It’s mmm mmm good. Judging by the actions of those eat large helpings of YOPIOS, I’d say that there was n good amount of Everclear added to help wash it all down.
After all, if Scripture is read with YOPIOS, then Scripture must be edited with YOPIOS. And the Everclear.
“After all, if Scripture is read with YOPIOS...”
Sorry, but everyone will be responsible for the interpretation they choose to follow. If you don’t mind standing before God and saying, “I believed XYZ because the Catholic Church told me it is true”...you can.
I find the glaring contrast between what is taught in scripture & Catholic doctrine about Purgatory, Indulgences, Priests, the Eucharist, Mary, Penance, and the development of doctrine too much to stomach - so I will plead MOPIOS (My Own Personal Interpretation of Scripture, for those who don’t read these sorts of threads often).
But it is still an individual choice to accept the Catholic Catechism over Scripture, Sola Ecclesia over Sola Scriptura.
Given that the Catholic Church openly teaches that its doctrines are, in many cases, not explicitly taught in scripture, but needed centuries for the Magisterium to unfold the meaning, I don’t know why Catholics bother with pretending to draw doctrine or justify it by scripture. What is the point? Wouldn’t it be more intellectually honest to simply say, “XYZ is not explicitly taught in scripture, nor do we believe it needed to be”?
It doesn’t bother me when someone says, “We believe X because it is taught via sacred tradition.” Even the footnotes to the NAB, for example, say that 1 Cor 3 was not an attempt by Paul to describe or define Purgatory. While I wouldn’t convert in response, I can respectfully disagree with someone who openly says it comes from sacred tradition, and they choose to believe sacred tradition is as certain as scripture.
Oh well. The last week has been a long one for me, so perhaps I’m missing something as I stare bleary-eyed at the computer.
It would be interesting some time to work on a thread that tries to figure out what we have in common, versus what we have that divides.
Bible Reading: the highest was 75%, by those going to a Pentecostal/Foursquare church who reported they had read the Bible during the past week (besides at church), while the lowest was among Catholics at 23%.^8
Volunteer church work (during past 7 days): Assemblies of God were highest at 30%, with the lowest going to Catholics at 12%.^8
Donating Money (during the last month): Church of Christ churches were the highest at 29%, with Catholics being the lowest at 12%.^8
American evangelicals gave four times as much, per person, to churches as did all other church donors in 2001. Eighty-eight percent of evangelicals and 73 percent of all Protestants donated to churches. John Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle, The State of Church Giving through 2004: Will We Will? 16th ed. (Champaign, Ill.: Empty Tomb, 2006),12. http://www.generousgiving.org/stats#
Among evangelicals, almost 90 cents of every donated dollar goes to their churches. The proportion drops, however, as people's spiritual intensity and commitment to Christ decline. George Barna, quoted in Survey Finds Americans More Generous Last Year, press release by World Vision, July 22, 2002. http://www.generousgiving.org/stats#
By denomination, 61% of the those associated with an Assemblies of God church said they had shared their faith at least once during the past year, followed by 61% of those who attend a Pentecostal/Foursquare church, and ending 14% among Episcopalians and just 10% among Roman Catholics.^8
39 percent of Catholics affirmed not attending church is a sin, versus 23 percent of Protestants. Ellison Research, March 11, 2008 http://ellisonresearch.com/releases/20080311.htm http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080312/study-behaviors-americans-consider-sinful.htm
Weekly Church attendance: Evangelicals showed the highest participation of approx 60 percent (30% more than once a week). Catholics were at 45 percent (9% more than once a week), and Jews 15 percent. Gallup poll. between 2002 and 2005. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060418/weekly-attendance-highest-among-evangelical-churches.htm
See HERE for church attendance (based on adults who attended a church service in the past week) by Denomination (Assemblies of God: 69%; Catholic: 48.5% Episcopal/Anglican: 30%)
Weekly attendance among Protestants has been fairly steady over the past six decades, averaging 42% in 1955 versus 45% in the middle of the current decade. However, attendance among Roman Catholics dropped from 75% to 45% over the same period. Gallup poll published April 10, 2009, http://www.gallup.com/poll/117382/Church-Going-Among-Catholics-Slides-Tie-Protestants.aspx 56% of Assemblies of God (versus 17% Catholics) Christians strongly DISAGREE that Satan is just a symbol of evil [rather than a real being]. ^7
Catholics and Mainline Protestants tend towards more belief in a more Distant God. Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the 21 Century – September 2006 . http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634
Evangelical Protestants and Black Protestants tend towards belief in a more Authoritarian God. ^Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
Jews tend towards belief in a Distant God and over 8% of Jews in the sample report being atheists. ^Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
50 percent of Protestants affirmed gambling was a sin, versus 15 percent of Catholics; that getting drunk was a sin: 63 percent of Protestants, 28 percent of Catholics; gossip: 70 percent to 45 percent: homosexual activity or sex: 72 percent to 42 percent. Ellison Research, March 11, 2008 http://ellisonresearch.com/releases/20080311.htm http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080312/study-behaviors-americans-consider-sinful.htm
39 percent of Roman Catholics and 79 percent of born-again, evangelical or fundamentalist Americans affirm that homosexual behavior is sinful. LifeWay Research study, released Wednesday. 2008 LifeWay Research study. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080606/survey-americans-divided-on-homosexuality-as-sin.htm
79 percent of American Jews, 58 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of mainline Protestants favor acceptance of homosexuality, versus 39 percent of members of historically black churches, 27 percent of Muslims and 26 percent of the evangelical Protestants. U.S. 7.5U.S. Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008 The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
83% of those in Mainline Churches, 79% of Catholics, 72% of Orthodox, and 57% in Evangelical Churches affirmed "Many religions can lead to eternal life." ^7.5
Evangelical Churches (79%) had the highest percentage of souls who affirmed religion was very important in One's Life, with Unaffiliated (includes Atheists and Agnostics) being the lowest (16%). ^7.5
Evangelical Churches (17%), had the lowest percentage of souls aged 18-29, versus Unaffiliated (31%), Muslims (29%), Historically Black Churches (24%), Mormons (24%) and Other Faiths (24%). Mainline Churches had the greater percentage (23%) of souls 65 and older. ^7.5
82% of Mainline Churches, 77% of Catholics and 53% of Evangelical Churches affirmed, "There is MORE than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion." ^7.5
Orthodox (29%), Mainline Churches (28%), and Catholics (27%) led Christian Churches in affirming that the Scriptures were written by men and were not the word of God, versus Historically Black Churches (9%%), and Evangelical Churches (7%) who rightly affirm its full inspiration of God. ^7.5
The majority (64%) of Evangelical and Historically Black Churches (46%) affirmed "Homosexuality is a way of life that should be discouraged by society", while the majority (58%) of Catholics, and Mainline Churches (56%) favored it's acceptance by society,as did Other Faiths (84%) Buddhists (82%) and Jews (79%). ^7.5
Also, those who demonstrably hold to sola Scriptura, to Scripture as their supreme (but not only) authority, and not a man, do enjoy doctrinal unity among essential doctrines, and which require “full assent of faith” for salvation. Those who disagree with these clearly Biblically established essentials, which includes what your Nicene creed states (catholic and apostolic being universal and foundationally, respectively) would be called heretics, as such are well substantiated in Scripture which is why we agree with them.
Meanwhile, seeking to live by every word does bring about some disagreements on things, but it limits their scope, and these can typically be considered to correspond to the vast amount of areas of Scriptures that Rome has either not taught definitely on (or at all), and can modify (which includes much of what is espoused about Mary), and which allow for a limited amount of dissent by them (Ordinary Magisterium); Or which may include the possibility of significant error (General Magisterium). And unity in essential salvific truth, which is manifest in its fruits, is better than unity based upon error, which Rome owes its overall dead condition to.