[daniel1212]

It prevents what happens when tradition is discounted and everyone can make up their own interpretations. As evidence consider the state of protestant theology in the US at present ( or Europe for that matter ). If you look at raw numbers well over 60% now teach either abortion or same sex marriage are perfectly ok and its growing rapidly.

Rather, the further churches depart from upholding the supremacy of Scripture as the authoritative literal word of God then the more liberal they become, thus evangelicals are much more conservative than their overall liberal Catholic counterparts: http://www.peacebyjesus.com/RC-Stats_vs._Evang.html<

And RC Bible scholarship itself is largely liberal . Meanwhile, "Tradition" in Scripture cannot be shown to be anything more than what was subsequently written, versus such traditions as praying to the departed. , etc.

[daniel1212]

Sorry; first link is http://www.peacebyjesus.com/RC-Stats_vs._Evang.html

[Campion]

evangelicals are much more conservative than their overall liberal Catholic counterparts

Every liberal Protestant church today was once -- some within living memory! -- what you call "evangelical". Today they endorse abortion, homosexuality, and every sort of perversion. How can you prove to me that that's not the inevitable trajectory of /sola scriptura/ Christianity? It certainly has been so with the major European denominations that grew out of the reformation.

Even your allegedly "conservative" evangelical churches, without exception, permit divorce and remarriage, contraception, among other objectively immoral acts. (Study up on what Protestants said about contraception before 1930. Your teaching changed. Ours didn't.)

Absent tradition, each generation decides for itself what the Bible means. Unfortunately, it seems less and less likely that they'll get it even close to right.