How do we know we are interpreting the bible correctly?

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creativemotion

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i was talking with some other people and they asked me, “how do you know that you catholics are interpreting the bible the right way?”

and the only thing i could think of is faith. so, now im stuck and thinking. how do we know we are reading the bible corretly?
 
When you read Sacred Scripture, pray that the Holy Spirit will guide your thought and your mind. Jesus Himself promised, “that His Church (on this rock…) would be guided by the Holy Spirit and the powers of hell would not prevail against it.” He didn’t promise perfection. It is our job to prayerfully read the Scripture to let God’s word empower, motivate and guide us. The Church’s teaching authority goes back through apostolic succession to the original apostles. You can rely on that and faith and let God work on you for the rest that you need.🙂
 
You don’t know if you are interpreting it correctly. In this life, we do not always have complete certitude about the things that we believe. Catholics have some infallible teachings from the Magisterium, but not every point of faith and morals has been infallibly defined. You have to live the Faith without always being certain on every point.
 
creativemotion said:
i was talking with some other people and they asked me, “how do you know that you catholics are interpreting the bible the right way?”

and the only thing i could think of is faith. so, now im stuck and thinking. how do we know we are reading the bible corretly?
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I agree with the earlier posts, and the Magisterium has not provided definitive guidance on every verse of scripture.

However, on core issues of doctrine, we rely on the authority of Apostolic Succession and the fact that the Church’s interpretation of scriptures in these areas (e.g., the real presence in the Eucharist) have been consistently believed and taught since the earliest years of the Church as testified to by the writings of the early Church fathers. As Cardinal Newman said, “to be steeped in history is to cease to be Protestant”. What he meant by that is that the history of the Church and its teachings shows us that it is the Catholic Church’s interpretation on these core doctrines that have remained consistent since the time of the Apostles. The protestant interpretations that support (i) no presence in the Eucharist, (ii) eternal security and (iii) double predestination, for example, really didn’t arise in earnest until the time of the reformation.

Blessings,

Brian
 
Robbinson said:
I agree with the earlier posts, and the Magisterium has not provided definitive guidance on every verse of scripture.

However, on core issues of doctrine, we rely on the authority of Apostolic Succession and the fact that the Church’s interpretation of scriptures in these areas (e.g., the real presence in the Eucharist) have been consistently believed and taught since the earliest years of the Church as testified to by the writings of the early Church fathers. As Cardinal Newman said, “to be steeped in history is to cease to be Protestant”. What he meant by that is that the history of the Church and its teachings shows us that it is the Catholic Church’s interpretation on these core doctrines that have remained consistent since the time of the Apostles. The protestant interpretations that support (i) no presence in the Eucharist, (ii) eternal security and (iii) double predestination, for example, really didn’t arise in earnest until the time of the reformation.

Blessings,

Brian
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hmm… but about the “Apostolic Succession”, how does that point to the fact that we are interpreting the bible correctly? Afterall, isnt that just a doctrine that churches use to tell everyone that they are the true church of god?

btw thanks everyone for your answers!
 
creativemotion said:
i was talking with some other people and they asked me, “how do you know that you catholics are interpreting the bible the right way?”

and the only thing i could think of is faith. so, now im stuck and thinking. how do we know we are reading the bible corretly?
Click to expand...
There is no need for us to interpret Scripture. We have 2000 years of teachings to guide us. One need only look at the mass confusion among the various Protestant denominations to see the dangers of assuming one can personally interpret Scripture
 
That’s good, Bob. We can go ahead and ignore the pew polls that show Roman Catholics preach and practice differently both from each other and from doctrin.

Though it has an unfortunately misleading title, I highly recommend a study on how we think about religion by Gina Cerminara. The book is called Insights for the Age of Aquarious: a handbook for religious sanity In my opinion it ought to be in every school of every denomination until we become a civilized race.
 
Detales said:
That’s good, Bob. We can go ahead and ignore the pew polls that show Roman Catholics preach and practice differently both from each other and from doctrin.

Though it has an unfortunately misleading title, I highly recommend a study on how we think about religion by Gina Cerminara. The book is called Insights for the Age of Aquarious: a handbook for religious sanity In my opinion it ought to be in every school of every denomination until we become a civilized race.
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And those Catholics who preach and practice against doctrine are wrong, and committing sin.

Just from the title, I would never even open that book. I’ll stick to Aquinas, and Augustine, and Ratzinger, & Co.

God Bless
 
Detales said:
That’s good, Bob. We can go ahead and ignore the pew polls that show Roman Catholics preach and practice differently both from each other and from doctrin.

Though it has an unfortunately misleading title, I highly recommend a study on how we think about religion by Gina Cerminara. The book is called Insights for the Age of Aquarious: a handbook for religious sanity In my opinion it ought to be in every school of every denomination until we become a civilized race.
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Oof course is a huge difference between one individual Roman Catholic may do and the solid unchanging teachings of the Church.
 
Detales said:
That’s good, Bob. We can go ahead and ignore the pew polls that show Roman Catholics preach and practice differently both from each other and from doctrin.

Though it has an unfortunately misleading title, I highly recommend a study on how we think about religion by Gina Cerminara. The book is called Insights for the Age of Aquarious: a handbook for religious sanity In my opinion it ought to be in every school of every denomination until we become a civilized race.
Click to expand...
About the Author:

Gina “believes” in reincarnation, telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, healing with ones hands, etc. but only because they would seem to have facts supporting their existence. “Those who claim to be skeptical of telepathy aren’t skeptical, they’re ignorant.”

Yup-surely someone a Catholic should look to for spiritual guidance. Especially that reincarnaion part. why maybe i as Jesus in a past life!
 
creativemotion said:
i was talking with some other people and they asked me, “how do you know that you catholics are interpreting the bible the right way?”

and the only thing i could think of is faith. so, now im stuck and thinking. how do we know we are reading the bible corretly?
Click to expand...
Because the Jesus said so. He told the Apostles “whoever hears you hears me and whoever hears me hears the One who sent me”. You know the Scripture didn’t fall from the sky as the King James version. The Church existed and the Teachings of Jesus and their correct understanding was through Sacred Traditions for generations before any of it was written down. After it began to be sritten down, the correct understanding continued to be preserved and passed on from generation to generation by The Church. In addition to the correct understanding of Scripture, the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church also includes which of the tens of thousands of books being circulated at the time are the Authentic, God breathed Holy Scriptures of the New and Eternal Covenant. Without the Catholic Church, Protestants wouldn’t even know which books belong in the New Testiment, much less how to correctly interpret them.

I hope this helps clarify this issue.

Your servant in Christ.
 
Ignatius said:
Because the Jesus said so. He told the Apostles “whoever hears you hears me and whoever hears me hears the One who sent me”. You know the Scripture didn’t fall from the sky as the King James version. The Church existed and the Teachings of Jesus and their correct understanding was through Sacred Traditions for generations before any of it was written down. After it began to be sritten down, the correct understanding continued to be preserved and passed on from generation to generation by The Church. In addition to the correct understanding of Scripture, the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church also includes which of the tens of thousands of books being circulated at the time are the Authentic, God breathed Holy Scriptures of the New and Eternal Covenant. Without the Catholic Church, Protestants wouldn’t even know which books belong in the New Testiment, much less how to correctly interpret them.

I hope this helps clarify this issue.

Your servant in Christ.
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yes, but all this stuff from the Apostles were passed on from bishop to bishop, right? wouldnt the original text be distorted in one way or the other?
 
creativemotion said:
hmm… but about the “Apostolic Succession”, how does that point to the fact that we are interpreting the bible correctly? Afterall, isnt that just a doctrine that churches use to tell everyone that they are the true church of god?

btw thanks everyone for your answers!
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It was those very same Apostolic successors who met and argued the canon of scripture. The early Church had God-given authority to compile the bible, so the Church also has the very same authority to interpret. Ask what authority their church has, and how far back it goes. Do not expect any agreement.
 
Detales said:
That’s good, Bob. We can go ahead and ignore the pew polls that show Roman Catholics preach and practice differently both from each other and from doctrin.

Though it has an unfortunately misleading title, I highly recommend a study on how we think about religion by Gina Cerminara. The book is called Insights for the Age of Aquarious: a handbook for religious sanity In my opinion it ought to be in every school of every denomination until we become a civilized race.
Click to expand...
Forget the book! Just watch Oprah daily and repeat after her…
 
creativemotion said:
i was talking with some other people and they asked me, “how do you know that you catholics are interpreting the bible the right way?”

and the only thing i could think of is faith. so, now im stuck and thinking. how do we know we are reading the bible corretly?
Click to expand...
First of all, Catholics do not interpret the Bible themselves, they rely on someone else, a worldly figure, such as a pope, to interpret it for them. This is an OBVIOUS contradiction between the Catholic catechism and the Holy Scripture…

Catechism states:

“The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.” Pg. 30, #100

Scripture States:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” John 16:13
 
Acts 8:31-32
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
 
Again, you are beating around the bush. The Bible doesn’t state that you CANNOT have help with interpretation, but the Catholic catechism clearly states the the church has SOLE authority to interpret the Bible. Sole authority. What does SOLE AUTHORITY mean?

sole - being the only one, only
dictionary.reference.com/browse/sole

that means that YOU DO NOT have any authority to interpret the Bible for yourself, which is clearly in opposition to the scripture.
 
creativemotion said:
i was talking with some other people and they asked me, “how do you know that you catholics are interpreting the bible the right way?”

and the only thing i could think of is faith. so, now im stuck and thinking. how do we know we are reading the bible corretly?
Click to expand...
We know because we trust in the church that our Lord Jesus founded. The church that is protected by the Holy Spirit as our Lord Jesus promised. We trust that the church’s interpretation is the correct one because her bishops are sent by the bishops before them, who were sent by the Apostles, who were sent by our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent by God the Father. And how are they sent? With the Father’s AUTHORITY!
 
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