So annoyed...

[Ziggamafu]

I just don’t get it. Why do Protestants remain Protestant after hearing the problem of sola scriptura?

**Catholic Question: **Ultimately, by what authority do you judge anyone’s interpretations or experiences of the Holy Spirit (including your own) as true and authentic?

Protestant Answer: The Bible.

Catholic Question: Ultimately, by what authority do you judge the canon (and thus, the content) of the Bible as true and authentic?

Protestant Answer: The Holy Spirit.

Catholic Question: That’s circular reasoning.

…but it doesn’t stop there, like it should. It is so annoying. You explain that we can figure out that the Gospels are historically accurate and, in conjunction with other extra-biblical sources, discover that according to the historic record’s presentation of Christ, He must be God. That same historic record reveals this God-man starting an authoritative Church and sending this Church out to preach (not to write). Then, as decades pass, that Church begins to write things, later discovering that some are fallible and others are not. And centuries down the road, the Church declares a list of certain writings that it says have been divinely inspired. Centuries later, the Church compiles the writings and organizes them. More centuries pass before these writings are commonly accessible via the printing press. Sola scriptura is just so, so absurd. Why, oh, why do so many otherwise intelligent Protestants fall for it and so stubbornly maintain its defense?

 

[Teflon93]

Because they are born into it and don’t think about it that much.

Also, most Protestant communities are not really cerebral about faith—some actively discourage thinking or reading too much as they feel it interferes with living authentically Christian lifestyles.

While I was never averse to reading during my 30+ years as a Protestant, I have read far more history, theology, and philosophy as a Catholic. Not that it’s required to do so, of course—I’m just trying to catch up through study to what the cradle Catholics have had by spending a lifetime steeped in the sacraments of the Church.

 

[mpernot]

I just don’t get it. Why do Protestants remain Protestant after hearing the problem of sola scriptura?

It’s their faith tradition. I completely agree with you, it’s just that traditions run deep. If a non-Catholic Christian (or a Catholic for that matter) was ever shown that one of their main traditions were in error, what would they have left? All other traditions held are suddenly very shaky.

As a result, I think many non-Catholic Christians (NCCs) use tactics like “ignore” or “take Scripture way out of context” for this reason, and I think this is the main reason why many Catholics feel like they’re talking to a brick wall when addressing NCCs on these issues. I am not saying that all NCCs wholesale do these things, but to your point, there’s way more than a few. It also depends on the level of udnerstanding of both the Catholic and NCC involved in the discussion.

My personal favorite is when it is turned around from what you have described and the Catholic is playing defense instead of offense. I have actually had to tell the same person 6-8 times that Catholics don’t worship Mary. It almost seems like a ‘security blanket’ among some NCCs to regurgitate the perceived, mischaracterized Catholic Church instead of taking the effort to understand the real thing. It must be really hard to abandon such thinking, because I refuse to believe that a sane, open-minded person is capable of willfully perpetuating such inaccuracies.