This riposte of yours demonstrate the utter ignorance of Bible-Christians of whom it has been often said that they wallow in the shallow end of the theological pool that any attempt to engage them them in the deep end is futile. They simply drown. Catholics all over the word believe in a single Credo. No need to throw off snippets of scripture like the “fortune-cookie” interpretations Joel Osteen makes of scripture or the sheer vapid nonsense of Billy Grahams or Jeremiah Wright.
Not a single rebuttal to the fact that anyone with a cursory knowledge of theological history will tell that it is the infallible Petrine authority that authenticated the books in the Bible and this is why pre-eminent Lutheran theologians (like Rev. Richard Neuhaus) have decamped from Protestant nonsense and converted to Catholicism. That Petrine authority that gave us the books in the Bible- (Synod of Rome AD 382) did not evaporate ELEVEN centuries later. No rebuttal to any of this. There cannot be.
No rebuttal either to the fact that unlike the thousands of different sects of Protestantism, some of it literally and figurativly lethal (check Jim Jones/David Koresh) that all purport to crack open the pages of the Bible and discern the “Word of God” for themselves. Precisely, to prevent such an evil, that Christ established ONE Church: True, Holy Catholic, and Apostolic.
The acts and words of Christ that were not written did not disappear into vapor.
John 21: 25
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they were written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself would contain the books written.”
This is the sacred tradition and ritual of the Church. You can mock all you want Catholic liturgical practices of veneration of Mary and saints, but this mocks John 21: 25. This is the faith of our Church Fathers many of whom were friends of the Apostles like St. Ignatius of Antioch or St. Clement.
(Oh, I forgot historical scholarship is not something for Bible-Christians)
It is one thing when theologians convert and of course it is not the same as some Jack or Jill who leaves one faith for another, then is lost and often comes back to the true Catholic faith. We are speaking here of people who have studied theology all their lives, written books, taught theology and whose works have been often quoted by ecclesiastic scholars.
Bottom line you cannot have Moonies, Billy Graham, Benny Hinn, Al Sharpton, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and every self-appointed “internet” theologians tell us what he/she/they think is the “Word of God” written AND unwritten. They have neither the infallible authority endowed to ONE Church, and worse none of them are theologically literate.
This binding interpretation falls to ONE Catholic Church. The rest of Christian beliefs are like wild mushrooms grown on fallow or shallow soil that with time wither and die away.
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>> “This riposte of yours demonstrate the utter ignorance of Bible-Christians of whom it has been often said that they wallow in the shallow end of the theological pool that any attempt to engage them them in the deep end is futile. They simply drown.” <<
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Any believer thrown in that cesspool would be in danger of drowning!
Theology is strictly for unbelievers, to create ‘Religion’ to replace the Gospel of the Kingdom that they reject.
The Gospel is not ‘religion,’ and it is not described nor understood by men’s theology.
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After all the evidence to the contrary already posted on these forums I can't even imagine someone making that comment and expecting to be taken seriously.
You’re entitled to your opinion.
Scripture is Scripture and has been recognized as such before the Catholic church came along and doesn’t need the RCC stamp of approval on it to validate it.
The Holy Spirit is more than capable of enlightening the heart and mind to the truths in Scripture than any *interpretation* given by the RCC.
Petrine authority is simply wishful thinking on the part of Catholics.
Well said. They won’t get it or they will make completely ridiculous replies, but they needed to hear it.