Does Sola Scriptura lead to Moral Relativism?

[mackbrislawn]

What exactly have we changed about the gospel? I am talking about SS churches like LC, Baptist, and different types of reformed theological churches. It has been my experience that nondenom, methodist, cofe, episcopal, pcusa, assemblies of G-d, church of G-d, penacostal, and different types of arminian churches do not stress SS or even believe it. This could be just a bias sense my experience with each is not extensive.

These churches that don’t believe SS…what is it they do believe if not that? I realize some churches have a founder that claims to have received revelations, or had guidance from God in interpreting scriptures that others didn’t have. But you don’t mean these churches do you?

I will grant that I relativize “truth” that has nothing to do with the gospel. One thing that I have relativized is I condemn violence and military service like a few of the ECFs (you may not consider them ECFs but I don’t care) did. I realize that others do not hold that which I believe to be truth, and I realize that I may be wrong. This is not a subject that I will discuss on this thread

 

[MacQ]

Actually every Protestant Church has developed based on the leader who established the Protestant Church, and his/her teachings derived from scripture. Like you said this is backwards. Jesus left the world with His church and entrusted those leaders (beginning with the apostles) with deposit of faith, and we can trust them because the Holy Spirit gets all the credit in terms of using fallible men to preserve truth, within Jesus’ church.

Within the Protestant sphere, truth is either relative, or unknowable regarding those doctrines that continue to divide.

Yes…and beyond protestant churches with doctrine developed by their leaders, there seem to be folks out there (I encounter online) who develop their own…they don’t tell you what their Church is, but claim to be SS…self interpreted. Believing I guess the Holy Spirit speaks to them (but not to a gathered enclave of our many Bishops who gather for that purpose).
THey cut and paste Paul’s letters alot, condemn catholics for pretty much everything we do (although their version of what we do is errant and they do not accept correction of their assertions).
They’re quite…amusing and a little scary…quite hateful. We’re going to hell of course, and they seem quite gleeful that not everyone will go to heaven.

 

[JonNC]

Originally Posted by joe371

Are you suggesting that those books that don’t directly tie to our salvation, don’t need to be read?

I am at least implying that they do not. I have only read Tolbit all the way through so I am not going to say with a 100% assurance that they do not.

Goodness. I think they should be read by every Christian. I think the Didache should be, as well, and the Prayer of Manasseh. Wonderful books all, and enlightening for the Christian.

Jon

 

[St_Francis]

I understand your simile and I empathize or sympathize with it I don’t feel like looking those words up. I just thought you were saying that there are somethings (knowledge,deeds) that are not in the bible that are required for salvation.

Not so much required as *extremely *helpful. Like if a person wants to go from NYC to San Francisco, wouldn’t a good map be helpful? Wouldn’t it be better to have a map of the whole route instead of just a map of CA and a map of NY?

I believe that the CC got many things right. I find it very sad when my friends say that the CC messed things up so bad that G-d had to send the reformers. I believe in the transubstantiation of the eucharist, but not really the same way you do. I do presume to evaluate wether someone is a christian or not. I am sure that you could ask many who have been around for a while I am not a card carrying member of the church.

We see a difference between evaluating if someone is a Christian and judging the state of their soul. One is something about which we can gather information, the other is not.

I am at least implying that they do not. I have only read Tolbit all the way through so I am not going to say with a 100% assurance that they do not.

I heard just a little bit of this talk yesterday, and it seems to more fully show what can be gained from a book which Catholics have and Protestants do not. I am going to listen to the whole talk soon, so hope to be able to write something about it in the next few days, but posted the link for you in case you’re interested.

 

[Protestor]

These churches that don’t believe SS…what is it they do believe if not that? I realize some churches have a founder that claims to have received revelations, or had guidance from God in interpreting scriptures that others didn’t have. But you don’t mean these churches do you?

 

[Protestor]

Just so I know are we done talking about SS and moral relativism…?

St_Francis:

We see a difference between evaluating if someone is a Christian and judging the state of their soul. One is something about which we can gather information, the other is not.

I know I started a whole thread on this vary subject a while ago. I feel like one is p.c. and the other is not. I really do not want to get into that right now, but it’s truly puzzling to me how catholics interpret the bible sometimes. I cannot prove that some sort of “The Great Divorce” scenario cannot happen. But I personally do not base my beliefs on things I cannot prove as being wrong.

I heard just a little bit of this talk yesterday,

I’ll read or watch or listen it after my monday final.

 

[mackbrislawn]

mackbrislawn;11999942:

No I’m not talking about those kind of churches.

Take my friend she came from a PCUSA which is from a split in the presbyterian church. She went to church every week at the same church her whole life before she came to college. She said they never quoted from the bible they would paraphrase and that normally they wouldn’t even say it was from the bible, and other times the message would be from a book the pastor was reading. For an church to hardly ever quote the bible for me means that they don’t believe in SS. I think that if you asked people in these churches if the bible was the only inspired source of revelation they would say yes but I am not sure how much that statement is worth. We could go through all the denominations and play ask where in the bible is this or that. Maybe my experience is unique I have been to multiple church from most of those denomination and have known people from them all. Maybe it just doesn’t come up, and all these churches officially do believe in SS.

I think that most protestant, or at least most that I have met, do not think about where their doctrines/dogmas/theological leanings come from or why they believe them. Normally it is something that their church has taught them and that their parents have taught them since they were young. They don’t think about SS probably because it has little to do with how they are following G-d. Most have a hard time reading their bible every day or even every few days.

You have provided some intriguing information. I bet you’re right in your observations. They probably go by what their preacher is telling them and don’t wonder too much about where he got his ideas. People like to follow forceful leaders, including preachers.