Catholics and the Bible?

Question

First I know I am generalizing with this question. Get over it.

This is in no way meant to disparage Catholics. However just something I have noticed on here and was wondering what others thought. It seems to me that the Catholics on here who really know there Bible, with a few exceptions, are former protestants. While the born into the Catholic church Catholics seem to have much less Biblical knowledge. Is it just me? Or does it appear this way to others as well?

spiritroaming - glad to see you answer. In present times you may not be told not to read the Bible. But in the church my mom grew up in she was told if she had questions ask the priest. Her parents would not even let her touch the Bible much less read it. I am glad this is changing. Although I still can't get my grandma to read the Bible. My mom has bought her several including Catholic Bibles.

spiritroaming - that is possible. I just know what my mom tells me about where she grew up. I will say this though my grandmother when she was younger was such a devout Catholic that her mother in law, who was a baptist I think, converted to Catholicism on her death bed. I love my Catholic friends on here and believe I will see you in Heaven. Of course I will get there first since you are going to make a stop in purgatory. lol

Answer 1

You're right ... to a degree.

The thing is, though, that while many Protestant denominations emphasize memorization from an early age and can quote chapter and verse left, right and center, many Catholics are equally knowledgable ... but there is not the emphasis on memorization. They know where to find it, in other words, but don't readily quote it verbatim.

The average Catholic hears more Scripture read during Sunday Mass than some evangelicals hear during a sermon. Whether they pay attention or not is another matter. I know older Catholics who read the daily Mass readings from their missals and then go to the Bible to study the entire chapters from which the readings were taken. I also know Catholics my own age who are fuzzy, at best, on the names of the four Gospels let alone anything else. We have a very active adult Bible study group in my parish, but others do not.

I'm not certain that the Catholics on R&S are entirely representative of the percentages of Catholics as a whole when it comes to knowledge of Scripture, as apologetics (which is what most of us are engaged in) pretty much demands it if we're going to be talking/debating with other Christians. And apologetics is not everyone's cup of tea by any means.

By and large, though, your observation is correct. Generally speaking. :)

Edit: Oh, for heaven's sake. Andrea -- the Church encourages us to read Scripture! It's clearly stated in the Catechism (para. 2653, for one example) and has been reiterated by popes and bishops many, many times. We are often reminded of St. Jerome's words: "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ".

Sorry, Edge. Forgive the sidebar.

Answer 2

An interesting question, considering the fact that I'm a "Protestant" turned "Catholic".

I believe that at different times in history (including recent histrory) the Catholic Church has not attained the correct educational or moral high ground. That being said, some people are obviously more educated than others, and it also falls to reason that all people, whether Protestant or Catholic, have not always lived up to their duties as Christians by studying the Holy Bible and meditating on God's will.

In response to the more angry individuals who have answered this question, I believe that not just Catholics, but ALL Christians fall short of God's requirements and His desire for our allegiance and perserverance. It is not right to criticize what you do not know, and yes, every Christian is a hypocrite perhaps several points throughout any given day, even a "good" day. So please think about the fact that God wants His believers to come together to study and love and act with lovingkindness towards each other. To be angry at one another is simply wrong.

God bless!

Answer 3

I think you may be correct. I'm a convert. From what I've seen cradle Catholics are not "schooled" in the scriptures as Protestants are.

Protestants must be taught scripture because the Bible is their only authority. This is the foundation of their faith.

Catholics have the Church, the Bible and Sacred Tradition as their authority. So they are taught all three things together and how they relate to each other.

However, all Catholics are told to read the scriptures. They are encouraged to study and know the Bible.

EDIT: After reading some of the answers above, let me add that many Catholics lack of knowledge of scripture in no way makes them less Christian. The Church's authority is absolute and a faithful Catholic is well within God's grace through his/her obedience. But knowledge of the scripture can enhance and uplift all Christian living and understanding. I think more Catholics would be able to defend their faith and even evangelize if they had a better handle on the scriptures. Everything the Catholic Church does is based in scripture.

After my conversion to Catholicism I was amazed to research and understand the Catholic perspective. Having been raised Protestant I had a rather one-dimensional approach to scripture. The Catholic understanding is multi-faceted and brings the scripture out in a way I had never seen before.

Here is a page on what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about Sacred Scripture: http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a3.htm

Answer 4

I guess I can bring a differant perspective here. I'm a cradle Catholic and wandered off as a Deist. I found my way back to the Catholic faith by studying Scriptures which I never did before falling away.

I think Catholics (cradle Catholics especially) are far behind our Christian bretheren in regards to Scripture reading. That's something I admire in most Protestants. I also believe that most Catholics who become Protestants are those who do not really study Scripture whereas most Protestants who become Catholics are those that do study it.

Studying Scripture is extremely beneficial to any and all of us. We just need to make sure we are not guided by spirits who are out to destroy us (2 Pet 3:16). Or we simply ignore the fact that we are ignorant of many things from Biblical times (idioms, figures of speech and such) (2 Pet 3:16).

God Bless
Robin

Answer 5

Where do Catholics get the word of God? A friend of mine when I mentioned a bible verse said the bible was all lies and not any valid information all hearsay. How can you profess to be a catholic and a religious son again, I know books in the bible were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However were they not disciples of Christ or don't you believe that either??????????

Answer 6

A lot of apologists are certainly former Protestants. I am one of those after 25 years as a Protestant minister. I have members of my parish that know the Bible much better than I and are cradle Catholics.

I think the reason it appears that converts are more knowledgeable is that each of us had obstacles to overcome in becoming Catholic. Most of us fought against the Holy Spirit the whole way. Every detail of Catholic doctrine and practice had to be researched and justified biblically before we came home to Catholicism and reconciled with the Church.

For many of us it was like trying to get all the pieces of a very difficult puzzle together. We knew from years of trying that there were pieces missing from the puzzle that we came to find in Catholic theology. We found a fullness of truth and for me personally it was literally like coming from the darkness to the light. The puzzle was made complete and the beauty of the puzzle awe inspiring and at the same time humbling that we had been chosen by God's grace to behold His truth in His Church.

We just want to give back to others what we have received so they will also be filled by the same grace as we.

There have been 2000 years of attacks of heresy and the Church has been the target of hatred just as Christ said, they will hate you as they hated me but the promise of Christ that the Church will prevail remains and the Church remains the ark of truth for humanity.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 7

You've got to understand that, for Catholics, authority to teach dogma rests in the Church. Catholics have relied on the Bible plus other information passed down in the Church from the time of the apostles. Most Catholics didn't bother to read Scripture since it was preached to them every Sunday.

For Protestants, the Bible is the final authority on everything. That's why, historically, Protestants have had to know the book really well.

Since Pope Pius XII in the 1940s, Catholics have been encouraged to read and study Scripture, and a lot of effort has been put into producing Bibles that present solid, scholarly translations into modern languages.

Answer 8

Catholics are able to attend Mass every day. The Catholic Mass is rich with Scripture. This is including, but not limited to a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a reading from the New Testament, and a reading from the Gospel. Throughout the rest of Mass, scripture is quoted.

Most Catholic churches around me have weekly bible study. We have a summer bible camp for children. I read the bible. It is very much encouraged.

Oh, and Ms. Lady, I'm not going to make a comment on all of your remarks, but just as an example, Confession is in the bible. John 20:21-23, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you," When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any they are retained.'"

Answer 9

Catholics were never taught to read the Bible, if one had a question then they were to go to the priest. As a ex Catholic I know. I even spent time in a monistary studing. Of all the books, not one was the bible. I left the Catholic church because I read the bible and found that there were things that God did not apporve of. Bowing down to images is one of them. I have spent the last 40 years researching the bible texts and history. The truths that I have found are marvelous.

Answer 10

There's a lot of difference between being able to spout Bible verses and actually understanding them from the perspective of the original language, the literary devices, and the content. As a Protestant, I read my Bible quite a bit and can still quote Scripture pretty well. But all I had was a surface knowledge of the Bible and not a real understanding of its meaning.

When I converted to Catholicism and was encouraged to study the Bible in depth, that's when I started to get a good, solid foundation in its truths. Knowing what a word means in the original language can make all the difference in understanding what the Holy Spirit intended when He inspired the author to write that particular passage.

So I may have had a wider knowledge of Scripture when I was a Methodist, but I only gained depth of understanding when I converted to Catholicism. And believe me, that has made a major difference in my love and awe of God and His Word.

Edit:

Nice to see you again, Edge. It looks like you've mellowed a lot! :-)