Who Knows the Bible Better? Protestants or Catholics

[cathlicnlovinit]

I think that Catholics tend to see the story of the entire Bible better. As a Church we see and connect the relationship between The Old and The New Testaments. We appreciate the literal and the literary and learn to appreciate the nuances in the Good Book.

I think as has been stated, Protestants love and appreciate the Bible but generally hear some verses and their “meanings” and then memorize them well because they are heard so often. It does not diminish the value. I just think we value the Book for somewhat different reasons.

Catholics seem to read it to first support our faith and Protestants often seem to know it to first establish and justify their faith.

 

[rr1213]

…and that ***style of memorization found in most Protestant denominations is more closely related to mind control ***than growing in faith…

Most Protestant denominations engage in mind control? Nonsense.

As for familiarity with the Bible, generally evangelical Protestants will be most familiar (more so than main-line Protestants or most Catholics). Nonetheless, there are no doubt millions of exceptions to this generalization including those Catholics who are quite familiar with the Scriptures.

 

[MrS]

I will be studying the bible till the day I go home to be with the Lord.** It is important that we all be teachable** whereever God has us worshipping. There is way too much in the bible for anyone to know all that is in it --at least at a spiritual level. I did 2 bible studies on Fruit of the Spirit and learned something different both times.

Honestly, threads like this is just another way to pit catholics against protestants Im not saying the OP meant for that to happen, but it just does. I already see posts that show me much pride in the writing. We all know how bad pride is because we are all prideful.

Please be careful when posting that it doesnt sound arrogant and that I am better then you mentality.

Ok my rant is over:thumbsup:

That is a very important statement… like the man said to Phillip… “… how will I know unless someone tells (teaches) me?”

There in lies the dilemma… who has the authority to teach us?

I don’t intend to sound arrogant in my own abilities… nor pridefull. All my confidence has to be in the Lord. But He gave us teachers… and He gave them the authority to Feed His Sheep.

If we stray from that help, not only do we risk “learning” from non-authoritive sources, but we also risk what we are being “fed”. Both the messenger and the message lack authority.

I have confidence in the Bride of Christ… the Church,… and in Jesus and His promises… none of which give authority to anyone outside the Church.

I am not saying Protestant teachers are bad. Even they will have some Truth… but why risk everything for just some of the Truth, when the fullness of Truth is so available to all.?

As to the OP, I like what Scott Hahn observed…

When the Bible is used against the Catholic Church which delivered it,… it is not being used, it is being abused.

.

 

[alexaustralia]

I agree with Fidelis points 1 to 3. Not 4 because I don’t teach RCIA

Alex

 

[Zooey]

Me!
In my own experience both in apologetics discussions and in just bull sessions with n-Cs, I have found that I know more than most of them combined. I once found a basic Bible quiz in a Catholic magazine and took it around to a bunch of people that I knew and even giving them credit up front for about 4 questions (out of 50) that were Catholic specific, they scored way lower than myself and the other Catholic guy. And it wasn’t hard or obscure stuff! To be honest I was kinda surprised because the way these guys “witnessed” to us, you’d’ve thought they would smoke us, but the opposite was true. In fact, I think I got all but one.

Pax Domini sit semper vobsicum,

Go get 'em!!!

 

[SemperJase]

I was raised in a “bible church”. Undoubtedly some people had a great deal of scripture memorized. Aside from these few, evangelical bibles are every bit as dusty as catholic bibles.

As a catholic I’m sure you noticed that the church is much more full on holy days like Easter. Obviously many people go only on these days and don’t practice their faith throughout the year.

Well I saw the exact same thing in the bible church year after year. Attendance triples on Easter and Christmas.

As far on teaching the Bible, there was a man at my church who took notes in his bible about what the pastor spoke on. Most of the bible had notes in it when the pastor retired after about 25 years. The man who took notes said that he noticed the pastor had been repeating older sermons in the few years before he retired. That means it took over 20 years for this pastor to get through most of the bible. It takes us only 3.

So who uses more of the bible in teaching?

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

Most Protestant denominations engage in mind control? Nonsense.

As for familiarity with the Bible, generally evangelical Protestants will be most familiar (more so than main-line Protestants or most Catholics). Nonetheless, there are no doubt millions of exceptions to this generalization including those Catholics who are quite familiar with the Scriptures.

If you have a theology that says every man must interpret the Bible for himself, you then have the problem of the fourteen year old girl who decides that the feeding of the five thousand explained means that God is seven instead of three. You can’t chnage major church doctrines like that on a young ladie’s say so. So you have to persuade her that she is interpreting the Bible for herself, whilst in fact filtering out the bad interpretations.

That easily leads to accusations of mind control.

Most Catholics are pretty ignorant of the Bible and aware of the fact. A few, theologians with years of training, are the foremost experts in the world. What is mercifully rare is the Catholic with a copy he can read in English translation, who considers himself to be expert. You do get such, maybe I am one of them, but they don’t set the tone for the Church.

 

[jemfinch]

Knowing the words and knowing the meaning are two totally different things. Catholics may be worse at the former, but Protestants clearly stumble on the latter.

Jeremy

 

[Caesar]

Protestants have a gift for memorizing passages upon passages, but they do not understand what they are quoting.

 

[jimmy]

Hi;
I would have to say that Baptist know the Bible better than other protestant and catholics. We spend more time in church and have more Bible studies more resources for Bible studies than other demon’s .

forever Baptist now and in heaven
allischalmers

Yes, baptists probably have many more resources than all demons. Since you admitt that you are a demon, what is your preferred mode of temptation?

 

[TheGarg]

Will we really be known by denominational titles in heaven?

Will the baptists be in a different part of heaven to the methodists?

yes, and we will have to tiptoe past thier section, so as not to startle them

 

[Church_Militant]

Yes, baptists probably have many more resources than all demons. Since you admitt that you are a demon, what is your preferred mode of temptation?

Aw quit guys…you know it was tractor man’s typo.

 

[Integritus]

The original question really makes no sense. This is the real question we should be asking:

Who knows the Catholic book called the Bible better? Protestants or Catholics?

Or in other words:

The book that the Catholic Church gave to the world, called the Bible - who knows it better? Protestants or Catholics?

 

[Deus_Vult]

Hi;
I would have to say that Baptist know the Bible better than other protestant and catholics. We spend more time in church and have more Bible studies more resources for Bible studies than other demon’s .

forever Baptist now and in heaven
allischalmers

If Baptists or any other Protestant new the Bible better than any Roman Catholic they would be Roman Catholic! Why do you think Baptists spend more time in church than do Roman Catholics? Many Roman Catholics not only attend weekly Mass, but daily Mass as well as being involved with multiple Church ministries. With that said, there are many…many so called Catholics who rarely attend Mass. I say they are Roman Catholic by Baptism and namesake only. We are not all the same, as Baptist’s are not all the same hence the 200+ sects of Baptist. What does one mean by knowing the Bible…anyone can memorize verses.

 

[allischalmers]

If Baptists or any other Protestant new the Bible better than any Roman Catholic they would be Roman Catholic! Why do you think Baptists spend more time in church than do Roman Catholics? Many Roman Catholics not only attend weekly Mass, but daily Mass as well as being involved with multiple Church ministries. With that said, there are many…many so called Catholics who rarely attend Mass. I say they are Roman Catholic by Baptism and namesake only. We are not all the same, as Baptist’s are not all the same hence the 200+ sects of Baptist. What does one mean by knowing the Bible…anyone can memorize verses.

Maybe we are not catholic simply because we do know the Bible better than Catholic. Also I never knew a Baptist than felt that they Hadto go to church. We go because we desire to worship God together with other Christians.
And Yes anyone can menorize verses but Psalms 119; 11 “thy word have I hide in My heart than I might not sin against thee” says it all.

forever Baptist
allischalmers

 

[Zooey]

Who knows the Bible? Them as work at it! I will put my late great-grandmother up against anybody. She started life as (Dutch) Reformed;married Mennonite Brethren, & they became Methodists in this country. She was an adult before she taught herself to read & write (in Dutch) by having her children “show her around” the Bible so she could look up favorite passages.
I have her Bible, complete with notes from her, my grandmother, my great-aunt, & Uncles Will & Jacob…That woman knew her Bible.
You know why? She wanted to learn it!! Its nothing to do with Catholic or Protestant, y’all; its wanting to read Scripture that makes you know your Bible.
Simple–& profound–as that…

 

[runandsew]

Sorry, I didn’t read all the replies, so if someone has already said this I’m sorry.
I think that the key to this is KNOW the Bible better.
I would guess that the Bible Christians probably read scripture away from Mass, or church service more that the average Catholic, or the Main line protestant. But I recently had a protestant tell me that he knew the Bible like the back of his hand. He is a friend of my daughters, and he had gone Easter vigil Mass with us. If I remember the reading was about Jesus being the perfect holocaust or something like that, I don’t remember, but he had an never heard the word holocaust used before in the Bible and was spouting off about the Catholic church doesn’t know the Bible because a holocaust is the killing of Many Jewish people, I tried to explain that it meant a whole burnt offering, but I don’t think he was satisfied with my response, because he KNEW the Bible.
In mass we use all the senses of scripture, both the literal and spiritual senses. The Old Testament reading is always pointing to the New Testament revelation in Christ. We read the Old Testament, the Psalms , The Epistles, and The Gospel.
I have always thought it is harder for a Priest that for a protestant minister, since the Priest has to take the readings given him and explain them in a way that affects our daily life, while the protestant takes an idea of how our daily like can be affected, and digs thru the scripture to support his point of view, whether the passages are taken in context or not.

Sometimes I feel like there are protestants who claim to know the bible, actually have memorized only 20 or so scripture passages.
Remember when a passage is read to you, you need to take in context, read the 3 or 4 verses before and after it to make sure it is being used in context.

 

[Think2Deep]

As a Jehovah’s Witness years ago, I could quote circles around Catholics and Protestants I met. No Protestant would have a moment’s hesitation in saying that a great deal of the JW’s quoting is out of context and their “knowledge” and understanding of scripture is wrong. Why are Protestants so slow to recognize that same fact of themselves?

Truth is, non-Catholics, for all their doctrinal differences, are almost unanimous in their conviction that the Catholic Church is wrong. This conviction is dreadfully hard to overcome. It took me years of gradually growing more and more uncomfortable and discontent with the Protestant “buffet” of pick-and-choose doctrine, in order to come to the point of even considering the Catholic Church.

Reality is, there is only one truth. Baptism either saves or it doesn’t. It is either necessary or it isn’t. Children either can be baptized or they can’t. Faith alone saves, or it doesn’t. Etc. Etc. Every denomination has different views of these and many other vital topics. They can’t all be true, or the Holy Spirit is schizophrenic. Jesus did not leave us to flounder in the dark. He left us an authority upon earth to teach us the truth. Thank God for the Catholic Church.

 

[Church_Militant]

As a Jehovah’s Witness years ago, I could quote circles around Catholics and Protestants I met. No Protestant would have a moment’s hesitation in saying that a great deal of the JW’s quoting is out of context and their “knowledge” and understanding of scripture is wrong. Why are Protestants so slow to recognize that same fact of themselves?

Truth is, non-Catholics, for all their doctrinal differences, are almost unanimous in their conviction that the Catholic Church is wrong. This conviction is dreadfully hard to overcome. It took me years of gradually growing more and more uncomfortable and discontent with the Protestant “buffet” of pick-and-choose doctrine, in order to come to the point of even considering the Catholic Church.

Reality is, there is only one truth. Baptism either saves or it doesn’t. It is either necessary or it isn’t. Children either can be baptized or they can’t. Faith alone saves, or it doesn’t. Etc. Etc. Every denomination has different views of these and many other vital topics. They can’t all be true, or the Holy Spirit is schizophrenic. Jesus did not leave us to flounder in the dark. He left us an authority upon earth to teach us the truth. Thank God for the Catholic Church.

VERY well put T2D!!!:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: [SIGN]http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/8.gif[/SIGN]
To CAF!
Pax tecum,

 

[LeahInancsi]

Catholics definitely more of the TRUE meaning of the Bible.

A person can read the Bible 24/7, but if they don’t understand the true meaning, then it’s just reading.

In the past, I have made that statement that Catholics are somewhat ignorant of the Bible. That’s not to say Catholics are ignorant of its teachings. We are very well versed in the Catechism which includes the teachings of the Bible.