For Catholics Only ok?...."the bible is the source of all truth" ?

Question

pls help me understand why i find this phrase SO hard to accept. i too believe the bible to be inspired by God and that within its pages are His Truth.

the bible = word of God = God's revelation... i understand

but

the bible = the "source" of all truth...i question. God is the Source of all Truth...

and

the bible = God...... to me sounds like blasphemy

im not even sure if im making sense when i reread my above question....PLS HELP!!....am i reading too much into this phrase?

for clarity:

i am catholic. i see this phrase over and over again in R&S

pa...i understand what your saying...ur assumption of me is wrong....

the phrase kinda offends me but it shouldnt....cos i know what it means but i dont think it means the same thing as those who written this phrase "over and over again"...if ya know what i mean.

which is why my question is directed at catholics...am i reading too much into this phrase?

pa....thnx for the clarity...i totally agree....i too wud have a problem if i heard it preached in church.

mary's oblate...ive not heard of "sola sriptura" until R&S. ive only been on this site a little while so ive been catching up on a lot a others opinion...didnt realise it was a "protestant" doctrine. thanx for your input

Answer 1

From a historical examination, the bible cannot be the sole source of all truth because there are periods in history when there was no bible. Jesus died when he was 33 years old (?). One of the early Christian writings that would later become a NT book, 1 Thessalonians, wasn’t written until about 50AD. That’s nearly a twenty year gap between Christ’s death and the appearance of the first written letter that would later become scripture. The question then, is if Protestants are right about sola scriptura, then how was anyone able to learn the Faith when history proves a time period when there was no bible?

This obviously proves the case for Tradition. The catechism teaches that the Faith was preserved and transmitted in two ways: oral tradition and written tradition. The oral is simply the word of mouth teaching, the example of the Faith lived in daily life, the worship, liturgy, etc. Written tradition came into being when the apostles saw the need to preserve what they’d been taught and committed it to writing. When they wrote it down, did that eliminate oral tradition? Of course not. The Church always considers sacred scripture when guiding and leading the faithful, but She also looks to the Church Fathers, the councils, the beliefs of the Church and Her history. All of this taken together could be called the Tradition of the Church (Big “T” tradition, not little “t”). It’s also why when we need an authoritative interpretation of scripture and/or teaching on doctrine, we go to the Church, since it is the Magisterium - teaching office - that has the authority to make those interpretations. Protestants love to try to shoot holes in this by denying Her authority, but the fact remains that without that authority, there is only private interpretation, which scripture itself says is wrong and Protestantism also evidences by its disunity and fractured beliefs/denominations.

Well, thanks for asking me to help out. I hope I did, and I hope everything is well with you. Write anytime and take care.

Answer 2

God is the source of all truth.

The bible is the inspired and inerrant written word of God.

The bible states that there is much more to the story of Jesus, and to the authentic Christian faith, than can be found in the bible alone.

Jesus gave power and authority to his church. He didn't give any such power to the bible (which hadn't yet been written, anyway).

It was the Catholic church that wrote and compiled the bible, and it has always been the Catholic church that testified to the divine inspiration and inerrant nature of the bible.

It was protestants who decided to use the bible to try to usurp the power and authority that Jesus gave only to the church, and the original protestant reformers will be judged harshly for that.

Those of later protestant generations should know better, but many of them don't, so they can always plead ignorance.

Let's hope that God's mercy exceeds his justice.

Answer 3

I'm a lifelong Catholic, and am not a Biblical literalist. Neither is my priest. The theological idea of the Bible being the only source of truth (i.e., "Sola Scriptura") came out of the Protestant Reformation. For Catholics, the Bible is very important, but it's not all there is. There's a term called "bibliolatry". It means book-worship, and some people have carried their obsession with the Bible nearly to that point.

Answer 4

Who says that the bible is the source of all truth? MOST Catholics don't believe this. Some other Christian sects believe that the bible is to be taken literal but Catholicism teaches that the Bible is to be used as a guide.

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I am Catholic too. I also see this phrase over and over again in R&S, but I don't base my beliefs on what I read in R&S. I base my beliefs on the teachings of the church and . . . . well, Catholicism.

Catholics don't claim that the bible is the source of all truth. People on R&S OFTEN confuse Catholics as Christians without realizing that Catholicism is only a part of Christianity. This is why I find R&S so amusing because 90% of the time people are arguing about things that they are factually incorrect about.

Again, I am Catholic, I attended Catholic schools for 12yrs, and have attended church for as long as I have lived. CATHOLICS don't make this claim. Other sects of Christianity do. Don't know what else to tell you about it. Believe what you want to believe, that is why it is called Faith.

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1st, I'm not trying to make any assumptions about you, I am only trying to answer your question.

2nd, I have stated that I myself am Catholic. So when you say, "which is why my question is directed at catholics...am i reading too much into this phrase?" I am answering it from that perspective.

I agree when you say, "i dont think it means the same thing as those who written this phrase "over and over again." That's what I am explaining, and that may be where you think I made the assumption about you. The people on R&S who always try to attack Catholics because they take the Bible literally or "as a source of truth" are mistaken about what Catholicism is. They take a small group of CHRISTIANS and think their beliefs apply to all Christians including CATHOLICS, which is factually incorrect.

I am saying that yes, you are reading way to much into this, because Catholic faith and doctrine doesn't proclaim the Bible to be the "source of all truth." Catholicism begins and ends that statement with God only.

I am saying that you find this phrase hard to acccept and are offended by it, but you shouldn't be. This phrase is factually inaccurate. It is not a comment that should be made by Catholics or applies to Catholics. If you are Catholic, then you should understand that this doesn't apply to Catholics. Ask a priest this question and he will tell you the same thing.

If you had told me that this is what is being preached at your Church, then I would agree with you, and I would have a problem with it too. But it is being stated by people one here. Again, I have spent some time in R&S, and the biggest frustration is people's misunderstandings about religion. It seems more like it is a war between athiests and believers in R&S more than a forum to discuss religion. I say this because of this comment you bring up exactly. People want to make comments like this and question why bad things are happening inside the Catholic Church. It's a shame some of the scandals that are going on, but in the first place, this statement doesn't apply to us.

It is nothing more than an inaccurate statement made by others about Catholicism, and I, as a practicing Catholic for 29 years and an attendee of 12 years of Catholic schooling, am telling you that yes, you are reading too much into this statement. It is not a comment made by Catholics, and it doesn't accurately apply to Catholics. So just because others try to use it this way, I am telling you that THEY ARE WRONG, and you shouldn't worry about it because it doesn't apply.

Answer 5

The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately 30 A.D. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the Church that Jesus Christ died for, the Church that was established and built by the Apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus, or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship / adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in Heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament.

Answer 6

you are referring to the man-made, heretical doctrine, "sola scriptura" (the Scripture alone as the ultimate authority in faith and morals.) Of course, today, we see the fruits of this heresy -- at least 3,000 christian sects in total disarray and disagreement.

The Sola Scriptura heresy started because men filled with foolish pride rejected the authority of the Holy Catholic Church.

Answer 7

when people say it is the source of all truth i think it is generally meant as it is a manifestation of god's word, and is therefore a source of the truth that we can physically use in this world...but then again i could be wrong

Answer 8

at one point in time the bible had truth in it. not anymore. isn't it strange that there is a 2007 edition . in changing the words of god isn't that like saying that my words are better than yours so just be more skeptical. look at all the things that show that it is probably not a true religion. look into Islam it has never ever been changed.

Answer 9

the teachings of the catholic church are derived from two sources, firstly the sacred scriptures (the bible) and secondly the sacred tradition. both are ultimately governed and interpreted by the magisterium of the church.