Unless there is something new or interesting stated in this thread, this will be my last post in it, as I think we’re just going in circles, with the Catholics clearly articulating the same beliefs, based on actual Catholic teachings, despite being told we’re not.
A great resource on the Catholic understanding of Divine revelation is
Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, a document from the Second Vatican Council of the Church.
Catholics use many words in specific, technical ways, ways that must be understand if one is to correctly articulate the Catholic position, whether by a Catholic or a non-Catholic. Imposing non-Catholic understandings on these words when attempting to critique them is simply a straw man, and not addressing the actual Catholic belief.
Catholics believe that “public revelation”, again a technical phrase, refers to the Deposit of Faith (as we see in multiple Catholic resources already cited in this thread, including the Catholic Encyclopedia). This Deposit contains everything that is necessary for the salvation of mankind. It is complete, and was completed at the death of the last Apostle. Catholics also believe that “public revelation” is personified in the Divine Person of Jesus Christ. This public revelation must be assented to by all the faithful.
Catholics also believe in “private revelation”. Private revelations are binding only on those that receive these revelations. Catholics believe that private revelations have continued and are experienced by the faithful. Many of these private revelations are recognized by the Church and even commemorated by her, the most popularly known ones involving Mary, the Mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ. They are termed “private” because they are not part of the Deposit of Faith (i.e. public revelation, all that is necessary for salvation). Catholics are free to believe them, whether they are the recipient of the revelation or not.
In addition to public and private revelation, Catholics also believe in the ongoing guidance of the Church by God. Catholics believe, as
Dei Verbum teaches, that God
continuously converses with the Church. He never stopped conversing with her (something that LDS don’t seem to realize, when they make claims about Heaven being closed or that traditional Christians believe that God stopped speaking). Catholics believe, as the Catechism teaches, that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, and that it is through the Holy Spirit that the Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, preserve, spread, and expound on the Deposit of Faith (i.e. public revelation). They do this, as the Catechism teaches, through the enlightening of the Holy Spirit of Truth. Catholics also believe that Divine assistance is given to the Pope individually and the Bishops in Council to faithfully expound on the Deposit, formally defining the Faith.
Catholics believe that the Councils of the Church are guided by the Holy Spirit, in the same way that the Council of Jerusalem was as we read in the Bible. We believe that when these Councils speak (moved by the Holy Spirit), the faithful must assent to their solemn definitions on faith and morals, their expounding on the Deposit. While Catholics believe that public revelation is complete, we still must assent to these teachings that come through the Councils (or the Pope in those specific instances), since we believe that the Holy Spirit guided those proceedings to faithfully expound on the Deposit of Faith. They are not new revelations, but further understanding of what has already been a part of the Deposit of faith.
When we understand this, we see that there is simply posturing going on in this thread. Yes, public revelation (as
Catholics understand it) is complete. Yes, private revelations do not have to be assented to by all the faithful (as public revelation must be). However, it is also clear that the Holy Spirit-guided expounding on of the Deposit of Faith (such as through Ecumenical Councils)
must also be assented to by the faithful, and thus we see that there are clear examples of the Catholic belief that God guides certain matters to this day that must be believed by the faithful, even if they are not termed “revelation”
per se. Those instances are clearly examples of God’s guidance that must be accepted by all, and are therefore not examples of private revelation (nor are they examples of public revelation either), since they are to be assented to by all the faithful.
:thumbsup:
I think you enjoy being contrary! I’m not going to have much time to spend here working towards turning this around. Busiest time of year as we head into Holy Week. :extrahappy: