Why do Catholics beleive they can't read the bible

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johnhenrykane

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Hi everybody,
I’m a Catholic returning to the Church after being away forty years. My mother and I returned in 2003 after being gone since we left, slowly leaving by leaving St. James the Greater in St. Louis and going to Kirkwood public school and only attending Christmas and Easter, till our family broke up six years later. I returned after much study. It was extensive study of the Holy Scriptures that I found out where I was attending and all the popular TV churches were not teaching what was in the scripture. Having had many conversations with devout Catholics that believed they should not read the bible, for fear the would get strange ideas, I found that Pope Benedict the XVI told Catholics to read the Holy Scripture. Our Apostalate teaches us to call on the Holy Spirit when reading Church teaching.
Jesus said “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge”. If your heart is evil or even spiteful you can try to twist anything for your own benefit. Father Carapi said he found that Catholics did not know their faith. So I say get online and learn your faith find out what your church really believes so you will not be fooled by someone that tells you Catholics believe this or that.
1 Protestants sell more indulgences than Catholics.they say that giving them money will bring you favor with God.
2 Protestants all have their magisterim and leaders who represent God.
3 No Protestant denomination goes by Scripture alone in fact only Roman Catholic Church believes every word of the bible. Each Group has books explaining why this scripture or that is not correct or not for our time.
4 Catholics do not pray to the dead, God is the God of Abram, Issac, and Jacob, He is not a God of the Dead but of the living (The Gospel of St. Mark 12:27)
5 Those who are baptized in Christ will go from life to life.
6To pray to some one is a respectful communication, to day when we petition the courts we pray to the Courts and that doesn’t mean we are worshiping them
7 If you love your mother how much more does Jesus love Mary and because Mary does the will of God she will always be our mother Christ said My mother and brothers are those who do the will of God.
8 Catholics do not pray to the dead they are alive in Christ Jesus.
9 Those who claim to know the bible will fool those who do not know it, so don’t trust in man trust in God the author and finisher of our faith, for He Himself will teach you, knock and the door will be opened , seek and you will find, ask and it will be given to you.
10 The reason the Pope is infallible in doctrine is not his position but rather because God Himself watches over His word to see it’s fulfilled.
11 It takes the average reader 40 hours to read the bible cover to cover if they don’t read all the comments, then when you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Vatican Documents and the Encyclicals of the Popes you will be able to say amen
 
Catholics are allowed to read the Bible, But they are not allowed to decifer it for themselves , the Church says it must do it for us.
 
Hi I don’t believe your correct about the Church not allowing us decipher it, please show me the official teaching on that
 
Our Pope Benidict XVI said
"I invite you - and so I conclude - to welcome into your hearts the
teaching of this great master of faith. He reminds us with deep
delight that in the prayerful reading of Scripture and in consistent
commitment to life, the Church is ever renewed and rejuvenated. The
Word of God, which never ages and is never exhausted, is a privileged
means to this end. Indeed, it is the Word of God, through the action
of the Holy Spirit, which always guides us to the whole truth (cf.
Benedict XVI, Address at the International Congress for the 40th
Anniversary of Dei Verbum, L’Osservatore Romano English edition, 21
September 2005, p. 7).

"And let us pray to the Lord that he will give us thinkers,
theologians and exegetes who discover this multifaceted dimension,
this ongoing timeliness of Sacred Scripture, its newness for today.
Let us pray that the Lord will help us to read Sacred Scripture in a
prayerful way, to be truly nourished with the true Bread of Life, with
his Word. "
 
johnhenrykane said:
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We Catholics DO believe that we can read the bible.

But since private revelation is always to be checked against public revelation (which comes to us via the Magisterium), we must check what we THINK we have come to understand by reading the bible with our betters who are more experienced, by about 200 years, so that we’ll understand what we’ve read as well as possible.

If our “private revelation” is in error, which is quite possible, then we are corrected, and have confidence that, regardless of our “mood” at any the time of reading, we will always be correctly guided in our journey towards the truth. 🙂
 
according to the sayings of our fathers,Sacred Scripture is principally written in the churchs heart rather than in documents and records, for the church carries in her tradition the living memorial of Gods word, and it is the Holy spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the scripture according to the spiritual meaning which the spirit grants to the church.
The majority of us misinterpret the Bible
 
Hi I understand what you are trying to say, but I believe it is not the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. I believe the official teaching is that the Holy Spirit is the official interpreter of Holy Scripture, yes I will agree that there is no private interpretation of scripture, but the Holy Scripture is a language between God and Mankind and God is able to use the Holy Scripture to speak to us in our current situation, for It is alive, the Holy Scripture is alive, It is the Word of God, Christ is the Word of God. So there will never be any confusion or difference between the Holy Scripture and the true teaching of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, but to our dismay their are many voices in our Church that speak their own opinion and these teachings have caused confusion and strife in our Church. I saw on EWTN a few months ago on the World over where there were many famous Catholics talking on Church doctrine. “Is it a sin to have homosexual tendencies if they did not act out the sin” out of the group only one knew the correct answer, but all spoke there own opinion,they all agreed to a popular false teaching that it was not a sin if one did not act out the tendencies, only Arch Bishop Burke knew the true teaching og the Roman Catholic Church, which is exactly what the scripture say’s, he said “It’s an abomination” Romans 1:13, You might still not be convinced, if a man looks on a woman lustfully he commits adultery even though he does not act it out, so like wise if a man looks on another man lustfully it’s a sin, the danger with many voices Catholics do not know their faith
 
The number of men & woman who have deep seated tendencies is not negligible. They do Not choose their homosexual condition, for most of them it is a trial.They must be accepted with
respect,compassion & sensitivity. It is not sinful in itself that they are homosexual, they are just forbidden to practice what the church calls disordered acts.
Homosexuals are called to holiness, & Chasity
I personally believe they are part of Gods plan, they have been noted throughout history & the fact that there are so many of them in all the far corners of this earth, & the fact that they are that way through no fault of their own makes me believe this
 
johnhenrykane said:
Hi I understand what you are trying to say, but I believe it is not the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.
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You are correct, our current Pope much encourages we read Scripture as long as we do so in light of Catholic interpretation principles. What lay people cannot do is define interpretations on behalf of the Church.

Artlcle:
*Reflecting on what the Church of today can learn from Jerome, the Pope said, "Above all I think it is this: to love the word of God in sacred Scripture. St. Jerome said, ‘To ignore Scripture is to ignore Christ.’

"That is why it is important that every Christian live in contact and in personal dialogue with the word of God, given to us in sacred Scripture."

Benedict XVI said this dialogue should have a personal and a communal dimension: “It should be truly personal, because God speaks to each of us through sacred Scripture and has a message for each of us. We shouldn’t read sacred Scripture as a word from the past, but rather as the word of God addressed even to us, and we must try to understand what the Lord is telling us.”

He added: "We must also keep in mind that the word of God is given to us in order to build communion, to unite us in the truth along our way to God.

“Therefore, despite the fact that it is always a personal word, it is also a word that builds community, and that builds the Church itself. Therefore, we should read it in communion with the living Church.”*
 
Hi I’m sorry you feel bad about the teaching of the Church, if I am wrong show me the official teachings, but if you want to see it on EWTN they have back logs in audio, If Archbishop was wrong why was he promoted to the highest court in the world, Please don’t feel bad we all sin ans have a advocate who is Christ, many people are caught in sin from the acts of others, we are all born in sin from Adams act. but it’s only the truth that will set people free, if I would ell my brother it’s not a sin to crave cocaine I would be a liar and be enabling his addiction and hindering his healing, please never act without love, and we are never to judge the person but we are always called to the truth which is the only way to be free.Ao you are obviously a person of compassion, but use you gifts to help Christ and his Church deliver a victim of deception, God never made a person sin neither does he tempt any one.But all are called to perfection and the truth of Christ will set them free, Love concurs all, please please read the Holy Scriptures but first Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church Article 3 Sacred Scripture it will help you realize we are called to Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to read it with you, you can trust the Holy Spirit. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word out of the mouth of God, it will empower you and make the Mass fantastic, you can read along with daily mass readings, but don’t stop with the daily verses read the whole books they are written in. Your light will shine brighter than before.
your servant
 
Marco Polo has said it more clearly than I can,
thank you
your servant
 
There are many parts of the Bible that is open to our own interpretation, however the Church has taken up the cross FOR us over the millenia of understanding scripture and much of it is given to us so we can understand the true meanings of scripture and why it is like that.

Understanding scripture is not like cracking open a 9th grade poetry book as some seem to think it is, it is not an easy book by any means firstly because it was written in a culture that is far, far removed from the culture that we know and thus has much hyperbole that is not understood without looking at it through the right theological lens. Sure some parts are as plain as day, but not a lot is. Secondly one must understand the language barriers, english is a very recent language if I can say that in terms of its development, it also lacks some characteristics of latin and especially ancient greek. Some confusing examples when translated to english can be seen by Matthew 1:25 and John 9:18 in parallel.

Thirdly, it’s safer to read something interpreted by people who have been given the authority to do so, thinking that you can open a book and that God has left it up to you to decipher a 2000 year old book in a translated version and understand a culture that you have never experienced or knew about in historical terms is a no go zone.

I’m speak in the third person here, not condemning anyone, just pointing out the limitations of what happens when people decide to take on that heavy task afresh of understanding scripture purely by themselves. Error is sure to follow.
 
CatsAndDogs said:
We Catholics DO believe that we can read the bible.

But since private revelation is always to be checked against public revelation (which comes to us via the Magisterium), we must check what we THINK we have come to understand by reading the bible with our betters who are more experienced, by about 200 years, so that we’ll understand what we’ve read as well as possible.
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Ughhhhhh! Je suis idiot! (which is undoubtedly very bad french) What I meant was, “…we must check what we THINK we know from our reading against those who DO know what our reading means (the Magisterium), who are 2000 (TWO THOUSAND) years more experienced than we are!”

(( That’s what I get for not using the “Preview Post” button! Grrrrrrrrrr! ))
 
It is clear this is a good question. And it is true Catholics do not know their faith. Rumors spread like a plague in the Church, no one will bother finding out the truth. So I will try again to inspire you to read your Sacred Scriptures, and “Be not afraid”. When they Crucified our Lord (“The Word of God”), the curtain in the temple for the Holy of Hollies was torn,split down the middle. No longer do we have to go through another man to seek Our Father In Heaven, Jesus said “trust in God and also in me”. If our Pope say’s to read the Holy Scripture and trust in the Holy Spirit, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church says to Read the Sacred Scripture which is interpreted by the Holy Spirit, then stop being afraid, if you believe your heart so evil you will start a new rebellion, go the the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and start over, stop spreading confusion and fear, It is written If you being a good father and your son asked for a piece of bread will you give him a snake, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who asks. If you are a good catholic then listen to Pope Benedict the XVI who has said over and over You will receive Power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. The Holy Catholic Church is in pain from false teaching,the teaching of men nullifying the Word of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly says to read the whole Scripture, Protestants do not read the whole scripture nor do they believe it. They say it was written along time ago and different culture so we can’t trust it or believe. The official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church is it is not dead but alive It is the Word of God and transcends the ages. It is not only infallible but it is Christ, The Word of God.God said " I change not!" Heaven and earth will pass away before one dot of the Word passes away. Thousands of Martyrs have given their lives, their life blood so you could have what you dis guard so lightly and collects dust. Yet you say I am one of His servants. Listen the Church was created to serve Christ (The Word of God). So when you go to Mass and bow your head remember as the Gospels pass by you who it is you claim to serve.
Your servant
 
I may not be the authority you may need to hear from, I have studied the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Vatican II documents, Cannon Law, Encyclicals of our latest Popes. and the Holy Scriptures, but I’m only fifty two, so you could listen to my mentor who has served the Church for fifty years and my senior by registering at the website I serve and reading “The Manual” an adult education formation process. For I don’t know everything, and I could be wrong, so I hope you will check it out. Celebrating Life As a Catholic Christian Process claccp.org
 
CatsAndDogs said:
We Catholics DO believe that we can read the bible.

But since private revelation is always to be checked against public revelation (which comes to us via the Magisterium), we must check what we THINK we have come to understand by reading the bible with our betters who are more experienced, by about 200 years, so that we’ll understand what we’ve read as well as possible.

If our “private revelation” is in error, which is quite possible, then we are corrected, and have confidence that, regardless of our “mood” at any the time of reading, we will always be correctly guided in our journey towards the truth. 🙂
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Is ‘private revelation’ different from reading a passage, and going, “Hmm, this passage makes me think of thus-and-such!”
 
Sailor_Kenshin said:
Is ‘private revelation’ different from reading a passage, and going, “Hmm, this passage makes me think of thus-and-such!”
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No, that is private revelation. 🙂

When a reading makes us “think of thus-and-such”, the “thus-and-such” could be correct or incorrect.

ANY conclusion drawn from reading (any writing, actually, but especially of scripture) must be checked against public revelation as interpreted by the Church (given to us via the Magisterium) for it’s “truth value”.

Why do you ask? 🙂
 
johnhenrykane said:
Having had many conversations with devout Catholics that believed they should not read the bible, for fear the would get strange ideas, I found that Pope Benedict the XVI told Catholics to read the Holy Scripture.
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johnhenry, first of all, I do not mean to be impolite or condescending at all, but if I may offer a suggestion, your posts would be more palatable if you were to break them down into smaller chunks - sentences and paragraphs - particularly the latter.

Your ‘stream of consciousness’ literary style is not easy to follow.

The idea of Catholics not being allowed the Bible originated in the days before mechanical printing, when any Bible available to the general public was almost certainly bogus and very likely heretical. In the English-speaking world, that era ended when the Douay-Rheims translation hit the stands, with the Protestant KJV not far behind.

Today, as far as I know, the Church views itself as ‘explaining’ the Bible rather than ‘interpreting’ it, and I think this is the view of most ‘mainline’ Protestant denoms also. Many difficult passages are easily untangled by those familiar with the original languages and the times in which they were written. I’m not sure about ‘decipher’ - that makes it sound like it’s written in some sort of secret code, which it’s not.

It is rather the Protestant Fundamentalists whose mindset seems to be, ‘Every word of the Bible is literally true, but it doesn’t mean what it says, it means something else entirely.’ That is ‘interpretation’ in the worst sense of the word.
 
CatsAndDogs said:
No, that is private revelation. 🙂

When a reading makes us “think of thus-and-such”, the “thus-and-such” could be correct or incorrect.

ANY conclusion drawn from reading (any writing, actually, but especially of scripture) must be checked against public revelation as interpreted by the Church (given to us via the Magisterium) for it’s “truth value”.

Why do you ask? 🙂
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Because frequently when I read a Biblical passage it makes me wonder about certain aspects of my life, or reminds me of things that occurred in the past.

And you’re telling me this constitutes ‘private revelation?’ Isn’t that a bit like saying, “Sure you can read the Bible, but you can’t THINK about it.”
 
I only read the first couple of posts so I am probably behind on the discussion here. But I do want to give my perspective because I have some strong feelings on this.

I converted to the Church a few of years ago, and I must say that all the research that I have done that led me to the Catholic Church has always pointed to the fact that the Church has strongly encouraged Catholics to read the Bible. From the teaching office of the Catholic Church I have **never ever ever ever ever **gotten any signs that Catholics should not read the Bible. I have some very old Catholic study Bibles and there are strong statements made in the prefaces and introductions from Popes and Bishops that Catholics need to read the Bible everyday. So I am amazed when I hear similar statements. I believe that this terrible habit that some Catholics have followed through the years is not Church teaching at all, but some cop out that some Catholics have chosen to take, and or a misguided instruction that innocent Catholics never questioned or challenged.
 
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