“I and my fellow Catholics understand it ‘by its direct reading’.”
Really? Some Catholics are saying on this very thread that it is too hard to understand directly. Maybe you should straighten them out on this topic. Meanwhile, back in reality, most priests in the Catholic church and the nuns rarely study the Bible and hardly know it at all. The Catholic church has a long history of attacking people who tried to promote the reading of scripture.
Do you practice CONFESSION? Then confess whether Pope Paul III was a man of God or whether he was a murderer and adulterer. Daniel in the Bible confessed his sins and the sin of his people. Is Pope Paul III your people? Or do you deny him?
If I had someone in my family tree that was a murderer, I would denounce him and acknowledge his action to be evil. You on the other hand prefer to ignore your religion’s darker history.
If the highest leader of my church had someone tortured and murdered for trying to spread the scriptures I would not just leave and denounce him, I would never try to convince those blessed by the person who had been tortured and murdered that they should subject themselves to the authority, the religion, and the doctrines of the murderer.
I can trace my beliefs to men like William Tyndale. You can trace yours to men like Pope Paul III. Tyndale regarded the authority of scripture and loved God’s word. He exemplified in his day the same spirit and conduct of the apostles and martyrs like Stephen. Pope Paul III demonstrated the evil of corrupt religion and was no different than the religious leaders of Christ’s day who wanted to kill Him because He was a threat to their position as religious leaders.
Who knows if at some point God might reach your stubborn, hardened heart just as he did Paul before he turned from his persecution of believers; but right now that is the path you are on. All I can say is you have been warned.
You should really limit yourself to topics of which you are knowledgeable. All priests have studied the Scriptures for four years at the graduate level in the seminary. Many go on to advanced degrees.
The Catholic church has a long history of attacking people who tried to promote the reading of scripture.
I was under the impression that "thou shalt not bear false witness" was included in the Protestant Ten Commandments. It is time to put this lie to rest. The fact is that the Catholic Church encourages the faithful to read the Bible by granting an indulgence (let us not get sidetrack on the question of indulgences) for doing so.
I can trace my beliefs to men like William Tyndale.
And there you have it. You do not trace your beliefs directly to the Bible but to how Tyndale and other Protestants have interpreted it for you.
It is interesting how you constantly try to change the subject rather than address the fact that you do not, in deed, follow the plain teaching of the Bible when it comes in conflict with your Protestant ideology.