Posted on 05/18/2007 6:16:16 AM PDT by Reo
Scripture is the only foundation and protection against falsehood and Christ is the only head of the Church. We are to search the Scriptures and see if what we are being taught is true.
Yes I did. A correct reading in context, for accurate comprehension clearly reveals it not to be directed at any one personally, but is an observation of a typical tactic employed by Roman Catholics in general.
In other words it was generic and not directed to a specific personality.
This is something that ALL conservative/orthodox Christians need to be aware of -- Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox.
There is a huge difference between the practices of Catholics in South America, North America, Africa...so that is what I mean when I say “American”. :)
I don’t know quite what you mean. The Catholic church isn’t as static as people think. Dogma CANNOT change. Dogma is mostly found in the Nicene Creed. Believing in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for example.
Doctrine CAN change, but it is quite basic and rarely if ever does. If it does it is a slow process of consideration and acceptance. Those Saints who’s insights provide new or changed doctrine are called Doctors of the Church, and Augustine IS a Doctor of the Church.
TEACHINGS are created to support the Dogma and Doctrine. They MUST change, or at least be reformulated, so that they can be heard by the current generation. But they can never teach anything that goes against Dogma and Doctrine.
CHURCH LAW is intended to protect the church against TEACHING that goes against DOGMA and DOCTRINE.
(This explanation answered so many questions for me that I would say it was the single most valuable lesson in my Catechism, or RCIA class.)
Actually, I've never asserted that the Roman Catholic religion is "static", quite the contrary. It has evolved over the centuries. However, Rome claims that it is the same as it was from the beginning, which anyone who studies history knows is simply a stupid assertion.
Dogma CANNOT change.
So the RC story goes, but in reality Roman Catholic dogmas has changed. To name two specifically:
1) The unilateral, schismatic addition of the filoque clause to the Nicene Creed.
2) The rejection of monergistic regeneration as defined by Augustine and the 2nd Council of Orange in favor of John Cassian's semi-pelagianism in the middle ages.
Dogma is mostly found in the Nicene Creed. Believing in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for example.
I think you need to study your religion more, for there are a great many more evolved dogmas in Roman Catholicism than the Nicene Creed.
There you go again. Read the Nicene Creed. ALL of the Dogma is laid out right there.
Strange, nowhere in the Nicene Creed are the dogmas of papal infallibility, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption of Mary, or purgatory, all of which are formal dogmas which must be believed or forfeit any hope of salvation.
I can see you need to study your own religion more.
Ugh! Those are DOCTRINES not Dogma!
No, those are all formal dogmas.
You need to study more, those are formal dogmas, as is auricular confession and penance.
Ludwig Ott explains the relationship of Dogmas defined by the Church and faith in these words: By dogma in the strict sense is understood a truth immediately (formally) revealed by God which has been proposed by the Teaching Authority of the Church to be believed as such...All those things are to be believed by divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the Word of God written or handed down and which are proposed for our belief by the Church either in a solemn definition or in its ordinary and universal authoritative teaching.
Two factors or elements may be distinguished in the concept of dogma:
A) An immediate Divine Revelation of the particular Dogma...i.e., the Dogma must be immediately revealed by God either explicitly (explicite) or inclusively (implicite), and therefore be contained in the sources of Revelation (Holy Writ or Tradition)
B) The Promulgation of the Dogma by the Teaching Authority of the Church (propositio Ecclesiae). This implies, not merely the promulgation of the Truth, but also the obligation on the part of the Faithful of believing the Truth. This promulgation by the Church may be either in an extraordinary manner through a solemn decision of faith made by the Pope or a General Council (Iudicium solemns) or through the ordinary and general teaching power of the Church (Magisterium ordinarium et universale). The latter may be found easily in the catechisms issued by the Bishops.
Dogma in its strict signification is the object of both Divine Faith (Fides Divina) and Catholic Faith (Fides Catholica); it is the object of the Divine Faith...by reason of its Divine Revelation; it is the object of Catholic Faith...on account of its infallible doctrinal definition by the Church. If a baptised person deliberately denies or doubts a dogma properly so-called, he is guilty of the sin of heresy (Codex Iuris Canonici 1325, Par. 2), and automatically becomes subject to the punishment of excommunication (Codex Iuris Canonici 2314, Par. I).
As far as the content of justifying faith is concerned, the so-called fiducial faith does not suffice. What is demanded is theological or dogmatic faith (confessional faith) which consists in the firm acceptance of the Divine truths of Revelation, on the authority of God Revealing...According to the testimony of Holy Writ, faith and indeed dogmatic faith, is the indispensable prerequisite for the achieving of eternal salvation
You will find that in New Advent.
Like I said, you need to study your own religion more to reduce the confusion on this matter.
Dagnabbit, maybe the woman made this up. I’m having trouble refuting you. Feel better now?
Roman Catholicism has made up a ton of stuff, including many of it’s dogmas and practices.
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