Cabinet of Catholic Information

[Swamper]

Interesting. Here are my thoughts on a couple of points...

Can we Protestants be certain that we have the right and complete Bible?

No, you are not certain of the exact canon or set of the 72 books that constitute the Bible. You do not know whether the translation of your Bible is the correct one; and you are not certain of the true interpretation of the Bible.

All the Protestant churches I know use the same 66-book canon. I don't see why there can be only one "correct" translation of the Bible...that's dangerously close to "King James only-ism". And if there is only one correct translation, then everyone who doesn't read/speak whatever language that translation is in is out of luck.

Why can Protestants not be certain of the true sense of the Bible?

The very fact that Protestants to-day are divided in so many sects, contradicting each other in essential things, and each claiming to draw the true sense out of the Bible, is proof that they have not the true sense of the Bible.

But why say "Protestants" instead of just "the church"? The Protestant and Catholic churches contradict each other too. I don't have anything against Catholicism, but this was written with a very obvious pro-Catholic bias, and I have a hard time with most writings that favor one denomination over all others.

[B. W.]

It is time for another installment from the Cabinet of Catholic Information, a book copyrighted in 1903. Again, these excerpts from the chapter Questions Asked By Protestants, written by Rev. M. Philipps, Rector of St. Joseph's Church, Buffalo, N.Y.

Is not the Bible sufficient to teach us what we have to believe in order to be saved?

No, because in the Bible are many words and sentences of essential truth, which can be explained in different ways, and many things in the Bible are hard to understand, especially for those not versed in history, philology, theology, etc. ...

Can we Protestants be certain that we have the right and complete Bible?

No, you are not certain of the exact canon or set of the 72 books that constitute the Bible. You do not know whether the translation of your Bible is the correct one; and you are not certain of the true interpretation of the Bible.

Why can Protestants not be certain of the true sense of the Bible?

The very fact that Protestants to-day are divided in so many sects, contradicting each other in essential things, and each claiming to draw the true sense out of the Bible, is proof that they have not the true sense of the Bible.

Does not the Holy Ghost inspire every individual to understand the true meaning in reading the Bible?

If the Holy Ghost had inspired the two hundred* leaders of the different protestant denominations of to-day they would all believe alike, and there would be but one Church. The Holy Ghost does not inspire contradictions.

Food for thought!

FL

*200 denominations in 1900. 100 years later, there are close to 30,000 denominations. Ouch!

Here is also more food for thought from Paul on the same subject:

1 Co 12:11-31, "All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

"14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?

"18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

"22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

"26 if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. " ESV

There was a split in the First Century Church too...due to misunderstanding...

Gal 2:11-14, "But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all..." ESV

While it is true that there is only one Church universal - this one Church has many different parts and each has its own purposes and duties as led by the Holy Spirit. We need to remember this and not become high minded if one Part of the body does not behave or do as our own part would do.
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[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Thank you to Swamper and B.W. for your posts.

I am happy to see that a young man like Swamper can think things through (I was a dummy in my early 20s... )

BW, thanks for the food for thought (a lot of that seems to come from you!)

FL

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

I've brought out that fat book, the Cabinet of Catholic Information and will by typing up more snippets from it in the days to come.

FL

[RickD]

Hey FL, I'll give you 3 bucks for the book. I love old books. That's a 50% profit! What do you say?

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Hey FL, I'll give you 3 bucks for the book. I love old books. That's a 50% profit! What do you say?

WOW! Thats 3 AMERICAN dollars you're offering! That works out to $3.15 Canadian!!! What will I do with all that money?

FL

[RickD]

Hey FL, I'll give you 3 bucks for the book. I love old books. That's a 50% profit! What do you say?

WOW! Thats 3 AMERICAN dollars you're offering! That works out to $3.15 Canadian!!! What will I do with all that money?

FL

The offer still stands. What else can you sell, and make a 50%+ profit? You need to sell me the book for $3. Old Jedi mind trick

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

I'll continue where I left off so long ago, with ''Questions Asked By Protestants,'' ...so, please read my original introduction:

Under a section of Cabinet of Catholic Information entitled ''Questions Asked By Protestants,'' I thought the following may interest you. Answers were by the Rev. M. Philipps, Rector of Saint Joseph's Church, Buffalo, N.Y. The style is conversational and is as follows: a Protestant asks a question in italics and the answer follows:

Are Catholics forbidden to read the Bible?

The Catholic Church forbids to read those Bibles that contain errors and she forbids it to such people to whom the reading would be dangerous. Experience teaches that injudicious reading of the Bible misled and perverted many. Saint Peter had the same experience in his days. See 2 Peter 3:16.

Do Catholics encourage the reading of the Bible?

Catholic priests are bound to read daily a portion of it; in convents the Bible is read in public, every Sunday and holiday in church a part of the Bible is read to the people, in Catholic schools children are daily to learn and narrate the essence of certain chapters of the Bible history, and in every Catholic house is found either an extract of the Bible or the Bible itself, or a prayer book taken from the Bible.

Are the teachings of the Catholic Church found in the Bible?

Nearly all the truths of the Catholic Church are found in the Bible. Some are founded on divine tradition, which are truths revealed by God to man but not contained in the Bible.

Is not everyone allowed to put his own private interpretation on the Bible?

No, this is a false principle, and this principle has given us more than two hundred different, conflicting Christian sects, all claiming to be the religion of Jesus Christ.* The true meaning of the Bible must be given by the living voice of the Catholic Church, who received the authority to explain it. as Christ said, ''Going, therefore,teach ye all nations...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.'' Matthew 28:18.

+++

That's it for this evening. If any among you have a peculiar ''Question Asked By Protestants'' you'd like The Cabinet to answer, ask it and I'll look it up.

FL

*Don't forget that The Cabinet was compiled in 1903. The 200 sects in 1903 have mushroomed considerably since then.