Then I am sorry for implying a meaning that you never intended.
No problem. People here do that kind of thing all the time. It's almost unavoidable in this kind of forum. You do have exquisite manners.
I said that there is nothing in the concept of Sola Scriptura to stop this guy from thinking that there are two gods IF that is what the "Holy Spirit" tells him in his private reading.
But there is, it is called context. If you think a particular portion of Scripture says something that clearly contradicts another portion, than your understanding is wrong.
There is nothing to convince this other guy that he is wrong if the "Holy Spirit" is telling him otherwise. The "Holy Spirit" has explained the "context" to him perfectly. Do you think the "Holy Spirit" doesn't know context?
That is, you can try to convince someone of something using context or other ideas, but if the "Holy Spirit" has convinced someone, how can you argue with that?
If you want to hold your personal understanding of what Scripture means, as helped along by the HS, as the final authority then you have to accept what happens to those who are confused.
I don't hold my personal understanding as authoritative. I hold Scripture as authoritative. If my understanding conflicts with Scripture than I need to rethink my understanding.
Ultimately there is no difference whatsoever between what Scripture says and what you think it says. If you go to Scripture and change your mind based upon your reading, guess what? You are still using your personal understanding of Scripture.
Has no one in the 1,700-year history of the Catholic Church ever taken your traditions out of context (proof-texting them, if you will) to come up with some unorthodox ideas?
Of course. And we teach that people who claim an understanding which does not align with the teaching of the Church are wrong. Period. We don't claim that each person, with the help of the "Holy Spirit" is to be his own judge.
Any of the Sola Scriptura people that I know would point out that the "Two Gods" doctrine is clearly wrong. Period.
What exactly are "Sola Scriptura" people? Do they have authority to tell another person what Scripture means? No. The parallel fails.
Of course most Sols Christians will tell you two gods is wrong. But that is besides the point. It's not a democracy. Sola Scriptura holds that Scripture is the final authority and what Scripture means is found by each person listening to the Holy Spirit as they read.
By your own admission people have taken Catholic Tradition out of context. Does that make you see your Tradition as suspect, and want to throw the whole thing out? Well, just because some people might take Scripture out of context and twist it does not make me want to throw out Sola Scriptura as my approach to doctrine.
Catholic doctrine holds that Tradition, the Magisterium, and Scripture all align perfectly. Any individual is not guaranteed to interpret Scripture flawlessly. A Catholic who read two gods into Scripture would be slapped down as wrong.
A Sola Christian who read two gods could listen to arguments from others about what Scripture really means. But in the end he will believe what he believes the "Holy Spirit" has told him is true. There is no earthly authority to which he must listen.
SD
I just used that for lack of a better term. What I meant by it was people who rely solely on Scripture as their authority. Like me. ;^)
It seems your argument could still be turned around. If a Catholic layperson came up with an unorthodox doctrine by misapplying the Scriptures, Magisterium and Tradition who says that they have to listen to the priest? Couldn't they decide for themselves, based on their misapplication of the aforementioned sources, that the priest, or whoever approached them, was wrong?
-ksen