A
Ani_Ibi
Guest
I am amazed. You posted this right after I provided you with a link that answers your question. What happened?
- Status
A
Ani_Ibi
Guest
How is this cult-like?
A
Ani_Ibi
Guest
How can you say who is saved and who is not saved? I thought this was the domain of God alone Who btw is a very jealous God.
T
Tantum_ergo
Guest
Looks like Catholics have always thought people should read (or hear) the Bible. . .
St. John Chrysostom (344/354 -407 AD)
Doctor of the Church.
“To become adult Christians you must learn familiarity with the scriptures”
[On the Letter to the Ephesians - Education of Children.]
“But what is the answer to these charges? ‘I am not,’ you will say, ‘one of the monks, but I have both a wife and children, and the care of a household.’ This is what has ruined everything, your thinking that the reading of scripture is for monks only, when you need it more than they do. Those who are placed in the world, and who receive wounds every day have the most need of medicine. So, far worse even than not reading the scriptures is the idea that they are superfluous. Such things were invented by the devil.”
[St. John’s Second Homily on Matthew section 10 (which is sometimes labeled as section 5.) ]
Pope St. Gregory I (died 604 AD)
“The Emperor of heaven, the Lord of men and of angels, has sent you His epistles for your life’s advantage—and yet you neglect to read them eagerly. Study them, I beg you, and meditate daily on the words of your Creator. Learn the heart of God in the words of God, that you may sigh more eagerly for things eternal, that your soul may be kindled with greater longings for heavenly joys.”
[Letters, 5, 46. (EnchBibl 31)]
St. Isidore (560-636 AD)
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
“Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us… If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us.
“All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection. By reading we learn what we did not know; by reflection we retain what we have learned.
“Reading the holy Scriptures (the Bible) confers two benefits. It trains the mind to understand them; it turns man’s attention from the follies of the world and leads him to the love of God.
“Two kinds of study are called for here. We must first learn how the Scriptures are to be understood, and then see how to expound them with profit and in a manner worthy of them. A man must first be eager to understand what he is reading before he is fit to proclaim what he has learned.
“The conscientious reader will be more concerned to carry out what he has read than merely to acquire knowledge of it… Learning unsupported by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches the heart. It makes a great noise outside but serves no inner purpose. But when God’s grace touches our innermost minds to bring understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep into the heart.”
[Office of Readings, April 4…(Lib.3,8-10: PL 83,679-682)]
St. Venerable Bede (died 735 AD)
He is the first person known to translate the Gospel into Old English (Anglo-Saxon.)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)
Doctor and Father of the Church.
“The person who thirsts for God eagerly studies and meditates on the inspired Word, knowing that there, he is certain to find the One for whom he thirsts.”
[Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermon 23:3.]
St. Bonaventure (1221-1274 AD)
In his day, there where no public schools and only the wealthy could afford private tutors. Therefore, most people could not read or write. St. Bonaventure had composed a copy of “Biblia Pauperum” which means the “Bible of the poor.” It contained a collection of pictures illustrating the important events of the Old Testament. It also contained parallel scenes in the New Testament and it showed how the Old Testament prefigured and was fulfilled in the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. This helped the people to learn God’s Word by showing them the important stories of both the Old and New Testament. He was canonized a Saint by Pope Sixtus IV in1482 AD. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Sixtus V in 1588 AD.
Decree of the Council of Trent April 8, 1546.
“ The holy synod] following the examples of the orthodox fathers, receives and venerates with an equal affection of piety and reverence all the books both of the Old and of the New Testament-seeing that one God is the Author of both…”
[Session 4, April 8, 1546.]
St. John Chrysostom (344/354 -407 AD)
Doctor of the Church.
“To become adult Christians you must learn familiarity with the scriptures”
[On the Letter to the Ephesians - Education of Children.]
“But what is the answer to these charges? ‘I am not,’ you will say, ‘one of the monks, but I have both a wife and children, and the care of a household.’ This is what has ruined everything, your thinking that the reading of scripture is for monks only, when you need it more than they do. Those who are placed in the world, and who receive wounds every day have the most need of medicine. So, far worse even than not reading the scriptures is the idea that they are superfluous. Such things were invented by the devil.”
[St. John’s Second Homily on Matthew section 10 (which is sometimes labeled as section 5.) ]
Pope St. Gregory I (died 604 AD)
“The Emperor of heaven, the Lord of men and of angels, has sent you His epistles for your life’s advantage—and yet you neglect to read them eagerly. Study them, I beg you, and meditate daily on the words of your Creator. Learn the heart of God in the words of God, that you may sigh more eagerly for things eternal, that your soul may be kindled with greater longings for heavenly joys.”
[Letters, 5, 46. (EnchBibl 31)]
St. Isidore (560-636 AD)
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
“Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us… If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us.
“All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection. By reading we learn what we did not know; by reflection we retain what we have learned.
“Reading the holy Scriptures (the Bible) confers two benefits. It trains the mind to understand them; it turns man’s attention from the follies of the world and leads him to the love of God.
“Two kinds of study are called for here. We must first learn how the Scriptures are to be understood, and then see how to expound them with profit and in a manner worthy of them. A man must first be eager to understand what he is reading before he is fit to proclaim what he has learned.
“The conscientious reader will be more concerned to carry out what he has read than merely to acquire knowledge of it… Learning unsupported by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches the heart. It makes a great noise outside but serves no inner purpose. But when God’s grace touches our innermost minds to bring understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep into the heart.”
[Office of Readings, April 4…(Lib.3,8-10: PL 83,679-682)]
St. Venerable Bede (died 735 AD)
He is the first person known to translate the Gospel into Old English (Anglo-Saxon.)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)
Doctor and Father of the Church.
“The person who thirsts for God eagerly studies and meditates on the inspired Word, knowing that there, he is certain to find the One for whom he thirsts.”
[Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermon 23:3.]
St. Bonaventure (1221-1274 AD)
In his day, there where no public schools and only the wealthy could afford private tutors. Therefore, most people could not read or write. St. Bonaventure had composed a copy of “Biblia Pauperum” which means the “Bible of the poor.” It contained a collection of pictures illustrating the important events of the Old Testament. It also contained parallel scenes in the New Testament and it showed how the Old Testament prefigured and was fulfilled in the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. This helped the people to learn God’s Word by showing them the important stories of both the Old and New Testament. He was canonized a Saint by Pope Sixtus IV in1482 AD. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Sixtus V in 1588 AD.
Decree of the Council of Trent April 8, 1546.
“ The holy synod] following the examples of the orthodox fathers, receives and venerates with an equal affection of piety and reverence all the books both of the Old and of the New Testament-seeing that one God is the Author of both…”
[Session 4, April 8, 1546.]
T
Tantum_ergo
Guest
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515 -1582 AD)
The Catholic Church strongly recommends the reading of the writings of those who are canonized as Saints. Saint Teresa was canonized in 1622 AD by Pope Gregory XV. She was also declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. In her autobiography, The Book of Her Life (La Vida), she writes:
“Within this majesty I was given knowledge of a truth that is the fulfillment of all truths. I don’t know how to explain this because I didn’t see anything. I was told without seeing anyone, but I clearly understood that it was Truth telling me: ‘This is no small thing I do for you, because it is one of the things for which you owe Me a great deal, for all the harm that comes to the world comes from its not knowing the truths of Scripture in clarity and truth; not one iota of Scripture will fall short.’ To me it seemed I had always believed this, and that all the faithful believed it. He told me: ‘Alas, daughter, how few there are who truthfully love me! For if they loved me, I would reveal to them my secrets. Do you know what it is to love Me truthfully? It is to understand that everything that is displeasing to me is a lie. By the beneficial effects this understanding will cause in your soul you shall see clearly what you now do not understand.’”
[La Vida, ch. 40, #1.]
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903 AD)
“The solicitude of the apostolic office naturally urges and even compels us…to desire that this grand source of Catholic revelation (the Bible) should be made safely and abundantly accessible to the flock of Jesus Christ”
“…For sacred Scripture is not like other books. Dictated by the Holy Ghost, it contains things of the deepest importance, which in many instances are most difficult and obscure. To understand and explain such things there is always required the ‘coming’ of the same Holy Ghost; that is to say, His light and His grace…It is absolutely wrong and forbidden either to narrow inspiration to certain parts only of holy Scripture or to admit that the sacred writer has erred… and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration is not only essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true.”
[Providentissimus Deus ( Nov. 18, 1893)]
He also encouraged the reading of Holy Scripture by granting an indulgence to those who read it for at least 25 minutes.
Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914 AD)
“Nothing would please us more than to see our beloved children form the habit of reading the Gospels - not merely from time to time, but every day.”
Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922 AD)
He repeated St. Jerome’s statement:
“Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
He expressed his desire that, “… all the children of the Church, especially clerics, to reverence the Holy Scriptures, to read it piously and meditate on it constantly.” He reminded them that, “…in these pages is to be sought that food, by which the spiritual life is nourished unto perfection…”
Pope Pius XII 1943 AD
“Our predecessors, when the opportunity occurred, recommended the study or preaching or in fine the pious reading and meditation of the sacred Scriptures.
“…This author of salvation, Christ, will men more fully know, more ardently love and more faithfully imitate in proportion as they are more assiduously urged to know and meditate the Sacred Letters, especially the New Testament…”
[Divino Afflante Spiritu]
He also granted indulgences (a blessing of God’s grace) to those who read Scripture. (1 Cor. 4:1.)
The Catholic Church strongly recommends the reading of the writings of those who are canonized as Saints. Saint Teresa was canonized in 1622 AD by Pope Gregory XV. She was also declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. In her autobiography, The Book of Her Life (La Vida), she writes:
“Within this majesty I was given knowledge of a truth that is the fulfillment of all truths. I don’t know how to explain this because I didn’t see anything. I was told without seeing anyone, but I clearly understood that it was Truth telling me: ‘This is no small thing I do for you, because it is one of the things for which you owe Me a great deal, for all the harm that comes to the world comes from its not knowing the truths of Scripture in clarity and truth; not one iota of Scripture will fall short.’ To me it seemed I had always believed this, and that all the faithful believed it. He told me: ‘Alas, daughter, how few there are who truthfully love me! For if they loved me, I would reveal to them my secrets. Do you know what it is to love Me truthfully? It is to understand that everything that is displeasing to me is a lie. By the beneficial effects this understanding will cause in your soul you shall see clearly what you now do not understand.’”
[La Vida, ch. 40, #1.]
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903 AD)
“The solicitude of the apostolic office naturally urges and even compels us…to desire that this grand source of Catholic revelation (the Bible) should be made safely and abundantly accessible to the flock of Jesus Christ”
“…For sacred Scripture is not like other books. Dictated by the Holy Ghost, it contains things of the deepest importance, which in many instances are most difficult and obscure. To understand and explain such things there is always required the ‘coming’ of the same Holy Ghost; that is to say, His light and His grace…It is absolutely wrong and forbidden either to narrow inspiration to certain parts only of holy Scripture or to admit that the sacred writer has erred… and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration is not only essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true.”
[Providentissimus Deus ( Nov. 18, 1893)]
He also encouraged the reading of Holy Scripture by granting an indulgence to those who read it for at least 25 minutes.
Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914 AD)
“Nothing would please us more than to see our beloved children form the habit of reading the Gospels - not merely from time to time, but every day.”
Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922 AD)
He repeated St. Jerome’s statement:
“Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
He expressed his desire that, “… all the children of the Church, especially clerics, to reverence the Holy Scriptures, to read it piously and meditate on it constantly.” He reminded them that, “…in these pages is to be sought that food, by which the spiritual life is nourished unto perfection…”
Pope Pius XII 1943 AD
“Our predecessors, when the opportunity occurred, recommended the study or preaching or in fine the pious reading and meditation of the sacred Scriptures.
“…This author of salvation, Christ, will men more fully know, more ardently love and more faithfully imitate in proportion as they are more assiduously urged to know and meditate the Sacred Letters, especially the New Testament…”
[Divino Afflante Spiritu]
He also granted indulgences (a blessing of God’s grace) to those who read Scripture. (1 Cor. 4:1.)
T
Tantum_ergo
Guest
VATICAN II : 1965 AD
“21. The Church has always venerated the Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God’s Word and of Christ’s Body. She has always maintained them, and continues to do so, together with sacred tradition, as the supreme rule of faith, since, as inspired by God and committed once and for all to writing, they impart the Word of God Himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and Apostles. Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life. Consequently these words are perfectly applicable to sacred Scripture: ‘For the word of God is living and active’ (Heb. 4:12) and ‘it has power to build you up and give you your heritage among all those who are sanctified’ ” (Acts 20:32; see 1 Thess. 2:13).
[DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION (DEI VERBUM) 1965 AD]
Pope John Paul II October 16, 1979
“27. Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the Word of God transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures, for “sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church,” as was recalled by the Second Vatican Council, which desired that ‘the ministry of the word-pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction . . .-(should be) healthily nourished and (should) thrive in holiness through the word of Scripture.’ (57)
“To speak of Tradition and Scripture as the source of catechesis is to draw attention to the fact that catechesis must be impregnated and penetrated by the thought, the spirit and the outlook of the Bible and the Gospels through assiduous contact with the texts themselves …
“The Church’s teaching, liturgy and life spring from this source and lead back to it …”
[Apostolic Exhortation, CATECHESI TRADENDAE, on October 16, 1979]
“21. The Church has always venerated the Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God’s Word and of Christ’s Body. She has always maintained them, and continues to do so, together with sacred tradition, as the supreme rule of faith, since, as inspired by God and committed once and for all to writing, they impart the Word of God Himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and Apostles. Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life. Consequently these words are perfectly applicable to sacred Scripture: ‘For the word of God is living and active’ (Heb. 4:12) and ‘it has power to build you up and give you your heritage among all those who are sanctified’ ” (Acts 20:32; see 1 Thess. 2:13).
[DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION (DEI VERBUM) 1965 AD]
Pope John Paul II October 16, 1979
“27. Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the Word of God transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures, for “sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church,” as was recalled by the Second Vatican Council, which desired that ‘the ministry of the word-pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction . . .-(should be) healthily nourished and (should) thrive in holiness through the word of Scripture.’ (57)
“To speak of Tradition and Scripture as the source of catechesis is to draw attention to the fact that catechesis must be impregnated and penetrated by the thought, the spirit and the outlook of the Bible and the Gospels through assiduous contact with the texts themselves …
“The Church’s teaching, liturgy and life spring from this source and lead back to it …”
[Apostolic Exhortation, CATECHESI TRADENDAE, on October 16, 1979]
M
Mike_Brick
Guest
Let me take Water’s answer to you a step further. Whether they realize it or not, and your DH apparently does not, if Catholics attend mass daily for three years they will hear proclaimed essentially the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Almost all of the prayers of the mass are direct quotations from Sacred Scripture so we are very Jesus and Scripture centered in our worship. In addition Catholics are encouraged to read Sacred Scripture and most parishes offer bible studies of various types to encourage that.OK, so there is a lot I could comment on from the posts but I want to try to stay on track…and focus on my first point:
Does the RCC teach that Catholics are to read the Bible or just believe the church’s interpretation of the Bible? **This is an honest question! ** Please give me the courtesy of being courteous
I ask this because while going to Mass with my DH, who was raised Catholic, I noticed that I didn’t see people bringing Bibles with them and he told me it was because the “Bible was read to them”. Your thoughts/experience?
But you must understand our worship, the mass is worship of God, not time for a bible study, which many, many protestant worship services, (especially evangelicals and fundamentalists), really are; a few hymns, the preacher prays, maybe a solo hymn by someone, the preacher tells you his interpretation of scripture, you have an altar call, a closing hymn, pass the plate and out you go. I don’t mean to put down protestant “worship”, but where’s the worship? With the doctrine of individual interpretation established at the beginning of the Reformation, a spectator would think all you should do is pass out Bibles and be on your way to figure it out on your own, because the Bible is all you have to work with.
Sorry for the long answer to a short question, but yes Catholicism is very Scripturally based, and self study of Scripture is encouraged. And in the time it took for me to type this out you probably got half a dozen similar replies.
Peace
C
Church_Militant
Guest
What? You have no sense of humor all of a sudden?
You can afford to loosen up some.
The man has a point but I thought it was funny because though I see his point, I would never have thought of that the way he did.
I mean… I’m grateful for your “seal of approval” so to speak, (seriously), but I think what TobyLue is saying is basically, “What makes your assessment more valid than that of the Catholic Church?”
I apologize for his vitriolic expression, and I didn’t mean to offend you by laughing so hard at his post. It just struck me as funny.
If I know what you mean though, you were saying that based on my profession of faith in my testimony, you would consider me saved, and most probably because I say that I “got saved” in it.
That’s fine with me. 
So…is that pretty much what you meant?
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
L
LordHaveMercy
Guest
I’ve never heard of the Catholic Church discouraging anybody from READING the Bible, but don’t take my word for it…
“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” – St. Jerome, A.D. 340-420
“To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches.”-- St. John Chrysostom, A.D. 347-407
“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” – St. Augustine, A.D. 354-430
“All troubles of the Church, all the evils in the world, flow from this source: that men do not by clear and sound knowledge and serious consideration penetrate into the truths of Sacred Scripture.” – St. Theresa of Avila, A.D. 1515-1582
“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” – St. Jerome, A.D. 340-420
“To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches.”-- St. John Chrysostom, A.D. 347-407
“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” – St. Augustine, A.D. 354-430
“All troubles of the Church, all the evils in the world, flow from this source: that men do not by clear and sound knowledge and serious consideration penetrate into the truths of Sacred Scripture.” – St. Theresa of Avila, A.D. 1515-1582
R
rolech
Guest
Here is a quick story I recall hearing years ago… A man and his son were going for a Sunday morning walk when they passed a Baptist Church and each person entering the church was carrying a Bible. The man said “those people are Christians.” The son asked, “how do you know?” The man replied, “because the are carrying the word of God.” As they walked further, they passed a Catholic Church. Those entering were empty handed, and the man said, “those people are Christians.” The son asked, “how do you know?” “They are not carrying the word of God.” The man replied, “because the have the love of Jesus Christ in their hearts.”
C
Church_Militant
Guest
Thank you for sharing that. God grant me grace that I always “have the love of Jesus Christ in my heart”.
R
rolech
Guest
P
Proletarian
Guest
How can something that is meant to be interpreted by everyone be so dangerous?
2 Peter 3:15-16
[speaking of Paul] He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures. These people will be destroyed.
So (according to you) God wants everyone to interpret the Bible independently, yet he is prepared to send you to hell if you make a mistake due to a lack of intelligence? Doesn’t sound like a just God to me.
G
GandalfTheWhite
Guest
There is something very interesting I’ve realized by reading the first post. Many protestants argue that reading the Bible is a peace of cake and that it is very clear what the Bible says.
Yet they also speak about the necessity of the Holy Spirit to guide them to the truth. If the Bible is so clear we don’t need the Holy Spirit to tells us the real meaning of those words. I don’t need the Holy Spirit to understand a spelling-book. So what is it? Do we need the Holy Spirit or is the book so clear that there is no need for divine guidance?
And of course there is this issue of the fact that no two denominations have the same interpretation of the Bible. Of course this has been mentioned many times.
Yet they also speak about the necessity of the Holy Spirit to guide them to the truth. If the Bible is so clear we don’t need the Holy Spirit to tells us the real meaning of those words. I don’t need the Holy Spirit to understand a spelling-book. So what is it? Do we need the Holy Spirit or is the book so clear that there is no need for divine guidance?
And of course there is this issue of the fact that no two denominations have the same interpretation of the Bible. Of course this has been mentioned many times.
G
geezerbob
Guest
I really hate to refute this statement, but according to this web site on the lectionary, we get 31.9% of the OT and 71.5% of the NT. catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Statistics.htm
M
Mike_Brick
Guest
Bob, thanks for the correction; I stand corrected. * Note 1: The above OT percentage does not include the Psalms, since they are used so often in various ways during the Mass.
Peace
C
Crumpy
Guest
Here we go again, another attack on Catholics, especially about their not knowing the Bible.While discussing the Catholic religion with a relative and pointing out that I have personally realized that some RCC teachings are not Biblical, he stated that “he’s intelligent to know that he’s not intelligent enough to read the Bible and understand it on his own” meaning he believed what the priests told him. I thought at the time it was a cop-out. I have since been told that this is a “very Catholic mindset”.
Also, I have been doing a lot of research and have come across some references basically stating that if a person tries “interpreting” the Bible on their own that they are actually putting trust in themselves instead of trust in God.
This bothers me for a couple of different reasons:
I am not interested in a raging debate. I would simply like to read your responses. Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut!
- Having read much of the Bible, I find that I don’t need to “interpret” much. There is not a lot left to the imagination. This seems to be by design…God chose normal people to write the Bible (some priests but also fisherman, tax collector, shepherd, etc…) because it was to be read by normal people. Why then do we need a priest or other clergy to “interpret” it for us?
- This mindset sounds a bit “cultish”. In researching how cults are able to draw people in, I have found that use of the Bible is common, but then power is drawn away from the Bible and to the leader(s) followed by extra-biblical doctrine. This sounds like the RCC in a nutshell.
The Bible is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. we are to use it as “food” for our spiritual life, all of our earthly existence. We never outgrow our need for the Bible.
Your accusations are nothing less than an attempt to start a “raging” argument. Your denial of that is merely your way of saying that your mind can’t be changed on your biases. So, what are you doing here?
T
Tom
Guest
The percentages stated refer to Sunday only, not including weekday Masses. If you refer to the official lectionary you’ll find the passages NOT included on this web site included in weekday Masses.
Find a verse that is not included and check it against the lectionary at:
catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/index.html
A
Ani_Ibi
Guest
If that is true then why do Protestants need preachers to explain the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew words/concepts? Why do they need a hermeneutic as selective and lacking in the big picture as this? Why do they need preachers or hermeneutics at all?
:doh2: D-oh!
Thing is that Protestantism has an institutional presence in its various traditions and magisteria. And those actually overpower Sola Scriptura in actual practice.
- Status