Posted on 05/05/2011 9:38:04 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While Catholics believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it is true, one cannot take individual biblical quotes or passages and say each one is literally true, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“It is possible to perceive the sacred Scriptures as the word of God” only by looking at the Bible as a whole, “a totality in which the individual elements enlighten each other and open the way to understanding,” the Pope wrote in a message to the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
“It is not possible to apply the criterion of inspiration or of absolute truth in a mechanical way, extrapolating a single phrase or expression,” the Pope wrote in the message released May 5 at the Vatican.
The commission of biblical scholars, an advisory body to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, met at the Vatican May 2-6 to continue discussions about “Inspiration and Truth in the Bible.”
In his message, the Pope said clearer explanations about the Catholic position on the divine inspiration and truth of the Bible were important because some people seem to treat the Scriptures simply as literature, while others believe that each line was dictated by the Holy Spirit and is literally true.
Neither position is Catholic, the Pope said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
Other than those sections they didn’t include in the Bible.
Duh. That's why they don't include them.
The Pope is saying parts of the Bible are mythology and you know it.
Verdugo, come back!
Yeah. All you have to do is accept evolution and higher criticism. If you won't accept these two things, it doesn't want you.
My relationship is with God, not my Pastor. I worship at the church as well as home. I do not judge other’s views. I don’t agree in areas and I state my case but I do not judge. Catholics and Southern Baptists are brothers in Christ, we just differ on some details. Vanity plays no part in my life.
I don’t know. Is “all kittens” and “every piece of a kitten” the same thing?
Translation: G-d wants everyone to accept higher criticism.
Thank you for taking part in my blind taste test and confirming that the Pope's words sound left-leaning and heretical to you, too.
Lol! PWNED!
There goes "this is my body . . . "
You are using scripture (1 Corinthians 4: 15-16) in your response? Who gave you permission to do that? Didn't you just read what your Pope said?
I fear your understanding of scripture may be as incomplete and unsound as your understanding of the words from the Holy Father. The words you quoted have nothing at all to do with whether a Catholic can quote from the Bible. That you get that meaning from that quote invalidates any alleged biblical exegesis you later present.
Paul was using an analogy for instruction of Christians, he never, ever, never demanded to be called "Holy Father" or anything near that.
And neither does the pope. When did he ever demand such a title? Paul, however, and in total contradiction to your interpretation of the words of scripture, did call himself a spiritual father of other people. He also called himself holy, e.g. Ephesians 3.8: "To me, the least of all the saints . . ." saint meaning nothing other than holy. But, you are right, he never demanded to be called anything, and neither does the pope. He is acquitted by your own words.
Does the Pope do this when people call him "Holy Father" and bow down before him? He corrects them, right? He tells them 'Don't call me that, and don't bow down - worship God!' Right?
This argument fails on several points.
1. Paul calls himself the spiritual father of Christians, and does not forbid anyone from calling him such.
2. In the Apocalypse, which you refer to, Saint John explicitly admitted that he "fell down before his feet, to adore him." No Catholic does this to the pope, and using the words Holy Father is not analogous in intent or meaning.
Again, all of this is instructional - and speaks to the very reason that scripture must be read, meditated upon, and studied - - which is EXACTLY what the Pope is "warning" Catholics NOT to do in this very article. Don't you recognize the utter sophistry of your own argument?
This is either extreme ignorance or a case of bearing false witness. You are stating that the pope has instructed Catholics not to read, meditate upon or study scripture, and that is untrue. Nowhere do these words, or anything similar, come from the pope. He promotes and defends a proper Christian understanding of the bible which does not exaggerate one statement in such a manner to obliterate the meaning of the rest, and never suggests we are not to read it. Frankly, the dishonesty of this claim is astonishing.
So, how is "the totality of scripture as a whole" inspired without "all scripture" being inspired?
Why don't you just come out and admit that Genesis 1-11 embarrasses you?
An explanation whereby the process of writing some sections was inspired by God and others ‘not quite so inspired’ - as well as the divine inspiration inherent among those making the determination - would be interesting.
Perhaps not too convincing; but certainly interesting.
The actual subtitle to the article is this “Pope: ‘Human words express the word of God.’
You have substituted “HOw? “Don’t take individual verses as literally true” says Pope.
Let’s compare that to what he actually said, which is:
“While Catholics believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it is true, one cannot take individual biblical quotes or passages and say each one is literally true, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“It is possible to perceive the sacred Scriptures as the word of God” only by looking at the Bible as a whole, “a totality in which the individual elements enlighten each other and open the way to understanding,”
“It is not possible to apply the criterion of inspiration or of absolute truth in a mechanical way, extrapolating a single phrase or expression,” the Pope wrote in the message released May 5 at the Vatican.”
The Bible is indeed true but everything in is not literally true. Truth can be expressed by allegory, metaphor and by poetry. For example the Bible tells us that “ For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.”
Does that mean that the cattle on the 1001th hill do not belong to God? No but the point was not how many cattle on how many hills God owns but that God is sovereign that all life is under His authority.
The Bible is meant to be read as one Book. Every truth in the Bible is meant to point us towards our salvation. That salvation is Jesus Christ.
That does not say that all truth is literal.
Yes, but you don’t have a rabid anti Catholic mindset.
I mean the same thing the Pope meant. Not every verse or phrase, taken out of context, is to be understood as standing on its own inspired.
I need to point out that this is not National Catholic Fishwrap but the National Catholic Register. Please read the article and not just what Mr. Murphy excerpted. You will see that it is a good report on how Catholics study and read the Bible.
Oh, that's right . . . because the "trailer trash" doesn't believe in transubstantiation, therefore it's still intellectually respectable.
It's just stuff like a six day young earth creation, an actual flood, or Jonah actually getting swallowed by a giant fish that Catholics reject, because only "inbred morons" believe that stuff. And G-d would never do anything like that. No, he just sends his "mother" to make the sun dance.
That school of modernism was rejected by official Church teaching but it did find root in mainline Protestant sects.
The Pope is just taking a long way to say that Genesis 1-11 is mythology (you know, he could come right out and say it). I take it you believe this as well.
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