Development of doctrine

[jonathan_hili]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to be snide.

What I do mean - in a very frank way - is that (and this is solely my experience) many Protestant groups condemn the Catholic Church for going beyond Scripture and teaching instead “traditions of men”, and yet they themselves are often unwittingly doing the same thing.

I certainly understand why people might see the Pope as the Antichrist, especially if they understand him as leading a church full of false teachings and immoral practices. However, it is interesting that the justification for this not only seems to contradict what’s in the biblical text (with regards to teaching that Jesus has not come in the flesh) but actually goes beyond it in a very novel way.

Okay, I’ll shut up now!

 

[aidanbradypop]

I admit it. You were right!

And to think you doubted me

Sorry, I didn’t mean to be snide.

What I do mean - in a very frank way - is that (and this is solely my experience) many Protestant groups condemn the Catholic Church for going beyond Scripture and teaching instead “traditions of men”, and yet they themselves are often unwittingly doing the same thing.

I certainly understand why people might see the Pope as the Antichrist, especially if they understand him as leading a church full of false teachings and immoral practices. However, it is interesting that the justification for this not only seems to contradict what’s in the biblical text (with regards to teaching that Jesus has not come in the flesh) but actually goes beyond it in a very novel way.

Okay, I’ll shut up now!

jonathan…have you ever been to a LCMS or Anglican service? Sometimes you cannot tell the difference between LCMS, Anglo Catholic and Roman Catholics. I suggest you attend a couple of the services. It will give you more of a grasp on what they teach. I attended a few LCMS and learned a lot. Many family members are Anglo Catholic and Continuing Anglican so I know a few things about their faith as well. BTW…NEVER call a Anglo Catholic an Episcopalian. Kind of gets ya in hot water lol. Learn from my mistake lol

 

[aemcpa]

BTW…NEVER call a Anglo Catholic an Episcopalian. Kind of gets ya in hot water lol. Learn from my mistake lol

If they subject themselves to an Episcopalian “bishop”, what else would I call them?

 

[aidanbradypop]

If they subject themselves to an Episcopalian “bishop”, what else would I call them?

Anglo Catholic and Anglican are not under an Episcopalian Bishop

 

[jonathan_hili]

And to think you doubted me

jonathan…have you ever been to a LCMS or Anglican service? Sometimes you cannot tell the difference between LCMS, Anglo Catholic and Roman Catholics. I suggest you attend a couple of the services. It will give you more of a grasp on what they teach. I attended a few LCMS and learned a lot. Many family members are Anglo Catholic and Continuing Anglican so I know a few things about their faith as well. BTW…NEVER call a Anglo Catholic an Episcopalian. Kind of gets ya in hot water lol. Learn from my mistake lol

I’ve been to a few Anglican services in England and found the liturgy beautiful and, as you say, not very different from ours. Living in Australia, I don’t have any connections with the LCMS unfortunately, but I do attend my friends’ Baptist services now and again. As you say, they are definitely occasions of learning.

 

[aidanbradypop]

I’ve been to a few Anglican services in England and found the liturgy beautiful and, as you say, not very different from ours. Living in Australia, I don’t have any connections with the LCMS unfortunately, but I do attend my friends’ Baptist services now and again. As you say, they are definitely occasions of learning.

I never let other services replace Mass, but I enjoy going to different denominations to see what they teach and preach. Best to get it straight from the source in my opinion.

 

[Gary_Sheldrake]

Hi all,

I may be wrong here in my initial assumption, so am happy to be corrected if I am, but as there is no central authority in most (all?) Protestant denominations and Orthodoxy, is it possible for doctrine to develop in those religions? I understand that individual theologians or pastors can propose new ideas or refinements but can the denomination as a whole actually agree and move forward with developed doctrines in the way the Catholic Church can after an ecumenical council or papal pronouncement?

God bless.

Jonathan

Interesting thread. I wonder to what extent we humans ars still pack animals. If you put a bunch of us together, we immediately start establishing hierarchies, and we ask things like "who 's in charge of this pack?"or "where do I place in this pack?"or "who will determine the contexts I will accept as mine? Of course we 've evolved a little because we use terms like central authority. Of course I 'm not different - the hierarchy in my pack is well defined and rather sophisticated.

 

[PRmerger]

Interesting thread. I wonder to what extent we humans ars still pack animals. If you put a bunch of us together, we immediately start establishing hierarchies, and we ask things like "who 's in charge of this pack?"or "where do I place in this pack?"or "who will determine the contexts I will accept as mine? Of course we 've evolved a little because we use terms like central authority. Of course I 'm not different - the hierarchy in my pack is well defined and rather sophisticated.

Hierarchy means “sacred order” and thus, to the degree that the hierarchy is bound by the sacred is the degree that it is conforming to its natural order.

I know I wouldn’t want to be part of a Church that didn’t have a sacred order. Without the hierarchy we’d have either a profane order or a sacred disorder. And who wants that?!!