A Literate Church: The state of Catholic Bible study today

America - The National Catholic Weekly ^ | DECEMBER 8, 2008 | David Gibson

[Alex Murphy]

Only half of U.S. adults, for example, could name a single Gospel, and most do not know the name of the first book of the Bible. Even those sola scriptura Protestants who intimidate Catholics with chapter-and-verse recitations are not doing too well. According to a survey conducted in 2000, 60 percent of evangelicals said Jesus was born in Jerusalem, not that “little town of Bethlehem.” And despite all our bitter battles over posting the Ten Commandments, six in 10 Americans cannot name five of them, while half of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married. When a USA Today article on Stephen Prothero’s 2007 book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—and Doesn’t, was titled, “Americans Get an ‘F’ in Religion,” the eminent historian of religion, Martin E. Marty, quipped that the newspaper could be guilty of grade inflation.

Moreover, while fewer believers know much about the Bible, one-third of Americans continue to believe that it is literally true, something organizers of the Synod on the Word of God called a dangerous form of fundamentalism that is “winning more and more adherents…even among Catholics.” Such literalism, the synod’s preparatory document said, “demands an unshakable adherence to rigid doctrinal points of view and imposes, as the only source of teaching for Christian life and salvation, a reading of the Bible which rejects all questioning and any kind of critical research”....

....The flip side of this embarrassment is the presumption among many Catholics that they “get” the Bible at Mass, along with everything else they need for their spiritual lives. The postconciliar revolution in liturgy greatly expanded the readings, with a three-year cycle in the vernacular that for the first time included Old Testament passages. Given that exposure, many think they do not need anything else. As Mr. McMahon put it, “The majority still say you go to Mass, you get your ticket punched, and that’s it for the week.”

[GOP Poet]

Cackie Upchurch likes that quotation. The Bible is a source of comfort, yes, and it should give us courage. But, she added: “It should also disturb us. It should also stir us into action. And if it’s not doing those things, and if it’s just in our heads, then I do not think we’re doing justice to the living Word of God.... If you read this stuff and really believe it, you might have to change how you live.”

Boy that is sure the truth! Great article! Thank you for posting.

[Natural Law]

Catholics are not bible literalists. Along with the bible, many contemporary works are studied for a more contextual understanding of the Word of God.

[Oratam]

<><><>Not true. Not true. The pre-Vatican II mass included the Introit, Offertory and often a Gradual which were all from Psalms. Every mass began with the Psalm 43 (Judica Me) and if you went to daily mass you would've gotten more Old Testament during the course of the year. Catholicism is liturgical in its communal worship.

[Salvation]

I’ve been telling posters for nearly six years that Bible Study is alive and well in Catholic Churches — so to me, this article is old news.

The blessing is that we have a Church to interpret the Scriptures and are not left to YOPIOS as many Protestants are.

YOPIOS = Your Oen Personal Interpretation Of Scripture — LOL!

[Salvation]

Oops

YOPIOS = Your Own Personal Interpretation Of Scripture — LOL!

[Uri’el-2012]

The blessing is that we have a Church to interpret the Scriptures and are not left to YOPIOS as many Protestants are.

How do you read: John 14:16 & 26; 15:26; 16:7.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai

[Truth Defender]

How do you read: John 14:16 & 26; 15:26; 16:7.

All these verses are in passages spoken directly to the Apostles, not to all within hearing range. It was to His Apostles that He spoke of the "Counselor" which would remind them of all He had taught them.

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>How do you read: John 14:16 & 26; 15:26; 16:7.

All these verses are in passages spoken directly to the Apostles, not to all within hearing range. It was to His Apostles that He spoke of the "Counselor" which would remind them of all He had taught them.

Yes; Yah'shua spoke these verses to Messianic Jews
as to who would teach all things.

See Jeremiah 31 for understanding.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai

[Natural Law]

"How do you read: John 14:16 & 26; 15:26; 16:7."

Another Advocate: Jesus is the first advocate (paraclete); see 1 John 2:1, where Jesus is an advocate in the sense of intercessor in heaven. The Greek term derives from legal terminology for an advocate or defense attorney, and can mean spokesman, mediator, intercessor, comforter, consoler, although no one of these terms encompasses the meaning in John. The Paraclete in John is a teacher, a witness to Jesus, and a prosecutor of the world, who represents the continued presence on earth of the Jesus who has returned to the Father.

As a Catholic I accept the Pope as my current Advocate. Knowing the history of the written Word I accept his better understanding of its origins and meanings than that of the laity who have limited knowledge, understanding, resources and Spiritual assistance.

[Truth Defender]

Yes; Yah'shua spoke these verses to Messianic Jews as to who would teach all things.

See Jeremiah 31 for understanding.

Please explain why you reference Jer. 31 to explain those New Testament verses spoken to the Apostles.

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>Yes; Yah'shua spoke these verses to Messianic Jews as to who would teach all things.

See Jeremiah 31 for understanding.

Please explain why you reference Jer. 31 to explain those New Testament verses spoken to the Apostles.

Because Jeremiah 31 describes the New Covenant of YHvH
of which Yah'shua speaks.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai

[Truth Defender]

"How do you read: John 14:16 & 26; 15:26; 16:7."

Another Advocate: Jesus is the first advocate (paraclete); see 1 John 2:1, where Jesus is an advocate in the sense of intercessor in heaven. The Greek term derives from legal terminology for an advocate or defense attorney, and can mean spokesman, mediator, intercessor, comforter, consoler, although no one of these terms encompasses the meaning in John. The Paraclete in John is a teacher, a witness to Jesus, and a prosecutor of the world, who represents the continued presence on earth of the Jesus who has returned to the Father.

First of all, I Jn. 2:1 speaks of Jesus as being our "advocate" with the Father. In this Jesus is the one who speaks in our "defense" to the Father - sort of like a defense attorney. You are correct that it is a "legal" term. However, John 14:16, 26, 15:26 and 16:7 speak of it as a "comforter" or "counselor" rather than as an attorney. This "comforter" is the Spirit Jesus promised to them at Pentecost, who is to recall to their mind all things that Jesus taught them, not as a "teacher". This is the "Holy Spirit" spoken of in the Bible. That is my take on those verses, in context.

As a Catholic I accept the Pope as my current Advocate.

Hmmm...What's wrong with having Jesus as your Advocate to the Father that you have to have a mere mortal man as your Advocate?

Knowing the history of the written Word I accept his better understanding of its origins and meanings than that of the laity who have limited knowledge, understanding, resources and Spiritual assistance.

If you know the history of the written Word, why do you say that you have to have someone else to turn to? Or is it that you actually don't really understand the history you say you know? I agree with you that the laity have very limited knowledge and understanding of the Word. But they do have the resources available if they would simply look around and study those resources - and pray a lot for some spiritual assistance, for God has promised that if they have the Spirit of Christ in them they will have the best of assistance. However, again, I find the laity of most churches too lazy to do any study on their own. And as to whose fault that is, well, leadership comes to mind.

[Truth Defender]

YOPIOS = Your Own Personal Interpretation Of Scripture.

Ridiculous LOL !!! The Scriptures are already interpreted for us in our own language. Our job is to study and understand what it says. This is where the controversy comes in - what is said is understood in so many ways that mass confusion reigns among the churches. And there is a way that this confusion can be overcome. And what, in your mind, do you think that WAY could be?

[Petronski]

How do you read: John 14:16 & 26; 15:26; 16:7.

Instructions to the Apostles, fathers of the Catholic Church.

[papertyger]

Translation is not interpretation.

If it were, every lottery winner would be a Christian.

[Truth Defender]

Translation is not interpretation.

Prove it!

[Revolting cat!]

Translation is not interpretation.

Spoken like an expert. Have you done any?

[papertyger]

Judge for yourself:

Is it reasonable to debate a man who upon hearing why I defer to the Pope, asks why I defer to the Pope?

[papertyger]

I don’t have to “prove” the difference of those things which are different “by definition.”