Agrace!!! Good summary of the basis of many of the things you claim Catholics believe are not scriptural,
i.e., GOD gave us a brain AND the HOLY SPIRIT, and the promise that the gates of Hell would not prevail, and Scripture, and promised the Holy Spirit would lead us to all Truth, and that not all things are recorded in scripture...
it can be effectively reasoned out with scripture,[under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the authority Christ bestowed on Peter and His church] even though there is no specific statement that says
all the things you claim we believe are unscriptural...
Thanks for helping us out here by supporting foundational Catholic conceptions of scriptural exegesis united with Tradition.
When did I ever claim you as Catholics believed anything unscriptural? I try relatively hard to stay out of the Catholic vs Protestant threads that get so volatile. First of all, I'm not Protestant (until recently my husband and I attended an Independent Baptist church - and Baptists are not Protestant - and currently we attend a non-denominational Bible church) and second of all, I said nothing in this thread to indicate any personal views about Catholicism.
Certainly there are probably things that you and I may disagree on, but we have yet to discuss them.
In response to your post, however, I will say this - just because a point not specifically mentioned in scripture can be reasoned out based on a combined study of references, does not mean that Christians always draw scriptural conclusions. I think common sense and basic exegesis play an important part in determining doctrine, and there are certainly extrabiblical doctrines in practice out there today as well as those that have been practiced throughout history.
I agree with you completely - we are given the Holy Spirit, we are promised to be led into all truth, and just because something isn't mentioned specifically in the bible does not mean that it is not determinable based on scripture. However, if a doctrine or tradition seems contrary to scripture, we are instructed to be wary of it, measure it against scripture, and reject if it is found lacking. I'm sure we can agree on that as well.
Have a great day. :)