>Don’t forget that it was the Catholic Church which compiled the accurate writings which form the Bible and rejected many other writings and not accurate.
Um. How about the Christian church saw what was inspired writings, and this church, though through many schisms, is represented by the Catholic, the many Orthodox, Coptic and even the Protestant faiths. The Romans claiming the truth is profoundly arrogant, and laughable. It has as much claim as the Greeks, and probably less of a claim. God inspired the writings, and handed them to all of the church, even those that are currently running away from the Scriptures as noted in the article.
>One also must realize that the Catholic Church relies on tradition as well as Scripture. Tradition complements Scripture, but never opposes it.
Well, there we will have deep disagreements. Which traditions are we to follow? Are we to cherry pick the writings of the Early Church Fathers, for so many of them disagree with the Roman faith with so many things. Starting with Irenaeus, who said Jesus died in his fifties, and laid claim that the Apostles themselves taught him that; to Jerome who rejected the deuterocanonical works; to Athenasiaus who stood against the whole of the bishops of the faith in his defense of the deity of Jesus; to Augustine who rejected the Matthew 16 confession of Peter as the establishment of Peter as the chief apostle.
Too much of what the Early Church Fathers disagree with the Modern Roman church to say that they share the same faith. There is more agreement betwixt the Missouri Synod Lutherans and the Presbyterians than the Modern Catholic Church and the mosaic panoply of the beliefs of the Early Church Fathers.
But the Magisterium claims that it as the TRUE faith CAN cherry pick which are truths, yet hold the right to anathematize anyone who disagrees, as they did in Trent, which means 100% of the early church is condemned to hell for their beliefs. Funny that.
Thanks for your respectful responses. It is people like you who push legitimate questioning to ultimate truth and understanding.
RE: Romans claiming the truth. The Church acknowledges the truth in all of the Protestant and non-Christian religions. What it holds is that the FULNESS OF TRUTH, is held by the Roman Church.
RE: your examples. The Protestant Church rejected some Scriptures the Catholic Church still retains. Do you think the Lord left the early Church to pick wrong Scriptures?
Yes, we do cherry pick the early Church Fathers and every theologian who ever lived. It is the teaching Magisterium who is inspired by the Holy Spirit to do the cherry picking, not the individual, even if it is Henry the VIII or Martin Luther or Calvin or any other person who has broken with them.
“Upon this Rock....” “and the gates of hell shall not...”
By the way, why do you dislike Dave Armstrong so? He may not be a sophisticated theologian, but he does a pretty good job. Actually, why do you dislike all those converts?