Interfaith scripture study, should Catholics participate?

[7_Sorrows]

Oh I know 7 Sorrows. I’m not sure if your own personal journey in faith that you have shared on CAF threads has anything to do with it or not. I suspect maybe so. But nevertheless I actually find you one of the more charitable Catholics with whom I’ve encountered here. All’s fine.

well I was a non practicing Christian for over 25 years and I studied at a synagogue before deciding to make the jump from the Episcopal church to the Catholic church. I had questions about the Mormon church and even Scientology. So I was inquiring too. Like I said we have free will and we all have the right to discern what faith we want to adhere to or not to adhere to in our country.
As a Protestant, I don’t know if I would have felt comfortable at a Catholic Bible study now that I know what Catholics believe and I would not feel comfortable at a Protestant Bible study now that I believe as a Catholic. There are too many underlying differences.

 

[Sy_Noe]

well I was a non practicing Christian for over 25 years and I studied at a synagogue before deciding to make the jump from the Episcopal church to the Catholic church. I had questions about the Mormon church and even Scientology. So I was inquiring too. Like I said we have free will and we all have the right to discern what faith we want to adhere to or not to adhere to in our country.
As a Protestant, I don’t know if I would have felt comfortable at a Catholic Bible study now that I know what Catholics believe and I would not feel comfortable at a Protestant Bible study now that I believe as a Catholic. There are too many underlying differences.

Yes clearly we all have our own comfort levels. But the only point I was really trying to make was if a believing Catholic is as certain in their faith as they claim, then attending another’s Bible study wouldn’t/couldn’t sway them away. Unless the believing Catholic wasn’t all that certain in the first place. But even then the non Catholic Bible study I participated in didn’t sway me anyway. Peace and blessings to you.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Yes clearly we all have our own comfort levels. But the only point I was really trying to make was if a believing Catholic is as certain in their faith as they claim, then attending another’s Bible study wouldn’t/couldn’t sway them away. Unless the believing Catholic wasn’t all that certain in the first place. But even then the non Catholic Bible study I participated in didn’t sway me anyway. Peace and blessings to you.

God bless!

 

[JustaServant]

This is a pretty irrelevant, “trollish” sort of comment. But in case your mind and heart are just a little bit open:

can you explain how the gifts of the Spirit are incompatible with the Sacraments? Are you aware that Catholic theologians write about the gifts of the Spirit all the time?

Edwin

He IS a troll, and common contributor.
Alvin is a sad figure who keeps registering to CA with hit and run posts. His hobby horse is the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But apparently, this same spirit has no problem lying to get back on a forum, making anti-Catholic posts, and strangely enough makes the same grammar errors each time.
He’s a sad person who needs our prayers.

 

[rcwitness]

1 Corinthians 10:22-23 "All things are lawful for me: but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me: but all things do not edify."

This is relative.

Not everywhere there aren’t. When I was in RCIA last year, we were told that there were no Bible studies in the parish but maybe we would be called to start one. . . .

Edwin

I don’t think a bible study should be “inforced”. I would like to be a part of one too. I’m not feeling so “right with God” at This point to start one. Hope He compells me to do better.

My personal thoughts are that if there is a bible study which has invited you, then it is your free choice to participate or not. If you choose to, then as a Catholic Christian, there will probably be “interpretations” which conflict with the faith. This should be an opportunity to defend the faith while prompting us to know what and why we believe certain traditional interpretations. On the more positive side, we are able to commune in the things we do have in common!

 

[Peter_J]

Yes clearly we all have our own comfort levels. But the only point I was really trying to make was if a believing Catholic is as certain in their faith as they claim, then attending another’s Bible study wouldn’t/couldn’t sway them away. Unless the believing Catholic wasn’t all that certain in the first place.

That is, certainly, one reason that someone may choose not to participate in a discussion forum. There can be other reasons, such as realizing the effect that one is having.

Or to look at it from another angle, sometimes a poster realizes that they are **not **having the effect that they thought they were, but just the opposite. I for one am very glad whenever someone says to himself/herself “Wait a minute! All this time that I’ve been consuming and responding to the myriad of anti-fill in the blank here] posts on this website I assumed that I was making things better, but I really haven’t been. Why am I supporting those posts??”

 

[KathleenGee]

This newer parish early on started with complete bible study…I mean, references to the catechism, the lives of the saints, the Councils.

Then we had one that was simply ‘spirit-filled, Scripture only’ that was approved by the bishop of that diocese. People soon felt uncomfortable…because it was incomplete…without perspective and the interpretation through Living Tradition in the Magesterium…no witness and example of the saints either. People couldn’t want to get back to solid Bible materials.

 

[Dorothy]

This newer parish early on started with complete bible study…I mean, references to the catechism, the lives of the saints, the Councils.

Then we had one that was simply ‘spirit-filled, Scripture only’ that was approved by the bishop of that diocese. People soon felt uncomfortable…because it was incomplete…without perspective and the interpretation through Living Tradition in the Magesterium…no witness and example of the saints either. People couldn’t want to get back to solid Bible materials.

I think you meant…“People couldn’t wait to get back to solid Bible materials”.

 

[SteveVH]

I read where it showed what churches are affiliated with the study. Because they are not Catholic, it will definitely not be a Catholic Bible Study.

The Jeff Cavins “Great Adventure” Bible Studies are excellent Catholic Bible studies!

They have now grown to be in three Catholic parishes in our area, and I hope to see it other parishes soon.

I couldn’t agree more. The “Great Adventure” Bible study is absolutely awesome. Dr. Tim Grey and Jeff Cavins knocked it out of the park. It is incredibly in-depth while being presented in a manner that is easily understood at the layman level. It is such a great tool for a parish Bible study.

There is really no point, IMO, in attending a “Bible study” that does not view Scripture through the lens of Sacred Tradition. And I have yet to see a non-denominational Bible study that would seriously consider the Catholic viewpoint.

 

[Dorothy]

I couldn’t agree more. The “Great Adventure” Bible study is absolutely awesome. Dr. Tim Grey and Jeff Cavins knocked it out of the park. It is incredibly in-depth while being presented in a manner that is easily understood at the layman level. It is such a great tool for a parish Bible study.

There is really no point, IMO, in attending a “Bible study” that does not view Scripture through the lens of Sacred Tradition. And I have yet to see a non-denominational Bible study that would seriously consider the Catholic viewpoint.

Another good thing about this study is that you form community with the others as you have discussion time during the question and answer period. Each Bible study group has from ten to twelve participants.

The facilitator is learning and answering the questions also, although she leads the group in an orderly fashion.

 

[KathleenGee]

I will recommend this study to our parish…we are no longer having Protestant sources in…as our parish was known to have all sorts of concepts…and first in order…if we can do it…is have Catholicism 101 for all our parishioners…