If every Bible in the world was destroyed, where would you turn?

[SteveVH]

That’s like asking: “If God were destroyed by Satan, would you still follow Him?” No, I wouldn’t. I serve God because He is God.

No, that is not at all what I mean.

If God were to allow the Bible to be completely destroyed, then I wouldn’t worry about following it still.

Really? You wouldn’t worry about loving God with all of your heart and mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself? You wouldn’t worry about stealing or adultery? The Bible is a collection of inspired writings. What is important is not the words on the page but living those words in our lives.

Just like I’m sure many Catholics wouldn’t keep trying to follow the authority of the Catholic Church if evidence proved that God has rejected and abandoned it’s leadership.

Even more unlikely than all the Bibles disappearing from the earth. Christ cannot abandon his own Church; his Bride.

Instead, it is by faith that you follow the Catholic Church

And reason.

By faith Evangelical Christians follow the Bible, despite all the historical evidence scholars come up with to disprove it. A big part of that faith is built upon the history of the Bible, and how it has withstood the test of time. Take away that particular evidence of faith, and many would look for other ways to connect with God.

Yes, I think I agree with everything you said. But when it really comes down to it Evangelical Christians have really nothing but the Bible. It is completely understandable that one in this predicament would want to believe that the Bible is all they need. My point is that it is not all they need. They are missing so much.

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[SteveVH]

So do I.

lol.

:TW, I know that those of you from the RC faith get sick of us saying this, but the whole idea that we deny an oral teaching of the gospel isn’t what any protestant that I know believes. We do, however, affirm that because we have actual written records we are capable of comparing teaching to what was written.

What about to what was not written?

 

[SteveVH]

If you turned around you’d see me in the pew behind you.

Very cool.

 

[SteveVH]

By dependant do you mean that the church copied manuscripts. If by dependant you mean they were preserved by the church I agree.

What I mean is that the Church not only existed but flourished before we ever had a Bible, therefore it cannot be dependent upon the Bible as its source of truth. Instead the Bible is dependent upon the Church because it is a reflection of the one, true faith that the Church already possessed, not the origin of its faith. The origin of its faith was the Apostles.

 

[concretecamper]

"JonNC:

Quote:

=SteveVH, post:1, topic:347932"]
This thread is a spin-off, of sorts, from another thread concerning the “Bible Alone” as the final authority in matters of Christian faith.

It occurs to me that the Catholic Church possessed the fullness of truth before a word of the New Testament had been written and for 400 years before it had a canonized collection of inspired writings. It follows then that the Scriptures were not the source of the faith of the Church but rather a reflection of the faith it already possessed. So I contend that the Catholic Church would continue to possess the fullness of truth even if every Bible in the world was destroyed.

They may have had it, Steve, but they still had to have councils to know what they had.
Which answers the question…

Quote:

For our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters who rely on the Bible as their sole authority, what would you do if that sole authority were to disappear from the face of the earth? Where would you turn?

As Lutherans , we have the writings of the early Church - the creeds, councils and ECF’s - and as Stilldreamn mentioned, the confessional documents of the Lutheran communion.

Jon

I think the councils were to “explain what they had”

Posted from Catholic.com App for Android

 

[Kliska]

What about to what was not written?

ha! You’ve lost me.

 

[concretecamper]

SteveVH:

This thread is a spin-off, of sorts, from another thread concerning the “Bible Alone” as the final authority in matters of Christian faith. It occurs to me that the Catholic Church possessed the fullness of truth before a word of the New Testament had been written and for 400 years before it had a canonized collection of inspired writings. It follows then that the Scriptures were not the source of the faith of the Church but rather a reflection of the faith it already possessed. So I contend that the Catholic Church would continue to possess the fullness of truth even if every Bible in the world was destroyed. For our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters who rely on the Bible as their sole authority, what would you do if that sole authority were to disappear from the face of the earth? Where would you turn? Thanks. Steve

It depends. For the RCC…not much would change. For everyone else…everything would change. Posted from Catholic.com App for Android

 

[Isaiah45_9]

For our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters who rely on the Bible as their sole authority, what would you do if that sole authority were to disappear from the face of the earth? Where would you turn?

Thanks.

Steve

Find Eli?

 

[SteveVH]

Find Eli?

LOL.

 

[SteveVH]

ha! You’ve lost me.

This is the post to which I was responding:

Originally Posted by Kliska
:TW, I know that those of you from the RC faith get sick of us saying this, but the whole idea that we deny an oral teaching of the gospel isn’t what any protestant that I know believes. We do, however, affirm that because we have actual written records we are capable of comparing teaching to what was written.

You say that since we have written records that we are now capable of comparing teaching to what was written.

My question is how do you compare teaching to those things that were not written, yet are found within the living Tradition of the Church. The Bible certainly doesn’t contain everything handed down to the Church by the Apostles.

 

[howirenic]

I don’t like this question.

If I may speak for protestants: it’s not as if their faith disappears if the physical Bible is gone. When they say that they believe in the Bible alone, they mean what’s written in the scriptures, not the leather-bound scriptures themselves. Hence, I think most protestants, if presented with this scenario, would simply continue to practice the traditions that they were practicing.

 

[SteveVH]

The thread is directed to those who hold the Bible as their sole “authority”. My question is what would they do if that authority disappeared. And if you don’t like the question no one is forcing you to participate.

 

[concretecamper]

howirenic:

I don’t like this question.

If I may speak for protestants: it’s not as if their faith disappears if the physical Bible is gone. When they say that they believe in the Bible alone, they mean what’s written in the scriptures, not the leather-bound scriptures themselves. Hence, I think most protestants, if presented with this scenario, would simply continue to practice the traditions that they were practicing.

they may continue to practice the faith they were practicing until 25-50-75 years go by…then who knows what.

Posted from Catholic.com App for Android

 

[concretecamper]

howirenic:

I don’t like this question.

If I may speak for protestants: it’s not as if their faith disappears if the physical Bible is gone. When they say that they believe in the Bible alone, they mean what’s written in the scriptures, not the leather-bound scriptures themselves. Hence, I think most protestants, if presented with this scenario, would simply continue to practice the traditions that they were practicing.

they may continue to practice the faith they were practicing until 25-50-75 years go by…then who knows what.

Posted from Catholic.com App for Android

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

The Orthodox church and church fathers would be sufficient I think.

 

[howirenic]

As the OP pointed out, the question is directed at those who regard the Bible as their sole authority. Of course, it’s a moot point for Catholics, Orthodox, perhaps others…

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

As the OP pointed out, the question is directed at those who regard the Bible as their sole authority. Of course, it’s a moot point for Catholics, Orthodox, perhaps others…

I’m bad at reading

 

[Kliska]

This is the post to which I was responding:

I know but the wording threw me off, I didn’t know what you were asking.

You say that since we have written records that we are now capable of comparing teaching to what was written.

Yep.

My question is how do you compare teaching to those things that were not written, yet are found within the living Tradition of the Church. The Bible certainly doesn’t contain everything handed down to the Church by the Apostles.

Here’s the part most Roman Catholics would not agree with; we first need to see what a church is teaching and compare it to scripture, which are the writings we do have. If that church is already teaching things that are contrary to scripture, I’m not going to believe the things they are telling me that aren’t touched upon in scripture. Obviously most RC’s are going to totally deny that the teachings of the RCC contradict written scripture. So, we are back to square one.

The thread is directed to those who hold the Bible as their sole “authority”. My question is what would they do if that authority disappeared. And if you don’t like the question no one is forcing you to participate.

Again,this is probably nit-picking (as I know the phrase is bandied about, but isn’t specific enough), but I know of NO protestant that actually holds the Bible as sole authority; the head of the church is Jesus Christ, and His Spirit is Who guides believers. God is the sole authority, and the Bible is the word of God. If the Bible disappears, God doesn’t cease to exist.

Not to sound like I have an ego (lol), but if all the Bibles disappeared and for some strange reason we could never write anything down ever again, I have absolute faith that I and my husband could train up any child we’d have after that fact in the way the child should go with a full knowledge of the gospel.

 

[Adamski]

Did you ever see the movie, “The Book of Eli?”

I would hope that if all the written or digital copies of Scripture disappeared, there would be a lone savant somewhere that had it memorized

Seriously, I would trust the Holy Spirit to work this out.

Is your Holy Spirit better than a Methodist or baptist holy spirt yet you adhere to the same system that has spun in 40,000 directions

 

[Kliska]

Is your Holy Spirit better than a Methodist or baptist holy spirt yet you adhere to the same system that has spun in 40,000 directions

Wow, are you saying that protestants worship a different God that you since the Holy Spirit is God, why are you placing labels like that on Him, even to make a point?