The Problem with Protestant Ecclesiology

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My,

Not reason alone.
It was by reason that the Early Church decided what was coherent with Tradition, and thus orthodox, including which texts should constitute the canon of Scripture, and it has been by reason that the Church has subsequently argued, decided, and defined theology.
 
It was by reason that the Early Church decided what was coherent with Tradition, and thus orthodox, including which texts should constitute the canon of Scripture, and it has been by reason that the Church has subsequently argued, decided, and defined theology.
My,

I believe I would agree, Reason guided by Faith, under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity as you recall was abstracted by reason, Faith and guidance from the book you claim not to be innerrant and infallible.

Do you believe in the Trinity?
 
Do you believe in the Trinity?
I believe in the Trinity and indeed in the whole of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, in the Chalcedonian Definition, in the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Mother of God, and even (less strongly) in Purgatory.

It might be useful to point out that not believing the Bible to be inerrant and infallible does not mean believing the Bible to be mendacious or corrupt: there is a huge array of possibilities between 100% dependable and 0% dependable.

However, we do seem to be straying rather far off the topic.
 
I believe in the Trinity and indeed in the whole of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, in the Chalcedonian Definition, in the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Mother of God, and even (less strongly) in Purgatory.

It might be useful to point out that not believing the Bible to be inerrant and infallible does not mean believing the Bible to be mendacious or corrupt: there is a huge array of possibilities between 100% dependable and 0% dependable.

However, we do seem to be straying rather far off the topic.
My,

We are totally on topic. Why do you believe in the Trinity? By way of reason?
 
Protestants need to ask themselves: How was your church born? out of the Catholic Church? out of another protestant church? where do you trace your origins?, and after you find the origin, keep finding the origin of the origin… see where that leads you.
 
Protestants need to ask themselves: How was your church born? out of the Catholic Church? out of another protestant church? where do you trace your origins?, and after you find the origin, keep finding the origin of the origin… see where that leads you.
This argument may not work so well with Lutherans, as we view our church as a valid continuation of the western church.

However, we do however pray for common communion with the Bishop of Rome in God’s time.
 
This argument may not work so well with Lutherans, as we view our church as a valid continuation of the western church.

However, we do however pray for common communion with the Bishop of Rome in God’s time.
I do appreciate our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod brothers and sisters, and hope that we may join in communion, soon enough.
 
The first-person singular pronoun is quite deliberate. There are other Anglicans who believe this, others who are even more radical (they reject the veracity of Scripture), and many others who believe that the Bible is true in other ways, across a wide spectrum upto and including both sola scriptura and Tradition-based hermeneutics (as in Catholicism).

“Going contrary to Anglican teachings”, however, is rather more complex a matter than going contrary to Catholic teachings, because Anglicanism demands much less adherence to dogmata.
Thought so. Just checking. May I ask how you determine what has been corrupted and what has not?

Thanks.
 
Thought so. Just checking. May I ask how you determine what has been corrupted and what has not?
Can we emend “corrupted” to “inaccurate”? As I said, I believe the Bible to be a well-maintained record, not a corrupted one.

As for inaccuracy in the original belief, I don’t “determine” it, because I can’t: the great problem with metaphysics is that we cannot prove or disprove it from the physical evidence available to us. Instead, I consider it in the same way that I consider any other theory, i.e. with respect to its coherence with what data is available to us. A theory which is highly coherent with the data then achieves contingent acceptance, and becomes “the theory currently deemed most probable”.

The very important aspect of this to remember, always, is great range between “not necessarily true in all respects” and “necessarily false in all respects”.
 
As for inaccuracy in the original belief, I don’t “determine” it, because I can’t: the great problem with metaphysics is that we cannot prove or disprove it from the physical evidence available to us.
Well, beliefs vary widely but we are not speaking of accuracy of belief, but rather accuracy of the sacred text. You and I have the same scriptures but believe differently. The Sacred Scriptures are either inspired or they are not. I’m not sure what Anglicans believe, especially after reading your responses, but as a Catholic I believe in the inspired nature of Sacred Scripture. Interpretation is an entirely different matter.
 
Well, beliefs vary widely but we are not speaking of accuracy of belief, but rather accuracy of the sacred text.
You asked how I determined what had been “corrupted”, an idea to which I had never made any reference. I suggested emending “corruption” to “inaccuracy” because I did talk about the latter. If that is not what you meant, what does corruption have to do with this?
The Sacred Scriptures are either inspired or they are not.
This simple dichotomy is not at all logically necessary. A message could be wholly inspired, partially inspired, or wholly uninspired.
I’m not sure what Anglicans believe, especially after reading your responses, but as a Catholic I believe in the inspired nature of Sacred Scripture. Interpretation is an entirely different matter.
Actually, interpretation of Sacred Scripture is a matter very crucially interdependent with the nature of Sacred Scripture. To use very simplistic examples, an uninspired text interpreted in an inspired way is what you presumably believe to be the case in Titus 1:12-13; an inspired text interpreted in an uninspired fashion is what you presumably believe to be the case in sola scriptura anti-Catholic arguments; an inspired text intepreted in an inspired fashion is what you presumably believe to be the case in the Magisterium’s views of what Scripture says.

As for what Anglicans generally believe about Scripture, I have already mentioned that views vary. It is not as simple a matter as saying, “If X is an Anglican, then X’s view of Scripture will be exactly Y”.
 
Why do you believe in the Trinity?
My,

Well it is because I have a well formed ecclesiology that tells me that the Trinity was espoused by the Church, the Church is the Pillar and foundation of truth, from which the manifold wisdom of God is known and that is what I was taught and believe. It is in the Catechism, the Faith, in writing.

I tried the shamrock thing, Aquinas, listened to the Jehovah Witness, Mormons and other non-trinitarians but I go with the Trinity even though I can’t wrap my head around it.
 
My,

Well it is because I have a well formed ecclesiology that tells me that the Trinity was espoused by the Church, the Church is the Pillar and foundation of truth, from which the manifold wisdom of God is known and that is what I was taught and believe. It is in the Catechism, the Faith, in writing.

I tried the shamrock thing, Aquinas, listened to the Jehovah Witness, Mormons and other non-trinitarians but I go with the Trinity even though I can’t wrap my head around it.
So, what makes the Catholic Church more believable than the JWs or Mormons?
 
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