I don't give any authority to any institution or interpretation. Only Christ has Authority. God doesn't have me under any spell, I'm set free from all the wiles of the enemy because of a relationship with Him. The closer I walk with Him the further the enemy stays from me.
Sure you do. You give authority to your own preferred interpretations of the Bible, and to any non-Catholic doctrinal traditions that happen to agree with your personal theological opinions.
Catholic or non-catholic has nothing to do with it... Truth prevails and makes Himself evident. The lying traditions of men which oppose God is what men who love Christ are against, whether they be pagan, catholic or Christian.
It does in the particular doctrinal traditions to which you submit, and from which you've derived your preferred beliefs and assumptions.
QUESTION: In which of the some 35,000 non-Catholic denominations and sects in existence today has "the Truth" supposedly "prevailed and made Himself evident"? And who possesses the inherently binding authority to make that determination for all believers everywhere?
Amen---"lying traditions of men" such as sola scriptura, sola fide, etc.
Not if they're derived from Scripture and experiential faith. God designed His Word to be understood by the simple and meets ALL those who come to Him as a little child. Those who're hoodwinked by religion, whether from a child or as an adult will only find religion. You have to come to Him in faith to find Him.
None. Truth makes Himself evident, wherever one encounters Him. He is present wherever two or more are gathered in His Name.
The Lord, only, Who is The One and Only Truth. He is alive and well and has dynamic relationships with men and women all over this planet, whether you believe that He does or not.
I agree that all sects, to varying degrees, teach fragments of the truth. The question remains: Who possesses the inherently binding authority to determine for all believers everywhere precisely which of these sectarian teachings are actually truth, and which are falsehood?
Jesus stated that the Holy Spirit would lead the Church "into all truth" (Jn. 16:13; Lk. 10:16; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 John 4:6).
Is there, then, a truth which is not mutually exclusive with error"?
On the contrary.
Not with repsect to the formal teachings of his historic Church. Thus, no "dismay" whatsoever. :nono:
Absolutely. I wholeheartedly acknowledge and affirm the divine doctrinal authority of the teaching Tradition of Christ's historic Church, and follow it's teachings as the word of God, right along with the Scriptures. The difference is that I can demonstrate that the Catholic Church is in fact that historic Church founded by Jesus Christ himself (Mt. 16:18-19)---something that no non-Catholic sectarian tradition of men is able to come close to.
Your entirely unsubstantiated and completely non-authoritative theological opinions are noted. And dismissed. :yawn:
Catholic beliefs and teachings are "derived from Scripture and experiential faith" as well. So, then, who possesses the inherent doctrinal authority to determine for both of us which one of us has the truth?
Really? How, then, do you account for the apparent inability to grasp the simple truths of Scripture which lies behind the fragmentation of Protestantism into some 35,000 denominations and sects in existence today, with more being invented every week? If the Bible is designed to be "understood by the simple," how is it that no one within the body of Protestantism seems to be "getting" it?
Krsto says "All of them," and you say "None of them." Proves my point quite nicely.
And yet, all 35,000 competing and conflicting non-Catholic denominations and sects are "gathering in his name" just as sincerely as you are. How do you know that you're right, and all of them are wrong?
No, it's taken from the foolish and worthless traditions of silly men who've been taught nonsense which doesn't at all relate to The Holy Scriptures and even goes AGAINST those Scriptures in most places. It's the biggest enemy God has in this earth. :duh:
As I've said repeatedly: only Christ.
God loves diversity. He's in the midst of ALL of them, even Romanists.
Because the things you think we need to 'get' aren't IT. :duh:
Because I'm not... there's only ONE Who is Righteous.
Go ahead and post your proof for this claim. :yawn: (How about just one example?)
That goes without saying, and Catholics affirm the same. The question is what human agent or agency possesses the inherent doctrinal authority to determine for both of us which one of us has the truth?
Already answered in a previous post.
Maybe the things that you think we need to "get" aren't IT. Now we're back to the question posed above: who has the authority to determine "IT" in a way which is binding upon all believers everywhere? (You? Your pastor? Your favorite TV preacher? Billy Graham? Oprah? Baptists? Presbyterians? Methodists? Pentecostals? Episcopalians? Non-Denominationalists? Wesleyans? Quakers?...)
So then, you can't establish that your opinions are right, and that therefore the opinions of others are wrong. Then no one should experience any compulsion to follow your theological preferences to the exclusion of their own, should they. :nono:
