Why are Church traditions less important than scriptures?

Question

Isn't it clearly obvious that the Church predates the New Testament? Did we know nothing for a few hundred years? Did the church disappear during that time? It seems more likely that scripture and tradition work together. Especially since it says so , in the scriptures.

II Thessalonians 2:15 (KJV)
Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught by word, or our epistle.

I had to quote the scriptures because that is the only rationality for anything with some people.

Answer 1

Here are some scriptures to check out 2 Thess 2:15, 1 Cor 11:2, 2 Thess 3:6, 2 Tim 1:13-14 & 2:2. When the first Christians had disagreements they didn’t open their bibles – they didn’t exist – they held councils and held binding decrees – these councils were those who knew more then the others and they came to an agreement/understanding and thus made a binding decree (acts 15:1-29). The very books of the bible were determined by the Church (Rcc) and didn’t even happen until the 4th century – centuries of oral tradition. Without their determination and will to listen to the Holy Spirit, sent by God to inspire them there would be no bible.

Answer 2

I disagree with Laura H. What Jesus Christ broke were the traditions made by men not the traditions which comes from God. That's why some Church traditions have changed; e.g. the liturgy of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. No group, not even the Church, can sustain itself without traditions and customs.

What does not change is God's teaching. Yet there is a way of understanding Jesus as the apostles did. This is called the tradition of the apostles, and the Church, founded by the apostles, guards this Tradition, that is, their spirit. Let us not confuse the traditions of Catholics with the Traditions of the Church.

Grace and peace!

Answer 3

The scriptures were started as stories and history passed down by word of mouth for quite a long time, many many generations, by rote. (Don't you think that it may have been mixed up just a little?)

Anyways, many Christians believe that God made sure the verbal history was not contaminated by human error, then someone finally wrote it all down, many somebodys in fact. That was the Old Testament. Then, about 100 years or so after the death of Christ, the New testament was written down. The belief is that the scriptures were written down as a devine act, inspired by the Hand of God.

Church Doctrine was built upon one person's INTERPRETATION of the scriptures. That is why Christians keep going back to the source.

Answer 4

Predates the New Testament? Hardly.

The origin of today's Christian faith is a tricky study in subtlety and interpretation.

At the start Jesus went about the land teaching the masses who may not have access to regular services. And since Jesus was of Jewish lineage he taught as a rabbi. So Christanity is really a form of Jewish faith.

After His execution, the teachings continued through His brother James and the deciples, while they lasted. Still the teachings were primarily Jewish. During the next century many religious writings were composed and copied, many of which (the Apocryphal books) were ignored later by the Catholic church due to their not agreeing with the "Johnny-come-lately" clergy.

While going by the Christian name, the lessons and rituals were, at this point, still primarily Jewish. Once the Christain faith broke away from the Jewish path all together the new church began a centuries long process of editing, removing, and adding books to the 'approved' bible.

The books already existed. It was mostly a matter of finding the books that the clergy thought they could live up to.

In one text Jesus tells His followers that faith isn't based on large ornate buildings, but the person is the true temple. To modern Christians, church has to be inside a flashy building and you have to be all dressed up to get God's attention. The Gospel of Thomas tells us
"The Kingdom is within You and All around You, Not in a building made of wood or stone. Split a piece of wood and you will find me, turn over a stone and I am there."

This was removed for obvious reasons. The Catholic faith was too obsessed with wealth building, elaborate costumes, and ornate buildings and items rather than doing charity with the collections. But now all denominations are obsessed with the same money sucking theme. Just watch TBN sometime for confirmation.

Today's preachers are too far from tradition to ever consider going back to the old ways. Little in the modern Christian faith has anything to do with thw traditions of the past. If so we would have more of a Jewish flavor in our faith, clerics would be encouraged to marry, and the practice of buggering altar boys would not be condoned.

As Keaneu Reeve'scharacter said in "Constantine"... Its not always like in the books kid.

I reccomend you try google-ing the 'Gutenburg project' and catch up on some of the books you were 'protected' from by the all-knowing keepers of the faith. You'll be amazed at how far behind the path has been left.

Answer 5

Having a building or edifice erected for a gathering predates the Old Testament and christianity. Christianity does not predate the birth of Jesus. The belief in a higher power predates christianity, i.e. the belief in a god figure. Traditions of any religious source predate written history. Do a little research.

Answer 6

The church did not predate the new tastament (Read Acts 11:26), they both began at the same time. Only that the scriptures were collected together at a later date.

Answer 7

Jesus himself broke tradition. Read Matthew 15.

Traditions are made by man, the scriptures are made by God. Traditions are only useful if they are based. The danger of traditions is that people can take them as law.

For example, in my church we use the Psalter-Hymnal. However, we are joining with another church who uses a different psalm-book. There are people who feel that changing the psalm-book would be wrong. However, that is a tradition. Unity with other believers is a command of Jesus. Thus, traditions can be dangerous.

Answer 8

"Church" as we today know it, does not predate the New Testament. It only came into being 300 years after the apostlr John died.
The Bible warns against the over emphasis of tradition.
(COLOSSIANS 2:8) “Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry YOU off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ;”

Answer 9

I think you answered your own question. You have to use the authority of scripture to validate traditions when you say, "Especially since it says so, in the scriptures."

The Bible is to Christians what the Constitution is to lawyers. We both have all sorts of precedents and traditions, but they all draw their authority from premises in one foundational document.

Answer 10

It's all traditions. Even the scriptures.