What should Catholics do when their tradition and the Scriptures contradict each other?

Answer 1

Holy Scripture and Apostolic tradition never contradict each other. This is when you look at both from an overall view point.

Take slavery for instance. The Bible never condemns slavery but Holy Apostilic Tradition says that the overall message of the Bible "to love one another as I have loved you" clearly states that slavery is contrary to Christianity.

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

The Catholic Church does not use Holy Scripture as the only basis of doctrine. It could not. The early Catholic church existed before and during the time that the New Testament was written (by Catholics).

There were hundreds of Christian writings during the first and second centuries. Which New Testament writings would become official was not fully decided until about 400 AD.

Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like:
+ The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
+ Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the Ten Commandments)
+ The Communion of Saints
+ Which writings include in the New Testament?

Things that are even more modern like
+ Slavery is bad. Slavery is never declared evil in the Bible. This was one of the justifications for slavery in the Confederate States.
+ Democracy is good. The Bible states that either God should be the leader of the nation like Israel before the kings or kings should be the leader, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's." This was talked about a lot during the American Revolution.

This second source of doctrine is called Apostolic Tradition.

Do Christians who do not allow the continuing guiding force of the Holy Spirit to make their beliefs more and more perfect, still endorse slavery as Colossians 3:22 commands, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything"?

We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. (1 Corinthians 11:2)

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

There is never a contradiction between Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Think of the two as a sort of spiritual checks and balance system.

If there is an element of tradition than cannot be justified in the Bible, it is not Sacred Tradition. If a given Bible Interpretation cannot be confirmed by some element of Tradition, the interpretation is an errant one.

So, the question is not what one should do if Tradition and Scripture contradict each other. The question should be, what should one do if they discover their personal interpretation contradicts both Scripture & Tradition?

Answer 3

Catholic tradition and scripture never contradict . Catholic tradition existed before the first Bible came into existence. And the first Bible was brought into existence by Catholic priests. For Catholics, the Scripture (as interpreted by the Catholic church) and Holy Spirit inspired tradition that comes down to us from Apostolic times, go hand-in-hand.

Answer 4

I think you are confusing two different things. Catholics believe in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition (note upper case T), both compliment each other and cannot contradict each other. We have traditions (lower case t), and if one (a lower case t) would contradict Scripture, it would also contradict Tradition, and therefore it would be an unholy tradition.

For example, a priest wears certain clothing during the celebration of the Mass. That is a tradition (lower case t), and can change over time.

If you go out with your buddies to a strip bar every Friday, then that is a tradition that contradicts Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and is unholy.

I hope that clears things up.

Answer 5

there's a difference. Writing in an editorial called "The Dogmatic custom of the Orthodox Church", His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh stated right here: ========== The source of the religion and doctrine of the Orthodox Church is termed "Sacred custom." in assessment to Western Christianity, which professes a sort of dichotomy between the Bible, considered to be the revealed be attentive to God, and the custom of the Church, considered to be: a million. as important because of the fact the Bible (Roman Catholic Church) or 2. secondary, or maybe negligible (Protestantism), Orthodoxy holds the placement that the custom of the Church incorporates the Bible, for the Bible is an epiphenomenon , an "outward sort" of our Christian custom. ====== and ========== The custom of the Church isn't the rest however the existence of the Church, a existence interior the Holy Spirit. ========== The Bible is part of the Church's custom, a checklist of its adolescence, and the informer of its later existence. The Bible and the custom of the Church are actually not held in opposition to one yet another

Answer 6

Simple: just log on to Catholic Answers and do a search on the teaching. Or look for more info in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If that's too heady, ask a Jesuit to explain it to you. (LOL) You'll find that the tradition doesn't contradict the Scripture, you're just misunderstanding the Scripture or the tradition. BTW: what specific tradition(s) are you referring to?

Answer 7

They need to realize that thier religion was built on touching children in their no no spots! The whole God thing was just a cover up and a way to get them alone with the kids! They'll call David Copperfield fake, but believe an even more unbelievable book of magic, there's a contradiction right there! I wonder how quickly I would be thrown into an insane assylum if God took over my body and told everyone that I could part the seas! They would laugh at me and then send me away, and then if I did perform it, they would try to figure out where the "trick" is, and still not believe it, though a book that was written before their time, with no proof of any of this ever happening say so, they believe it and follow blindly into the depths of nonreality.

Answer 8

If that were to happen then it would be proof that Jesus lied when he promised that the only Church he ever founded would always have the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit on which to rely, and that he lied when he pledged to be with his Church, until the end of time.

I suspect you actually mean that your interpretation of scripture differs from the Catholic one.

That would not be too suprising, because if you're not Catholic, you missed the first 1500 years of true, practical Christianity, and would logically have no idea whatsoever, how things are actually supposed to work.

Answer 9

Catholic teachers would say that these two don't contradict. But if a Catholic person became convinced that they did, then, of course, the Scriptures would trump tradition because of their verifiability, historicity, accuracy, and authority.

Answer 10

That's like asking "What would you do if trangles were squares?" It's an incoherent question because it supposes an impossible state of affairs. Catholics believe that both Tradition and Scripture are innerant, and therefore it's impossible for them to contradict.