Catholics - Answer Honestly Please?

Question

What do you belive is the FINAL Authority in all matters? Do not shim sham, answer the question directly, with a single answer.

The catholic church does not teach that the Bible (God's word) is the final word in all matters.

Why argue with these nuts, when they don't even believe the Bible is the final authority.

They teach the Church is the authority over God's word (blasphemy)
They teach the Pope has authority over God's word
(more blasphemy)

Why do the Catholics even come here, all they do is copy and paste from their Church's website. Can't you answer without copy and pasting a long boring post which no one reads, because you posted the same thing 100 times already.

Following God, and following the Bible is the same thing.

If you do not follow the Bible, you are not following God.

Follow God, not a man made religious organization.

Answer 1

Catholic Crusader you have given that answer about a million times.

Answer 2

In all matters, God the Father is the Final Authority.

We believe that God's Word consists in both the Written Word as well as the Sacred Tradition of the Church.

That the Bible is the final word in all matters is itself un-Biblical. Paul writes that the Church is the pillar of Truth, and Paul goes on to exhort believers to remain steadfast in the traditions that were taught to them by letter or by word. John writes the Gospels do not include all that Jesus taught and did. The first Gospel was not written until at least 20 years after the Resurrection. So, what did the Early Church do for those first 20 years? Nothing? Wait for the Gospel to be written? No, the answer lies in the Oral Tradition.

You talk as though the Bible itself is God, which of course it is not.

The Pope has authority, given by Jesus, to teach infallibly in matters of faith and morals. The Teaching Authority of the Church could never contradict the Bible because Sacred Tradtion and the Bible are mirror images of one another.

Answer 3

The Bible never tells us that The Bible is the sole authority.
The Bible does mandate the use of Tradition.

The Church has the authority as it was given to them by Christ as told to us in The Bible.

When Jesus told Peter “whatever you bind or loose on earth is bound or loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19), He was promising to protect Peter from teaching error to the universal Church. Otherwise, Jesus could not make such a sweeping promise to Peter. Because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18), Peter must be protected from teaching error, since what he binds or looses, heaven binds and looses as well. Indeed, God intrudes into the mind of the pope and prevents him from teaching error, just like the Father penetrated the mind of Peter when he confessed that Jesus was the Christ.

You recall what happened next. Jesus said Peter is the rock upon which He would build the Church and gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The basis for infallibility is the ability of the pope to accept and confess God's divine guidance without error. It has nothing to do with the pope's private opinions or conduct. The fact that all the popes have spoken with one voice over the past 2,000 years when it comes to dogmatizing principles of Catholic faith and morals proves that Jesus has kept His promise.

Note also that nothing the Church teaches on faith or morals just “pops up.” This is because the Church’s teaching comes from the Tradition of the apostles, which we call the sacred deposit of faith. The Church may try to clarifying the way she expresses doctrine, but there can be nothing new under the sun, as they say. Often, the Church will issue a dogmatic teaching to clarify a point of contention or refute a heresy. But clarifying the way in which she expresses the divine deposit of faith does not mean she makes up new doctrines. The doctrines remain the same.

Answer 4

The Catholic Church teaches that GOD has the FINAL Authority in all manners.

No shim-shamming. God is the answer.

No, the Bible is not the final authority -- God is.

Neither is Sacred Tradition the final authority -- God is.

The Church is not the final authority - God is.

And the Pope is not the final authority -- God is.

We do believe the Church has been granted authority on earth and that the Pope, as head of the Church, is sometimes specially enabled by God to speak without error, but there is no blasphemy in this. The Bible records Jesus giving this authority to the Church (Matthew 16, Matthew 18, John 21, etc.)

Authority on earth, though, is different than the FINAL authority.

Answer 5

The final authority in determining the truth is found in the church. The church determines and defends the truth as found in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, either orally or written. We do this because that's the way it's been done since Jesus instituted His Church.

Jesus said that “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”(John 14:6) and also “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32).

So we see that the truth is crucial to our salvation. We need to find the truth, where do we go when disagreements on what the truth is when two disagree on Scripture? And who, or what, is the defender and standard of truth? Is it the Bible? Well, the Bible says that the church is the defender and standard of the truth (1 Tim 3:15). The church is the pillar, or protector, and foundation of truth.

The perfect example of the Teaching Church and its binding authority at work is seen in the book of Acts at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:6-30). In the Jerusalem Council, we see Peter and James speaking with authority. This council makes an authoritative pronouncement (citing the Holy Spirit) which was binding on all Christians:

Acts 15:28-29: For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity.

In the next chapter, we read that Paul, Timothy, and Silas were traveling around “through the cities,” and Scripture says that:

… As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem . (Acts 16:4)

This is Church authority. They, the Church leaders, simply proclaimed the decree as true and binding – with the sanction of the Holy Spirit Himself! And this is exactly how Jesus taught the disciples on how to resolve disputes (Matt 18:15-17):

"If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that 'every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,' as the scripture says. And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.”(Matt 18:15-17)

So now you see that our understanding is based squarerly on Scripture. Not so on the understanding of Sola Scriptura.

God Bless
Robin

Answer 6

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)

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)

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"?

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 7

1. The Apostles were given the power (not everyone else). You don't have to, but you don't know if you're forgiven or not (since that power was passed down to ordained men of the Church. Priests, etc..etc.. I confessed once to a Cardinal :) ) 2.You don't pray TO saints. You ask them to pray for us (just like in the Hail Mary, you ask her to 'pray for us sinners'" Intercession 3.That is another intercession. Yes it's repetitive :) But then again, wouldn't you normally say more than one prayer? 4.This is the one question where I disagree with Protestants (well one of them). Having faith alone means to you that you deserve salvation? So a person could have faith but not be a *good* and *giving* person, as we were meant to be. Does that even sound proper, logically? . Whereas a person who's showing love, goodness and is a giving person, to me, deserves to enter the Kingdom of God 5.I've researched and studied Catholicism for 14 years (well add 5 more if we speak of grammar school as well). I've looked at other religions and spiritual path. I left the Church because my practices (and beliefs) conflict with the RCC. I have too much respect for the Church to continue the practice and remain Catholic

Answer 8

Since WE'RE the ones who decided what the heck the Bible WAS in the first place, we tend to give equal credence to Christ's promise that He would protect us from error (the gates of hell shall not prevail bit, remember?). To do that He's GOTTA steer our traditions right or else be a liar or a nutball. We don't think the Son of God is a liar OR a nutball. But that's just us. Protestants (especially fundamentalists) will probably give you an argument on that score as well.

Answer 9

Authority:
Catholics say it resides in the Church Christ established
Protestants say the Bible is he final authority

All other differences stem from there. For a protestant, their doctrines come from their own scripture interpretations, which is why they have thousands of disagreeing denominations. Catholics say the Church decides doctrine, which is why we have unity of faith among 1.3 billion Catholics

Jesus promised, "I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). This means that his Church will never be destroyed and will never fall away from him. His Church will survive until his return.

Among the Christian churches, only the Catholic Church has existed since the time of Jesus. Every other Christian church is an offshoot of the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox churches broke away from unity with the pope in 1054. The Protestant churches were established during the Reformation, which began in 1517. (Most of today’s Protestant churches are actually offshoots of the original Protestant offshoots.) Only the Catholic Church existed in the tenth century, in the fifth century, and in the first century, faithfully teaching the doctrines given by Christ to the apostles, omitting nothing. The line of popes can be traced back, in unbroken succession, to Peter himself. This is unequaled by any institution in history: Even the oldest government is new compared to the papacy.

The Catholic Church has existed for nearly 2,000 years, despite constant opposition from the world. This is testimony to the Church’s divine origin: Any merely human organization would have collapsed long ago. The Catholic Church is today the most vigorous church in the world (and the largest, with 1.3 billion members: one sixth of the human race), and that is testimony not to the cleverness of the Church’s leaders, but to the protection of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20). For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28). Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19). The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it went all the way back to the time of the apostles.

Answer 10

They must say that the Catholic Church is wrong or else why are they Protestants? Yet they must also admit that not one of their denominations has any right to declare itself to be the one True Church. And that, for the simple reason that Christ did not estab­lish any institution which could be known by men to be His Church.


They are all brought up with that impression and so they continue in religious matters to wander where they will, like people in a forest, who follow any line of tracks without bothering to ask where it leads. And they so love the risky adventure of experi­menting for themselves that they search Scripture for every possible text which they think will support them.


All Christians admit that Christ intended a unity of some kind to prevail amongst His followers. But we cannot deny for ourselves what type of unity must prevail. The "all going the one way" type of unity, whilst each goes his own way, is useless if it be quite foreign to the mind of Christ. Who can accept the in­vention of Protestants who, noting the numberless ways in which they are divided, define the unity re­quired to suit themselves in their present circumstances and in such a way that they may remain where they are.


Those who believed all that He had taught would at least be one in faith. Again, He demanded unity in worship. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism," was to be the rule and baptism belongs to worship. The early Christians were told distinctly by St. Paul that participation in the same Eucharistic worship probably was essential to the unity. "We, being many, are one bread, one body; all that partake of one bread".
In other words, "The one Christ is to be found in Holy Communion, and we, however numerous we may be, are one in Him if we partake of the same Holy Communion."

Protestantism cannot preserve Christian standards in­tact. Articles of faith have gone overboard. Mortifi­cation and fasting are not required. The evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, with their consequent inspiration of monastic life are ig­nored. Protestant writings excuse, and even approve, laxity in moral practice. Protestantism has not pro­duced anything equivalent to the canonized Catholic Saint. Many of the Sacraments of Christ are not even acknowledged by Protestantism, whilst the heart has been torn out of its worship by the loss of Christ's presence in the Blessed Eucharist. Of spiritual author­ity there is scarcely a trace. The very clergy are not trained in moral law, and cannot advise the laity as they should, even were the laity willing to accept ad­vice. The prevalent notion, "Believe on Christ and be saved," tends of its very nature to lessen the sense of necessity of personal virtue.

Protestantism was a movement of heated dissent. Error and rebellion took the first Protestants from the Catholic Church, the various forms of error, or the various countries in which the rebellion occurred, giving rise to the various sects. But any goodness which the first Protestants took as doctrinal baggage with them was derived from the Church they left. And any apparent goodness in the teachings of Protestant­ism is still to be found in the Catholic Church. Where, in the Catholic Church, cockle sown by the enemy is found here and there amidst the wheat, Satan was wise enough to allow some wheat here and there to remain amidst the cockle of Protestantism. And it is the presence of this wheat which accounts for the con­tinued existence of Protestantism. But the wheat does not really belong to Protestantism. It is a relic of Catholicism growing in alien soil. A Catholic is good when he lives up to Catholic principles, refusing to depart from them. A Protestant is good when he unconsciously acts on Catholic principles, departing from those which are purely Protestant.

Answer 11

Why do Catholics come here? Because anti-Catholic bigots also show up. If you feel it's pointless to argue with us "nuts", then that begs the question -- why do YOU come here?

As for the answer to your "question" -- Sparki777 is absolutely correct and I second her response, which doesn't appear to be cut and pasted to me.