-— Catholics meanwhile were discouraged from reading Scripture. -—
Because the Church is always concerned about private interpretation of Scripture. Scripture must be interpreted within the Tradition and Teaching of the Church.
Moreover, the Bible ALONE as the sole or ultimate rule of faith is not biblical. Period.
Nor is Luther’s tradition found in the early Church. And his doctrine was a practical impossibility prior to the invention of the printing press. It’s no accident that his novel teaching arose shortly thereafter. Yet Luther’s doctrine is still a practical impossibility for the 18% of the world’s population that is illiterate.
Let’s cut to the chase. What good has come out of Protestantism that wasn’t in existence prior?
Luther shattered the unity of Christendom that Christ prayed for, and substituted an explosion of errors up to and including a rejection of the most important Christian dogma, the Trinity, which is rejected by Oneness Pentecostals.
Gee, Tom, I wish I had said that!!!
Wrong as regard sole supreme ultimate rule of faith, by which oral truth claims were established. It is abundantly evidenced that as the word of God came to be put into writing, and that it usually is, then Scripture became the transcendent supreme standard for obedience and testing and establishing truth claims as the wholly Divinely inspired and assured, Word of God.
And which testifies (Lk. 24:27,44, etc.) to writings of God being recognized and established as being so (essentially due to their unique and enduring heavenly qualities and attestation), and thus they materially provide for a canon of Scripture (as well as for reason, the church, etc.)
“Moreover, the Bible ALONE as the sole or ultimate rule of faith is not biblical. Period.”
Show me your Scripture to prove your point here is mine.
Galatians 1:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
Mark 7:7-9 New International Version (NIV)
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
2 Timothy 3:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
Sorry, but there is only one Holy Bible and Scripture. You can claim that the Catechism falls into this category, but the Bible disagrees.