Do protestants say we (catholics) are primarily concerned with tradition because we aren't solo scriptura?

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Benjinho

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It seems that Protestants have the idea that we as Catholics pretty much ignore the Bible and only focus on our traditions.

I think this is because our sole focus is not the Bible, in contrast to Protestants, and our traditions are misunderstood by Protestants because almost all of them have their basis in the Bible.
 
The Catholic Church also has it’s basis in the Bible. This isn’t something for only protestants. Remember the Bible came out of the Church not the other way around. 🙂 That being said we also have tradition and the magisterium. Those three things support each other and so do not contradict each other.
 
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In my experience, it seems like Protestants end up adopting so many different takes, it would be very difficult to create any generalizations about them, unless they subscribe to a particular set of beliefs.

Non-demoninational Christians, for instance, are just that “non-denominational”; so it’s almost as if any interpretation they want to make applies.

That’s not to say they are necessarily bad people, but I’m just saying it’s sometimes pretty hard to see where they’re coming from.
 
Kaliaa said:
The Catholic Church also has it’s basis in the Bible. This isn’t something for only protestants. Remember the Bible came out of the Church not the other way around. 🙂 That being said we also have tradition and the magisterium. Those three things support each other and so do not contradict each other.
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That’s correct, but understated.

2000+ years of Tradition, scrutiny and perseverance through all sorts of persecutions and problems - which even some Priests and Popes have indicated should have prevailed over a normal organization of people.

And yet - we persevere! Thanks be to God!
 
I had a protestant tell me yesterday that Catholicism was absorbed with pagan rituals and traditions in the middle of a religious discussion. The “education” process of acquainting protestants with what Catholicism really is, will never be finished. Not in our lifetime. That many Catholics don’t know much about Catholicism, doesn’t make the job any easier.

That is one of the reasons I came here, and stuck it out. Like everywhere there is disinformation, but for those who are willing to apply themselves, and I include protestants, the truth is out there!
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Catholics don’t read the Bible and there are no bibles in any Catholic Church. That is why all of the things Catholics do aren’t found in the Bible.

This was always the understanding I had in my former Protestant life.
 
Please understand that there are numerous misunderstandings had by a large majority of non-Catholic Christians about the Catholic Church. Very, very, very few of them understand the Church and her teachings. Pray for them. Love them.
 
Yet if they took the time to open up a missal and paid attention to the Mass, they’d realize it could all be found in the Bible.
 
Wm777 said:
In my experience, it seems like Protestants end up adopting so many different takes, it would be very difficult to create any generalizations about them, unless they subscribe to a particular set of beliefs.
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Exactly…every “Protestant” vs Catholic post here seems to ignore the vast swatch of Protestantism. Some “Protestant” churches actually have a very well developed Theology, more often than not sharing some aspects of Catholic theology. The Lutherans for example have Liturgy and I think the vast majority of Catholics wouldn’t know the difference if they attended one.
 
One of my organ instructors was Lutheran, and we used to do lessons at the church where she worked.

I can a difference between a Lutheran and Catholic church. Lutheran churches don’t have stuff like the stations, statuaries, or any strong emphasis on Mary; and, I’m not really sure if they believe in the real presence or have confession (I think they might have more of an “accountability partnering”)…

But at least they found some redemption in that fellow Mr Bach… He certainly knew how to rock the Liturgy… 🤩

Thanks be to Jesus we Catholics found some talent in Mozart and Beethoven… 😍
 
Wm777 said:
I’m not really sure if they believe in the real presence or have confession
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Yes to both. Their understanding of them is a bit different, but yes, they believe in both the RP and auricular confession.
 
Benjinho said:
It seems that Protestants have the idea that we as Catholics pretty much ignore the Bible and only focus on our traditions.

I think this is because our sole focus is not the Bible, in contrast to Protestants, and our traditions are misunderstood by Protestants because almost all of them have their basis in the Bible.
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Everybody tends to emphasize the bits of the Bible that they think strongly support their particular beliefs. Catholics love James 2, Protestants love Romans 3. My wife, who grew up Presbyterian and is now a (very Reformed) Anglican with me, was simply unaware that, say, there’s a scriptural argument for confession to a priest.

Much Protestant criticism of Catholicism – like much Catholic criticism of Protestantism – is born of simple ignorance.
 
Probably many of the Catholics here will disagree with me, but I agree with that assessment.

As a youth, I left the Catholic Church. Up to the point that I left, I had the impression that Catholicism was about going to Church. That’s it. I had no real knowledge of Scripture. That which I did have, was false, because I had learned it from Protestants who were diligently trying to seduce me to their faith.

It wasn’t until after 5 or so years AFTER I came back to the Catholic Church, that I finally realized the intimate relationship between Tradition, Scripture and the Church.

In fact, and I think many Catholics will also disagree with this opinion of mine. I think, with all due respect to St. Jerome, that DEVOUT Catholics are more knowledgeable about the Word of God than even the most knowledgeable Protestants, even if we never read the Bible. Because they are knowledgeable in the errors they’ve been taught. Whereas, we’ve been Taught, the True Doctrines of Jesus Christ by the infallible Catholic Church which He established precisely for that purpose.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
 
Benjinho said:
It seems that Protestants have the idea that we as Catholics pretty much ignore the Bible and only focus on our traditions.

I think this is because our sole focus is not the Bible, in contrast to Protestants, and our traditions are misunderstood by Protestants because almost all of them have their basis in the Bible.
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If you have heard this from Protestants, then it would be a miscategorization of Catholic belief. I think those who are knowledgeable however accept Rome’s claim for herself that she is guided by both. The issue that Protestants have is that when those two come into conflict, how is that conflict resolved? I hope that explains.
 
My experience was: Baptists carry their Bible to church and use it during church. Catholics don’t carry Bibles. Catholics use tradition to “make up things” that aren’t in the Bible. Then a funny thing happened when I opened my Bible and let the Holy Spirit lead me - all that “Catholic stuff” was right there in front of my eyes!
 
I am sorry to agree with this statement. Protestants don’t realize Catholicism is very Biblical. They think Catholics just make up stuff. Eventually, I let the Holy Spirit lead me and I actually realized how true Catholicism is.
 
Wm777 said:
Lutheran churches don’t have stuff like the stations, statuaries, or any strong emphasis on Mary; and, I’m not really sure if they believe in the real presence or have confession
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I was referring to the liturgy itself. Yes if you are paying attention, there are certainly physical things missing, but there is a certain unity in the love of our Lord. Another example is that the scripture read in the service is exactly the same between Lutheran and Catholic churches week to week. Lutherans believe in Real Presence. The difference is that the Catholic church preaches Transubstantiation wherein the bread and wine becomes Jesus vs Jesus is present without any change in the nature of the bread and wine.
 
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