B
BennyD
Guest
my girlfriend’s mom told me that she doesn’t have to read the bible because their priest interprets it for them
- Status
A
Alfie
Guest
What exactly are you trying to say? That you have flown the space shuttle?
E
Eden
Guest
I’m sorry but I don’t believe you. This is not the words of a Catholic and I assume you were implying the girlfriend’s mom is Catholic. This statement does not reflect a Catholic knowledge of the difference between a priest and a bishop.
M
Makaveli
Guest
Although it may seem true that most catholics do not read the Bible, that does not mean that they don’t regard it important. There are many Catholics (like Protestants) who find no room in their lives for God. Many of the times, these are the Catholics with whom we are associated with. Unfortunately, we get the wrong impression of them. For this reason we cannot make conclusions about the Catholic faith regarding the Bible. In fact, if you look at a catholic who truly follows his faith, he/she will tell you that the Bible is very important in Catholicism. If you ever attend a Catholic mass, you will see that the Bible plays a central role.
M
MariaG
Guest
Not quite true. Maybe true with a qualifier?
Frequently when we say that a certain church father is not preaching the official Church Doctrine, there is a point in history that we can say "That was written in 150ad. In 148 such and such was censured and eventually condemned by the church in 149 before he wrote the words you are refering to.
Many people here would discuss this with you. And while some are intellectually dishonest, most would say yes, you are right Jerome did say that. However, 12 others around the same time wrote just the opposite. While the Church is not ruled by “majority rule” there are things in history that can support a person position especially when 12 church fathers say the same thing that Catholics teach today and only one disagreed.
Take a chance, start that thread about Polycarp, we probably won’t chew you up and spit you out
As for Peter, once again, start a thread, it would very interesting and with some of the history ones, I know there are some very knowledgable Protestants out there so you won’t have to “go it alone”.
God Bless,
Maria
M
MariaG
Guest
What exactly are you trying to say? That you have flown the space shuttle?
Of Course!God Bless you and keep you safe Alfie.
Maria
C
ChrisR246
Guest
Yes, and I’m sure all or most have been answered in other threads or in the tracts offered by Catholic Answers. And all are unconnected to the original question of the city of Rome vs the person of Peter.
M
Marquette
Guest
Raised in a Baptist church, I always heard that “Catholics don’t even take their Bibles to church.” Basically, that was saying that they knew nothing about the Bible and that the Catholic church wasn’t based on the Bible either.
Well, since I’m in RCIA, you must know I no longer believe that. And, I also can tell you that even though most protestants take their Bible to church, that doesn’t necessarily mean they ever read it except for AT church, and they don’t necessarily follow the Bible teachings. It’s like anything else, there are Bible readers and there are not Bible readers, in all denominations.
Well, since I’m in RCIA, you must know I no longer believe that. And, I also can tell you that even though most protestants take their Bible to church, that doesn’t necessarily mean they ever read it except for AT church, and they don’t necessarily follow the Bible teachings. It’s like anything else, there are Bible readers and there are not Bible readers, in all denominations.
P
Philthy
Guest
You are on: I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do this as well. You seem to imply that such an exposition would result in significant differences - am I correct? We shall see. That, of course, is OK and to a certain extent expected - he remained Catholic, however, to his death and that will trump any percieved inconsistencies. It’s always easy to point out differences between an ECF and certain Catholic doctrine, and those differencies can seem significant - until they are compared to the glaring, irreconcilable differences that exist when compared to any other Christian church (except Orthodox)
E
Eden
Guest
BH - Please start a thread on St. Polycarp and we can compare his teachings to the Catholic Church and to various Protestants denominations. It should be interesting, especially because St. Polycarp is known for his intolerance of heresy.
R
Robert_in_SD
Guest
I agree that any christian, whether Catholic or Protestant, has an obligation to study and learn the Scriptures. But I think you would concede that Protestants and Catholics disagree over the propriety of the Sunday Mass or Sunday Worship service as a place to teach the Word. The focus of the Catholic Mass is always the Eucharist, so Mass time devoted to instruction in the Scriptures is secondary (at best).
On the other hand, protestant churches that have no sacraments, or de-emphasize their sacrament - can use substantially all of the time devoted to Sunday worship as time for instruction in the Scriptures. It makes sense that over time Protestants who attend such services would become more familiar with passages of Scripture.
Whether they are learning sound doctrine or not is another issue .
R
Robert_in_SD
Guest
Sad but true. Good point Marquette.
A
Archbishop
Guest
Alright, I will concede this point. But, don’t you think that the priest could at least do some study of one of the four lectionary passages of the day and in 10 or 15 minutes put some meat on the table for the people to feed from (in additon to the Eucharist)? I rarely hear even this. Usually there is not even milk put out, just water at best.
The Word of God is food for the soul just as the Eucharist is. Is not Christ present in the Word as well? Perhaps not in the same sense as in the Eucharist, but grace comes from the Word being made into a living substance in the soul by the Holy Spirit.
Any member of the clergy has an obligation before God to rightly divide the Word of Truth.even if it is in the context of the Mass in a 10 minute homily.
D
deb1
Guest
My priest always talks about the day’s readings during his homily. Perhaps, I just have an uncommonly good priest. Now he isn’t a fire and brimstone type pastor but I always learn something from him.
A lot of Protestant churches don’t teach the bible during sermons. I went to a Pentacostal church several Sundays with my neighbor. The pastor was very inspirational. He had recently been in a car wreck and was paralyzed. Although there was bible reading, his sermons were more on his own life experiences, which though interesting were not teaching me much. When I asked my friend when her church ever studied the bible, she assured me that there were small house groups for study.
At my own previous church, the pastor jumped around so much from verse to verse and bent these verses to fit his beliefs that I can’t say that he actually taught the bible either. At the time, I would have sworn that I was in a bible believing church but now I see many of his conclusions as based on taking verses out of context.
I think that some-notice that I am not saying all-Protestants equate spending a longer amount of time on the bible verses as being a good study of the Word. In this regard, I would rather have quality over quantity.
P
Philthy
Guest
Ok, I’m gonna weigh in here.
In a purely quantitative assessment, I would bet that there is as much or more Scripture presented at a Sunday Mass compared to the average Protestant service. I attend Mass and an Evangelical Free church, which some have hinted is a more bible based service, so I think I have a pretty good idea.
In a purely qualitative assessment I would agree that the focus of the Protestant service is , generally, more oriented towards an understanding of the Scripture that is presented in a more direct attempt at illumination and personal application. This undoubtedly stems from the fact that there is really no other focus of the service other than the music. I don’t consider that “Scripture” in the true sense, and 'though it is a form of worship, my experience is that it does not approach the spiritual nourishment which prayer and confession provide. Prayer and confession - in addition to the central focus of the Eucharist (ie, Christ) - are a huge part of the Mass. All of these are almost entirely absent in the Protestant service I attend.
Now, as far as the claims of ignorance on Scripture amongst Catholics, I would say that there is a level of ignorance of Scripture in the academic sense, but not in a practical sense. Its not that Catholics don’t know the basics of their faith, its just that, like the average member of any congregation, they simply don’t want to obey that faith. Reading more Scripture is not going to fix this, Grace is IMHO.
Finally, I don’t mean to ignore the many problems facing the Catholic Church at the local level in America today. I am fully aware of the apathy of many in the pews and the apparent indifference towards it by those in positions of authority at the local level. It is at times very distressing, but by no means a reason for abandoning the Church or the Faith.
In a purely quantitative assessment, I would bet that there is as much or more Scripture presented at a Sunday Mass compared to the average Protestant service. I attend Mass and an Evangelical Free church, which some have hinted is a more bible based service, so I think I have a pretty good idea.
In a purely qualitative assessment I would agree that the focus of the Protestant service is , generally, more oriented towards an understanding of the Scripture that is presented in a more direct attempt at illumination and personal application. This undoubtedly stems from the fact that there is really no other focus of the service other than the music. I don’t consider that “Scripture” in the true sense, and 'though it is a form of worship, my experience is that it does not approach the spiritual nourishment which prayer and confession provide. Prayer and confession - in addition to the central focus of the Eucharist (ie, Christ) - are a huge part of the Mass. All of these are almost entirely absent in the Protestant service I attend.
Now, as far as the claims of ignorance on Scripture amongst Catholics, I would say that there is a level of ignorance of Scripture in the academic sense, but not in a practical sense. Its not that Catholics don’t know the basics of their faith, its just that, like the average member of any congregation, they simply don’t want to obey that faith. Reading more Scripture is not going to fix this, Grace is IMHO.
Finally, I don’t mean to ignore the many problems facing the Catholic Church at the local level in America today. I am fully aware of the apathy of many in the pews and the apparent indifference towards it by those in positions of authority at the local level. It is at times very distressing, but by no means a reason for abandoning the Church or the Faith.
M
Mickey
Guest
As a Byzantine Catholic, any Church I have ever attended, the priest bases his homily on the readings for that day. He also uses anaolgies that are relevant to what is happening today. He also touches on theology, history, and Sacred Tradition. When this is added to the reception of the Holy Eucharist and the beautiful/reverent prayers, I bask in the Glory of God as heaven meets earth during the Divine Liturgy. I have also had many such experiences as a Roman Catholic. I look forward to each and every Liturgy like a young child waking up on Christmas morning. So the lackluster preaching in the Catholic Church is foreign to me.
D
DianJo
Guest
I’ve also heard from many Protestants that Catholics don’t know scripture and have even heard some of them say that Catholics are going to hell! This is, of course, the extreme. There are many of my friends that are Protestant, including my husband that no longer think that of me, at least. My husband, at one time, told me he feared for my soul because I was Catholic and Catholics don’t seem to have that personal relationship with Christ…anyway, I digress.
Catholics may not even realize how much scripture they get at Mass and I know that most Protestants don’t understand just from some of the comments made on this thread.
My suggestion to anyone, Catholic or Protestant, should get the book, “The Lambs Supper” by Scott Hahn and there you will see that the Catholic Mass is the closest thing to heaven on earth that anyone can ever experience in this lifetime! The question of how much scripture Catholics get should be cleared up.
Catholics may not even realize how much scripture they get at Mass and I know that most Protestants don’t understand just from some of the comments made on this thread.
My suggestion to anyone, Catholic or Protestant, should get the book, “The Lambs Supper” by Scott Hahn and there you will see that the Catholic Mass is the closest thing to heaven on earth that anyone can ever experience in this lifetime! The question of how much scripture Catholics get should be cleared up.
R
Robert_in_SD
Guest
Then you should go to a different parish. Usually, the priests at my parish can weave the three readings into their homily. Certainly, they cannot elaborate to the extent possible in an hour sermon, but they do a very good job in the time alloted, in my opinion. I think it’s also fair to add that the purpose of a homily is not the same as a bible study. A homily is for moral instruction and guiding the faithful in their personal relationship with Christ, than it is about doctrinal instruction.
Christ is not present in scripture in the same Real way that He is in the Eucharist. So, it’s not the same thing. I respectfully disagree with your comparison of bible readings to Real food. The difference is as great as talking with a person versus listening to a recorded message.
I thought protestants believed that anyone could pick up a bible and rightly understand what is necessary for salvation without a priest or deacon to tell them how to interpret?
I agree that a priest must be able to rightly interpret and teach the meaning of scripture in accordance with Church teachings, and I will even concede that this sometimes does not happen. But I’m not entirely convinced that the Mass is the proper place to instruct the members of the parish on scriptural interpretation. Homilies are not bible studies.
T
Trick
Guest
I would certainly encourage your girl friend’s mom to read Holy Scripture and I know the Church does encourage us as Catholics to read scripture.
Trick
B
BennyD
Guest
thanks trick. I will!!
- Status