Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?

[NPS]

NPS,

God Bless you. Its not just about reading the Bible, its about writing God’s Words on your heart and passing that on to your children.

Would you not agree that failure to do so would constitute a spiritual form of child abuse that would have eternal consequences?

How do you write God’s Word upon your heart? How do you pass that on to your children?

Clear,
The passage you used is Moses explaining the covenant. It says nothing about scripture. It says nothing about what would become the bible thousands of years later. What does your phrase “writing God’s words on your heart” mean?!?!?!?!?

How do we pass God’s word on to our children?

Surely by teaching them.

Does anyone-----ANYONE----simply toss a bible to their kid and say—“It’s all yours, see you in twenty years when you’ve figured out all the answers”

?? ? ?? ? ? ? ?

No one----NO ONE----in the world does that. Passing on the faith to others, including children, is based almost exclusively on oral instruction and by living example. Has any church ever gotten together by just walking in, sitting down, all privately reading the bible for an hour, then getting up and going home? Of course not.

This thread is supposed to be about:
“Why do most Catholics not know the bible well?”

For my part, I take the statement to further mean “as opposed to other denominations”. Many of us think the statement as such is poppycock. If you agree with the statement, then state the reasons WHY.

If you agree with the statement, then post information about how you come to this conclusion.

There are a few things to focus on:
1- Is it true that most Catholics do not know the bible well?

2-Is it true that most non-Catholics know the bible better than Catholics?

3-If it is true that Catholics as a whole know the bible less than their christian brethren, why is that so?

4-What evidence does anyone have to back up or refute these statements?

For my part, I take the statement to further mean “as opposed to other denominations”. I personally believe that Catholics do not as a whole know the bible well, but I don’t see them as any different than anyone else in that regard.
I gave my opinion based on years of personal experience interacting with various denominations, both in apologetic and conversational settings.

Focus the discussion or this thread will close very soon I’m sure.

 

[Bishopite]

Bishopite,

Would be so kind as to provide one concrete example of an oral tradition passed on from Paul that is not written down in scripture?

Your Brother in Christ,
cg99

Sorry for not getting back to you. I was in another thread. To understand what Paul passed as oral Tradtion which would also be in sink with the other Apostles we would have to look to his successors or in your case to the next generation of disciples; the early Church.
Paul certainly drew from oral Tradition and nowhere in Scripture does it say that oral Tradition ceased. That revelation ceased at the death of the last Apostle is NOT because it says so in Scripture but because the Catholic Church tells us.

"1 Corinthians 10:4
Paul shows how Christian sacraments—baptism and the Eucharist—were prefigured in the Old Testament. He treats baptism first: “Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (vv. 1-2). Next he highlights the Eucharist, prefigured by the manna in the wilderness (v.3; cf. John 6:26-40), and the water that God provided for Israel: “All drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).
The Old Testament says nothing about any movement of the rock that Moses struck to provide water for the Israelites (Ex. 17:1-7, Num. 20:2-13), but in rabbinic Tradition the rock actually followed them on their journey through the wilderness. In a further development, another Tradition, given by Philo, even equates this rock with preexistent Wisdom: “For the flinty rock is the Wisdom of God, which he marked off highest and chiefest from his powers, and from which he satisfies the thirsty souls that love God.”
It seems that Paul is drawing on this Tradition, but he elevates it to even a higher level. Christ himself was the Rock who provided for the people of Israel, which in turn makes their rebellion all the more heinous (1 Cor. 10:5ff.). Paul does not hesitate to draw on stock oral Tradition to illustrate and enhance his presentation of the gospel. The details provided in these Traditions preserved under the Old Covenant shed fresh light on the preparation that God made through Israel for the building of his Church and on the characteristics of the Christian sacraments."
chnetwork.org/journals/sola/sola8.htm

 

[Bishopite]

Clear,
The passage you used is Moses explaining the covenant. It says nothing about scripture. It says nothing about what would become the bible thousands of years later. What does your phrase “writing God’s words on your heart” mean?!?!?!?!?

How do we pass God’s word on to our children?

Surely by teaching them.

Does anyone-----ANYONE----simply toss a bible to their kid and say—“It’s all yours, see you in twenty years when you’ve figured out all the answers”

?? ? ?? ? ? ? ?

No one----NO ONE----in the world does that. Passing on the faith to others, including children, is based almost exclusively on oral instruction and by living example. Has any church ever gotten together by just walking in, sitting down, all privately reading the bible for an hour, then getting up and going home? Of course not.

This thread is supposed to be about:
“Why do most Catholics not know the bible well?”

For my part, I take the statement to further mean “as opposed to other denominations”. Many of us think the statement as such is poppycock. If you agree with the statement, then state the reasons WHY.

If you agree with the statement, then post information about how you come to this conclusion.

There are a few things to focus on:
1- Is it true that most Catholics do not know the bible well?

2-Is it true that most non-Catholics know the bible better than Catholics?

3-If it is true that Catholics as a whole know the bible less than their christian brethren, why is that so?

4-What evidence does anyone have to back up or refute these statements?

For my part, I take the statement to further mean “as opposed to other denominations”. I personally believe that Catholics do not as a whole know the bible well, but I don’t see them as any different than anyone else in that regard.
I gave my opinion based on years of personal experience interacting with various denominations, both in apologetic and conversational settings.

Focus the discussion or this thread will close very soon I’m sure.

Wow…I do agree that we are getting off of the subject.

 

[cleargospel99]

NPS,

**What degree of Bible literacy is normative for the Christian?
**

So what if I bring a different perspective. Have I challenged you even a little bit? Shouldn’t a thread be interesting. From my upbringing, the Word of God is at the center of our Worship, so Bible literacy is highly valued in my faith tradition. Maybe you can learn something from me.

Are you committed to dealing exclusively with people who already agree with you—doesn’t make for a strong apologetic, do you think?

I didn’t come to denigrate Roman Catholics, I came to learn from them, and perhaps shed a little light and help clear the cobwebs.

The Bible informs my entire worldview, it the cornerstone of my intellect precisely because it is the Word of God.

Be a good Berean as Paul commanded the Thessalonians.

Go back and read my posts, I have been far more respectful to others than they have been to me.

However we are commanded by the Word of God to be ONE. That means we have an obligation to put past animosities aside make an honest effort to understand where the other guy is coming from and reach out for reconciliation.

Shout me down if you must, but then that would make you no different than the “slobbering fundies” you despise. Would it?

 

[Fidelis]

Fidelis,
I was actually giving you a break by expanding the pool to any apostle and not limiting you exclusively to Paul.

Just produce the body: One unescripturated Tradition that is undisputably Apostolic in origin.

That isn’t what you asked, but since you are asking now I can tell you there have been several dozen threads in these forums on just that subject. Use the little ol’ search feature, and have fun.

Judgement comes to those who don’t know Scripture.

Romans 1:28-31
28Furthermore, **since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, **he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

 

[NPS]

Clear,
Seriously, dude…Is this your first time on a message board?

No one is shouting you down. Start a thread about whichever subject you wish—just try to stick to the subject.

You’ve only challenged one thing so far—my patience. And for the record—YOU are the one who wrote “slobbering Fundies”, not I.
And I certainly DO NOT “despise” any fellow Christians, however lacking in coherency or charity.

Focus, man! I’m beginning to think you’re a friend of mine playing a joke on all of us.

 

[Bishopite]

NPS,

What degree of Bible literacy is normative for the Christian?

So what if I bring a different perspective. Have I challenged you even a little bit? Shouldn’t a thread be interesting. From my upbringing, the Word of God is at the center of our Worship, so Bible literacy is highly valued in my faith tradition. Maybe you can learn something from me.

Are you committed to dealing exclusively with people who already agree with you—doesn’t make for a strong apologetic, do you think?

I didn’t come to denigrate Roman Catholics, I came to learn from them, and perhaps shed a little light and help clear the cobwebs.

The Bible informs my entire worldview, it the cornerstone of my intellect precisely because it is the Word of God.

Be a good Berean as Paul commanded the Thessalonians.

Go back and read my posts, I have been far more respectful to others than they have been to me.

However we are commanded by the Word of God to be ONE. That means we have an obligation to put past animosities aside make an honest effort to understand where the other guy is coming from and reach out for reconciliation.

Shout me down if you must, but then that would make you no different than the “slobbering fundies” you despise. Would it?

I don’t think that anyone is actively trying to shut you down. You have the freedom as anyone else to voice your views and disagree in the CA forums and your welcome to; others also have the freedom to disagree or agree. I hope that you understand that we are here to dialogue and sometimes some people get a little emotional (I am the first to admit that I do that sometimes, which is wrong) but for most of us we already know what we believe and why we believe it, so we can have a civilized conversation and act Christ-like without going overboard.

Originally Posted by cleargospel99
Fidelis,
I was actually giving you a break by expanding the pool to any apostle and not limiting you exclusively to Paul.

Just produce the body: One unescripturated Tradition that is undisputably Apostolic in origin.

The canon.
No where is a list of the canon inscripturated in the Bible.
No where does the Bible give the criteria as to how the canon was recognized and or chosen.
No one knows who wrote the book of Hebrews yet it is part of the canon and infallible truth.
All of these and others are known from Apostolic Tradition passed down by the Holy Spirit through the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

 

[Zooey]

Originally Posted by cleargospel99 forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif
… a* quote from the Westminster Confession of Faith:*** IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself; … consistent with the very Church of Rome itself as described in Jim Akin’s article right here: catholic.com/thisrock/2001/0101bt.asp … Christians please read your bible because God told you to do it

Church Militant, my brother, where is the love?

Luke 16:19-31 applies to all of us Christians, each and everyone. God has spoken and given us His Word for all time.

**How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word. **

What more can He say than to you He has said. To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.

God Bless you always.
cg99

Would our Sola Scriptura brother be so kind as to tell us where he got these quotes?
See, the thing is, Clear, that when you argue for Scripture interpreting Scripture, you have to use nothing but Scripture to prove it…
You can’t drag out a catechism & a hymnbook to argue your case for you, because, by your own rules, everything has to come from the Bible…not the Westminster Confession of Faith, & certainly not http://bestsmileys.com/movingeyes/2.gif Rippon’s “A Selection of Hymns” (1787)…
Now, you can say that’s not loving, that’s not fair, all you like; but the fact is,:tsktsk: when you set out to prove that the **only **interpretator of the Bible that you need **is **the Bible, you have to be able to use only the Bible to prove it…

 

[Athanasiy]

The man is miserable creature if the Bible is given to him for the proving and quoting it every where.
He is miserable creature , because he is busy , not with the thing which God ordained him.
God ordained the man to follow what the Church of Christ teaches him.
To Love,to believe, to forgive, to sacrifice, to have a joy, to have a peace, to be patient in suffering.
To put his trust on Gods Mercy.
But the powers of Darkness , who brought the Theological Chaos, multiple Spiritualities, and
Inability of proper Discerning, are trying to prove that we need a Book not the Church.
The Bible proving and the Bible quoting is a Mission of the Church authorities.
Not the mission of every body , who is brainswashed by the sectarian guide-pamphlets.
The Bible today is the subject of many speculation.
The Doctrinal,Prophetical, Theological , Eschatological speculations.
With the Bible You can fool any body, no matter his Intellectual, cultural , educational level.
Because You are dealing with the subject which can not be proved by the usual method.
The Biblical Theology is not a subject who can be tested or examined by the usual measure.
In order to believe You need a Faith.
In order to have a faith, the Christ left the Church.
Praise the Lord.
The Christ left the Church not a book.
Why do You think he left the Church ?
That every body could be Bible proving and Bible quoting oppositioner ?

( I defend the Catholic Position , because I am potential Catholic.)

 

[cleargospel99]

Athanasiy,

By what means do you determine which Church is the infallible Church?

Mormons, JWs, Orthodox, all claim the same infallible authority over scripture. And if you acknowledge that the Orthodox chuches and the Roman Catholic church were the united until c. 1000 AD why are they no longer in communion? Pick’em

The truth is that God gave us His Word. He didn’t promise an infallible bureaucracy. If we place our trust in the institution rather than in God’s Holy Word, then IMHO we are practicing a form of idolatry.

I can tell you, that if you think the Holy Spirit is the exclusive domain of the this group or that group you are tragically mistaken.

Unless the believer puts his faith in God’s Word, then he stumbles in darkness, groping for answers he can’t begin to understand.

God’s Holy Word provides the context for everything.

Matthew 5:17-20

17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

To keep things on topic, Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?

Is it because they trust institutions of men rather than the Word of God?

 

[Mannyfit75]

Athanasiy,

By what means do you determine which Church is the infallible Church?

Mormons, JWs, Orthodox, all claim the same infallible authority over scripture. And if you acknowledge that the Orthodox chuches and the Roman Catholic church were the united until c. 1000 AD why are they no longer in communion? Pick’em

The truth is that God gave us His Word. He didn’t promise an infallible bureaucracy. If we place our trust in the institution rather than in God’s Holy Word, then IMHO we are practicing a form of idolatry.

I can tell you, that if you think the Holy Spirit is the exclusive domain of the this group or that group you are tragically mistaken.

Unless the believer puts his faith in God’s Word, then he stumbles in darkness, groping for answers he can’t begin to understand.

God’s Holy Word provides the context for everything.

Matthew 5:17-20

17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

To keep things on topic, Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?

Is it because they trust institutions of men rather than the Word of God?

Most Catholics here know the Bible. I have read it many times as well as others. Second, the Catholic Church for 2,000 yrs is only Church founded by Jesus Christ. Jesus established a Church and built it upon Peter, and the Apostle. They in turn pass it down to their successors.

The Successors in turn compile a list of canon of Scripture in the Council of Rome, Hippo, and Carthage.

The Bible you have now, especially was decreed by the Church, especially the NT.

While the majority of the Catholics don’t know their Bible, most Catholics in this forum do.

 

[maryjk]

To keep things on topic, Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?

Is it because they trust institutions of men rather than the Word of God?

After reading 130+ posts, I can tell you as a Catholic that the statement, " MOST Catholics do not know the bible well," is a lie.

I may not be able to quote chapter and verse to prove a point, but I know what the bible says.

Protestants seem to know the chapter and verse simply to prove others wrong.

Making a statement like, “Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?,” and having someone try to prove it wrong is like saying, “MOST Protestants think that divorce is fine and not an issue in our society.” and asking Protestants to prove it wrong.

 

[cleargospel99]

Would our Sola Scriptura brother be so kind as to tell us where he got these quotes?
See, the thing is, Clear, that when you argue for Scripture interpreting Scripture, you have to use nothing but Scripture to prove it…
You can’t drag out a catechism & a hymnbook to argue your case for you, because, by your own rules, everything has to come from the Bible…not the Westminster Confession of Faith, & certainly not http://bestsmileys.com/movingeyes/2.gif Rippon’s “A Selection of Hymns” (1787)…
Now, you can say that’s not loving, that’s not fair, all you like; but the fact is,:tsktsk: when you set out to prove that the **only **interpretator of the Bible that you need **is **the Bible, you have to be able to use only the Bible to prove it…

Zooey,
Yes my dear that is the first stanza of one of my very favorite and very old hymns. It is the bumper music for a long running radio program, Through the Bible Radio, by Dr. J. Vernon Magee.

Growing up, Christian radio was on from the moment my parents got up until dinner time. Not only did we read the bible for ourselves but we listened to it preached constantly, what a blessing that was. Because they passed on that legacy and let God write his Word on my heart while I was very young indeed.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

( I was going to quote from my trusty Tyndale edition, but I think the poor guy was killed before he could get to Proverbs— )

Now Zooey, please don’t put words in my mouth, I do not think you are being unfair, only a bit disingenuous.

As I’ve stated elsewhere in this post, the real doctrine **Sola Scriptura as defined in the WCoF, does not claim to be the ONLY rule of faith, but the only INFALLIBLE rule of faith. **That is, any rule of faith, is subject to testing and discernment, this is infact what the Bible teaches.
1 Thess 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Having been thoroughly chastised and repenting of my sin, I am now returning the discussion to the topic at hand.

Zooey, why don’t you know your Bible better?

 

[Bennie_P]

Interestingly, many Protestants who really read the Bible (as opposed to those who memorize a few passages) often times end up becoming Catholic (like myself).

I have always had trouble memorizing scripture chapter and verse, and other works of literture. That was troubling when I was a Baptist.

 

[Mannyfit75]

After reading 130+ posts, I can tell you as a Catholic that the statement, " MOST Catholics do not know the bible well," is a lie.

I may not be able to quote chapter and verse to prove a point, but I know what the bible says.

Protestants seem to know the chapter and verse simply to prove others wrong.

Making a statement like, “Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?,” and having someone try to prove it wrong is like saying, “MOST Protestants think that divorce is fine and not an issue in our society.” and asking Protestants to prove it wrong.

Let me point out that Protestants here only point out Scripture chapter of verse to support their own “MAN-MADE doctrines” and can cite supposed chapter and verse that contradict Catholic doctrine.

Protestants themselves don’t know the Bible in its Fullness.

 

[Goblin_Taters]

I realize that there are also Protestants who do not know their Bibles well, as well as Protestants who may know the texts of the Bible but not understand the content of the Bible.

This said, I do believe there are reasons for why MOST Catholics do not know the Bible well.

1. Catholics generally are not encouraged to read the Bible as if their lives depended on it. How often do Catholic priests in their homilies encouraged the congregation to look up passages in the Bible, or to devoutly read the Word of God every day, and so on? There are some priests out there, yes, but generally my experience has been that the homilies rarely step out of the content of the daily reading(s).

While the word is read aloud and sung in the liturgy, and while a person attending the liturgy may see Biblical connections throughout, the average Catholic does not often open his Bible to see how everything fits together within a wider context. The Catholic may know most or all the stories of the NT, but he does not know how they figure within the wider context of a book, a collection of epistles, the NT, the OT and the Bible as a whole.

1. There is a lingering emphasis on living a sacramental life over that of learning the word of God. True, the word is present in the sacraments and is an integral part of them, but oftentimes in Catholicism more attention is drawn to the sacrament itself and its effects (the correct matter, the forgiveness of mortal sin, forgiveness of venial sin, washing away of sin, receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit, being fortigied with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc.), rather than to the word itself which, especially in the mind of say, a Lutheran-minded individual, is that which fills the sacrament with the power of the Spirit.
2. Intimidation: Catholics are taught that the Bible is the Word of God, and to be revered. However, as a response to Protestantism, and perhaps not without support in the Bible, Catholics are told that the Bible is a difficult book to understand. Catholics are warned against individualist interpretations, and are instead advised to think with the Mind of the Church, which discerns between false and true interpretations of Scripture. Why read, study and know Scripture, a very complicated and ancient Book, if it’s already been interpretted by the Church and condensed into catechetical and dogmatic formulae that is much more accessible to modern man?

 

[Athanasiy]

Athanasiy,

By what means do you determine which Church is the infallible Church?

Mormons, JWs, Orthodox, all claim the same infallible authority over scripture. And if you acknowledge that the Orthodox chuches and the Roman Catholic church were the united until c. 1000 AD why are they no longer in communion? Pick’em

The truth is that God gave us His Word. He didn’t promise an infallible bureaucracy. If we place our trust in the institution rather than in God’s Holy Word, then IMHO we are practicing a form of idolatry.

I can tell you, that if you think the Holy Spirit is the exclusive domain of the this group or that group you are tragically mistaken.

Unless the believer puts his faith in God’s Word, then he stumbles in darkness, groping for answers he can’t begin to understand.

God’s Holy Word provides the context for everything.

Matthew 5:17-20

17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

To keep things on topic, Why do MOST Catholics not know bible well?

Is it because they trust institutions of men rather than the Word of God?

I believe that Christ left the Catholic Church who is from the beginning .
Its a tragedy that the Eastern Church is not in Unity with the Western Church.
They have to search the way to heal that division.
But we, Protestants and Evangelicals are guilty against the Society.
We preach unpreachable.
We demand impossible.
We call for the unreal .
We are guilty against the Society.
We preach Individualism.
It looks like the stupid parents, who are going to divorce,and who are terrorizing the child and say to him, whom do You love more, with whom do You want to stay.
We have no right to terrorise the child like this !
That child is the society.
Society among whom there are blind, illiterate.
There are simple people.
There are simple people, more then half of the SIMPLE PEOPLE who never will be able to get the clue , who is right among the Labyrinths of sects.

Who have a right for the clear understanding of Spirituality, Family, Morality,Church, Salvation.
God did every thing from his side, from the beginning.
Starting from the conversion of the Roman Empire .
But man with his sinfulness is trying to make the things so complex , so different, so tricky.

We have a Church.
What else do we need ?

 

[Mannyfit75]

The Catholic Church teaches that Catholics need to interpret the Bible in the light of the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Magisterium. I think it is cited in Dei Verbum, or the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelations written in 18 Nov 1965

 

[cleargospel99]

Bishopite,
May God bless you my brother,

I want to commend you for your efforts to answer the question. You exposition of 1 Cor 10:4 is familiar. However both baptism and the eucharist are clearly explained elsewhere in the Holy Scripture, so neither one qualifies as an unenscripturated Apostolic tradition.

Further, I wish to recognize your willingness to tone down the invective and concentrate, somewhat dispassionately on the facts.

We are commanded, in the Holy Scripture by our Lord to be ONE in the faith. Remembering always that it is our fallen human nature, not the Word of God, that causes divisions amoung us who believe in the bodily ressurrection of Christ.

The canon issue is a long one, well documented and researched, by authorities much more qualified than myself. The resources are endless, but are alas outside the scope of this thread. (NPS how I am doing?) If you would like to discuss that issue further, I would be willing to take it off line and provide more information via email. That goes for anybody else who might be interested.

Finally, can you tell if people are actually reading what I write or just looking for some phrase they can pounce on.

Remember my brother that the righteous shall live by faith, and that faith comes by hearing, and that the hearing of God’s Word. May it be preached to you faithfully from his Holy Word.

Getting back to the Thread topic: If as you say that you were raised Protestant then became a Roman Catholic, then did you abandon the Biblical world view or did it survive your conversion?

Your Brother in Christ,
cg99

 

[Bennie_P]

When I first accepted the idea of Christ being my redemptor (as a protestant/Baptist)I use to have these scripture memory cards which I carried around trying to memorizing scripture. Looking back I see now I spent a lot of wasted time trying to memorize the scripture instead of trying to understnad what the scripture was trying to teach me. Otherwise I was collecting words but not the true understanding of the words.

During that time I thought I was interpreting the scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit, what I was really doing was learning how to defend somone elses interpretations, and that was those around me that I put my trust in. I assumed they knew what they were talking about, but in reality they were doing the same as I was.

Now as a Catholic I find that many cradle-Catholics might not know(but many do) scripture by chapter & verse but know complete stories from the Bible and in context. Many of my Protestant freinds may know chapter & verse of a lot of scripture, but they tend to ignore scripture that doesn’t “fit” their beliefs and doctrines or the original context of the scripture.

Personally I like the idea how through the Sunday and daily readings we follow the liturgical year which in itself gives us continuing re-enforcement of salvation history and the paschal mysteries. This helps me learn the bible more in depth and feeds me with the meat of scripture weaning me from the first taste of its milk.

I think Catholics do know the bible just as well as if not better then protestants.