[OLD REGGIE]

And So I wasn't a Baptist "admitting" the Catholics read more Scripture during services (even the daily mass), but an honest Baptist attending both would admit that.

And the honest Catholic would admit that the average "Baptist" knows more Scripture than the average "Catholic".

In fact, I learned more Scripture in one month at a Congregational Church than I learned in almost 12 years in the RCC.

The honest Baptist knows that "Sunday Service" is not the time to learn Scripture. That is why they have Bible Study at different times, different days.

The honest Catholic would not pretend they learn Scripture from a pre-programmed three year cycle which partially covers Scripture.

[Salvation]

**And the honest Catholic would admit that the average "Baptist" knows more Scripture than the average "Catholic".**

Definitely.

**The honest Catholic would not pretend they learn Scripture from a pre-programmed three year cycle which partially covers Scripture.**

This is not what I meant -- you are putting words into my mouth and that is unsanitary. Catholics also have Bible Study and I dare say you are going to have to cut back on your criticism for we are growing in the area of adult formation.

[IMRight]

And the honest Catholic would admit that the average "Baptist" knows more Scripture than the average "Catholic".

I'm not sure that's true. They certainly place more emphasis on it, but your "average" Baptist knows a couple/few dozen verses by heart but may not have actually read much Scripture. The average Catholic is unlikely to quote many verses, but is likely to have been exposed to more of it.

I certainly "know more Scripture" than the vast majority of Baptists I run into and I'm not even a very good Catholic.

I guess it all depends on what you mean by "average". Or, more precisely, what you mean by "know". If rote memorization was the measurement, the JWs would be the standard for comparison.

Perhaps there is also a measurement to be made on vocation. Just like most of the world's cooks are female but most of the chef's are male, most of the true Scripture scholars belong to liturgical churches. Most Baptist scripture scholars rarely go beyond what is "Authorized".

The honest Baptist knows that "Sunday Service" is not the time to learn Scripture.

That's an interesting statement. The vast majority throughout history would have only heard Scripture read (in large chunks) during services. Taking the Bible out of the order of worship is a very modern thing. I'm not sure (again) that "knows" is used correctly here. If they "know" that church services are not the time to hear Scripture read then they "know" wrong.

BTW - Jen read that one over my shoulder and said "I hope you're going to pulverize him on that one" But I'm sure she meant that in a nice way. :-)

The honest Catholic would not pretend they learn Scripture from a pre-programmed three year cycle which partially covers Scripture.

I would consider it preferable to hearing the same six verses (exageration, but not gross) over and over and over again to the exclusion of so much of Scripture. Romans, Corrinthians, Hebrews and Acts are certainly keys to Scripture... but they are not the totality of it. I once sat through three (or more) months of Baptist sermons that always ended with "the Gospel", but we never once turned to an actual verse in a Gospel.