I am asking for an authentication of your "proof." How do I know that your "proof" is authentic? You offer me scriptures but when asked to authenticate them you tell me the scriptures authenitcate themselves (of course "if you have eyes and ears." Anyone can say that; it doesn't mean it's a proof).
Yours is a blind faith, so perhaps you believe "just because" or "just because the Church says".
If you can't provide proof, then your faith is blind as well. And so far you have not been able to demonstrate anything but a private faith.
Ours is a reasoned faith
Everyone's faith is reasoned, FK, even the blind faith. Faith is actually rationalized more than reasoned. In other words, we come up with plausible explanations for something we don't understand.
If faith were were reasoned it would be logical. Incarnation and angels are not logical. Gravity is not logical. The world, as it is, the universe, is not logical to human mindset. We really don't knwo how and why all this exists. We only believe we know.
God gives faith, but He uses tools such as the Bible to give that faith meaning.
Through books written by men and presumed (believed) to be inspired?!?
The Bible explains what exactly our faith is in, and that it can (does) make sense to us
I agree. The Bible tells us what we believe. It doesn't do it exactly because there are variations and disagreements in interpretations. But the fact that the Bible is a collection of books that describes what we believe in doesn't mean it is true.
Hense I ask for proof that it is.
Ah, I did not know that "catholic" meant an impersonal God. I thought that was just your take. Fascinating
Catholic means universal. It's not a private interpretation or a personal faith. It's not your God either. Not in the possessive sense.
I've seen what is left after some of this "cleansing" is done. Not pretty. It is unrecognizable compared to what the Bible teaches
What you call a bible is a sanitized man-made version of a bunch of scraps put together, presumed to be written by the authors it claims, and believed to be "inspired."
And which books are inspired is a matter of human decision too. The Samaritans, like the Sadducees, believe only the Torah was inspired. They still have a gemple and and high priesthood and animal sacrifices, so if you ever wnated to know ancoent Judaism there is your chance. There are about 700 of them left.
The Apostles believed some books the Protestants reject must have been good enough to be quoted as inspired. And +Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch which was never canonized but nonetheless finds its ways in the NT being quoted as scripture.
And, I agree, there are parts of the bible that are not pretty at all, and there is no Christ to be found in them...
I have asked you several times, but as yet you have not told me what constitutes "proof" to YOU. Scripture is plenty good as proof for Reformers, and for many other non-Apostolics. I have already given you everything I can think of as "proof", including quotes from Josh McDowell's good book "More Than a Carpenter". That book authenticates the scriptures from even the non-believer's point of view. I don't know how I can even try to give you what you really WANT if you won't tell me what it is. :)
Everyone's faith is reasoned, FK, even the blind faith. Faith is actually rationalized more than reasoned. In other words, we come up with plausible explanations for something we don't understand.
Rationalization is the enemy of reason. I think I understand my faith just fine, just as I was intended to at this point in my life. If God did not want us to understand anything meaningful, then Christianity is just a "pick-'em" religion. Many Apostolics have related to me how wonderful the experience of the sacrament of the Eucharist is because of the communion with God. Of course, that is impossible if all we really have to work with are rationalizations or plausible explanations.
If faith were reasoned it would be logical.
Faith IS logical. It is not born of logic, but logic fully supports it, with Godly presuppositions, which used to be common even among unbelievers.
Incarnation and angels are not logical. Gravity is not logical. The world, as it is, the universe, is not logical to human mindset.
Of course all of these things are logical. What would say would be logical IN PLACE of all of these things? Utter nothingness?
What you call a bible is a sanitized man-made version of a bunch of scraps put together, presumed to be written by the authors it claims, and believed to be "inspired."
But I take it that this "bunch of scraps" is highly revered and followed as Tradition in the Orthodox Church? Are the writings of the Fathers better than a "bunch of scraps"? :)