Quote:
Originally posted by Superman
Jeff, you're just pretending to have the hots for Archie. Jake, you're right. Newman is a stud. But really though.....who's hotter than Wayne?
Markus, I disagree. And the disagreement is the fundamental disagreement between the "protestant" Christians and the Catholic model. The protestants think that you read the Bible, and decide for yourself what it says. Catholicism, to me, is not so much about somebody mandating a particular interpretation of a Bible passage. It is about whether I am free to "make it up as I go," or whether it is best to utilize the VAST body of historical and theological research done over the past twenty centuries.
To me, the Bible is not a document with the magical feature of having a flexible message depending on what I want it to say, or what it seems to say to me in my relative ignorance. No. It is a document that DOES say what it says and is quite complex and subject to misinterpretations. It is more convenient to make it up as we go, individually. It is much more illuminating and faithful to recognize and accept what it DOES say, regardless of whether that is convenient for me at the moment.
That's the rub between Catholicism and protestantism. Always was. Still is.
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Not to hijack the thread, but I would disagree. Of course I am Protestant so there you go...
The difference to me is that Protestants believe that God made the Bible for all. Everyone can read it and God will speak to each person as he or she learns about him. I don't need the Pope to dictate to me what the Bible says, I can read it for myself. Of course my Pastor is trained in theology and has more knowledge about it than I, that's why I go to church and listen to a sermon each Sunday. I don't need a priest to pray to God for me, I can do it myself. I don't have to pray to Mary or John or Jude or Matthew to talk to God for me, I can talk to God myself.
Both Catholics and Protestants rely on clergy to help them interpret the Bible. My personal experience is this: My wife was raised Catholic. She went to mass every Sunday, she did her confirmation classes, we went to Pre-cana classes before we were married, etc. She was a good Catholic. Know what? She never knew what the Bible actually said until she began going to a Protestant Bible study. I was raised Baptist, we decided to go with the Methodist church as a compromise. We are both very happy there. She started going to a weekly Bible study about a year ago and has amazed me and herself with how much more she knows about the Bible and how much closer her relationship with God is. Of course Catholics can do the same, there are Catholic Bible study groups as well. My main issue with Catholicism is that by being so regimented it allows people to fall into the trap of thinking that if they just go to church and take communion and listen to the priest then they are good to go. Many of them don't ever pursue a personal relationship with God...they figure that's what the priest is for.
Just MHO, I have no problem with Catholics at all and think the Catholic/Protestant argument is kinda stupid. But, you brought it up.
