Is the Bible Necessary?

[lobster]

Which religions would be affected most if all of the Bibles in the world were gathered up and burned? For example, Sola Scriptura based religions would probably be dead, as well as most other Bible based religions. What about the Catholic Church? In what way would it affect the Church? My thinking is that because the Catholic Church is not a Bible based Church, it would not matter so much. Thoughts?

 

[choosechrist]

We Catholics use the Bible everyday for our Liturgy and Prayers like the Divine Office, so yes we would be affected by such a horrendous act. The Bible is our book don’t forget it. We just don’t flaunt it.

 

[Tomster]

We Catholics use the Bible everyday for our Liturgy and Prayers like the Divine Office, so yes we would be affected by such a horrendous act. The Bible is our book don’t forget it. We just don’t flaunt it.

What you say is of course true. It would be a horrendous act indeed! But bear in mind that the Church flourished without the New Testament for the first three hundred years of its existence.

I am more than confident -" I believe!" - that if such a horrendous act should occur, the Church would be as vital as ever. Christ promised us the Holy Spirit till the end of time.

 

[anEvilAtheist]

Which religions would be affected most if all of the Bibles in the world were gathered up and burned?

I don’t really think it would affect Christianity at all. I figure for every page in the bible, there’s at least one person who’s memorized it perfectly. If that actually happened, Christians throughout the world would be united in an attempt to recreate it. Given the combined memories of all Christians, I think it would actually be pretty easy to piece it back together.

Yes, I know this wasn’t the point of the question.

 

[tobinatorstark]

Which religions would be affected most if all of the Bibles in the world were gathered up and burned? For example, Sola Scriptura based religions would probably be dead, as well as most other Bible based religions. What about the Catholic Church? In what way would it affect the Church? My thinking is that because the Catholic Church is not a Bible based Church, it would not matter so much. Thoughts?

In case you haven’t heard the Catholic Mass is 100% biblical. IT IS the most Bible based Church. According the Catholic Church we need Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium. That is how God transmits his message. Think this was quoted in Dei Verbum and the CCC if I am not mistaken.

 

[John7]

I don’t really think it would affect Christianity at all. I figure for every page in the bible, there’s at least one person who’s memorized it perfectly. If that actually happened, Christians throughout the world would be united in an attempt to recreate it. Given the combined memories of all Christians, I think it would actually be pretty easy to piece it back together.

Yes, I know this wasn’t the point of the question.

plus (off topic)
now Pope’s got a Bible-on-a-chip. Just OT, Christians should miniaturize the NT too.
“The Hebrew-language Bible was engraved on a 0.5 square millimetre (0.0008 square inch) chip by scientists from Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology.” (Yahoo news, Pope’s visit to Israel)

 

[MDK]

Which religions would be affected most if all of the Bibles in the world were gathered up and burned? For example, Sola Scriptura based religions would probably be dead, as well as most other Bible based religions. What about the Catholic Church? In what way would it affect the Church? My thinking is that because the Catholic Church is not a Bible based Church, it would not matter so much. Thoughts?

We could still teach the truth. Others don’t teach the truth now anyway. The Catholic Church as the pillar and bulwark of the truth, wrote the Scriptures, then assembled the Scriptures into the Bible, and protects these teachings. It was written by Catholics, in the context of Catholicism, for Catholics. It was never intended to be used outside of the context of Catholicism. Among other things, the Catholic Church was the Bible-creating and is the Bible-protecting Church. Taking our Scriptures and using them outside the context of Catholicism is an abuse.

 

[MDK]

In case you haven’t heard the Catholic Mass is 100% biblical. IT IS the most Bible based Church. According the Catholic Church we need Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium. That is how God transmits his message. Think this was quoted in Dei Verbum and the CCC if I am not mistaken.

Yes, like almost everything else, this phrase “not Bible-based” means something different to Catholics and Protestants. To Catholics, it is understood that our Church was not made from some man’s interpretation of pre-existing Scriptures, because the Church existed first and her members wrote Scriptures as part of the Church teachings. To Protestants, it tends to mean that we’re not in line with their interpretation of Scriptures (which they don’t view as an interpretation at all, but given to them purely because they’re now “saved” and they are now promised to know truthfully all things in Scripture).

However, I agree that we should be careful to promote proper understanding of who we are, and not allow the use of the Catholic Church not being Bible-based, due to the meaning it communicates to those disposed to think erroneously. Our teachings are quite literally the only ones which are fully compatible with and supportive of Scriptures.

 

[MDK]

Perhaps we Catholics should start referring to the Catholic Church as the Bible-author Church that she is. What would it mean then for a Protestant to refer to a Bible-based church… it illustrates correctly then that their ecclesial community is “based” (imperfectly of course) on what the Catholic Church authored!

 

[rinnie]

I know the church would survive without the bible, because it did for many many years.

But I do think it’'s necessary because for myself, there are times I can’t explain it when I need to talk to God. Especially when I am in trouble, I open it up and say Talk to me God, tell me what I need to do, or know, or go etc. Then I open the bible and he takes me where I need to be. Try it sometime. guraranted to work. Cant explain it, can only prove it.

Somehow, some way the scripture you find will relate to your problem, and help! And I think that once you really understand the bible, then read it, God talks to you in certain ways. And he brings that scripture into your life. Can’t explain it, just know it works!