So how do you, Harley, know what Scripture means and which of the many competing interpretations are correct?
Equally, how do you infallibly know the interpretations of the Catholic Church are wrong?
Do you defer to an expert, a pastor, someone more studied than you or do you reply only on your gut feelings? No Catholic will argue that Scripture is errant or fallible, but language, culture and human reasoning is.
That's like asking how do I know what Mark Twain or William Shakespears says? It's not hard to read the text and know what something says.
Do you defer to an expert, a pastor, someone more studied than you or do you reply only on your gut feelings?
I guess some go on their "gut" feelings.
Exd 20:4-7 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Catholic Douay Rehims Version:
EX 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: And shewing mercy unto thousands to them that love me, and keep my commandments.