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A person cannot be strong in his faith without reading the Bible. The lack of grounding in the Bible that is characteristic of many Catholics may not be the problem with Phil Donahue but I think that it is the problem with Bill O'Reilly and many other Catholics that I know personally.

My husband was raised Catholic and we had a huge discussion the night that O'Reilly told Falwell that Christians don't have a lock on going to heaven, that he believed that if you are a good person, no matter what God you worship, you would go to heaven. I responded with the same Bible verse that Falwell quoted on Donahue and my husband just shrugged and admitted that he didn't know the Bible like I did because the Catholic church didn't encourage reading the Bible.

my husband just shrugged and admitted that he didn't know the Bible like I did because the Catholic church didn't encourage reading the Bible.

Your husband is wrong. In fact, reading Scripture is an indulgenced act, and has been at least since the beginning of the last century. Do you suppose the Popes would have attached an indulgence to Bible-reading to discourage it? Hardly. It was St. Jerome, not any Protestant divine, who said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

The real problem is that your husband, and many, many other Catholics just like him don't know what their own faith teaches.

My husband was raised Catholic and we had a huge discussion the night that O'Reilly told Falwell that Christians don't have a lock on going to heaven, that he believed that if you are a good person, no matter what God you worship, you would go to heaven. I responded with the same Bible verse that Falwell quoted on Donahue and my husband just shrugged and admitted that he didn't know the Bible like I did because the Catholic church didn't encourage reading the Bible.

I agree with O'reilly. Every Chinese person, Indian, Japanese, or anyone else who has a different religion - none of them are going to Heaven?! Ridiculous. Christians don't have a lock on the afterlife. I hate PD, but he is right on this one. Give me a break. I'm a Catholic. I'm a good person, I follow the 10 Commandments, the golden rule, etc. Why should I go out of my way to assume some Hindu 8,000 miles away is full of shit and won't go to Heaven because he doesn't believe in Jesus?

"A person cannot be strong in his faith without reading the Bible"

That is so true; in much the same way that it is impossible to be physically strong if you don't eat, to draw a parallel. There has been a trememdous change in many Catholic churches though. I am Episcopalian, but have worked closely with many Catholics in Bible studies and various ministries and these were very spiritual and Biblically grounded folks. The same situation exists throughout much of the Episcopal church. You have those who are devoted to Christ, read their Bibles and "study to show themselves approved unto God," and those whose idea of being good Episcopalians or good Catholics is going to church, paying the "pew rent" and being members in good standing of the "right" groups within the church. I have often heard it said that the Catholic church was the "whore of Babylon" but I never believed that. I believe that it is rather those of ANY denomination who subscribe to a brand of "churchianity" to the exclusion of true faith in Christ.

I responded with the same Bible verse that Falwell quoted on Donahue and my husband just shrugged and admitted that he didn't know the Bible like I did because the Catholic church didn't encourage reading the Bible.

That's funny. My parish sure encouraged Bible reading, Bible study, reminding students to read a little from the Gospels every day, etc.

Both my folks are cradle Catholics and the children of cradle Catholics and Bible reading was certainly encouraged in our home.