Where does the Catholic Church get its authority to teach

[kepha1]

This is not an exhaustive explanation of infallibility, but it is a start.

889 In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a share in his own infallibility. By a “supernatural sense of faith” the People of God, under the guidance of the Church’s living Magisterium, “unfailingly adheres to this faith.” 417

890 The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church’s shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The exercise of this charism takes several forms:

891 “The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals… The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium,” above all in an Ecumenical Council. 418 When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine “for belief as being divinely revealed,” 419 and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions “must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.” 420 This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself. 421

2035 The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed. 77

2051 The infallibility of the Magisterium of the Pastors extends to all the elements of doctrine, including moral doctrine, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, expounded, or observed.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church

A church with no divine characteristics cannot be infallible, and that, I propose, is the Protestant mindset, a stumbling block to the truth.

 

[JRKH]

1. I never said that CATHOLICS have no responsibility to teach. You have been teaching a lot here, and I’ve NEVER suggested that you should not. Our discussion has been singularly to the point of ACCOUNTABILITY. Are teachers ACCOUNTABLE for what they teach as doctrine? And if so (and, in keeping with your Catechism # 87, you’ve carefully dodged that), then WHAT is the most sound canon/norma normans for that evaluation?

Just briefly since I have not been following this thread.
Teachers ARE held accountable by Christ for what they teach as doctrine. However, the faithful are held to a lesser accountabiltiy for followng a teaching that is not pure. See Mt 23: 2-3 where Jesus tells the disciples to obey the Scribes and Pharasees teaching because they"Sit on Moses seat". He does not tell the disciples to check the teaching against scripture or to in any way “verify personally” the teachings.
Now - We know that Jesus blasted the pharasees for their poor teaching, so why would he tell his own followers to obey the teachings fo the Pharasees?

1. Your apologetic that the most sound way to determine if a teacher is correct is for that teacher to exempt himself from accountability, himself insist that he exclusively is incapable of error in these matters, and that all that is moot in the singular case of he himself alone, rather all must whatever he himself exclusively says “with docility” “as Jesus speaking” BECAUSE Jesus said that, in exclusive reference to The Catholic Church. Your whole apologetic depends on Jesus insisting that specificly THE CATHOLIC CHURCH is infallible, incapable of error, and whatever IT exclusively says is to be accepted with docility as He Himself speaking. Problem is: You can’t find any verse that even so much as MENTIONS The Catholic Church - about anything, for anything, concerning anything, from Jesus or any Apostle. Nor can you find anything about any teacher being infallible, incapable of error and unaccountable. What you find is Jesus boldly and repeatedly warning us about false teachers, Jesus praising the Ephesian Christians for doing the opposite of what you suggest, praising them for regarding their teachers as accountable, for testing/arbitrating them, and declaring them to be false (Rev. 2:2 for this example).

The only reason there is being this discussion is because certain people in the past have rejected the authority, clearly held and excersized, by the Catholic Church for 1500 years.
Christ Founded a single Church. He did not Give it a “name”. We humans did that. I believe that early on it was called, “The Way” by some, later the term, “Christian” was given to Christ’s followers. Then the term "Catholic (universal) was applied to “Christian” Church. Yet in all of this, there was never (except for certain heretical movements) a question of the Church being fully and visibly and authoritatively united under one set of doctrinal beliefs. The Church even held councils from time to time to assure this doctrinal unity including councils around 400 AD to determine which books were to be included in the canon of scripture.
It is not until the 16th century that we see this break, with many different communites claiming authority, where the term “Catholic” is called into question.

Christ Has authority over The Church. He gave that authority to His apostles. They, by virtue of their, “Christ Granted” authority, passed on that authority to their successors. That Authority includes guarding and teaching the deposit of faith they received. We, as laymen and followers of Christ, are to accept such teaching from the rightful successors of Christ and the Apostles, just as those Jews were expected to obey the pharasees who “Sat on Moses seat”.

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

Indeed that would be circular. (I like that we can agree on so many things) Now if I appeal to evidence outside myself that others can verify and use to draw conclusions, there is a much greater chance of my being correct-assuming that I am willing to consider their critique of my proposed answers. (which I am currently doing with your critique on the debate thread).

I acknowledged that there are those who do this in their effort to prove the catholic faith to be true. They’ve provided ideas and comments that provide serious food for thought.

There are others who pull out the “infallible church started by Jesus” trump card in every discussion with no evidence and assume that settles it. This group’s claim is also often based on circular “belief in their own belief” but they try to remain unaware of that.

The Bolded section above points to one of the great strengths of the Catholic Church. It allows everyone from Cardinal to layman to appeal to “evidence outside themselves”, to verify and draw conclusions.
However the Church takes this to a level that non-authoritative, non-catholic communities cannot.
If the matter is sufficiantly importnat to warrant it, The Church, through dicussion, debate, and prayer arrives at the best doctrinal conclusion and then promulgates this as a teaching to be held by all of the faithful. The Faithful then, in humble obedience to Christ, accept this teaching because they know it has been thoroughly talked out and dealt with.

The Non-catholic community unfortunately lacks this ability to resolve an issue once and for all. Each person does their best, but when they find others, even in their own community, who strongly disagree with them, they are apt to simply split the community rather than determine a single doctrinal belief and then humbly submit their own wills to the teaching of their church. Then Each - opposing - community claims “The Bible” as their authority and goes merrily on their way.

Peace
James