Replies

Not a pot-shot at Catholics, just a stamenet of belief that The Bible is sufficient as is:

It is a pot-shot when you malign our faith and spread the much-disproved falsehood of our disregard for Sacred Scripture.

You are free to believe anything you want, but the Word of God is good enough for me.

I'm sincerely glad you hold Sacred Scripture in such high regard... so does the Church. We also believe the Bible is sufficient as it is. We are not adding to it... at least we haven't since the Church recognized the Canon of Scripture in the 4th Century. However, it must be read fully and in context. The Bible may be regarded as a love letter from Groom to Bride... and it is best understood under Her tutelage. Here are some things you may have overlooked...

Matt 23:2-3. The Scribes and Pharisees sat it Moses's seat and Christ affirmed that the Israelites should observe whatever they were bidden to observe. They were, however, not to do as their teachers did since they were hypocrites. Note here that Christ didn't say every house should have a Torah scroll and memorize it... they were to follow the teachings of the religious leaders given them by God... imperfect as the teachers were.

John 12:25. Not everything that Jesus said or did is recorded in Scripture... In fact, Acts 20:35 quotes a saying of Jesus not found in the Gospels.

In 1 Cor 11:2 St Paul notes that the Corinthians are to be commended for following the ordinances he gave them. Note here, though, that St Paul didn't come bringing Bible texts... he preached (1 Cor 15:1-2) and gave them Traditions both oral and by letter (2 Thess 2:15). St Peter goes so far as to tell us that God's eternal word equals the word that was preached to them. The Apostles weren't traveling Bible salesmen...

2 Peter 1:20. St Peter tells us that no prophecy is a matter of personal interpretation. Rather, St Paul's letters can be difficult to grasp and interpret (2 Peter 3:15-16). We were never meant to rely on our own personal interpretation of Scripture. Rather than denying the efficacy of the Papacy, such a view makes us all popes and means everyone's view is equally valid. There is no possibility of unity of faith (as Christ desired for us) in this model. In fact, the Epistles themselves are proof of this as they were written to conform the various churches to the Apostolic truth.

Therefore, God gave us His Church built by Christ for preaching the Word to the world. Most Protestants err in elevating one part of the truth to being the whole truth. We follow Sacred Scripture as the unchangeable Word of God. More importantly, though, we follow the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ. He never commanded His Apostles to write down His words for the faithful to memorize. He sent them to preach and baptize. What they brought were the Traditions taught them by Christ and what they taught, they taught from the authority given them as Apostles of Christ under the instruction of the Holy Spirit promised to reveal all things.

Here you find the authority of the Church in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition (big "T", not little "t"... big "T" Tradition is that given by Christ Himself... and He didn't write it down) and the Magisterium (the teaching authority). As noted above in John 12:25... the Bible is not all-inclusive. It tells the story of our fall and redemption. Christ builds His Church (Matt 16:18) that we might come to know Him, Her Bridegroom, more fully.

This article that spawned this discussion is incomplete. One, it is single-sourced from one agency of the Vatican known for left-ward leaning policies and pronouncements and two, it quotes third-hand. I'll wait to hear official policies before I condemn the Church in this matter. On economic matters, Rerum Novarum is still a primary document and firmly condemns communism in all of its forms.

May God bless you.