Is it alright to read Protestant websites?

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CrispSnowflake

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For Bible study/Bible interpretation/Bible information?
 
CrispSnowflake said:
For Bible study/Bible interpretation/Bible information?
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Well, we reluctantly allow Catholics to read our websites. Just make sure you register on the international database of Catholics that do access our sites. 😃

Seriously, know your faith and be secure in it before you do.

Jon
 
It really depends. Are you talking about anti-Catholic sites? Then I would say no.

Protestants do contribute a lot to Christianity without embarking on Catholic beliefs.

See, “Mere Christianity” or the article’s of William Lane Craig. Both C.S. Lewis and WLC have made it clear they are not Catholic, but want unity and therefore will not impose their beliefs on Catholics.

Also, defending Christianity from other beliefs is also practiced by Catholics and Protestants alike. If I have a doctorate in Theology but am a Protestant, I can defend evidence of Jesus’s death, resurrection and ascension better than some Catholics. Also the Trinity.

I know I always get preachy at the end but here I go again… it’s all about bringing others to Jesus. Whether it’s Protestants or Catholics going to countries without Christ we have one goal in mind; those without a savior are in need of one. It’s our mission to teach others of the savior of this world, while working towards greater unity.

God bless.
 
No, because their doctrine is heresy (although they are not formally heretics unless they were Catholic first and then left the Church).
 
I would advise you NOT to read Protestand articles.

Unless you are curious of Protestant beliefs (but because you said “articles” I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for). But even so be VERY FIRM in your Catholic faith and DO NOT let anybody change your Catholic beliefs and morals.

You need Catholic material to grow in your faith and to get the proper interpretation of scripture and the proper understanding of moral issues.

There are dozens of catholic articles you can read: catholic.com newadvent, Catholic NEWS service (much better than reading anti-Catholic secular news) etc.

They’re really not hard to find.
 
Catholic1954 said:
Only the Catholic Church has the authority to interpret the Bible. What would you gain by reading Protestant sites?
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Sorry I may not be familiar enough with scripture, but I’m curious where is this authority received that only the Catholic church can interpret the bible? (this is off-topic I know)
 
As long as they are not anti-Christ I see no harm in it personally.
 
JonNC said:
Then again, the more we know of each other, the less misunderstanding there would be.

Jon
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True Jon, but from her posts I think she needs to be learning about her faith first.!
By the way I always enjoy your very interesting posts. Thanks.
 
MatthewScott said:
where is this authority received that only the Catholic church can interpret the bible?
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It comes with apostolic succession, the statements of our Lord to his chosen apostles, and the work of the Lord through Philip and the Ethiopian.

For centuries there was no Bible. Only hundreds of letters along with the Hebrew scripture. Through time, the apostolic Church discerned which books and letters were part of the Canon of Sacred Scripture and which where heresy or forgery. Around the fourth century, the Canon of Sacred Scripture had become accepted by the universal Church and remained such until the XVI century. Some specific details here.

Two specific indications about the authority of the apostolic Church to interpret Sacred Scripture: one from the Early Church Fathers, one from the standpoint of reason.

The latter goes as follows:
did Christ want a Church at all? No doubt about it. Some (in the early Church just as today) claim that He willed an “invisible church”.
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Now the Church claims genuine descent from the apostles. It is important, because Scripture tells us that that is what Jesus Christ wanted to do: He chose men to be His apostles (Jn 15:16) and gave them a special mission (Jn 20:21). Acts speaks of men appointed to the office of priest by other priests (this is apostolic succession) – Acts 1:20, 1:25-26, 14:23. Paul speaks of the creation of priests – giving instructions in Titus 1:5, II Timothy 2:2, and I Timothy 5:22 (this and I Timothy 4:14 teach how the priesthood is to be passed on). Paul says in Ephesians 2:20 that the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
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Scripture is clear that the Church alone has authority to interpret God’s word in the Bible and to formally define what the Christian religion is: Jesus delegates His power to the apostles (and thus to their successors) in Mt 28:18-20, specifically the power to forgive sin (Jn 20:23), the power to offer sacrifice, the Eucharist (I Cor 11:23-24), the power to speak with Christ’s voice (Lk 10:16), the power to legislate (Mt 18:18), the power to discipline (Mt 18:17).
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What would be the point of founding a Church without giving her authority? If the Church has no power, what what is she? A collection of believers with no power to enforce laws or discipline those who are dissident: anyone could claim to be a member even if they denied all the tenets of her laws and beliefs.
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The Church which has authority, is visible, is apostolic and was founded by the Lord as the ordinary means of salvation has to be perpetual, or would God create such a Church and make it last for a few years or centuries?
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If the Church must be perpetual, then she has to be able to never teach something wrong. If she did, she would cease to be correct and to be Christ’s Church (which would contradict the promises made by Christ to the Church about the Spirit of Truth and the Gates of Hades, as well as the fact that it is Christ’s bride and body - the two became one).
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Although individual men can make mistakes and members of the Church are not impeccable (see John 6:70), Scriptures supports that the Church cannot make mistakes in teaching faith and morals, for it will “speak with Christ’s own voice” (Lk 10:16), with the voice of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28), and is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (I Timothy 3:16).
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Church Father Irenaeus (AD 189) wrote:
It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world.
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But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who…assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul—that church which has the tradition and the faith with which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world. And it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition. …]
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it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth, so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life…
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For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient churches with which the apostles held constant conversation, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question?
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It is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church—those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the infallible charism of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [also] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever…all these have fallen from the truth.
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The true knowledge is the doctrine of the apostles, and the ancient organization of the Church throughout the whole world, and the manifestation of the body of Christ according to the succession of bishops, by which succession the bishops have handed down the Church which is found everywhere.
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I hope the above helps a bit.
 
R_C said:
No, because their doctrine is heresy (although they are not formally heretics unless they were Catholic first and then left the Church).
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Imagine this was the attitude I took when I began looking into Catholic beliefs.
 
If you firmly believe your Church’s doctrine, then it would not matter how many different websites or blog site that you visited. I looked at many different sites and blogs and it hasn’t affected my belief in Lutheran doctrine.
 
hn160 said:
If you firmly believe your Church’s doctrine, then it would not matter how many different websites or blog site that you visited.
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True. When we put our faith in something, even the truth won’t change our mind unless we are willing to accept that there may be a fallacy in the argument or an error in the premises.
 
I have no doubts about the Roman Catholic Church. I know God is and that Jesus died so that I might live. The Holy Spirit shows me the Way.

In this mind I cannot explain God, I know He is, that is enough for me.
 
R_C said:
True. When we put our faith in something, even the truth won’t change our mind unless we are willing to accept that there may be a fallacy in the argument or an error in the premises.
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This is so true, R_C, but in spite of this fact, hn and I still encouraged the OP to know the Catholic faith well before exploring. ;). 😃

Jon
 
of course it is. there is nothing wrong with looking at other religions even if you don’t
agree with everything. i really wonder which is the right religion to say there is only one god
and one jesus christ it is funny how there is so many different religions and beliefs. i always
think that bits and pieces out of all of them have points.:confused:
 
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