Is Catholic tradition against God's word?

Question

The apostle Paul said: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8).

Answer 1

Yes

Catholics don't follow the Bible.
They follow a tradition created by Constantine in Rome

Answer 2

Catholic Tradition IS God's Word.

That Gospel Paul was preaching was Catholic Tradition, because there most certainly was NO written bible in existence at that time in history.

The bible is simply Catholic Tradition reduced to writing ... by Catholics ... and certified by the authentic Catholic Church ... under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The church existed for almost 400 years with no official bible.

Without the Catholic church there would be no bible.

Jesus founded a church ... not a bible.

Jesus gave power and authority to his church .... not the bible.

Jesus left the church behind on the earth to lead all to salvation in his grace ... he didn't leave the bible.

It is the Catholic church which has always testified to the God inspired, inerrant nature of sacred scripture. No other group or denomination has the authority to do so.

Jesus left it up to the apostles to go out teaching an baptizing in God's name ... he never TOLD them to use the bible to do it.

All of this remains Catholic Tradition as well.

Authentic sacred Tradition is the way the Holy Spirit guides (and has always guided) the universal church, from age to age.

The only place you can find authentic sacred Tradition is in the Catholic Church.

All the rest is of the man made, late day, non-authoritative (protestant) variety.

And since it was the protestant "reformers" who actually CHANGED the bible ... it is they who St. Paul was likely envisioning when he wrote the prohibition in Galatians 1:8.

Answer 3

No.

Scripture instructs us to follow Holy Tradition.

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (John 16:12-13)

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 C.E.

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"?

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)

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)

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 80 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#80

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Yes...the Mormons also have no way to respond Biblically to that verse. I stand alone on the Word of God...that was the rally cry of many during the Reformation movement. Jesus Himself warned about following the traditions of man instead of God's Word.
I am still wondering why these modern Catholic answerers do not pay attention to their own church's history. They continue to claim the Catholic Church is the one that Christ started. They do not realize that it was not even what it became until Constantine...the first so-called Christian Emperor. He decreed all kinds of things uniting pagan Rome with the church in Rome. They were some 300+ years after the Apostolic Age. There were no direct links to any of the apostles to that movement which took over Europe and Western Asia, and parts of Africa.

Answer 5

What does St. Paul's statement have to do with your Question?

But the short answer is no.

From my blog:


Did Jesus condemn all traditions?

Did Jesus really speak against all traditions or was His statement about traditions condemning a specific source and kind. Certainly, He was speaking of the traditions of the Pharisees But how does that teaching apply to other traditions such as Sacred Traditions. Let us actually look at the Scriptures that apply to our discussion which are about Sacred Tradition.

St. Paul speaking of oral Tradition: (1Co 11:2 DRB) Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you.

This is St. Paul speaking about both oral and written Sacred Traditions. In his teaching notice he makes no distinction between the oral and the written Sacred Traditions. 2Th 2:15 DRB) (2:14) Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle. .......

Continued- http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-S6YMuFYyaa9ESBoW5DFwEjL_HhqA?p=21

Answer 6

In the Holy Spirit, The Roman Catholic Church composed the Holy Bible in the 4th century a.d. with 73 books. Before sacred scripture was written there was sacred tradition the sacred magesterium (Bishops and Popes).

"Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church"--St. Ignatius (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 A.D. 110]).

Answer 7

It is so much more important for the followers of Christ to rip into each other, battling each other over doctrine and condemning each other to hell for disagreeing over how to worship God, than to reach out to the poor, the suffering and the outcast.

I can just see Jesus at the gates of heaven, asking people what they did with their lives: "Did you feed the hungry? Visit the imprisoned?" "No", you'd reply, "I beat up on Catholics!" And then he'd say, "Well, all right then." Just like in Matthew 25.

Answer 8

No. Catholic Tradition is the mirrored image of God's Word. They cannot contradict one another.

Peace be with you.

Answer 9

This is one of the reasons I haven't just picked a church and started going. There's a lot of fighting between the various churches. Even if the whole world converted to Christianity, it still wouldn't be enough. Different churches would still fight between each other, call each other heretics, and maybe even start burning each other at the stake again. Think I'll just try to figure it out on my own and stay home on Sundays.

Answer 10

Well, what about the Scripture where Paul talks about upholding the Scriptures AND the Oral Traditions

Answer 11

Well -- Paul was Catholic (as were all early Christians), so that would imply that it is Protestants, not Catholics, who are accursed.