I'm starting to believe my friend!

[catholicbudgie]

Oh! I’ve just had a thought! Nearly everyone is sold on the fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic. Yes, there is dissention but not much. So, if Jesus’ original words were Aramaic, surely then the only “true” account, or “bible” would be one written in the Aramaic text?

Surely, then, all the writers after Jesus have strayed from the truth because they wrote in Greek, or Hebrew? Oh nuts! I’ve just marginalized all of the Pauline Letters!

And, of course, all of us here are wrong anyway because we’re discussing all of this in English, a language which didn’t even exist in Jesus’ time…

In case you have not gotten the point, I’m playing Devil’s Advocate here - I’m postulating a position I don’t agree with. The simple fact is that most of the early Christians COULDN’T READ! Does this mean they’re all apostate because they couldn’t read the scripture for themselves and thus are unable to be saved by faith alone?

Of coure not - what rubbish.If your non-catholic person is going beyond just passing on the scripture and beginning to put their interpretation on it, simply ask: “Whose authority do you claim to interpret the Gospel? You claim the Catholic Church’s Apostolic commission is invalid. Where is yours?”

And then: “Show me in the bible where it says that the bible itself is the only authority?”

 

[DenRat]

RomanRyan1088:

THANKS TO ALL MY FELLOW CATHOLICS, CONTINUE TO HELP KIDS LIKE ME TO UNDERSTAND! oh and i please ask that you don’t stop talking about this subject, tell me WHY what I was starting to believe is Wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

Bless you, Ryan! You are searching for the truth. I can really relate to you as I was in a similar situation in my early 20’s. I am a cradle Catholic who was not grounded in the faith. When others talked about their version of the “truth” I didn’t have enough knowledge of my own faith to know what they were saying wasn’t true.

When I started attending a different church and mentioned it to my mom, she told me to at least learn about the Catholic Church and what it teaches before I walked away. I began to study CATHOLIC sources and learned for the first time things like Peter was the first pope and that the line of popes is continuous from Peter to John Paul II. I learned that Jesus established the Catholic Church and for the first 1500 years it was the only church (except for the split with the Eastern Church). I learned that even though there are sinners in the Catholic Church, that didn’t make the teachings wrong but made the people wrong who didn’t follow the teachings. I re-learned (how could I have forgotten?) that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and all the scripture that supported that teaching!

Eventually, like you, I began to get offended when anti-Catholics directly challenged the teaching of the Church and it just didn’t ring true and sincere.

Continue to question and learn from Catholic sources. Also, you weren’t far off from your original statement that we must love God and one another. It’s just too simple. The more you learn about the Catholic Church, the more you will discover the rich tapastry and depth of her teachings.

God Bless,
Denise