What other book is the inspired word of God?

[Heidi]

Why do the catholics try to lead people away from the bible and into the teachings of men? Where else do they think they can find the inspired word of God?

And if the catholics don't believe in Solascripture, then how do they know what God or Jesus said? If they don't know that, then how can they follow a man they don't believe? :o

But if they believe Jesus Christ then they would know why no other book is the inspired word of God because the bible is the only place where Christ's words can be found. In other books, people have to quote the bible for Christ's words. So why in the world do the catholics try to lead us away from Christ's words? Do they not believe Jesus when he tells us that we have one teacher and that is the Christ? :o

 

[francisdesales]

Why do the catholics try to lead people away from the bible and into the teachings of men? Where else do they think they can find the inspired word of God?

And if the catholics don't believe in Solascripture, then how do they know what God or Jesus said? If they don't know that, then how can they follow a man they don't believe? :o

Heidi,

We do not believe in Sola Scriptura because it was not, nor is it taught in the Bible. Kindly present your evidence that the Bible is the ONLY rule of faith from the Bible alone.

This Sola Scriptura is a tradition of men.

The reason we know what God said through Jesus is by the witness of the Apostles. Later, they wrote some of this down, but they also taught His teachings orally. You abrogate these oral teachings that are to be accepted by the entire community (see 2 Thes 2:15) but present no Biblical evidence that we are to do such things.

Why do you do away with part of the Word of God, Heidi? To follow the traditions of men?

Regards

 

[biblecatholic]

Why do the catholics try to lead people away from the bible and into the teachings of men? Where else do they think they can find the inspired word of God?

And if the catholics don't believe in Solascripture, then how do they know what God or Jesus said? If they don't know that, then how can they follow a man they don't believe? :o

But if they believe Jesus Christ then they would know why no other book is the inspired word of God because the bible is the only place where Christ's words can be found. In other books, people have to quote the bible for Christ's words. So why in the world do the catholics try to lead us away from Christ's words? Do they not believe Jesus when he tells us that we have one teacher and that is the Christ? :o

LOL, this is kind of sad, maybe you shouldnt listen to people you listen to, read for yourself.

answer to #1 please tell me your not serious, which interpretation do you lead them to? there are so many, whats more like traditions of men something that stays the same or something that constantly changes and ends up being broken by men into 55000 denominations.

#2 sola scripture is not in the bible as with all many of your beliefs. it amazes me you say this in the bible. you do know that this means "the bible alone" and for that to be true it has to say that in the bible in order for this doctrine to work. and its not.

#3 the Word of God means Jesus Himself, the bible, and the Word heard
remember you would not have the incomplete bible you have without us the Holy Spirit working through our church then you took books out.
66 books, funny cause it means incomplete incomplete, but 73 means perfectly complete

 

[GMS]

When it comes to the sufficency of Scripture, I think the average believer who understands the concept of Scripture alone is saying that all we need to know in this life and the life to come of spiritual importance is found in the Bible.This is not to say, that oral information, traditions of the Church, or even secular writings are not important, it is just that they are secondary to Scripture.
GMS

 

[biblecatholic]

When it comes to the sufficency of Scripture, I think the average believer who understands the concept of Scripture alone is saying that all we need to know in this life and the life to come of spiritual importance is found in the Bible.This is not to say, that oral information, traditions of the Church, or even secular writings are not important, it is just that they are secondary to Scripture.
GMS

hey gms i understand what you're saying.
but the bible alone doctrine means everything is in the bible. in order for a doctrine to say everything has to be in the bible it also must be in the bible then. the doctrine is not a possibility since it cancels itself out

 

[GMS]

I am not sure what you mean that the doctrine “cancels itself outâ€Â. I believe the concept of Scripture alone, is saying that the traditions of man and etc., must coincide with God’s Word. The on going debate amongst Catholicism and Protestantism, is, what constitutes God’s Word. I am not educated well enough in the subject of the canon of Scripture to qualify any argument one way or the other. Yet, I believe that it is reasonable assumption that what the scholars have come up with in regards to the present canon can be trusted to be inspired by God. Catholic scholars include the apocrypha. I do not have a problem with the using of these books, yet if they contradict what is written in what the majority of what scholars claim without reservation to be the inspired Word, I will throw out that segment or passage. The real issue with Catholics like yourself who have a understanding of Catholic dogma, is the need to elevate “tradition and clergy†above what I think is reasonable in Christendom.
GMS

 

[francisdesales]

I am not sure what you mean that the doctrine “cancels itself outâ€Â. I believe the concept of Scripture alone, is saying that the traditions of man and etc., must coincide with God’s Word.

You are correct. Any teaching that is not in line with the Scriptures cannot be legitimate Apostolic Teachings, because both Apostolic Traditions and Scriptures are from God, as Paul said in Galatians 1.

What happens, in my opinion, is that some of my Protestant brothers disagree with how us Catholics read the Scriptures. Thus, they believe they see contradicting theology emiting from the Catholic Church, because they already have their own ideas on how to read the Bible. Now, if this were the case - that the Church contradicts the Bible - how could the Church claim to be guided by God? ONE single contradiction proven would bring down the entire claim. Thus, we really do believe that our doctrines are found, implicitly or explicitly, within the Bible - given the Apostolic way of looking at Scriptures.

It seems the first Christians also had this problem. "How do we read and understand Scriptures correctly"? This is where Apostolic Succession became a force that guaranteed proper interpretation. St. Ireneaus wrote in "Against Heresies" in 180 AD that it was paramount that a community could trace a succession of bishops to the Apostles - something the Gnostics could not. He derided the Gnostic's method of interpreting the very same Scriptures and coming up with the entire panalopy of godlets and dieties. Nothing has changed there as men continue to read what they want from the Scriptures, often in total contradiction to the intent. Thus, even in 180 AD, the Christians were saying that only while reading the Scriptures "within the mind of the Church" can we hope to receive God's true revelation.

The on going debate amongst Catholicism and Protestantism, is, what constitutes God’s Word.

That's true. It goes beyond the written Word, because God's Word came in the flesh and presented revelation to us through the Apostles in both oral and written form. It is a presumption that everything we need to know is in the Bible, as the Bible nowhere makes that claim. It is very important to maintain the oral tradition because THIS is what ensures that the bible is read correctly.

The real issue with Catholics like yourself who have a understanding of Catholic dogma, is the need to elevate “tradition and clergy†above what I think is reasonable in Christendom.

Tradition and clergy are unrightfuly bad words in the mind of the Protestant who desires to, in his mind, remove all impediments between himself and God. However, us Catholics consider these leaders and our tradition as means of COMING CLOSER to God. We don't see priests as impediments with our relationship with God.

I teach people desiring to become Catholic. They have never received the sacrament of Confession, and most come from a Protestant background where they believe that they have this relationship with the abstract principle of God. However, in EVERY case, I find that these people, after going through their first confession to God through the priest, they feel they have experienced something emotional, something real, something they have not felt before. The sacrament is something visible. Something tangeant. And if one has faith that God forgives through the visible priest's words and actions, it is an amazing thing. You feel a weight lifted from your shoulder. Modern psychologists tell us that confessing to another person is necessary for the human psyche. And thus, Jesus gave His disciples the ministry of reconciliation - so that men and women could confess their sins to God through a visible person and EXPERIENCE God's love through the sacrament.

This is just one example. Now, Protestants don't understand the need for this priest. "why can't I go to God directly?" Well, God has given us this ministry for a reason - to heal us. I have seen its effects - it truly is healing, unlike the "go in your closet and talk to God" confession. It is wonderful. I thank God for it. I don't feel the priest is interfering with my relationship with Christ, but making it MORE uplifting.

I am not saying this to begin a discussion on confession, but to show you that our "ways" are the way the Church has always read the Scriptures and understood the Apostles' teachings. The proof of this, in the end, is in the writings of the 100-200 AD period. That would be a pretty good indication of what the Bible intended to mean, don't you think? After studying what these people wrote in the first few generations after Christ, I am convinced that the Catholic Church is correctly protecting the INTENT of the Bible. Some will disagree with that - but other theologies are innovations of 1500 years later. It becomes obvious that people can read what they want from the Scriptures if they begin with an idea and then look for the proof texts.

If someone wants the correct intent of Scriptures, they should read the Christians' own writings from the first century. Those men and women who went to the lions for their faith, who loved others, even enemies, without expecting return. The Spirit who led them to act in such a manner did not guide them into falsehood.

Regards

 

[cyberjosh]

This Sola Scriptura is a tradition of men.

And in your opinion how destructive is this "tradition"?

 

[Solo]

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18-19 KJV

Does the Roman Catholic church add and/or take away from the Word of God?

What does the Roman Catholic church teach as the final authority of teachings that individuals should follow?

The Roman Catholic church teaches that three final authorities exist, and all three are equal.

• Tradition[/*:m:65a56]
• Scripture[/*:m:65a56]
• Magisterium of the Roman Catholic church[/*:m:65a56]

According to the current Roman Catholic Catechism:

• 95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."
  
  81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."
  
  "And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."
  
  82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."

Who determines the interpretation of the Tradition, Scripture, and Magisterium?

• 85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."[47] This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

The Roman Catholic church teaches that it is the only true church, and it alone can interpret the Word of God. In fact, the Roman Catholic Catechism teaches that the Word of God exists within the Roman Catholic church apart from documents and records, for it is written in the Roman Catholic church's heart, and the Holy Spirit gives only the Roman Catholic church the correct interpretation of God's Word.

• 113 2. Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church". According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church"[81]).
  
  119 "It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgement. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgement of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."[88]
  
  But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.

What do the Scriptures teach as the final authority of teachings that individuals should follow?

If the Scriptures, tradition, and the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic church are all the Word of God, then the Scriptures will agree with the Roman Catholic teaching. But alas and alak, the teachings of the Roman Catholic church and the Scriptures contradict. Which authority then should an individual submit to then, the Scriptures, or the three authorities of the Roman Catholic Church?

Let us see what the Word of God teaches. God declares in the Bible that His written Word always has been, and always will be - perfect:

• "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." Psalm 119:160
  
  "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalm 12:6-7

The Scriptures boldly declare that it is the only final authority:

• "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17

How should true believers react to those who teach against the truth of the Word of God?

• "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18

Paul teaches explicitly what happens to those who teach false doctrines that contradict the Word of God in the book of Galatians.

• "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." Galatians 1:8

Then Paul immediately repeats himself:

• "As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:9

Thus, when the Roman Catholic church teaches against God's written Word, those who side against the Holy Scriptures will be "accursed." We find a great comfort in the words of the author of Proverbs in the following verse:

• "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs 30:5-6

I do not see where God's Word needs to be filtered through a man-made religious system in order to be accepted as truth, do you?

What other truths of God's Word contradicts the Roman Catholic catechism?

• "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21
  
  "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16
  
  "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15

When did God relinquish His authority to the pope and the Roman Catholic church? NO.
Did the Roman Catholic church exist when God's Word was revealed to mankind? NO.
Did God give the pope and the Roman Catholic church the right to add to and/or take away from His Word when He said that He would add the plagues or take away the name of those who did so? NO.

Here is what the Lord Jesus Christ said to the religious leaders of His time who were children of the devil!

• "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" Matthew 23:33
  
  "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Matthew 15:3
  
  "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." Matthew 22:29

What should believers be doing today according to the Word of God?

• "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Colossians 2:8
  
  "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11
  
  "... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings..." John 14:23-24
  
  "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God..." 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Will God's Word remain unchanged throughout all generations? YES.

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Matthew 24:35

 

[biblecatholic]

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18-19 KJV

and you take away, you are self incriminating yourself by this verse

 

[Solo]

and you take away, you are self incriminating yourself by this verse

I have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and will reign with him for 1000 years before the unrighteous dead are resurrected. Until then I have been given the Holy Spirit who dwells within me and teaches me all things. Since becoming born of God, born again, I have the mind of Christ. Read the Scriptures sometime and you too may come to believe.
May God give you His understanding and wisdom so that you can know the Word of God in order to be born again.

 

[GMS]

Francisdesales,
I appreciate your candor and being civil. I understand the need for Elders (clergy) and the importance of their maturity in the Lord for guidance and instruction. Yet, the tangible aspect is Christ’s presence in them and in the sacraments they administer. Thus, Christ alone receives the glory. In my tradition, we believe Jesus is present in the sacrament of communion spiritually (you believe physically), which does bring a sense of reality to the experience. So, I guess I would agree that we have a need for each other as the Body of Christ and an even greater need for Jesus our High Priest, to confess my failures as well my joys to. I have been a Christian long enough to know, that Scripture can be interpreted wrongly and in many ways, the sheer volume of commentaries can attest, nonetheless, the essential tenets can not be negotiated and the Reformation helped redirect the Church in this regard. Trust me; I am under no delusion of a perfect denomination church or leadership within Protestant ranks, but it is my opinion the non-negotiable tenets are represented better in our circles.
GMS

 

[stranger]

biblecatholic wrote:

LOL, this is kind of sad, maybe you shouldnt listen to people you listen to, read for yourself.

answer to #1 please tell me your not serious, which interpretation do you lead them to? there are so many, whats more like traditions of men something that stays the same or something that constantly changes and ends up being broken by men into 55000 denominations.

The majority of Protestants are not distributed into 55,000 denominations but a handful of 'traditions'. I will post some information about the statistics, how they are measured and so forth and then will can compare notes.

#2 sola scripture is not in the bible as with all many of your beliefs. it amazes me you say this in the bible. you do know that this means "the bible alone" and for that to be true it has to say that in the bible in order for this doctrine to work. and its not.

Sola scripture is a derived principle: Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!

#3 the Word of God means Jesus Himself, the bible, and the Word heard remember you would not have the incomplete bible you have without us the Holy Spirit working through our church then you took books out. 66 books, funny cause it means incomplete incomplete, but 73 means perfectly complete.

The scriptures come to us, both you and I, from the men to whom God revealed His word. This all happened before 100AD. Yes, the Word became flesh, yes the apostles spoke, taught and witnessed in the power of the Holy Spirit. . . To the question of the canon - it can be thought of as being settled prior to the end of the first century (for written scripture is Canonical) BUT not in the minds of those who disputed it. Hence the controversies. . . . I am not thrilled with the number 6 as no doubt its numerology falls short of 7.

 

[biblecatholic]

gms, stranger,
i apologize if some of my comments that sound unkind they were not directed at you 2 only those who make false claims about catholics. i was angry about many lies being said by a few members. my reaction was made in haste but i take things personal if me(catholics) are lied about. i apologize

 

[francisdesales]

And in your opinion how destructive is this "tradition"?

I cannot say entirely, Josh, but you know I will try!

Tradition, to us, refers more to the proper way of reading Scriptures, the paradigm that we read from, rather than some secret knowledge passed down from bishop to bishop.

An example of a theme that effects how we both read Scripture would be man after the fall. Most Protestants (but not all) believe that man is dead and is absolutely helpless, even with God's AID. Catholics read Scripture under a different theme, that man is wounded and NEEDS God's aid to be saved - but is expected to cooperate with grace.

Thus, various texts are tossed around, both camps having different understandings of the anthropology of mankind after the fall. Scriptures like Romans 3 are separated from the Psalms that Paul quotes on your side, for example. This even leads to the idea of double predestination and fate, pagan ideas that have infiltrated into Christian thought. Meanwhile, Catholics, as a result, believe that man is to cooperate with God's graces - which leads you to believe that we believe in works salvation - and so the cycle continues because our paradigms are different.

This, in my mind, is the difference and what hurts Protestantism. I am sure they mean well, but they (sorry for the generalizations) are starting with the incorrect paradigm when approaching the Scriptures. As a result, the INTENT of Scriptures is different when read outside of the Catholic paradigm.

To me, this is why Tradition is vital. St. Ireneaus was talking about this in 180 AD already, noting that Scripture can be twisted to suit one's purpose. He suggested that it was the bishops and adherence to THEIR teachings, men who had been commanded to uphold the Apostles' teachings, that proved WHO gave the correct Scriptural reading. And interpretation of Scripture IS an oral tradition - a manner of reading the Bible.

What is the effect? Again, to me, it is like cutting the grass with a pair of scissors when God is offering a lawnmower. Sure, we can cut the grass with scissors. But why discard the gifts that God has given us to fully experience the knowledge of God? God desires all men be saved AND come to the knowledge of the truth. The truth is found in its fullness in this world in the Catholic Church because of the correct understanding of Scriptures utilizing the Apostolic Tradition - both given by God, as Paul says in Galatians 1.

The bible tells us that he who has Christ abiding within Him has life. I find this can take place inside or outside the visible walls of Rome. However, God has given us help - He truly wants us to be saved. The sacramental action and liturgy is where Christ is most present here on earth. Why not take advantage of it like millions before us?

Regards

 

[francisdesales]

This is an edit, because I screwed up the HTML. Sorry for the confusion...

Francisdesales,
I appreciate your candor and being civil. I understand the need for Elders (clergy) and the importance of their maturity in the Lord for guidance and instruction. Yet, the tangible aspect is Christ’s presence in them and in the sacraments they administer. Thus, Christ alone receives the glory.

I agree. When people honor a priest more than Christ, that is an individual mistake. The Church doesn't teach that stuff. Only God is to be revered as God.

In my tradition, we believe Jesus is present in the sacrament of communion spiritually (you believe physically), which does bring a sense of reality to the experience. So, I guess I would agree that we have a need for each other as the Body of Christ and an even greater need for Jesus our High Priest, to confess my failures as well my joys to.

I find that Protestants such as yourself are becoming fewer and farther between. It is good that you still have a sacramental understanding of Christ coming to us through the physical. Many Evangelicals have lost that, to their loss.

I have been a Christian long enough to know, that Scripture can be interpreted wrongly and in many ways, the sheer volume of commentaries can attest, nonetheless, the essential tenets can not be negotiated and the Reformation helped redirect the Church in this regard.

From one point of view, the Reformation brought about a forced Counter Reformation that brought about many good things in the Catholic Church. It is too bad that it took a schism to bring it about. The Church will always be in need of reform. I think Martin Luther would have preferred to stay in the Church, but I think he painted himself into a corner.

Regards

 

[Heidi]

Heidi,

We do not believe in Sola Scriptura because it was not, nor is it taught in the Bible. Kindly present your evidence that the Bible is the ONLY rule of faith from the Bible alone.

This Sola Scriptura is a tradition of men.

The reason we know what God said through Jesus is by the witness of the Apostles. Later, they wrote some of this down, but they also taught His teachings orally. You abrogate these oral teachings that are to be accepted by the entire community (see 2 Thes 2:15) but present no Biblical evidence that we are to do such things.

Why do you do away with part of the Word of God, Heidi? To follow the traditions of men?

Regards

Sorry but we have told you what John 1:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 11:4 say but you ignore it because you ignore the bible. So why do you ask for verses that you don't believe? :o You have proven my OP perfectly.

So please tell us what other book has the inspired word of God? Then prove it. And if you say there is no book that is the inspired word of God, then how in the world can you follow the teachings of God? :o The answer is that you cannot, plain and simply.

 

[Heidi]

LOL, this is kind of sad, maybe you shouldnt listen to people you listen to, read for yourself.

answer to #1 please tell me your not serious, which interpretation do you lead them to? there are so many, whats more like traditions of men something that stays the same or something that constantly changes and ends up being broken by men into 55000 denominations.

#2 sola scripture is not in the bible as with all many of your beliefs. it amazes me you say this in the bible. you do know that this means "the bible alone" and for that to be true it has to say that in the bible in order for this doctrine to work. and its not.

#3 the Word of God means Jesus Himself, the bible, and the Word heard
remember you would not have the incomplete bible you have without us the Holy Spirit working through our church then you took books out.
66 books, funny cause it means incomplete incomplete, but 73 means perfectly complete

So I can interpret the bible any way iI want and say it's true. Is that correct? If so, then I'll do what the catholics do and start with Matthew 1:25 and change the words to say that Joseph had no union with Mary forever. Next I'll strike out the passages in Matthew 23:5-12 and say that Jesus tells us to call our religious leaders "father" because we have more than one Father."

Boy this is fun. It;s like playing God. No wonder the catholics love doing this! It's an ego trip.

Now on to the idols. I'll change the 2nd commandment to say that we are supposed to erect statues and carved images of any figure in heaven and below heaven, pray to them and bow down to them like the pagans do. Boy, I don't even need the bible. I can make up my own beliefs all in the name of interpretation...so say the catholics. :x They don't have a leg to stand on. There can hardly be anything more blasphemous than changing God's word all in the name of Christ. :x

I can change any passage I want to all in the name of interpretation. I can make the bible say the opposite of what it says. Why, I can even make John the Baptist into a sinless person because Jesus said no one was greater than him. So I can say that he was born sinless also. Afterall, the Catholics do that with Mary, so the bible is fair game to make it say anything we want. So I can add to the bible also. My aren't I powerful. Power and lies are what the catholic church is all about. It's disgusting. :x

 

[aj830]

So please tell us what other book has the inspired word of God? Then prove it. And if you say there is no book that is the inspired word of God, then how in the world can you follow the teachings of God? The answer is that you cannot, plain and simply.

No other book is inspired(God-breathed) by God besides the Holy Bible. Catholics have continually stated this since it has existed. Catholics believe that the Bible is inspired in the since of being God-Breathed, the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible through the human authors. However Catholics also believe that Church Councils and ex cathedra statments by the Pope are prevented from teaching any error do to the charism of infallibility which the Bible supports. The official Church teaching is "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" so I do not know where Protestants keep pulling this idea that Catholics wish to tear down Scripture.

 

[francisdesales]

Sorry but we have told you what John 1:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 11:4 say but you ignore it because you ignore the bible. So why do you ask for verses that you don't believe? :o You have proven my OP perfectly.

So please tell us what other book has the inspired word of God? Then prove it. And if you say there is no book that is the inspired word of God, then how in the world can you follow the teachings of God? :o The answer is that you cannot, plain and simply.

OK, let's look at those Scriptures.

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God

I agree wholeheartedly with that. But where does it talk about the Bible? This passage talks about the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, not the Word made into print...

For if he that cometh preacheth another Christ, whom we have not preached; or if you receive another Spirit, whom you have not received; or another gospel which you have not received; you might well bear with him.

Maam, this can be applied to YOU! Yours is NOT the Gospel received because NOWHERE does the Gospel speak of Sola Scriptura or ANYTHING remotely like it. Thus, you are preaching a false gospel. Paul condemns such people in Galatians 1. I don't see how this proves anything about the Bible being the sole source of Christian faith.

Now, back to the OP. There is no other book that is inspired by God except for the Sacred Scriptures. Where did you get the idea that Catholics think something else? Apostolic Tradition (the correct READING of the Scriptures) is ALSO part of the Word of God at work, but it is not "inspired" as the Scriptures are.

Regards