More Catholic bashing on the radio

[ThrowBack]

While at the gym in the mornings I typically listening to a Christian radio station. It’s definitely not Catholic and sometimes with all the programs that are on the air there are some subtle jabs here and there at Catholicism. But it beats listening to moral-warping music.

I was at the gym a little earlier than normal this morning (Jan 11th) and started listening to a program called ‘Changed By The Word’ with Rev. Sofia (www.cbtw.org)). To say that I was upset by what I heard is putting it mildly. After the first minute or so of boilerplate intro, here are some doosies I heard in the next 3 minutes:

…By 500 AD there were over 500 translations of the Bible.
By 600 AD, Roman Catholic church would not allow any single person to have any other translation other than the Vulgate translation. If you had any other version you could be executed. Sofia says at that time (600AD) Latin was not the language of the commoner. So “They [Roman Catholic church] took from you and me …that which we could understand because it was an issue of control.”

And what Sofia says he finds interesting is that for the next thousand years when they (RC Church) removed the word of God and the language that is spoken by the people, it became known as the dark ages.

For about 1000 years, 600 to 1600, the word of God was not available in a language that could be read by the people…

And on it went. Naturally the Protestants came to the rescue and opened up the ‘true’ word of God to all.

Does anyone know about this man or his ministry? I want to craft a reply to him, but should I bother? Is it worth debating anyone who has such a hatred to the Catholic Church?

 

[forthright]

Does anyone know about this man or his ministry? I want to craft a reply to him, but should I bother? Is it worth debating anyone who has such a hatred to the Catholic Church?

No, no, and no.

 

[kleary]

ThrowBack:

While at the gym in the mornings I typically listening to a Christian radio station. It’s definitely not Catholic and sometimes with all the programs that are on the air there are some subtle jabs here and there at Catholicism. But it beats listening to moral-warping music.

I was at the gym a little earlier than normal this morning (Jan 11th) and started listening to a program called ‘Changed By The Word’ with Rev. Sofia (www.cbtw.org)/). To say that I was upset by what I heard is putting it mildly. After the first minute or so of boilerplate intro, here are some doosies I heard in the next 3 minutes:

…By 500 AD there were over 500 translations of the Bible.
By 600 AD, Roman Catholic church would not allow any single person to have any other translation other than the Vulgate translation. If you had any other version you could be executed. Sofia says at that time (600AD) Latin was not the language of the commoner. So “They [Roman Catholic church] took from you and me …that which we could understand because it was an issue of control.”

And what Sofia says he finds interesting is that for the next thousand years when they (RC Church) removed the word of God and the language that is spoken by the people, it became known as the dark ages.

For about 1000 years, 600 to 1600, the word of God was not available in a language that could be read by the people…

And on it went. Naturally the Protestants came to the rescue and opened up the ‘true’ word of God to all.

Does anyone know about this man or his ministry? I want to craft a reply to him, but should I bother? Is it worth debating anyone who has such a hatred to the Catholic Church?

Not worth “debating” however you can find the answers here at Catholic Answers. Just search.

Ken

 

[Fidelis]

kleary:

Not worth “debating” however you can find the answers here at Catholic Answers. Just search.

Ken

I agree, in the sense that if you are going to take on a full-time anti-Catholic, you would have to become a full-time apologist. If you are called to do that at this time, we should be asking you for advice, not the other way around.

The most effective counters for this time of activity can include the following:

1. Call or write the station and tell them you don’t appreciate having ant-Catholics in their line-up. Encourage others to do the same. You didn’t say if you were listening privately, or if the gym you were at was broadcasting this program over speakers. If the latter, complain to the management.
2. If the show is pre-recorded, there’s not to much you can directly do. But in live call-in shows, you can make a lot of difference if you are adequately prepared on the subject at hand.

 

[MrS]

contact the station… ask/challange a debate/discussion on the subject of what the Church teaches…

Madrid, Sungneis, Akins would be informed and credible. Their choice of Catholic can not be acceptable, unless you choose the supporter for their position,.

 

[BillP]

kleary:

Not worth “debating” however you can find the answers here at Catholic Answers. Just search.

Ken

I searched and couldn’t find anything on point. What search terms should I be using?

 

[DreadVandal]

I looked up this Rev. Sofia’s credentials and he has none. His only theological degree is a D.D. (which is usually an honorary degree, not an earned degree). All of his education is in Art education and he seems to belong to some fringe sect. This radio station you are listening to must be really out there in outer space.

 

[Lillith]

Hello…you need serius satellite radio. It has EWTN on channel 160…and they have programs by Ave Maria as well as EWTN.

Yeah…they also have Howard Stern

BUT…you need not go there…I listen to Catholic radio and channel 8…1980’s (when I want to feel fifteen again)

It isn’t that expensive…something like $10.00 a month…I forget 'cause I pay by the year…well worth it to skip listening to that dribble.

 

[paolo90]

The fact is, the Catholic Church protected the Bible for a reason…

What is that reason? Some say it’s because the Catholic Church was “afraid” of unveiling the truth. Most of us here would probably agree that it’s because the Catholic Church didn’t want people to misinterpret it, as it has been by a lot of people today. In that time, a lot of people were illiterate and wouldn’t understand the true meaning of the Bible. I think that if the Bible had been accesible to anyone since 500AD, there would probably more than triple the Christian denominations we have now.

Martin Luther admitted in one of his writings that he regretted promoting “personal interpretation” of the Bible. He wrote about his frustration on an illiterate widow who misinterpreted the Bible.

 

[BlestOne]

I contacted my local “Christian” radio station because there was a link on their website to another “Christian” website that listed Catholicism as a cult and I was offended. Within 45 minutes of sending my email the link was removed from the site. All I had to do is let them know I was offended and why and it was removed. I am willing to bet if you nicely contact the radio station and tell them that you found this program offensive, they will not air it again or sensor the person doing the talk program if it is local and not syndicated and bann them from anti Catholic rhetoric in the future.

 

[AquinasXVI]

ThrowBack:

Contact the biblechristiansociety.com/

the founder is one of the apologists at Catholic Answers Live. His story is exactly like yours…heard C. bashing in the radio and eventually found his apostolate.

Contact them and they’ll be able to help you get this cleared up in that radio station.

God bless you and hope you stick to it.

in XT.

 

[Church_Militant]

Here’s what the website says about him:

The Rev. Dr. J. Bruce Sofia
Changed By The Word

The Rev. J. Bruce Sofia is a graduate of Washington Township High School, holds an Associate of Arts degree from Southern Pilgrim College Kernersville, NC, a B.S. in Art Education from Applachian State University, Boone, NC, a Masters in Art Education from Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ and a Doctorate of Divinity from California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale, CA. Pastor Bruce received his ordination from the Evangelical Church Alliance, Bradley, IL. Bruce is married to Sheryl Lynn Farnelli of Williamstown, NJ; they have two children Joel and Noelle. Pastor Bruce began the Gloucester County Community Church in July of 1982.

You can apparently get another good dose by listening here

Don’t know where he got is info, but he is all out there like Pluto on this one. See Where We Got the Bible for the truth.
Pax tecum,

 

[Jabronie]

paolo90:

Martin Luther admitted in one of his writings that he regretted promoting “personal interpretation” of the Bible. He wrote about his frustration on an illiterate widow who misinterpreted the Bible.

Do you have a source for this claim? I really hope it’s true, but I’ve never heard it before.

 

[richbansha]

ThrowBack:

…By 500 AD there were over 500 translations of the Bible.
By 600 AD, Roman Catholic church would not allow any single person to have any other translation other than the Vulgate translation.

That could very well have been. It is quite likely. These others, however, would not have been translated with the rigor and fidelity necessary for a book of scripture. Included in this number would be many Gnostic and Donatist texts that even Protestants reject.

For about 1000 years, 600 to 1600, the word of God was not available in a language that could be read by the people…

In the middle ages, you could read Latin or you could read nothing – period. Literacy was a skill peculiar to the clergy until the printing press.

And on it went. Naturally the Protestants came to the rescue and opened up the ‘true’ word of God to all.

This contribution should not be underestimated. Though we cannot rightly say that the Protestants provided the “true” word of God, we need to recognize that the unauthorized translations helped move the CC to provide vernacular translations of its own.

Does anyone know about this man or his ministry? I want to craft a reply to him, but should I bother? Is it worth debating anyone who has such a hatred to the Catholic Church?

Forget it. Let him choke on his own filth.

 

[Thal59]

…By 500 AD there were over 500 translations of the Bible.
By 600 AD, Roman Catholic church would not allow any single person to have any other translation other than the Vulgate translation. If you had any other version you could be executed. Sofia says at that time (600AD) Latin was not the language of the commoner. So “They [Roman Catholic church] took from you and me …that which we could understand because it was an issue of control.”<<

Simple. Ask him for the names of the 500 translations. Ask him to show archeologically retrieved scraps of these translations. There probably wasn’t 500 different languages back then. If so, ask him to name them.

When he says… “Latin was not the language of the commoner…” Ask him which commoner does he mean. If he means the “commoners” from Papua/New Guinea, the Congo, Chile, Tibet, etc., ask him to show proof that they ever had a bible in their native language back then.

Don’t forget… >>So “They [Roman Catholic church] took from you and me …that which we could understand because it was an issue of control.”<<

Which of those 500 languages could he have understood? Even English, circa 1000 ad, would be completely unintelligable to you or me today. Yet, today, the Protestants have a multitude of English translations that he claims we can understand…

But has it lead to theological and doctrinal unity amongst Protestants?

Thal59

 

[Church_Militant]

richbansha:

This contribution should not be underestimated. Though we cannot rightly say that the Protestants provided the “true” word of God, we need to recognize that the unauthorized translations helped move the CC to provide vernacular translations of its own.

This is not true either though.

Better have a look at this chapter from Where We Got the Bible on the vernacular translations before Wycliff. The allegation is historical bunkum.

You also need to get the Beginning Apologetics Series especially # 7 and have a look on page 38.

“Before Gutenberg printed the first Bible around 1455 (A Catholic version in Latin with 73 books) there were already popular translations of the Bible and the Gospels in English, Soanish, Italian, Danish, French, Norwegian, Polish, Bohemiam, and Hungarian.”

"There were nine editions of the Bible in German by the time Martin Luther was born in 1493 and twenty-seven editions in German before Luther published his own in 1520.

Before the first Protestant Bible was printed, more than 600 editions of the Catholic Bible had been printed in Europe, of which 198 were in the languages of the people."

(Where We Got the BIble, pages 69,74,& 75)
Pax tecum,

 

[richbansha]

Church Militant:

This is not true either though.

Better have a look at this chapter from Where We Got the Bible on the vernacular translations before Wycliff. The allegation is historical bunkum.

You also need to get the Beginning Apologetics Series especially # 7 and have a look on page 38.

“Before Gutenberg printed the first Bible around 1455 (A Catholic version in Latin with 73 books) there were already popular translations of the Bible and the Gospels in English, Soanish, Italian, Danish, French, Norwegian, Polish, Bohemiam, and Hungarian.”

"There were nine editions of the Bible in German by the time Martin Luther was born in 1493 and twenty-seven editions in German before Luther published his own in 1520.

Before the first Protestant Bible was printed, more than 600 editions of the Catholic Bible had been printed in Europe, of which 198 were in the languages of the people."

(Where We Got the BIble, pages 69,74,& 75)
Pax tecum,

Yes. This is all true and I did consider mentioning these editions. I declined to do so because they were not widely distributed beyond the clergy. They were certainly not intended for the masses,because Europe was still illiterate until the press.

 

[Church_Militant]

richbansha:

Yes. This is all true and I did consider mentioning these editions. I declined to do so because they were not widely distributed beyond the clergy. They were certainly not intended for the masses,because Europe was still illiterate until the press

.As are large parts of the world’s population to this day, right? So if they cannot read even their own language, just how does one evangelize them from a non-Catholic (sola scriptura based) perspective? The very same way that Jesus commanded us to in the Gospels, right?

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. 19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

Which tells us that we should be doing the very same thing that was done for all those centuries prior to the invention of the printing press. Orally teaching the gospel.
Pax tecum,

 

[ThrowBack]

I appreciated all the feedback. I did actually send a short reply via his ‘contact us’ link the day after placing this post. It was only about 7-8 sentences and I said that I was offended and didn’t have the time to debate him.

I probably should have spent an extra day or two cooling off because I was still upset over his words. So I unfortunately also called him a ‘hater’ in my email, but I did say that I would pray for him in the hopes that he would change.

To respond to a few earlier posts, I live just outside Philadelphia and have my walkman in the gym. I cannot get reception for the EWTN am station their, so I listen to 560 AM WFIL. Their lineup are the usual preachers: Charles Stanley, Swaggert, etc… The only reason why I tune in is to listen to Dr. Dobson program at 7:00AM. For the most part I think he’s okay, and his in the only non-Catholic ministry that I support financially.

God Bless, I have so far enjoyed going through the forums here!!

 

[aurora77]

Throwback, don’t let the few anti-Catholics get you down! I’m in an area where the only option for EWTN is via the internet and I don’t use a computer at work. We listen to our local protestant Christian station quite a bit. Every now and then someone will say something that’s an attack on the church, but I just try to pray for them and not let it get to me. There is usually a lot of good things being said. I like Charles Stanley and Dr. Dobson, too!