Why Catholicism Is Preferable to Protestantism

catholic.com ^ | April 10, 2014 | | Devin Rose

[Morgana]

My new book, The Protestant's Dilemma, shows in a myriad of ways why Protestantism is implausible. We sifted through many arguments to boil the book down to the most essential. A few chapters didn't make the cut but are still good enough to share. Here's one of them.

If Protestantism is true,

There's no way to know whether you're assenting to divine revelation or to mere human opinion about divine revelation.

Protestants and Catholics both believe that God has revealed himself to man over the course of human history, culminating in his ultimate self-revelation in Jesus Christ. But whereas Catholics believe that Christ founded a visible Church—which subsists in the Catholic Church—and has protected its doctrines from error, Protestants reject the notion of ecclesial infallibility, maintaining that no person, church, or denomination has been preserved from error in its teachings. Which means that anyone could be wrong, and no person or institution can be trusted with speaking the truth of divine revelation without error.

Universal Fallibility

“No one is infallible.” If Protestantism has a universal belief, this is it. Luther pioneered this idea when he asserted that popes and Church councils had erred. If they had erred, it meant God had not guided them into all truth; instead, he allowed them to fall into error and, worse, to proclaim error as truth.

And so the most a Protestant can do is tentatively assent to doctrinal statements made by his church, pastor, or denomination, since those statements, being fallible, could be substantively changed at some time in the future. We see this all the time in Protestantism, most commonly when a Protestant leaves one church for another due to doctrinal disagreement, especially after his church changed its position on an issue he considered important.

Consider the question of same-sex “marriage.” Until quite recently, all Protestant denominations taught this was a contradiction in terms. But now many have modified or even completely reversed this doctrine. Those Protestants who accept this new teaching believe that the old one was wrong—an erroneous human opinion that became enshrined in their church’s statement of faith. They can do this confidently, knowing that none of their fellow church members can plausibly claim that it contradicts an irreformable dogma that was infallibly revealed by God.

Ultimately, then, a Protestant (who remains Protestant) studies the relevant sources—Scripture, history, the writings of authoritative figures in his tradition—and chooses the Protestant denomination that most aligns with his judgment. But then, they say, Catholics do the same thing: studying the sources and then choosing the Catholic Church based on their own judgment. So they see no difference in this regard.

Because Catholicism is true,

Christians can know divine revelation, as distinct from mere human opinion, because God protects it from authoritatively teaching anything that is false.

How is the Catholic’s judgment different from a Protestant's, if at all? The difference lies in the conclusion, or finishing point, of the inquiry they make. Whereas the Protestant can ultimately submit only to his own judgment, which he knows to be fallible, the Catholic can confidently render total assent to the proclamations of the visible Church that Christ established and guides, submitting his judgments to its judgments as to Christ's.

And so a Catholic can know divine revelation, as distinct from human opinion, by looking to the Church, which speaks with Christ’s voice and cannot lie. For a Protestant, only the Bible itself contains God’s infallibly inspired words, so he desires to assent to that. But since the Bible must be interpreted by someone, the closest he can come to assenting to biblical teaching is assenting to his own fallible interpretation of it. And assenting to yourself is no assent at all.

The Protestant’s Dilemma

If Protestantism is true, all are fallible. So the Protestant must rely on his own judgment above that of his church. And the orthodoxy of the church itself is judged against his interpretation of the Bible. Thus is becomes impossible to distinguish between what divine revelation actually is versus what a fallible human being thinks it is. This fact makes the Catholic Church, philosophically speaking, preferable to Protestantism, since God’s truth can be known—and known with certainty.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Christ is All that Matters Placemarker

[daniel1212]

Kecheritomene is a perfect passive Greek participle translated as: completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace. A perfect participle denotes an action that has been completed. Highly favored one is a later deliberately imprecise mistranslation. The detailed correct translation is “full of grace which thou hast received”.

Rather, that is a parroted fallacious polemic. You argument is based upon the refuted premise that Lk. 1:28 says Mary is full of grace (and uniquely so), but which it simply does not say. Kecharitomene (one form of the verb "charitoo") in Lk. 1:28, is never used for "full" elsewhere, but Lk. 1:28 simply says she was graced, favored, enriched with grace, as in Eph.1:6. Much more technical here :

Here’s the text IN GREEK: καὶ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπεν Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. κεχαριτωμένη, is the pf. pass. ptcp. of χαριτόω (charitoō). It is the single Greek word kexaritomena and means highly favored, make accepted, make graceful, etc. REPEATED: It is a passive participle derived from charitoō. It does not mean "full of grace" or ‘completely filled with grace’ which is "plaras karitos" (plaras = full and karitos = Grace) in the Greek....

In contrast, the only one (though in some mss Stephen, in Acts 6:8) said to be full of grace is the Lord Jesus, "full ("plērēs) of grace (charis) and truth," using "plērēs," which denotes "full" 17 other places in the NT. If Mary was perfectly full of grace as bearing Christ then it would say she was full of grace, as Christ was, (plērēs charis).

However, seeking to compel Scripture to support her tradition of men, Lk, 1:28 was wrongly rendered "full of grace" in the DRB, rather than "highly favored" or similar, as in Rome's current official New American Bible, “Hail, favored one!" (http://usccb.org/bible/luke/1) Yet the DRB translates Eph. 1:6 as "in which he hath graced us."

Nor does kecharitomene being a perfect passive participle translate into meaning a "a perfection of grace," or distinctively a past action, in distinction to echaritosen (another form of the verb "charitoo") used in Eph. 1:6, as there also it refers to a present state based upon a past action, "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted [echaritosen] in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)

See more on this issue here as Whte gets into detail with the Greek. (And notes that the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has to attempt to build such a complex theology on the form of a participle in a greeting should say a great deal in and of itself.)

And as Roman Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin said of Luke 1:28 on the word kecharitomene:

"This is a Greek term that you could use in that exact grammatical formation for someone else who wasn't immaculately conceived and the sentence would still make sense" like Mary's grandmother). He went on to say, "This is something where I said previously, we need the additional source of information from tradition and we need the guidance of the magisterium to be able to put these pieces together." Meaning the text does not teach the IM, nor is that necessary, but tradition becomes binding doctrine under the ultimate presumed authority of Rome.

Moreover, while Mary is highly blessed among women, and is to be honored according to what is written, this does not translate in the type of supererogation of praise seen in Catholicism, in which humble Mary is made into an almost almighty demigoddess!

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“If Protestantism is true, all are fallible. So the Protestant must rely on his own judgment above that of his church. And the orthodoxy of the church itself is judged against his interpretation of the Bible. Thus is becomes impossible to distinguish between what divine revelation actually is versus what a fallible human being thinks it is. This fact makes the Catholic Church, philosophically speaking, preferable to Protestantism, since God’s truth can be known—and known with certainty.”

At some point along the way, they apparently stopped teaching logic and reasoning in Catholic schools.

This article is poorly reasoned. Frankly, it is typical of what is posted here.

The final paragraph claims it is preferable to kick the can up the ladder, claiming this results in certainty. It does not.

God commands Christian to love Him with ALL our heart, ALL our soul and ALL our mind. How is outsourcing your mind fulfilling His command?

God commands Christians to “study to show ourselves approved.” Outsourcing what He desires YOU to do is a failure.

“So the Protestant must rely on his own judgment above that of his church.”

Actually, no. God has given teachers as a gift TO the Church. He has given ELDERS to His Church. We have a doctrinal statement. We have teaching pastors.

“And the orthodoxy of the church itself is judged against his interpretation of the Bible.”

Actually, it is the failure of orthodoxy of the Roman church that is judged by Scripture.

“Thus is becomes impossible to distinguish between what divine revelation actually is versus what a fallible human being thinks it is.”

For example, the Pope, many here deride. The Cardinals and Bishops of the Roman church that protected sexual offenders. Those fallible men. Fortunately, God’s Word never changes.

“This fact makes the Catholic Church, philosophically speaking, preferable to Protestantism, since God’s truth can be known—and known with certainty.”

This is the crescendo of poor reasoning. The sound you hear is the can which was kicked, hitting the wall of logic.

[boatbums]

If Protestantism is true, all are fallible. So the Protestant must rely on his own judgment above that of his church. And the orthodoxy of the church itself is judged against his interpretation of the Bible. Thus is becomes impossible to distinguish between what divine revelation actually is versus what a fallible human being thinks it is. This fact makes the Catholic Church, philosophically speaking, preferable to Protestantism, since God’s truth can be known—and known with certainty.

And the REAL Orthodox Church split from Rome five centuries BEFORE the Reformation over this EXACT same reason! Seeing as the Orthodox church IS more orthodox than Roman Catholicism, wouldn't that mean they are preferable philosophically speaking???

[caww]

....” Believers have scripture to keep them from going too far astray, combined with the Holy Spirit if they are, indeed, believers. Peter said to trust scripture over experience or men - good advice to everyone.”.....

Amen!....

It is written in Timothy 4 ...where the Spirit clearly states that in later times...some will abandon the faith, (which certainly speaks of Christians or those who who claim so),... further.... ‘following’ “deceiving” spirits and things taught by demons”....such “teachings come thru hypocritical liars whose conscience has been seared as with a hot iron.

Note that they ‘abandon the faith’....I have spoken with and seen this occur and the “seduction” of these false teachers operating among us. It is often times a very appealing seduction which entices much like a adultress would operate.

Had satan been ugly or repulsive Eve would not have given him the time of day......so too today as these teachers present their doctrines.

[caww]

Once an individual relies on Jesus to instruct them, and stays close to His Word as ‘his authority of what truth is or not’....one cannot hardly imagine taking mans Word over the wealth of truth He reveals to us in His Word, and the intimate relationship He builds with us as we seek to know Him better and love Him more.

[Syncro]

I am just tired of these anti catholic threads

This is an anti Protestant thread

...and all the catholic haters

This thread has brought out the Protestant haters, as these type of threads always do.

FR has become so anti catholic of late

LOL now that is a good one! Take a look at the articles posted in this Religion Forum and see how Catholics are allowed to post threads for just themselves (caucus) and also anti-Christian threads all the time.

...anti-Catholic porn...

How sad that you had to bring up porn here in the Religion Forum. What a despicable thing to do.

[caww]

It’s much to do with gearing up the World for the Globalist takeover and the NWO...which includes the Catholic church bringing along it’s great wealth, and membership, and influence on the minds of it’s membership... most will continue to follow whatever their church takes them into, even if they object to what the Pope is doing...most will follow...just the same.

[MamaB]

Signs of a cult. Poor things.

[caww]

....“come out of her my people lest ye be partakers of her plagues”......

No doubt God is trying to reach catholics before the hour...many unfortunately believe they are on the Titanic.

[caww]

....”There is no strength in numbers. And there is no assurance by affiliation.......Interestingly, people who cannot spiritually hear God do not seem to realize that they cannot or that that is what they lack.”......

Which attests to the fact the ability to hear comes from God. They need to desire Him over their church affiliation but have been so programmed to rely on what their church says that they “believe” they are already doing so.

[caww]

....What a tragic error to promote......

Obama and the Globalists are using Francis very much now to bring the "religious" element into their agenda.....especially regarding Muslims/ISlam....thus we see Francis not only involved but playing 'a large visible' role and one active involvement promoted as being a "decisive" role...it's deceptive and dangerous.

When the Pope kissed and washed the Muslims girls feet most do not realize how HUGE that was to Muslims....which to them 'Opened" the way for them to make demands of the Pope...which they did. That he declare that Islam is a Peaceful Religion.

The Pope is on very shaky ground and I'm not so sure he has much to say about what they have him do...when push comes to shove he'll have no choice in the matter...but currently he is quite the willing partner.

[mountn man]

I really didn't think I'd need a sarcasm tag.

I figured it had to be pretty obvious.

My last line
"Oooh look! The latest in anti-Catholic porn, so pathetically typical of FR lately."
was stolen from another poster on another thread.

The OP of that thread had posted a non pro-catholic thread.

If one would go to the religion forum, one would find that catholics post probably 3-4 times as many threads as protestants.

Of all the posts on the RF that pit one side vs the other, anti protestant threads probably outnumber anti catholic threads, about 6-8:1

In all the threads that I have seen, catholics are the ones who post that FR has become hostile to them.

[Bigg Red]

Right, saying “a myriad of ways” is similar to saying “a many of ways”. But, as you indicated, such usage is becoming more common.

[golux]

Sorry... But did you pause to digest my post before you cut-and-pasted an almost completely irrelevant and enormous Wikipedia article?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for your encouragements, dear brother in Christ!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your encouragements, dear bonfire!

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed. Thank you for your encouragements, dear caww!

[daniel1212]

Sorry... But did you pause to digest my post before you cut-and-pasted an almost completely irrelevant and enormous Wikipedia article?

Rather, did you read what you wrote? It is quite obvious your only see Luther fostering ill treatment of Jews, thus showing the like by Rome is fitting. And it is a compilation of different articles, which RCs do not seem to want to digest. Perhaps you are not one, but you only indict one side.

[EBH]

You were right,... and I stand in all those miseries as required.