Posted on 10/04/2005 4:28:28 PM PDT by MeanWestTexan
THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true. The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the Bible.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
"The Catholic Church existed before the Bible"
That's nuts the Catholic Church didn't exist before Moses,
or the Kings or the prophets.
"It probably means we are just too stupid to understand it."
Replace 'stupid' with 'prideful' and you just might be on to something!
If we're too stupid to understand it, why did God give it to us as His Word?
The Bible is not "totally accurate." Do you read the comics the same way you read the front page of your newspaper? Or the editorials the same way you read the classified ads?
Different writing, different way of explaining things (through allegories and stories). The MESSAGE is what is important, not all the ancillary details.
For instance, Jonah literally in the belly of a fish for three days? Come on. Jonah's story is an allegory prefiguring Christ in the tomb for three days.
Were some of Christ's parables embellished by the Gospel writers? Probably, in fact, very likely.
I take it from God that the Bible is his Word. Do you think He would let men screw up something that important? If He is that weak then why bother. Instead he led men (how many different men!) over a period of hundreds of years to write books that fit together so neatly and concisely that to think they just happened to compliment each other out of coincidence is more of a stretch than to believe He wouldn't prevent men messing up His planned message.
What exactly are you talking about?
Or are you just Catholic-bashing?
I always turn to the Times to get my Catholic teaching. (/sarcasm)
And the Vatican would not object to anything these bishops said.
And do you believe what the Times prints about your church?
Any church?
Polictics?
Anything?
You didn't take one verse what? I didn't say YOU took something out of context. I said there are folks that do. I was explaining to you that you have to look at those 3 chapters in the context of the whole Bible also. I believe you reference them in the context of people using them if they believed them.
Frankly, this is a pretty dumb statement, especially the bit where they say which parts of the Bible are true and which are false. It sounds as if they think they are the Jesus Seminar.
Augustine gives different takes on these matters at different points in his life, but his treatise on Genesis represents his most mature view: That we should read the Bible literally wherever possible, and figuratively where it clearly is not literal.
If the Bible says that the sun rises, that is a figure of speech, which we still use every day, even though we know that the sun doesn't rise but the earth spins.
If the Bible says that the whole world was drowned in a flood, then most Catholics would probably say that it's not sure if that statement is literal or not. Maybe a large flood, maybe the whole of Mesopotamia, maybe the Black Sea let loose, we just don't know. To say that it is a only myth, however, is just foolish.
To say that the statement that Eve was made from a rib taken from Adam's side is false, or a myth, is even more silly. "With God, all things are possible." If God wanted to take a rib and transform it into a woman, that's His business. It just isn't within the purview of any bishop to say that this verse is simply false. God can perform a miracle any time He chooses.
Bishops can and do err, from time to time. When the Arian heresy spread, nearly all the bishops in Christendom joined the wrong side, and Athanasius was left almost alone. But he prevailed.
Frankly, this is a pretty dumb statement, especially the bit where they say which parts of the Bible are true and which are false. It sounds as if they think they are the Jesus Seminar.
Augustine gives different takes on these matters at different points in his life, but his treatise on Genesis represents his most mature view: That we should read the Bible literally wherever possible, and figuratively where it clearly is not literal.
If the Bible says that the sun rises, that is a figure of speech, which we still use every day, even though we know that the sun doesn't rise but the earth spins.
If the Bible says that the whole world was drowned in a flood, then most Catholics would probably say that it's not sure if that statement is literal or not. Maybe a large flood, maybe the whole of Mesopotamia, maybe the Black Sea let loose, we just don't know. To say that it is a only myth, however, is just foolish.
To say that the statement that Eve was made from a rib taken from Adam's side is false, or a myth, is even more silly. "With God, all things are possible." If God wanted to take a rib and transform it into a woman, that's His business. It just isn't within the purview of any bishop to say that this verse is simply false. God can perform a miracle any time He chooses.
Bishops can and do err, from time to time. When the Arian heresy spread, nearly all the bishops in Christendom joined the wrong side, and Athanasius was left almost alone. But he prevailed.
A literal interpretation of the New Testament is hard to justify, since there are a number of outright contradictions even in different Gospel passages that are supposed to describe the same event (the discrepancies between the Gospels of Matthew and Luke regarding the two thieves who were crucified next to Christ, for example).
I suppose a lot depends on how long God worked on each phase before He "called it a day"...
Is this really any worse than Protestants who claim the King James Bible is the only true Bible?
You're right. I should have posted the Catholic Church, under the Holy Spirit, created the New Testament to contain all the truths that Jesus taught necessary for salvation not a Bible created as a scientific verbatim history.
Now, predicting your answer, let me ask this:
Did you know that they are part of the "old covenant" that we are "not under"?
Well, what are your problems with the Catholic Faith? It sounds like what you thought was the Catholic faith at the age of 14 was not REALLY the Catholic faith. Best to be informed before spouting off.
??
What are the "discrepancies" there?
But doncha know, the KJV is the 7th version of the Bible and 7 is the number of completion, or something.
But it doesn't matter what Genesis says about the details surrounding the creation of Eve. The fact is, she is Adam's helpmate, and saying she came from his rib explains the extra rib that women have.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.