Preface To Volume One of "Radio Replies"

By RT. REV. MSGR. FULTON J. SHEEN, D.D

There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church — which is, of course, quite a different thing. These millions can hardly be blamed for hating Catholics because Catholics "adore statues"; because they "put the Blessed Mother on the same level with God"; because they say "indulgence is a permission to commit sin"; because the Pope "is a Fascist"; because the "Church is the defender of Capitalism." If the Church taught or believed any one of these things it should be hated, but the fact is that the Church does not believe nor teach any one of them. It follows then that the hatred of the millions is directed against error and not against truth. As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do.
If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine.

If then, the hatred of the Church is founded on erroneous beliefs, it follows that basic need of the day is instruction. Love depends on knowledge for we cannot aspire nor desire the unknown. Our great country is filled with what might be called marginal Christians, i.e., those who live on the fringe of religion and who are descendants of Christian living parents, but who now are Christians only in name. They retain a few of its ideals out of indolence and force of habit; they knew the glorious history of Christianity only through certain emasculated forms of it, which have married the spirit of the age and are now dying with it. Of Catholicism and its sacraments, its pardon, its grace, its certitude and its peace, they know nothing except a few inherited prejudices. And yet they are good people who want to do the right thing, but who have no definite philosophy concerning it. They educate their children without religion, and yet they resent the compromising morals of their children. They would be angry if you told them they were not Christian, and yet they do not believe that Christ is God. They resent being called pagans and yet they never take a practical cognizance of the existence of God. There is only one thing of which they are certain and that is that things are not right as they are. It is just that single certitude which makes them what might be called the great "potentials," for they are ready to be pulled in either of two directions. Within a short time they must take sides; they must either gather with Christ or they must scatter; they must either be with Him or against Him; they must either be on the cross as other Christs, or under it as other executioners. Which way will these marginal Christians tend? The answer depends upon those who have the faith. Like the multitudes who followed Our Lord into the desert, they are as sheep without a shepherd. They are waiting to be shepherded either with the sheep or goats. Only this much is certain. Being human and having hearts they want more than class struggle and economics; they want Life, they want Truth, and they want Love. In a word, they want Christ.
It is to these millions who believe wrong things about the Church and to these marginal Christians, that this little book is sent. It is not to prove that they are "wrong"; it is not to prove that we are "right"; it is merely to present the truth in order that the truth may conquer through the grace of God. When men are starving, one need not go to them and tell them to avoid poison; nor to eat bread because there are vitamins in bread. One need only go to them and tell them that they are starving and here is bread, and the laws of nature will do the rest. This book of "Radio Replies" with 1,588 questions and answers goes out on a similar mission. Its primary task is not to humble the erroneous; not to glorify the Catholic Church as intellectual and self-righteous, but to present the truth in a calm, clear manner in order that with the grace of God souls may come to the blessed embrace of Christ.
It is not only the point of "Radio Replies" to prove that the Church is the only completely soul-satisfying Church in existence at the present day; it is also to suggest that the Catholic Church is the only Church existing today which goes back to the time of Christ. History is so very clear on this point, it is curious how many minds miss its obviousness. When therefore you, the readers of "Radio Replies" in the twentieth century, wish to know about Christ and about His early Church, and about His mysteries, we ask you to go not only to the written records but to the living Church which began with Christ Himself. That Church or that Mystical Person which has been living all these centuries is the basis of our faith and to us Catholics it speaks this way: "I live with Christ. I saw His Mother and I know her to be a Virgin and the loveliest and purest of all women in heaven or on earth; I saw Christ at Caesarea-Philippi, when, after changing Simon's name to Rock, He told him he was the rock upon which the Church would be built and that it would endure unto the consummation of the world. I saw Christ hanging on a cross and I saw Him rise from His tomb; I saw Magdalene rush to His feet; I saw the angels clad in white beside the great stone; I was in the Cenacle room when doubting Thomas put fingers into His hands; I was on Olivet when He ascended into heaven and promised to send His Spirit to the apostles to make them the foundation of His new Mystical Body on earth. I was at the stoning of Stephen, saw Saul hold the garments of those who slew him, and later I heard Saul, as Paul, preach Christ and Him crucified; I witnessed the beheading of Peter and Paul in Rome, and with my very eyes saw tens of thousands of martyrs crimson the sands with their blood, rather than deny the faith Peter and Paul had preached unto them; I was living when Boniface was sent to Germany, when Augustine when to England, Cyril and Methodius to the Poles, and Patrick to Ireland; at the beginning of the ninth century I recall seeing Charlemagne crowned as king in matters temporal as Peter's vicar was recognized as supreme in matters spiritual; in the thirteenth century I saw the great stones cry out in tribute to me, and burst into Gothic Cathedrals; in the shadows of those same walls I saw great Cathedrals of thought arise in the prose of Aquinas and Bonaventure, and in the poetry of Dante; in the sixteenth century I saw my children softened by the spirit of the world leave the Father's house and reform the faith instead of reforming discipline which would have brought them back again into my embrace; in the last century and at the beginning of this I heard the world say it could not accept me because I was behind the times. I am not behind the times, I am only behind the scenes. I have adapted myself to every form of government the world has ever known; I have lived with Caesars and kings, tyrants and dictators, parliaments and presidents, monarchies and republics. I have welcomed every advance of science, and were it not for me the great records of the pagan world would not have been preserved. It is true I have not changed my doctrine, but that is because the ‘doctrine is not mine but His who sent Me.’ I change my garments which belong to time, but not my Spirit which belongs to eternity. In the course of my long life I have seen so many modern ideas become unmodern, that I know I shall live to chant a requiem over the modern ideas of this day, as I chanted it over the modern ideas of the last century. I celebrated the nineteen-hundredth anniversary of the death of my Redeemer and yet I am no older now than then, for my Spirit is Eternal, and the Eternal never ages. I am the abiding Personage of the centuries. I am the contemporary of all civilizations. I am never out of date, because the dateless; never out of time, because the timeless. I have four great marks: I am One, because I have the same Soul I had in the beginning; I am Holy, because that Soul is the Spirit of Holiness; I am Catholic, because that Spirit pervades every living cell of my Body; I am Apostolic, because my origin is identical with Nazareth, Galilee and Jerusalem. I shall grow weak when my members become rich and cease to pray, but I shall never die. I shall be persecuted as I am persecuted now in Mexico and Russia; I shall be crucified as I was on Calvary, but I shall rise again, and finally when time shall be no more, and I shall have grown to my full stature, then shall I be taken into heaven as the bride of my Head, Christ, where the celestial nuptials shall be celebrated, and God shall be all in all, because His Spirit is Love and Love is Heaven."

Introduction To The American Edition Of "Radio Replies" Vol One

"Radio Replies" TAN Books
"Radio Replies" by Rev. Dr. Rumble, M.S.C., is the result of five years of answering questions during a one-hour Question Box Program over Radio Station 2SM Sydney, N.S.W. The revision of "Radio Replies" for American readers was prompted by the widespread interest the Australian edition created among Protestants and Catholics during the summer of 1937, when I was carrying on as a Catholic Campaigner for Christ, the Apostolate to the man in the street through the medium of my trailer and loud-speaking system. In the distribution of pamphlets and books on Catholicism "Radio Replies" proved the most talked of book carried in my trailer display of Catholic literature. The clergy and laymen engaged in Street Preaching agree that it is not so much what you say over the microphone in answer to questions from open air listeners but what you GET INTO THEIR HANDS TO READ.
My many converts of the highways and parks throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul have embraced the faith as a result of studying this book. Whole families have come into the Church through reading the book by this renowned convert from Anglicanism. The delay in getting copies from Sydney and the prohibitive cost of the book on this side of the universe led me to petition the author to have published a CHEAP AMERICAN EDITION in order to get this Encyclopaedia of Catholic Doctrine into the hands of fellow citizens. Because of the author's genius for brevity, preciseness, fearlessness and keen logic that avoids the usually long Scriptural and Traditional arguments of the average question and answer book, which is beyond the capacity of the man in the street, this manual of 1,588 questions and replies has already attracted readers throughout Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, England, Ireland, Canada and now the United States.
The questions he answers are the questions I had to answer before friendly and hostile audiences throughout my summer campaign. The piquant and provocative subject matter of this book makes it a fascinating assembly of 300 or more worth-while pamphlet tracts, a dictionary of doctrine for the desk of the FAMILY, the STUDENT, the SHOP HAND, the OFFICE WORKER, the ATTORNEY, the DOCTOR, the TEACHER, and the PREACHER. It is a handy standard reference book of excellence for popular questions which are more than ever being asked by restless and bewildered multitudes. It is a textbook for the Confraternities of Christian Doctrine Classes and Study Clubs.
A non-Catholic Professor after reading the book stated that, "If the Catholic Church could defend herself so logically as 'Radio Replies' demonstrates, then I do not see why you don't get more converts." Members of the Knights of Columbus, the Holy Name Societies and numerous women's societies have written in that they no longer have to apologetically say, "I can't answer that one." Catholic students in non-sectarian colleges and universities write in that they now walk the campus with this book under their arms, ready for all challenges and that this manual of ready reference has cured their INFERIORITY COMPLEX ON EXPOSITION OF CATHOLIC CLAIMS. Lapsed Catholics have come into my trailer-office to confess that the reading of "Radio Replies" has brought them back to the Church.
I am grateful to His Excellency Archbishop John G. Murray, D.D. for his approval of this compendium of dogmatic and moral theology for readers of the American Commonwealth and I am deeply appreciative to Rt. Rev. Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen, D.D. for writing the Preface to this American edition.
From my experience on the Catholic Radio Hour, on the lecture platform, and in the pulpit, I do not hesitate to say that HERE AT LAST is the book that has something for everybody, the book for the UNINFORMED CATHOLIC, THE UNEDUCATED AND EDUCATED LAPSED CATHOLIC, and the PROSPECTIVE CONVERT.
Rev. Charles Mortimer Carty
Source

Historical Context of "Radio Replies"

By markomalley

If one recalls the time frame from which Radio Replies emerged, it can explain some of the frankness and lack of tact in the nature of the responses provided.
It was during this timeframe that a considerable amount of anti-Catholic rhetoric came to the forefront, particularly in this country. Much of this developed during the Presidential campaign of Al Smith in 1928, but had its roots in the publication of Alexander Hislop's The Two Babylons, originally published in book form in 1919 and also published in pamphlet form in 1853.
While in Britain (and consequently Australia), the other fellow would surely have experienced the effects of the Popery Act, the Act of Settlement, the Disenfranchising Act, the Ecclesiastical Titles Act, and many others since the reformation (that basically boiled down to saying, "We won't kill you if you just be good, quiet little Catholics"). Even the so-called Catholic Relief Acts (1778, 1791, 1829, 1851, 1871) still had huge barriers placed in the way.
And of course, they'd both remember the American Protective Association, "Guy Fawkes Days" (which included burning the Pontiff in effigy), the positions of the Whigs and Ultra-Torries, and so on.

A strong degree of "in your face" from people in the position of authoritativeness was required back in the 1930s, as there was a large contingent of the populations of both the US and the British Empire who were not at all shy about being "in your face" toward Catholics in the first place (in other words, a particularly contentious day on Free Republic would be considered a mild day in some circles back then). Sure, in polite, educated circles, contention was avoided (thus the little ditty about it not being polite to discuss religion in public, along with sex and politics), but it would be naive to assume that we all got along, or anything resembling that, back in the day.
Having said all of the above, reading the articles from the modern mindset and without the historical context that I tried to briefly summarize above, they make challenging reading, due to their bluntness.
The reader should also keep in mind that the official teaching of the Church takes a completely different tone, best summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame."269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270 - do not occur without human sin:
Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers .... All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272
819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276
838 "The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter."322 Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church."323 With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound "that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist."324

269 UR 3 § 1.
270 Cf. CIC, can. 751.
271 Origen, Hom. in Ezech. 9,1:PG 13,732.
272 UR 3 § 1.
273 LG 8 § 2.
274 UR 3 § 2; cf. LG 15.
275 Cf. UR 3.
276 Cf. LG 8.
322 LG 15.
323 UR 3.
324 Paul VI, Discourse, December 14, 1975; cf. UR 13-18.

1 posted on 07/23/2010 5:49:42 AM PDT by GonzoII

To: fidelis; MI; Sir_Humphrey; dsc; annalex; Citizen Soldier; bdeaner; CatQuilt; Graing; bboop; ...

Radio Replies Ping

FReep-mail me to get on or off

“The Radio Replies Ping-List”

ON / OFF

2 posted on 07/23/2010 5:50:58 AM PDT by GonzoII ("That they may be one...Father")

Oh, this could be fun.

3 posted on 07/23/2010 5:51:31 AM PDT by vladimir998 (Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))

4 posted on 07/23/2010 5:51:59 AM PDT by GonzoII ("That they may be one...Father")

Nothing like a good old-fashioned argument about religion. Nice menu!

5 posted on 07/23/2010 5:56:22 AM PDT by Genoa (Titus 2:13)

I’d buy a ticket to this one!

6 posted on 07/23/2010 6:02:34 AM PDT by massmike (...So this is what happens when OJ's jury elects the president....)

I’ve tried to be tolerant but am becoming rather sick of the continual drip, drip, drip pushing Catholic doctrine on what is ostensibly a “news” forum

Now you feel it necessary to post anti-protestant propaganda and I’ve had about enough of it.

Pull this thread and stop doing it now, out of basic respect if for no other reason. Just who do you think you are?

7 posted on 07/23/2010 6:04:04 AM PDT by Lloyd227 (Class of 1998 (let's all help the Team McCain spider monkeys decide how to moderate))

I’m not going to play this game. The Apocrypha are useful books but not inspired as are the known canonical books. The Orthodox also don’t recognize them as canonical, though they too regard them as worthy of reading. The issue was the usage in Greek-speaking Jewish areas versus the canon in Israel proper. As for mistranslations... that’s why you do it again and again, checking one against the other.

We Christians have one Headship in Christ alone, and in Christ alone is our foundation. The rest is jelly on the peanut butter.

8 posted on 07/23/2010 6:07:10 AM PDT by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)

"Catholic doctrine on what is ostensibly a “news” forum"

My friend, this is a Religion Forum.

9 posted on 07/23/2010 6:08:18 AM PDT by GonzoII ("That they may be one...Father")

10 posted on 07/23/2010 6:10:33 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (The success of Darwinism was accompanied by a decline in scientific integrity. - Dr. Wm R. Thompson)

“Welcome to Free Republic! Free Republic is the premier online gathering place for independent, grass- roots conservatism on the web. We’re working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America. And we always have fun doing it. Hoo-yah! have fun doing it. Hoo-yah!”

Posts like this one are disrespectful, hurtfull, and arrogant.

Just show a little respect please. We are not all Catholic here and I have my own opinion of your religion which I choose to not post.

11 posted on 07/23/2010 6:26:08 AM PDT by Lloyd227 (Class of 1998 (let's all help the Team McCain spider monkeys decide how to moderate))

Why not just stick to News/Activism and ignore the Religion posts?

12 posted on 07/23/2010 6:29:54 AM PDT by Genoa (Titus 2:13)

To say that the Orthodox do not consider the apocrypha to be canonical is not accurate. The Orthodox consider the Greek Septuagint to be their “benchmark” Old Testament; it is only that this was assumed from the beginning of the Church, so it was not enshrined in a canon. It is true that the Orthodox understand various portions of Scripture to have different levels of importance, but they see both the Greek Septuagint and the Received Text of the New Testament as Divinely inspired. The Apocryphal books are not used Liturgically in the Orthodox Church, but then neither is the book of Revelation, which is directly a part of the Orthodox canonical scripture.

On the other hand, I don't think it is fair to state that the Masoretic text of the Old Testament (The “Hebrew” OT) was developed solely out of antagonism towards the young Christian Church. There was also a strong desire to preserve Jewish culture at that time (remember that the Temple had been destroyed in 69-70AD). One strong influence in the selection of books for the Masoretic text was that they had been written originally in Hebrew. This automatically eliminated many of the more recent writings, which were originally in Greek.

One telling comparison between the two is in their rendition of the prophet Isaiah. The Masoretic text states that “a young woman” will conceive, while the Septuagint says “a virgin” (parthena) will conceive. Quite a difference!

Although I am Orthodox, I have absolutely no problem with Roman Catholic postings to this site, or with Protestant ones. We should all be willing to accept other points of view. Reading them is always optional. Let us remember that angry, ad hominem attacks are traditional liberal refuges, not of conservatives.

13 posted on 07/23/2010 6:48:33 AM PDT by MSU (It is better to live one verse of Scripture than to memorize it all.)

14 posted on 07/23/2010 7:14:07 AM PDT by bonnieblue4me (You can put lipstick on a donkey (or a dimrat), but it is still an ass!)

I attended a talk once where the speaker said that the Orthodox Bible is actually longer than the Catholic Bible. I remember something about Maccabees having more ‘books’, and there was some other thing that was longer.

Did I get this right? What does the Orthodox Bible have that the other does not?

15 posted on 07/23/2010 8:10:14 AM PDT by married21 (As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)

I agree that there is a lot of Catholic doctrine pushing on the religion forum. (I am Catholic myself).

However, posting is voluntary and reading what is posted is voluntary.

It just happens that there are a few Catholics who post a lot.
Every single day. The fact that they are enthusiastic and consistent doesn’t mean that there can’t be posters of other faiths and views.

I’ve learned a lot about other faiths on the religion forum, as well. I don’t know where else in my daily life I would see so much from evangelicals, Lutherans, Anglicans, Orthodox, and Mormons. The one thing I am missing is that I think there used to be more Jewish articles posted when I started lurking a couple of years ago.

16 posted on 07/23/2010 8:18:53 AM PDT by married21 (As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)

You wrote:

“I’ve tried to be tolerant but am becoming rather sick of the continual drip, drip, drip pushing Catholic doctrine on what is ostensibly a “news” forum”

This is a religion forum, Lloyd. I’m glad you’re trying to be tolerant, seriously, I am. What might help you be more tolerant - and keep your cool - is to avoid those threads that would annoy you.

“Now you feel it necessary to post anti-protestant propaganda and I’ve had about enough of it.”

Okay. Throw a tantrum. Break some household goods. Feel better yet? I have read anti-Catholic LIES here for years. It just comes with the territory. Pray for patience and don’t let it bother you.

“Pull this thread and stop doing it now, out of basic respect if for no other reason. Just who do you think you are?”

He thinks he’s a devout Catholic who is bit-by-bit posting a wonderful classic apologetics work from the 1930s or 40s. And that’s what he is and that’s what he’s doing.

For you to demand he pull the thread and demand to know who he is, is, just a bit off don’t you think? It’s a free forum. He’s not violating any rules. Don’t side with the liberals and demand he take his faith out of the public square just because it offends you. He ain’t hurtin’ nobody.

17 posted on 07/23/2010 8:37:02 AM PDT by vladimir998 (Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))

This might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_the_Bible

By the way, I really like the Orthodox Study Bible. It has some anti-papal stuff in it, but is very worthwhile as a study Bible for a well catechized Catholic: http://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Study-Bible-Ancient-Christianity/dp/0718003594

18 posted on 07/23/2010 8:40:37 AM PDT by vladimir998 (Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))

This coming from a church where having a vernacular Bible once warranted a painful execution.

19 posted on 07/23/2010 9:09:04 AM PDT by bobjam

To: GonzoII; vladimir998; Genoa; massmike; Lloyd227; GAB-1955; Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus; MSU; ...

REVELATION 22:18"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone TAKES words AWAY from this book of prophecy, God will take AWAY from him HIS share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

Martin Luther had developed his theory that only those books that taught his Dogma of Justification by Faith Alone should be accepted as part of the canon. However, he didn’t work out this theory until after he had lost a debate with a Catholic (either Cardinal Cajetan in 1518 or Johann Eck of Ingolstadt in 1519 AD), when 2 Maccabees 12:43-45 was quoted to refute Martin Luther’s "Faith Alone." His subjective standards were also the given for his reason for claiming that Hebrews, James, Jude, and the Book of Revelation were also not to be considered as fully the Inspired Word of God. (Although, evidently the Lutherans of the 17th century added these NT books back into their canon.) In Luther’s German translation of the Bible, he took Hebrew, James, Jude and Revelation and placed them at the end of the New Testament. He categorized them as inferior to the rest of the Bible. He also had done this with the seven Deuterocanonical Old Testament books. (Until recently, the Deuterocanonical books called "apocrypha," were still in many Protestant Bibles, but in a separate section at the end.)

The book of James contradicts Luther’s principle of Justification by Faith Alone. James 2:24 says "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." Rather than change his theology, Luther just denied that, James the Apostle, was the author of James and removed it from his canon.

In his preface to James he claimed,

"But this James does nothing more than drive to the Law and to its works. Besides, he throws things together so chaotically that it seems to me he must have been some good, pious man, who took a few sayings from the disciples of the Apostles and thus tossed them off on paper…In a word he wanted to guard against those who relied on faith without works, but was unequal to the task."

In his preface to Hebrews, Luther said,

"We should not be deterred if wood, straw, or hay are perhaps mixed with them [precious notions], but accept this fine teaching with all honor."

( Luther’s works. Volume 35 Word and Sacrament I, pages 395-397 ed. E.T. Buchman [Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960.]) In Luther’s commentary on Revelation he wrote, "Everyone may make up his own mind as regards this book. As for me, I have a personal aversion to it and that is enough."

In another translation of Martin Luther’s writings, "Martin Luther: Selections from his Writings" Dillenberger, page 35, we read in the Prefaces to Luther’s German Translation of the New Testament in 1522 in regard to the epistle of St. James:

"Firstly, because in direct opposition to St. Paul and all the rest of the bible, it ascribes justification to works, and declares that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered up his son. St. Paul, on the contrary, in Romans 4:3, teaches that Abraham was justified without works, by his faith alone, the proof being in Gen. 15:6 which was before he sacrificed his son. Although it would be possible to save the epistle by a gloss giving a correct explanation of justification here ascribed to works, it is impossible to deny that it does refer Moses’s word in Gen. 15 (which speaks not of Abraham’s works but of his faith, just as Paul makes plain in Romans 4) to Abraham’s works. This defect proves that the epistle is not of Apostolic provenance."

(Martin Luther, "Martin Luther: Selections from his Writings" Dillenberger, page 35)

Here Luther denies that the epistle is inspired because he considers it contradictory to the Word of God claiming it is in direct opposition to Paul. Also he mentions the epistle's "defect." So much for biblical inerrancy. But his dislike of this God inspired epistle becomes much clearer in the next quote. Writing once again of James:

"In sum he wished to guard against those who depended on faith without going to works, but he had neither the spirit nor the thought nor the eloquence equal to the task. He does violence to scripture and so contradicts Paul and all of scripture. He tries to accomplish by emphasizing law what the Apostles bring about by attracting men to love. I therefore refuse him a place among the writers of the true canon of my Bible."

(M. Luther, same book mentioned above, page 36) Luther challenged an Apostle in such a crude way and said such insulting things about James’s ability to write (which was guided by the Holy Spirit.) Consider the question, that if even Luther couldn't recognize the contents of the Bible, then how could Sola Scriptura be considered a valid and workable theory ?

Catholics used human reasoning in determining the canon, but Catholic theology allows for and believes that the Holy Spirit guided them with grace in their infallible pronouncements in this all important matter. Protestant theology disallows such infallible guidance for Catholics as well as for themselves. Without the aid of God's infallible grace it would be impossible to judge supernatural things, that is, that this is the written Word of God, with just natural means.

http://www.defendingthebride.com/bb/deuterocanonical2.html

20 posted on 07/23/2010 10:37:22 AM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)

Is there any difference between a Roman Catholic Bible, and a Protestant Bible?

Yes - ours get read.

21 posted on 07/23/2010 10:39:36 AM PDT by Alex Murphy ("Posting news feeds, making eyes bleed, he's hated on seven continents")

Thursday, July 01, 2010
Blessed Junipero Serra, OFM, Priest (Optional Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Amos 7:10-17
Psalm 19:8-11
Matthew 9:1-8
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

— Psalm xcviii. 1

Friday, July 02, 2010
Votive Mass of the Precious Blood
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131
Matthew 9:9-13
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

— John xix. 25-27

Saturday, July 03, 2010
St. Thomas, Apostle (Feast)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 117:1-2
John 20:24-29
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted. My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee.

— Psalm xxx. 10, 16, 18

Sunday, July 04, 2010
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
And the multitudes that went before and that followed cried, saying: Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

— Matthew xxi. 9

Monday, July 05, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22
Psalm 145:2-9
Matthew 9:18-26
Judge thou, O Lord, them that wrong me: overthrow them that fight against me. Take hold of arms and shield: and rise up to help me.

— Psalm xxxiv. 1,2

Tuesday, July 06, 2010
St. Maria Goretti, Virgin, Martyr (Optional Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Psalm 115:3-10
Matthew 9:32-38
But as for me, when they were troublesome to me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer shall be turned into my bosom.

— Psalm xxxiv. 13

Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
Psalm 105:2-7
Matthew 10:1-7
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.

— Psalm cii. 2

Thursday, July 08, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16
Matthew 10:7-15
May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.

— Psalm lxvi. 2

Friday, July 09, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9. 12-14, 17
Matthew 10:16-23
Ecce lignum Crucis in quo salus mundi pepéndit. (Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Saviour of the world.)

— The Adoration of the Cross

Saturday, July 10, 2010
St. Veronica Giuliani, Virgin (Feast)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
2 Corinthians 4:6-11, 16, 17
Psalm 59:2, 10, 17-18
Matthew 16:24-27
Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously magnified, the horse and the rider he hath thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me: he is my God, and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him.

— Exodus xv. 1,2

Sunday, July 11, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36-37 or Psalm 19:8-11
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37
Forth to the Paschal Victim, Christians, bring

— Victimae paschali laudes

Monday, July 12, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Isaiah 1:10-17
Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
Matthew 10:34 — 11:1
The Lord shall have brought thee into a land that floweth with milk and honey, ...that the law of the Lord be always in thy mouth.

— Exodus xiii. 5, 9

Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Isaiah 7:1-9
Psalm 48:2-8
Matthew 11:20-24
Give glory to the Lord, and call upon his name: declare his deeds among the Gentiles.

— Psalm civ. 1

Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16
Psalm 94:5-10, 14-15
Matthew 11:25-27
Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

— Matthew xxv. 34

Thursday, July 15, 2010
St. Bonaventure, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (Feast)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Wisdom 8:2-7, 16-18 or 1 Corinthians 2:6-13
Psalm 16:5-9, 11
Matthew 5:13-19
And they sung to thy holy name, O Lord, and they praised with one accord thy victorious hand. For wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent.

— Wisdom x. 20-21

Friday, July 16, 2010
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Optional Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
Isaiah 38:10-12, 16
Matthew 12:1-8
And he brought them out in hope and they feared not: and the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

— Psalm lxxvii. 53

Saturday, July 17, 2010
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Micah 2:1-5
Psalm 10:1-4, 7-8, 14
Matthew 12:14-21
And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness.

— Psalm civ. 43

Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
Genesis 18:1-10
Psalm 15:2-5
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42
Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.

— Psalm lxxx. 2

Monday, July 19, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
Matthew 12:38-42
If you have done nothing, or if what you have done has been fruitless because it was done for a human motive, begin immediately to do good works so that at death you will be able to offer something to Jesus Christ in order that He may give you eternal life.

— St John Vianney

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Psalm 85:2-8
Matthew 12:46-50
No one should judge that he has greater perfection because he performs great penances and gives himself in excess to the staying of the body than he who does less, inasmuch as neither virtue or merit consists therein; for otherwise he would be an evil case, who for some legitimate reason was unable to do actual penance. Merit consists in the virtue of love alone, flavored with the light of true discretion, without which the soul is worth nothing.

— St Catherine of Siena

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest, Doctor of the Church (Feast)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Wisdom 8:9-16 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Psalm 67:2-5, 7-8
Luke 9:1-6
If I were worthy of such a favor from my God, I would ask that he grant me this one miracle: that by His grace He would make of me a good man.

— St Ansgar

Thursday, July 22, 2010
St. Mary Magdalen (Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
Psalm 36:6-11
John 20:1-2, 11-18
The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, “Go to Joseph” (Gn 41:44)

— Pope Pius XII

Friday, July 23, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 3:14-17
Jeremiah 31:10-13
Matthew 13:18-23
[God] gave Himself to us through His Spirit. By the participation of the Spirit, we become communicants in the divine nature.... For this reason, those in whom the Spirit dwells are divinized.

— St. Athanasius, Epistulae ad Serapionem

Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 7:1-11
Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11
Matthew 13:24-30
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions.

— John xiv. 1

Sunday, July 25, 2010
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13
Shout with joy to God, all the earth, sing ye a psalm to His name; give glory to His praise.

— Ps. lxv. 1-2

Monday, July 26, 2010
Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Sirach 44:1, 10-15
Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18
Matthew 13:16-17
By the effective exercise of only one virtue, a person may attain to the height of all the rest.

— St. Gregory Nazianzen

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 14:17-22
Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13
Matthew 13:36-43
Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.

— St. Francis de Sales

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18
Matthew 13:44-46
Hence, I tearfully beg you to refrain from seeking the favors of the world and to renounce all that is carnal. It is impossible to follow both the world and Jesus. Let us live a life of renunciation, for our bodies will soon be dust and nothing else will last any longer.

— St. Jerome

Thursday, July 29, 2010
St. Martha (Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 18:1-6
Psalm 146:1-6
St. John 11:19-27 or St. Luke 10:38-42
Hence, I tearfully beg you to refrain from seeking the favors of the world and to renounce all that is carnal. It is impossible to follow both the world and Jesus. Let us live a life of renunciation, for our bodies will soon be dust and nothing else will last any longer.

— St. Jerome

Friday, July 30, 2010
Weekday
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 26:1-9
Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14
Matthew 13:54-58
God’s mercy is like an unleashed torrent; it bears away all hearts in its flood.

— St. John Vianney

Saturday, July 31, 2010
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Memorial)
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
Psalm 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
Matthew 14:1-12
O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enraged enemies. And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.

— Psalm xviil 48,49

22 posted on 07/23/2010 10:58:33 AM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)

YES Everyday We read. Here's Todays reading JULY 23 2010:

Reading 1

Jer 3:14-17

Return, rebellious children, says the LORD, for I am your Master;

I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion.

I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.

When you multiply and become fruitful in the land, says the LORD,

They will in those days no longer say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD!"

They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or miss it, or make another.

At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD's throne; there all nations will be gathered together

to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem, and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness.

Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13

Responsorial Psalm

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock. R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror. Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,

they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings: The grain, the wine, and the oil, the sheep and the oxen. R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy,

I will console and gladden them after their sorrows. R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Mt 13:18-23

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples: "Hear the parable of the sower.

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it,

and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time.

When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.

But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

23 posted on 07/23/2010 11:19:32 AM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)

Long answer, and not to the point.

Why don’t the Orthodox accept the deuterocanonical books as fully canonical? As I said and they say, they are worthy of reading, but not inspired Scripture on the level of the 66 books we KNOW are God-breathed.

Luther was persuaded that the Book of James was canonical; Calvin always accepted James as canonical. The Protestant movement was not based on Luther alone.

I wish you God’s blessings, but I said I won’t play the game.

24 posted on 07/23/2010 11:42:56 AM PDT by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)

Long answer, and not to the point.

Luther was persuaded that the Book of James was canonical; Calvin always accepted James as canonical. The Protestant movement was not based on Luther alone.

I wish you God’s blessings, but I said I won’t play the game.

25 posted on 07/23/2010 11:43:03 AM PDT by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)

"By doing nothing to practice his faith except attending Sunday weekly Mass (and the few Holy Days), in two years' time (after which the reading cycle ends), a Mass-attending Catholic will hear 3.7% of the Old Testament (932 verses), and in three years' time (after which the reading cycle ends) a Mass-attending Catholic will hear 40.8% of the New Testament (3247 verses). That all adds up to a total of 4179 out of 33001 verses mentioned in the chart, i.e. only 12.7% of the entire Bible (excluding Psalms) is heard by a weekly-Mass-attending Catholic....your own liturgy has been throwing out a majority of the inspired text from the Mass for nearly two millennia!
-- Alex Murphy, November 1, 2009
on the thread Lectionary Statistics - How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass? (Popquiz!)

A Literate Church: The state of Catholic Bible study today [article from America: The National Catholic Weekly]:

....while fewer believers know much about the Bible, one-third of Americans continue to believe that it is literally true, something organizers of the Synod on the Word of God called a dangerous form of fundamentalism that is “winning more and more adherents…even among Catholics.” Such literalism, the synod’s preparatory document said, “demands an unshakable adherence to rigid doctrinal points of view and imposes, as the only source of teaching for Christian life and salvation, a reading of the Bible which rejects all questioning and any kind of critical research”....
....The flip side of this embarrassment is the presumption among many Catholics that they “get” the Bible at Mass, along with everything else they need for their spiritual lives. The postconciliar revolution in liturgy greatly expanded the readings, with a three-year cycle in the vernacular that for the first time included Old Testament passages. Given that exposure, many think they do not need anything else. As Mr. McMahon put it, “The majority still say you go to Mass, you get your ticket punched, and that’s it for the week.”

Get Cracking, Catholics! [article at the National Catholic Register]
A formative, family-friendly factoid from a recent study or survey in the news.
November 19-25, 2006 Issue

According to a study released in September by Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, evangelical Protestants are a whopping eight times more likely than Catholics to read the Bible on a weekly basis. Of course, the survey only looked at private Bible reading; it did not take into account the Scripture passages Catholics take in at every Mass. Still, we tip our hats to our separated brothers and sisters in Christ for their zeal for the Word of God.

Synod to Focus on Proper Use of Scripture [article from Catholic World News]
The Church should combat widespread "Biblical illiteracy" among the Catholic faithful, Archbishop Eterovic said

Synod: Christianity not a 'Religion of the Book' [article from National Catholic Reporter]
Yesterday saw...a forceful plea from a key papal advisor [Bishop Salvatore Fisichella, the rector of the Lateran University and President of the Pontifical Academy for Life] to reject the idea of Christianity as a “Religion of the Book.”

Cardinal Says Scripture Inseparably United to Tradition
"As we begin the work of this synodal assembly, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, let us turn our gaze to Christ, the light of the world and our only teacher," Cardinal Levada encouraged. The prelate's point was further developed when Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec, took the floor to affirm that the Word is much more than the Bible. He clarified that Christianity is not a religion of the Book.

----------------

Calvin's preaching was of one kind from beginning to end: he preached steadily through book after book of the Bible. He never wavered from this approach to preaching for almost twenty-five years of ministry in St. Peter's church of Geneva - with the exception of a few high festivals and special occasions. "On Sunday he took always the New Testament, except for a few Psalms on Sunday afternoons. During the week . . . it was always the Old Testament". The records show fewer than half a dozen exceptions for the sake of the Christian year. He almost entirely ignored Christmas and Easter in the selection of his text.
To give you some idea of the scope of the Calvin's pulpit, he began his series on the book of Acts on August 25, 1549, and ended it in March of 1554. After Acts he went on to the epistles to the Thessalonians (46 sermons), Corinthians (186 sermons), pastorals (86 sermons), Galatians (43 sermons), Ephesians (48 sermons) - till May 1558. Then there is a gap when he is ill. In the spring of 1559 he began the Harmony of the Gospels and was not finished when he died in May, 1564. During the week of that season he preached 159 sermons on Job, 200 on Deuteronomy, 353 on Isaiah, 123 on Genesis and so on.
One of the clearest illustrations that this was a self-conscious choice on Calvin's part was the fact that on Easter Day, 1538, after preaching, he left the pulpit of St. Peter's, banished by the City Council. He returned in September, 1541 - over three years later - and picked up the exposition in the next verse.
-- excerpted from John Piper's The Divine Majesty Of The Word

26 posted on 07/23/2010 12:24:15 PM PDT by Alex Murphy ("Posting news feeds, making eyes bleed, he's hated on seven continents")

"Is there any difference between a Roman Catholic Bible, and a Protestant Bible? Yes - ours get read. "

Original statement.

We can watch the word everyday on the internet daily Mass or tv daily mass. Read also everyday. Calvin's died. He can't read today. Your question is the present moment. I left the catholic church. And came back. We cover more than any other church. We declare Christ in the flesh every sunday. Thats the spirit of God. 1John4! I went to dozens of indie churches.Never have I seen a independent Church declare the Nicene creed like the Catholic church. I declare it in private devotionals too.

Also I do not try to define myself with what I do not like. You do which is sad. You profess too much.

27 posted on 07/23/2010 1:47:12 PM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)

I do not try to define myself with what I do not like. You do which is sad. You profess too much.

Funny - your profile page only says you are a pro-life catholic teamster. It doesn't mention anything about you being an amateur mindreader.

28 posted on 07/23/2010 2:17:02 PM PDT by Alex Murphy ("Posting news feeds, making eyes bleed, he's hated on seven continents")

29 posted on 07/23/2010 8:16:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

To: Lloyd227; Religion Moderator

I’m not sure you realize that you can see the news threads without seeing the Religion Forum threads. I’m asking the Religion Moderator to help you.

30 posted on 07/23/2010 8:18:22 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

And the Catholic Bible is complete. The Protestant Bible isn’t.

And BTW, Catholics do read Bibles too. — Hey that sounds like a good title to a song!

31 posted on 07/23/2010 8:21:46 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

**but not inspired Scripture **

In whose judgment? Yours??

32 posted on 07/23/2010 8:23:19 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

33 posted on 07/23/2010 8:27:19 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

This thread is posted in the Religion Forum.

If you do not wish to see Religion Forum posts, do NOT use the "everything" option on the browse. Instead, browse by "News/Activism." When you log back in, the browse will reset to "everything" - so be sure to set it back to "News/Activism."

34 posted on 07/23/2010 8:30:09 PM PDT by Religion Moderator

Got some already,thanks....

35 posted on 07/23/2010 8:39:38 PM PDT by massmike (...So this is what happens when OJ's jury elects the president....)

1) The verse from Revelation 22:18 refers only to Revelation.

2) Yes, Martin Luther struggled with parts of the Bible. That’s normal. He’s human and no Protestant has ever made him out to be anything more. It’s not like they claim he’s infallible. I’m sure there are many, many Catholic and Orthodox saints who have struggled with parts of the Bible.

36 posted on 07/24/2010 7:21:35 AM PDT by bobjam

Good point!

But if you read it. For 2 hundred years The Lutherans kept Revelation and other books out. Just making historical point. I left the Catholic church because of the lies that Luther started every where you went in the Independent Churches painted lies and half truths of the Catholic Church.

Every Church has Bad guys thru history. The ones I heard where way overboard. I got to Mass now and Its beautiful and spiritual. The lie that Luther called the Pope the Antichrist was a lie. We declare the Nicene creed and apostles creed(John requirement which defines the proper spirit) at Sunday mass and private devotions. Never did any Indie church say the Nicene Creed. A positive confession. I mean never. Which shows the many reasons the mass is totally biblical.

37 posted on 07/24/2010 9:42:19 AM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)

I meant 1JOHN4 requirement.

38 posted on 07/24/2010 9:43:50 AM PDT by johngrace (God so loved the world so he gave his only son! Praise Jesus and Hail Mary!)

Keep in mind that the Roman Catholic Church of today is very different than the early 16th century Western Church. If the church then were like it is now, there probably wouldn’t have been a Reformation.

In regards to Revelation, I’ve never heard of attempts to remove it from the Canon. I do know that the Anglican, Lutheran and Roman lectionaries call for very few Sunday readings from it. Most priests I’ve met prefer to avoid preaching sermons about the end times.

39 posted on 07/24/2010 12:54:02 PM PDT by bobjam

The question of the difference between the “Catholic” and the “Orthodox” bibles is fairly complex. To simplify:
1. The early Church generally accepted the existing Greek translations, done previously as valid.
2. Early translations of the Greek into Latin were done.
3. When Jerome did his works, culminating in the Latin Vulgate, he referenced the Greek Septuagint texts and the existing Latin translations to existing Hebrew translations. Jerome came to the opinion that the Hebrew texts better testified to Christ than the Greek and, parting from tradition, favored them in his translations.
4. Jerome was criticized for this at the time (e.g. by Augustine) but over time his translations replaced the older Latin ones as that accepted by the Western Church. The Eastern Church continued to accept the Greek translations. Since Latin never became their main scholarly language, they were largely removed from the question of acceptance of the Latin Vulgate.
5. Today in the West, most critical translations of the Old Testament start with the Masoretic text, which is generally viewed as more ancient. However, the Greek Septuagint and other texts are consulted to resolve questions.
6. The Orthodox Church still considers the Greek Septuagint to be its “benchmark”, as I mentioned before, and prefers to use it as a starting point when developing new translations.

I hope this helped.

40 posted on 07/26/2010 12:00:47 PM PDT by MSU (It is better to live one verse of Scripture than to memorize it all.)

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Protestant Bibles

Preface To Volume One of "Radio Replies"

Introduction To The American Edition Of "Radio Replies" Vol One

Historical Context of "Radio Replies"

Radio Replies Ping

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“The Radio Replies Ping-List”

The Radio Replies Series: Volume One

The Radio Replies Series: Volume Two

Chapter One: God

Chapter Two: Man

Chapter Three: Religion

Chapter Four: The Religion of the Bible

Chapter Five: The Christian Faith

Chapter Six: A Definite Christian Faith

Chapter Seven: The Protestant Reformation

Chapter Eight: The Truth of Catholicism

Chapter Nine: The Church and the Bible