Who Knows the Bible Better? Protestants or Catholics

[MrS]

Hi,
That would still be pitting catholics against protestants. Threads like this are really not healthy only hurtful and divide us even more.

Hi yourself

Is it not a reality that the theology of the Catholic Church is what protestants differ with?

I understand that some non-Catholics think we are hell-bound because of what we believe… and some Catholics think that our separated brethren are missing the fullness of Truth.

But the terminology has long been in place:

Catholic
Non-Catholic
Anti-Catholic

not

Protestant
Non-Protestant
Anti-Protestand

I for one am not pitting Catholics against Protestants.

But I am compelled by the Lord to accept Catholic Theology and reject Protestant Theology. (Luke 17:10)

I continue to study scripture… but only with the guidance of a competant Jesus-directed authority… the Catholic Church.

I may not know it better… but I like my chances better.

.

 

[ssejllenrad]

Hi,
That would still be pitting catholics against protestants. Threads like this are really not healthy only hurtful and divide us even more.

I whole heartedly sympathize with you…

 

[happygal]

Hi,
That would still be pitting catholics against protestants. Threads like this are really not healthy only hurtful and divide us even more.

I agree with you, so sad for these people. God have mercy to them

 

[MrS]

I agree with you, so sad for these people. God have mercy to them

Hi

who is “these people” and/or “them” ? .

by the way… you have a great date of birth !!!
.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

Hi yourself

Is it not a reality that the theology of the Catholic Church is what protestants differ with?

I understand that some non-Catholics think we are hell-bound because of what we believe… and some Catholics think that our separated brethren are missing the fullness of Truth.

But the terminology has long been in place:

Catholic
Non-Catholic
Anti-Catholic

not

Protestant
Non-Protestant
Anti-Protestand

I for one am not pitting Catholics against Protestants.

But I am compelled by the Lord to accept Catholic Theology and reject Protestant Theology. (Luke 17:10)

I continue to study scripture… but only with the guidance of a competant Jesus-directed authority… the Catholic Church.

I may not know it better… but I like my chances better.

Hi,
I guess I feel the same way just reverse. I , on the other hand, study the Scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. So I guess I would rather take my chances there. I have Christ in me, He is my rock and He will guide me to the truth and help me discern it. I am getting better at this only with His help.

 

[happygal]

Hi

who is “these people” and/or “them” ? .

by the way… you have a great date of birth !!!
.

Hehe, well what i meant by THESE group of pple, are those who still wanted to pit against one another practise…

Oh i realised you shared the same birth day as me…what a small small world…hoho

 

[estesbob]

Hi,
I guess I feel the same way just reverse. I , on the other hand, study the Scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. So I guess I would rather take my chances there. I have Christ in me, He is my rock and He will guide me to the truth and help me discern it. I am getting better at this only with His help.

The Spirit must be alwfully busy being there are some 30,000 different versions of the “truth” out there.

 

[Deus_Vult]

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

WHICH sect of Baptist do you suppose KNOWS the Bible? And why do you suppose you do not have to go to Church? It is good that you desire to worship God…you are assuming because I believe I have to go to Church I do not desire to do so. Nothing can be farther from the TRUTH! I was not always Roman Catholic and only after years of theological study did I come to know the TRUTH I know today.

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

WHICH sect of Baptist do you suppose KNOWS the Bible? And why do you suppose you do not have to go to Church? It is good that you desire to worship God…you are assuming because I believe I have to go to Church I do not desire to do so. Nothing can be farther from the TRUTH! I was not always Roman Catholic and only after years of theological study did I come to know the TRUTH I know today.

It is very unsatisfactory that we have to threaten Catholics with mortal sin to get them to show up for Mass.
At Leeds University we have a healthy attendance at weekday Mass, but still only a fraction of the Sunday attendance, and of course the practising Catholics are far outnumbered by the nominal ones.
The reality is that if you don’t make Mass compulsory, then the majority of people find excuses, and drift away. It is also useful where the right to go to Mass may be challenged - for instance prisoners, or low paid supermarket workers, might be told that no they can’t go on Sunday since it is optional, but if it is a matter of conscience, arrangements will be made.

 

[Church_Militant]

C’mon, let’s be honest here and stop the ecumenical wishful thinking.

Certainly I join Our Lord in praying “that they all may be one”, but to sit here and say that this thread is divisive is a load of candy-coated hooey.

We are divided, and that is a verifiable fact of life. That division began 500 years ago in “the reformation” as the various “reformers” left and took their adherents with them while creating rhetoric that spawned so much of the ad hominem that persists to this day. (I don’t count the East-West break in 1045 because we still share the same sacraments and the same beliefs…unlike with the post-reformation step children.)

Let’s stop trying to cotton candy the division. It’s wishful thinking and a waste of time.

I frankly don’t care whether non-Catholics disagree with our most holy faith so long as they remain charitable, reasonable, and rational in their discussions with me concerning their issues. If they can’t be…I have little time for 'em, even as I have little time for the a-C forums that we are all aware of.

Don’t get me wrong. I love sharing my faith, and it’s always with a view to conversion, because frankly, if I didn’t believe with all my heart & soul that the Catholic faith was the fullness of truth, I wouldn’t be Catholic to begin with and it would be stupid in the extreme for me to bother to explain and defend its teachings.

The question is “Who Knows the Bible Better? Protestants or Catholics” and I agree that it’s not the best topic on the face of the earth, as well as one that has and will continue to generate a lot of highly subjective posts, since none of us has empirical stats or evidence to support more than our own experiences. So this is nothing but a pile of opinions, and as such that’s all it’s really worth.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,

 

[Zooey]

I agree about Bible knowledge of my Baptist neighbors, including teens, but even in Texas we don’t consider you Baptists as demons.
.

Some of us in New York have occasionally wondered…


(JK)

 

[rr1213]

C’mon, let’s be honest here and stop the ecumenical wishful thinking.

Certainly I join Our Lord in praying “that they all may be one”, but to sit here and say that this thread is divisive is a load of candy-coated hooey.

We are divided, and that is a verifiable fact of life. That division began 500 years ago in “the reformation” as the various “reformers” left and took their adherents with them while creating rhetoric that spawned so much of the ad hominem that persists to this day. (I don’t count the East-West break in 1045 because we still share the same sacraments and the same beliefs…unlike with the post-reformation step children.)FONT]

You are downplaying the 1000 year division by minimizing the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. You are correct in saying that in some ways the Catholics share much of the same faith with the Orthodox but, in other ways, the Catholic faith is closer to the Protestant faith since both came from the division of the western church. The truth is that Christianity has been divided for at least half of its existence, perhaps more.

 

[jemfinch]

Hi,
I guess I feel the same way just reverse. I , on the other hand, study the Scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that dwells within me.

So how do you explain the doctrinal differences between you and Billy Graham, or the doctrinal differences between you and John Piper? Does the Holy Spirit dwell in you, or in them? And if them, which one of them?

So I guess I would rather take my chances there. I have Christ in me, He is my rock and He will guide me to the truth and help me discern it. I am getting better at this only with His help.

But Billy Graham and John Piper all say that as well. Either Jesus Christ (the Holy Spirit, really) is doing a really poor job of leading you guys into the truth, or He has a different idea of truth than the one I know

If you really want to “get better at this,” the way to do it is to use the tools the Holy Spirit gave you to discern Truth: the Bible and the Church, the pillar and foundation of the Truth, which is truly led into all the truth by the Holy Spirit.

Jeremy

 

[jemfinch]

You are downplaying the 1000 year division by minimizing the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

The differences between the Churches are minimal.

You are correct in saying that in some ways the Catholics share much of the same faith with the Orthodox but,

Eastern Catholics share the same faith as Western (Roman) Catholics and are almost entirely identical to the Orthodox.

in other ways, the Catholic faith is closer to the Protestant faith since both came from the division of the western church.

What in the world are you talking about? The western Church was not divided when the Eastern Orthodox took their leave. That’s why they’re “Eastern Orthodox,” not “Eastern and Western Orthodox.”

Secondly, there is no “Protestant faith.” There are a number of various sorts of Protestant faiths, but you can’t speak of it as if it’s anything remotely cohesive or consistent.

Thirdly, the Catholic faith isn’t, in any way, closer to the faiths of Protestants than to the Orthodox Church. The fundamental issue between the Catholics and the Orthodox is (at least from the Catholic perspective) not a matter of faith (i.e., heresy) but schism. We’re unfortunately separate from the Orthodox, but it’s not a faith-based separation. The issue between Catholics and Protestants is, on the other hand, a matter of faith: they believe heretical things, wrong things, and they don’t hold to the dogmas of the faith. It’s entirely inaccurate and misleading to say that Catholics are closer to Protestants in any way than they are to the Orthodox.

The truth is that Christianity has been divided for at least half of its existence, perhaps more.

And yet that’s still not its natural state. You seem to keep wanting to redefine Christianity as being naturally or inherently divided, but that simply isn’t the case.

Jeremy

 

[rr1213]

The differences between the Churches are minimal.

Eastern Catholics share the same faith as Western (Roman) Catholics and are almost entirely identical to the Orthodox.

What in the world are you talking about? The western Church was not divided when the Eastern Orthodox took their leave. That’s why they’re “Eastern Orthodox,” not “Eastern and Western Orthodox.”

Secondly, there is no “Protestant faith.” There are a number of various sorts of Protestant faiths, but you can’t speak of it as if it’s anything remotely cohesive or consistent.

Thirdly, the Catholic faith isn’t, in any way, closer to the faiths of Protestants than to the Orthodox Church. The fundamental issue between the Catholics and the Orthodox is (at least from the Catholic perspective) not a matter of faith (i.e., heresy) but schism. We’re unfortunately separate from the Orthodox, but it’s not a faith-based separation. The issue between Catholics and Protestants is, on the other hand, a matter of faith: they believe heretical things, wrong things, and they don’t hold to the dogmas of the faith. It’s entirely inaccurate and misleading to say that Catholics are closer to Protestants in any way than they are to the Orthodox.

And yet that’s still not its natural state. You seem to keep wanting to redefine Christianity as being naturally or inherently divided, but that simply isn’t the case.

Jeremy

The differences between the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches are minimal? I don’t know about that…Papal Authority, Assumption of Mary, Original Sin, Filioque…there are no doubt many more of which I am not aware because of my poor understanding of the Orthodox faith. Can these be overcome? Maybe, but they are not minimal. If they were as minimal as you suggest, the split wouldn’t have happened in the first place and the Churches would not remain separated 1000 years later.

You misunderstood my post, the Church obviously was divided between East and West when the Catholics and Orthodox split 1000 years ago. About 500 years ago, during the Protestant Reformation, the Western Church was futher divided.

Admittedly, there are a number of manifestations of the Protestant understanding of the faith. The various Protestant denominations have more in common and are more cohesive than you believe, however.

It depends on the issue discussed as to whether the Catholic faith is closer to the Orthodox than the Protestant. On most issues, it would be closer to the Orthodox. On some issues, such as the filioque and original sin for example, it would be closer to the Protestant.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

The Spirit must be alwfully busy being there are some 30,000 different versions of the “truth” out there.

Hi,

What?? Doesnt the CC believe that when you accept Jesus you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you? Our body is the new Temple because we have the Spirit in us.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

So how do you explain the doctrinal differences between you and Billy Graham, or the doctrinal differences between you and John Piper? Does the Holy Spirit dwell in you, or in them? And if them, which one of them?

Hi,
From your post I am confused about the CC beliefs. The Holy Spirit dwells in both of us. I dont have any doctrinal differences with Billy Graham. I dont know who John Piper is.

But Billy Graham and John Piper all say that as well. Either Jesus Christ (the Holy Spirit, really) is doing a really poor job of leading you guys into the truth, or He has a different idea of truth than the one I know

The pillar and foundation of the truth is Jesus Christ so I will stick with Him.

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

Hi,

What?? Doesnt the CC believe that when you accept Jesus you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you? Our body is the new Temple because we have the Spirit in us.

No. The gift of the Holy Spirit is separate from the Eucharist. The Holy Spirit did not come upon the church until 53 days after the Last Supper.

Today, the tradition is to make first Holy Communion at the age of reason, and receive the gift of the Spirt at maturity.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

No. The gift of the Holy Spirit is separate from the Eucharist. The Holy Spirit did not come upon the church until 53 days after the Last Supper.

Today, the tradition is to make first Holy Communion at the age of reason, and receive the gift of the Spirt at maturity.

Hi,
It is slightly different from my belief but the CC does believe the Holy Spirit dwells inside a person? Right?

 

[wcknight]

Catholics undoubtedly know the Bible better than all other denominations combined. We have thousands of biblical scholars, who literally spend their entire lives devoted to studying scriptures in its original greek, Hebrew or whatever (plus we alone have the orginal manuscripts). And we have had this advantage for hundreds of years, not just for the last 500.

That is why we can come up with one unified interpretation for scriptures. We don’t have 30,000 different versions we have one.

PLUS we have ALL the books of scriptures not just the ones that we happen to agree with. We do not leave out a select few, because they just happen to not agree with some new found philosophy.

BUT what I give to some Protestants is that on average the lay protestant in some sects may read more scriptures than the average lay Catholic. BUT their interpretation and how they live the gospels may not be up to par with the average lay Catholic.

What I find (sorry for the sterotyping) with the average Bible quoting protestant is an arrogant and self rightgeous “believe as I believe or you’re toast type” attitude. They know all the fire and brimstone quotes and are about as tollerant as your average Nazi Gestopo propaganda specialist.