seems that organization formulated its oath specifically to exclude Catholics and Orthodox.