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To: bdeaner
Right. Gee, how could I have missed your genius for so long, Iscool? You are actually the infallible one and us Catholics and the Pope really have no idea what we're talking about. Thanks for straightening us out. /sarc

Nope...The scripture, the word of God is the infallible one...And when you guys misquote scripture to defend your position, I'm am for closer to the infallible one than you are...

was promised by Christ to be the pillar and foundation of all Truth so that hell would not prevail against it?

Jesus did not say that Hell would not prevail against the church...Jesus said the GATES of Hell...And you guys change the word GATES to POWER...You don't even know what the verse means so you change it and create a new definition for it...

So you're telling me that I should dispense with 2000 years of ( Catholic) Church teachings, and the teachings of the early (Catholic) Church fathers who (who make the claim they) were contemporaries of the Apostles, and the work of many (Catholic) theologians, and (our claim of ) infallible teachings of the Magesterium --- just throw it all in the trash

You forgot a lot of things in your rant...I made it a little more readable...

2,687 posted on 07/17/2009 11:14:16 PM PDT by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)
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To: Iscool
Nope...The scripture, the word of God is the infallible one...

Scripture is inerrant, because it was canonized by THE Church which is infallible by virtue of the charism of infallibility passed on by the Lord Himself and the Holy Spirit He sent in His absence--a reality that is itself validated by Scripture! Without that authority, you would be stuck sorting through Gnostic gospels trying to figure out which ones are inspired and which ones are not.

The Bible itself tells us that readers of Scripture are in need of a teaching authority, lest they be led astray. The very fact that you claim that Scripture can be distorted, or that individuals can differ in their understanding of Scripture, is actually a testimony in favor of the need for an infallible teaching authority -- which is exactly what the Lord gave us with the Magisterium of the Church.

Of course, many Christians (and also heretics or "cultists") distort and misunderstand the Bible, or at the very least, arrive at contradictory, sincerely-held convictions. This is the whole point from the Catholic perspective. Error is necessarily present wherever contradictions exist – clearly not a desirable situation, as all falsehood is harmful (for example, John 8:44, 16:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, 1 John 4:6). Perspicuity might theoretically be a good thing in principle, and on paper, but in practice it is unworkable and untenable. History has proven this beyond all doubt.

Yet Protestant freedom of conscience is valued more than unity and the certainty of doctrinal truth in all matters (not just the core issues alone). The inquirer with newfound zeal for Christ is in trouble if he expects to easily attain any comprehensive certainty within Protestantism. All he can do is take a "head count" of scholars and pastors and evangelists and Bible Dictionaries and see who lines up where on the various sides of the numerous disagreements. Or else he can uncritically accept the word of whatever denomination he is associated with.

In effect, then, he is no better off than a beginning philosophy student who prefers Kierkegaard to Kant -- the whole procedure (however well-intentioned, and I readily grant that it is) is arbitrary and destined to produce further confusion.

Thank the Lord we are not reduced to such a mess. We have the Lord's gift of the Magesterium, who through Apostolic succession, have the teaching authority, and the charism of infallibility, in their teaching of Scripture -- which is what would be expected if we are to take Christ on His Word that he would not leave the Church orphaned after His Ascension. He continues to operate through His Body, the Church -- the pillar and foundation of Truth.
2,688 posted on 07/17/2009 11:34:21 PM PDT by bdeaner (The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Cor. 10:16))
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