Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 98

“Rome vs. the Bible” vs. Reality

A friend named Poor Knight for the Lord put up a blog recently refuting a list of lies about the Catholic Faith (another refutation is here). I have copied it here for your edification. I put up a similar article a week ago and thought this would be a good supplement.

POOR KNIGHT WRITES: There are a variety of articles out with titles like “Rome vs. the Bible” which suggests that the Bible disproves the Catholic Church. 

But, what would the people who swallow this article do if they discovered the majority of the bad things you were taught about Catholicism were incorrect and meant to deceive them? What would they think if they found out the Catholic Church really is the truth and has been teaching correctly for 2,000 years?

 The pamphlet “Rome vs the Bible” has many factual errors – some blatant and others more subtle.  In discovering these errors, will you continue to spread them, or will you correct them?Authority“Rome vs the Bible” (RvB) claims that “the Bible teaches Scripture has authority over the church” and cites 2Tim3:16.  RvB then claims “Catholicism teaches the Church has authority over Scriptures” and cites the Catholic Catechism (CCC) paragraphs 100 and 119. Reality shows Catholicism teaches that the Church is the authoritative interpreter of Scripture (85, 100, 119) by the power of the Holy Spirit (109-114) but clearly teaches “the Church is the servant of Scripture. “(86)  RvB doesn’t report accurate Catholic teaching.   Why? Also 2 Tim 3:16 says nothing about the church.  It merely shows the high authority, inerrancy, and inspiration of Scripture, something that Catholicism teaches (101-141).  But is that the only thing that has authority according to Scripture?  Ask yourself: what do I believe has the authority to decide between arguing Christians? What do I believe is the pillar and foundation of truth for the Christian? What did God plan to use, from the beginning of time, to make known His entire wisdom? RvB would like you to believe it is The Bible alone. Reality shows, according to that Bible, it is: The Church (Mt 18:15-18; 1Tim3:15; Eph 3:10)  Also ask: How do I know what books belong in Scripture?   Scripture cannot tell you but the Church did and does. Salvation / Justification RvB implicitly denies that one can lose salvation.  RvB then derides Catholicism for believing in Mortal sin and the ability to lose salvation.Reality shows that the Bible explicitly teaches there is Mortal sin, or the “sins that lead to death” (‘death’ = ‘mortal’ in Latin)(1Jn5:17) meaning a spiritual death.  The Bible teaches that a Christian can, indeed, lose salvation through sinning. Take heed you who think you stand secure, lest you fall.  (1Cor 10:6-8; 11-12) (Rom 11:22; Gal 5:6; 2 Pet  2:20-22) RvB doesn’t address these verses.  Why not? RvB states “man is Justified once by faith”.  RvB then condemns Catholicism for teaching that Salvation and Justification are a process, with a one-time event to begin them, but then cooperation is needed to continue progressing in them.Reality shows the Bible says both Salvation and Justification are processes with a past completed event (Rom 8:24; Eph 2:5-8 etc), present application (1Cor1:8; 2Cor2:15; Phil 2:12), and future cooperation needed to get to heaven (Rom 5:9-10; 1Cor 3:12-15).RvB doesn’t address the rest of these Biblical passages.  Why not?RvB implies that faith alone is what saves someone and works will come afterward but do not have anything to do with salvation.  RvB then claims Catholicism teaches that one can earn “their own salvation” through good works. Reality is Catholicism teaches that no one can earn their own salvation (2010).  Catholicism teaches that we are justified entirely by Grace (1996).  Catholicism teaches Grace / Justification is the work of Christ’s atoning death on the Cross and by His Blood (1992).  Catholicism teaches that we must have faith in Christ to be saved (161).  Catholicism recognizes that once we have Grace, we must cooperate with God to continue walking in the Light so that the blood of Christ continues to cleanse us (2006-2029, cf 1Jn 1:7)RvB again does not report Catholic teaching accurately.  Why not? Reality shows the Bible teaches we are saved by Grace which no one can earn (Eph 2:8-9).  But once we are “in Christ” we are commanded to do good works (Eph 2:10).  If we disobey this command, we cannot be saved (Jn 3:36); If we rely only on faith, without good works, that faith cannot save us.  Good works complete our faith, as it did with Abraham, and therefore it was credited to him as righteousness.  Just as a body cannot be alive first and the soul comes later, faith without good works is dead. The only place in Scripture the phrase “Faith Alone” appears it says:  We are justified by works and NOT BY FAITH ALONE (Ja 2:14-24).  We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in us (Grace) both to will (faith) and to work (good works) (Ph 2:15-16).  We must keep the Commandments to go to heaven (Mk 10:17-22) Reality is everywhere in Scripture where people are judged to heaven or hell, they are judged by their works (Rom 2:5-11; Mt 25-31-46; Rev 20:12 among many others). RvB neglects to mention any of these Bible passages.  Why not? Baptism RvB states that only the Holy Spirit regenerates people.  RvB then implies that Catholicism is opposed to this by teaching Baptism regenerates people.Reality is that Catholicism teaches Christ empowered Baptism to bring the Holy Spirit, which is why it regenerates people (1225; 1987; 2017). Reality shows that Christ said exactly that (Jn3:5).  Reality also shows that the Bible teaches Baptism is necessary for salvation and forgives sins (1Pet 3:21-22; Act 2:38-39) RvB again fails to give an accurate representation of Catholicism and ignores Scripture.  Why? Eucharist / The Lord’s Supper RvB states, “the Lord’s Supper is a memorial” implying an intellectual recollection only, and cites 1Cor11:24-25.  RvB then implies that the Catholic Mass is re-sacrificing Christ.Reality shows that the word for “remembrance” (anamnesis) means making a past event present today. Also the word for “do” implies sacrifice.  Christ also said, “This IS my Body” and “This IS my Blood” not “this represents” (Lk 22:19-20; paralleled in Mk, Mt; 1Cor11:24-25).  Christ also commands us to “Eat My Flesh” and “Drink My Blood” numerous times using language that can only be interpreted literally without doing violence to the text. (Jn 6:51-56).  Paul also tells us this is a literal participation in Christ’s Body and Blood (1 Cor 10:16) and to receive without discerning Christ’s Body, is to be guilty of His literal Body and Blood i.e. of murder (1 Cor 10:27-30).Reality is Catholicism teaches Christ’s sacrifice was Once-For-All, and the Eucharist is making that One Sacrifice present today (re-presenting) (1362-1363).Reality also is all Christians writings from the first EIGHT CENTURIES taught the literal interpretation of Christ’s words.  One cannot find a single Christian writer who states what RvB believes about the Lord’s Supper for 800 years after Christ’s Ascension.Reality also shows that RvB’s idea of “the Lord’s Supper” was made up by men in the 16th Century.   A warning from Scripture is appropriate here: Gal 1:8. RvB only cites one of the dozens of paragraphs of the CCC dealing with this; only one of the Bible verses above and doesn’t tell you what those words actually mean.  Why?

Anathemas

Anathema merely means not belonging to the community.  RvB would like you to believe it means “condemned to hell.”  RvB’s own teachings (Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Symbolic Only Lord’s Supper, Once Saved Always Saved, the Rapture, etc) were made up by men in the 16th Century or later. Protestant Historians like JMD Kelly acknowledge this. RvB’s own warning (Gal 1:6-9) applies to them, not to the Catholic Church whose biblical teachings have stayed consistent for 2000 years.  One only needs to read the writings of the students of the Apostles to see this is true. By believing – and pushing –  these brand new, non-biblical teachings RvB proves they ‘do not belong’ to the Church Christ founded. Saints / Priests RvB claims that Catholicism doesn’t teach that all Christians are priests and saints. Reality: The Catholic Church explicitly teaches the priesthood of all believers and that all Christians are saints (priesthood: 1141; 1268; 1546 / saints: 946-962).  RvB did not bother to take 10 seconds on an internet search to find this out. Why Not?Reality: Recognizing what Scripture tells us, Catholicism teaches  Christ also set up a ministerial priesthood by giving it much of His Authority (Lk 10:16; Jn 20:21-23 cf. 2Cor 5:18; Mt:18:18 and many others) and that the “Holy Ones” in heaven (1 Thes 3:13) (the Latin word ‘holy’ is where ‘saint’ comes from) / the souls of Just men made perfect can now, because of Christ, be address and approached (Heb 12:22-24).  Since: the Church is the Body of Christ(Col 1:18); Christ only has one Body, not multiple (1Cor 12:12); Death cannot separate us from Christ (Rom 8:37-38); and we, in Christ, are commanded to pray for one another (1Tim2:1-4), therefore those members of the Church in Heaven are praying for us, and presenting our prayers before the Throne of God (Rev 5:8).RvB does not present the full Biblical picture and presents a completely FALSE representation of Catholic teaching.  WHY? Final ThoughtsRvB does NOT want to present accurate Catholic teaching, nor the full Biblical teaching on these topics. WHY?They have believed the Traditions of Men: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, John Smyth, John Wesley, and the tens of thousands after them.  They have not held fast to the Traditions of God, which includes Sacred Scripture, (2Thes2:15; 3:6; 1Thes3:13; 2Tim2:2; 1Cor11:2) passed on faithfully for 2000 years by the Catholic Church! We encourage you to read your denomination’s teaching charters/documents / confessionals and compare them to   1) History: the writings of the 1st Christians after the Apostles, 2) The WHOLE Bible, 3) The Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

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Update on Authenticity of the Shroud

New Scientific Technique Dates Shroud of Turin to Around the Time of Christ’s Death and Resurrection| National Catholic Register

HERE

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How Did the Israelites Find their Way without a Compass?

How did the Israelites think of north, south, east and west without a compass, GPS or even a map?

Since I am in the heart of Israel today with our Holy Land pilgrimage, I thought this would be an interesting topic. Here is a short article written by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg.

We read in Gen. 13:14: “And the LORD said to Abram… ‘Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.’” The Hebrew words for the four directions where Abram was asked to direct his gaze are: “north” (pronounced as tsafonah), “south” (negbah), “east” (kedmah) and “west” (yamah).

In English these words are technical navigational terms, but Hebrew is an extremely physical language and the origin of these words is tied to the environment.

The Hebrew phrase translated as “to the north” – (tsafonah) – is connected to Mt. Tsaphon in modern Syria (see Isa. 14:13), which lay to the north of Abram when God told him to look in all directions.

The Hebrew term (negbah), traditionally translated as “to the south,” literally means “to the Negev” – the name of a wilderness in the south of Canaan/Israel.

The phrase (yamah), translated as “to the west” means “to the sea.” Similarly, (kedmah), translated as “to the east,” evokes an image of “going back to something from a time long ago”, namely to the Garden of Eden that God planted in the beginning of history (Gen. 2:8).

Someone put it very well: “To read the Bible always and only in translation is like listening to Bach, always and only played on the harmonica. You certainly get the tune, but you will miss pretty much everything else”.

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“Tales from the Coffin” (Patrick, that is) by Ed Feser PhD

For those who have followed the recent sad state of affairs of an effective media and apologetics personality, you will find this recent post by Feser interesting. It is always sad to see one of our great spokesmen damage their reputation and credibility like Patrick Coffin has done.

Since Patrick Coffin’s arguments against Pope Francis are so weak and unconvincing, he has resorted to blaming those who reject his flawed reasoning — blaming them of being motivated by money and he even employs adolescent silliness by substituting the letter “s” with $$ in his emotional responses.

Money is not the controlling factor for most of us. It is simply the fact that we disagree with him. The pope is the pope and yes, it’s as simple as that.

Click here to read “Tales from the Coffin”

Earlier article in Catholic World Report.

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Putting Us to Shame

My wife and I just flew to Israel yesterday. We watched a young man standing among the crowd of passengers. He was uttering muffled chants under his breath and bobbing up and down. His chin is wagging under his serious eyes and his black hat. His prayer shawl with the many knotted tassels is under his black suit. His Hebrew Prayer Book is open as he stands facing Jerusalem. Which way is Jerusalem?

He must be guessing at the direction of Jerusalem because we are in a plane 35,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea, or Turkey, and he is standing at his seat bobbing and weaving. He must be guessing. Periodically he raises the Hebrew Scriptures to his lips to kiss the Word of G-d (they never write the word “God” or pronounce it out of great respect).

We’ve seen planes with the isle full like this too

People are staring at him, others ignore him. But he doesn’t give a rip what anyone thinks. He is in the presence of the G-d of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is attempting to obey the 3,000-year-old commands of Moses and that is all that matters to him.

He then sat down. While others turn off their reading lights and cover their eyes to sleep, this Orthodox Jew continues reading his Hebrew Bible–living in the holy memory of his people and their God.

Other than my wife and I — crossing ourselves to pray when the plane took off — I didn’t notice any Christians displaying their faith openly. Maybe there aren’t any Christians on this plane; yet again, maybe there are some onboard but they are keeping it to themselves.

Will you be ashamed to show your faith today, or will you too live the whole day in the presence of God? We are going to do our best to demonstrate the reality and love of God — and to show our devotion to him.

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Can You Spot the Errors?

This is a typical non-Catholic Creed. It was forwarded by a Catholic asking if they could/should agree with this creed in order to get a new job.

What do you think of this creed and could you sign onto it? If you think there are errors, what are they?

 

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Is God Like a GPS System?

There are a million reasons why God is NOT like a GPS system but I am in Australia and I made a wrong turn and my GPS started reprimanding me and saying “Recalculating!”

For those who don’t know, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a nifty little device that links up with positional satellites above the earth. The satellites pinpoint exactly where you are and the micro computer inside the GPS calculates the shortest or fastest route to get to your destination.

The GPS sits on the dashboard of your car and verbally and visually directs you to your location. Mine is a Garmin and it covers the whole of the USA, Canada and Mexico. I will soon be buying one that covers the Middle East and Europe.

I thought of three ways, at least, that the GPS is like God–relatively and figuratively speaking. First, it knows everything: every address, street, city and business in the USA. It knows every gas station, hotel, church, post office, restaurant, airport, school, grocery store, intersection, hospital, freeway, etc. God knows everything.

Second, you can turn it on or shut it off. Now of course you can’t shut God off, but you can practically say NO to him and shut him out of your life. If I shut off my GPS I am the loser since it knows “everything” and knows exactly where I am at any time and how to get to where I want to go. God knows exactly where I am eternally and how to get me to my location. I can turn him on if I want to get his advice and enjoy his knowledge.

Third, every time I screw up he can get me back on track. For example, the other day I made a wrong turn and the GPS politely said, “Recalculating! Make a u-turn.” After I failed to make a u-turn, making a left turn instead, the GPS said, “Recalculating, turn right at Main Street.”

In other words, even though I ignore or disobey the GPS it does not condemn me. It just says, “OK, I had this planned the very best way for you get to your final destination, but you didn’t listen, so I will start over. From where you are now I can STILL get you there — but I have to recalculate first.”

God does the same. He forgives. We screw up and go on the wrong path (sin, disobedience, pride, etc.) and once we repent and confess our sins and decide to listen to God again, he starts over in our life and says “Recalculating! Now that you’ve made a wrong turn and are willing to correct it — don’t worry, I can still get you to heaven from here.” And then he gives us the new directions from our wrong location.

Oh, one other thing, the GPS is ready for me to listen any time day or night. It can get me places in daylight or in pitch darkness, when I know where I’m going and when I don’t — and can’t God do all of that too?

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Yes, we do know where Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead!

All Christians knew that Jesus had been crucified, buried and rose again under the domes of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. But many Protestants did not like this place (too Catholic) and in the 1800’s they found another location which they claimed was Calvary and the burial place of Christ.

In my book St. John’s Gospel: a Bible Study Guide and Commentary“ I devote several pages to this argument and to the scientific and archaeological evidence.

Here are a few paragraphs from the Biblical Archaeological Review Magazine on this topic. It is not the Protestant “Garden Tomb” where Jesus was crucified, died and rose again. Rather, is in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where we will be celebrating Mass in a week with our 57 excited pilgrims.

Biblical Archaeological Review:

“What if everything we think we know about the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is wrong?

“That’s the jaw-dropping possibility that comes from reading the work of some of the world’s most pre-eminent Bible and archaeology scholars.

“Of course, there’s always been fierce debate between scholars and theologians about every aspect of Jesus’ life and death. But sometimes even the most well-known sides of a debate demand new scrutiny.

“For instance, which is really the tomb of Jesus: the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Garden Tomb? The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is hallowed by tradition that goes back at least to the fourth century, when the emperor Constantine built the first church there.

“But in the 19th century, western Protestants regarded the Catholic Holy Sepulchre Church—in a densely built-up area of the Old City—as unsuitably located, and gave their loyalty to a two-chambered burial cave outside the city wall known as the Garden Tomb.

“At last, archaeology and science can weigh in. According to archaeologist Gabriel Barkay, the Garden Tomb is dated to the eighth–seventh centuries B.C.E. and was not in use during Jesus’ time.

“And while that may be a disappointment to anyone who has visited the Garden Tomb on a pilgrimage, it’s rewarding to serious students of Biblical history to learn the undisputed truth.”

The post Yes, we do know where Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead! appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Yes, we do know where Jesus was buried and rose again!

All Christians knew that Jesus had been crucified, buried and rose again under the domes of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. But many Protestants did not like this place (too Catholic) and in the 1800’s they found another location which they claimed was Calvary and the burial place of Christ.

In my book St. John’s Gospel: a Bible Study Guide and Commentary“ I devote several pages to this argument and to the scientific and archaeological evidence.

Here are a few paragraphs from the Biblical Archaeological Review Magazine on this topic. It is not the Protestant “Garden Tomb” where Jesus was crucified, died and rose again. Rather, is in the cChurch of the Holy Sepulchre where we will be celebrating Mass in a week with our 57 excited pilgrims.

Biblical Archaeological Review:

“What if everything we think we know about the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is wrong?

“That’s the jaw-dropping possibility that comes from reading the work of some of the world’s most pre-eminent Bible and archaeology scholars.

“Of course, there’s always been fierce debate between scholars and theologians about every aspect of Jesus’ life and death. But sometimes even the most well-known sides of a debate demand new scrutiny.

“For instance, which is really the tomb of Jesus: the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Garden Tomb? The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is hallowed by tradition that goes back at least to the fourth century, when the emperor Constantine built the first church there.

“But in the 19th century, western Protestants regarded the Catholic Holy Sepulchre Church—in a densely built-up area of the Old City—as unsuitably located, and gave their loyalty to a two-chambered burial cave outside the city wall known as the Garden Tomb.

“At last, archaeology and science can weigh in. According to archaeologist Gabriel Barkay, the Garden Tomb is dated to the eighth–seventh centuries B.C.E. and was not in use during Jesus’ time.

“And while that may be a disappointment to anyone who has visited the Garden Tomb on a pilgrimage, it’s rewarding to serious students of Biblical history to learn the undisputed truth.”

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How Do We Know What Pilate Said?

Hi Steve, and Happy Holy Saturday:

I was just listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour and he was speaking of Pilate and his dialogue with Christ. This question came to me: How do we know what was said in that dialogue?Could it be possible that Pilate himself later disclosed to others what happened and what was said between him and Jesus?  Or were other people there who later recorded it?I’d like to think that maybe Pilate converted, but maybe there is no historical evidence of that.
Anyway, hope you have a great Easter!  Thanks for all you do.Rob*********************************************Rob:

It’s a good question and one that arises often in the gospels. How did the gospel writers know certain information?

First, we must realize the Holy Spirit is involved and made sure what was written was true and inspired. He is the primary author. It is not unlikely that the Holy Spirit brought back to their memory everything they had heard and seen (John 14:26).

CCC 105  God is the author of Sacred Scripture. “The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. … the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.”

Second, there are legends of Pilate and/or his wife converting and then possibly sharing his story, but there’s not a lot of credibility to that. See below a quote from two Bible Dictionaries. However, that does not preclude those early historians had access to court documents or eyewitness accounts or transcripts.

Third, we can assume that the Gospel writers oftentimes provide the “gist” of what Jesus or others said. Just as in an account of an event today one may paraphrase certain aspects of a conversation, it would seem the same would happen with ancient writers as well, especially since were without recording equipment and did much from memory.

Fourth, there were many witnesses to what happened that day with Pilate. The gospels were written later and even Luke says he took time to collect all the traditional stories to compile his account. There is no reason to believe that it would be difficult to retrieve a very accurate account of the proceedings.

Luke 1:1-4   “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

Fifth, many people forget that Jesus was alive with his disciples for 40 days between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. We know from Luke 24 that he walked with two disciples on the Road to Emmaus explaining in the Old Testament how everything related to him. It is not unlikely, and even probable, that Jesus relayed the stories himself to his apostles.

Catholic Bible Dictionary  “Pilate is the subject of many legends and apocryphal writings, including the Acts of Pilate and the Death of Pilate, which recount, unreliably, his attempted suicide and later conversion. Up to the 1960s the Orthodox Church of Abyssinia celebrated a feast in Pilate’s honor on June 25, and another for his wife on October 27.” .

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia   “The NT writers’ lack of hostility toward Pilate is reflected in the later Apologists. Tertullian called him “a Christian by conscience” (Apol 21.24) and attributed to him a letter commending the faith. Origen described Pilate’s wife as a convert, and the Coptic church ultimately canonized Pilate himself. Eusebius, who cited in part Josephus’s account of Pilate, attributed the governor’s suicide to divine justice but did not comment directly on his responsibility for the crucifixion. Later tradition produced the fictitious Acts of Pilate (see Apocryphal Gospels III.B) and colorful accounts of his death.

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