As I stated, I am only expressing my opinion.
As I expressed mine. Please forgive me if I have seemed snappy or irritable. It has been 112F and very muggy the last 4 days, my air conditioning hasn’t been able to handle it and the dog next door has been howling incessantly for the last week. My nerves are frazzled and I’m finding it hard to maintain my equilibrium and charity. Again, please take my comments in the spirit of love in which they are offered.
I think that you are going to have to explain why you felt that was rude and condescending.
Its obvious that the OP knew that some people would answer with Jesus Christ, which to them isn’t an invalid answer. By sating that you cant answer with Jesus Christ, they are leaving people unable to answer the question. I really dint think that the limitation should have been there in the first place.
It is an invalid answer when it becomes obvious that Jesus is not, in fact, telling them what is Truth and what is not. Quite a number of denominations claim that Jesus is their authority, yet they teach entirely different things. This cannot be because Jesus would not tell one lot of people to do one thing and another lot something entirely different, such as whether they need to be Baptised or not. If people say that they have no earthly authority, then they must be stating that they get their truth directly from Jesus, not through any earthly intermediary. I think they are deceiving themselves as to the nature of the authority they have accepted. Some person has told them, “This is the truth.” and they have accepted it or they themselves are their earthly authority. Either way, it is not Jesus directly, it is an earthly authority.
Well for these same reasons you have to be careful when listening to “authority”
The difference is, for a Catholic, if my interpretation conflicts with what has been taught by Jesus to the Apostles and by the Apostles to their successors, I know that my interpretation is the one in error. I must submit my own will to the Authority He established on earth and be obedient, for the sake of my immortal soul. Jesus tells us that teachers bear an increased responsibility and that if they lead any of His little ones astray, it would be better for them if they had a millstone placed around their necks and be thrown into the sea. If I follow my teachers, submitting my will to the Authority He established, I will not go wrong with my obedience. Disobedience is a terrible sin and is what cause the Fall in the first place. Jesus established His Church on Peter who passed his God-given Authority on to his successors. Jesus personally appointed him His Vicar and representative on earth when He gave Peter the Keys to the Kingdom because He knew that He wasn’t going to be with us physically any longer. I have no idea who gave Wesley, or Luther or any founder of a Protestant denomination his/her authority and no way to verify it except by comparing their teachings to the teachings that have been passed down.
I told you how I resolve disputes.
So, if you go through your process and still find yourself in disagreement about something which you feel is very important, what do you do?
I think that parents should decide what is taught to their children at sunday school.
Parents should be concerned that what is taught to their children is the truth. It is in determining what that truth is that we must turn to authority. Parents should not teach what they think is a good idea without it being vetted and approved by the church authority. To do anything else would invite chaos into your classes with one parent teaching one thing and another parent something different.
Who is the authority of your church, well the ultimate answer is God is that authority. Who has authority over your faith/choices, well that would be yourself as you are responsible for your own actions
Yes, the ultimate answer for Catholics is that God is the supreme authority. But how do you know that what you are teaching or are being taught really is from God? As I said before, the devil prowls the world seeking souls to devour. I believe that he is leading many astray and into the pit with his lies, covered in honey and masquerading as the truth. He includes just enough truth to gain credence.
Asking questions and seeking advice is not granting authority to anyone, it is getting data to make a more informed choice. You are not acting with authority by deciding for yourself as it only applies to you and you should be open to further (name removed by moderator)ut.
What I understand from this statement is that you consider yourself to be the only true authority over yourself. You are not imposing your decisions or interpretations on anyone but yourself but neither will you grant anyone else authority over you. As I asked above, if, after a thorough investigation, discussions and prayers, what you decide for yourself differs from or conflicts with what your church teaches, what do you do?
