Tradition

I think people for whom ancient tradition is important join churches that are very adherent to ancient traditions, but for those whom it isn't important, less traditional churches are very good.

And let's face it, non-tradition or anti-tradition is a tradition in itself.

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Is that like saying the Uncola is really a cola? Or that non-essentials are essential?

Anyway, I have found that Tradition is (in my opinion and estimation) better

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Better than what?

He is saying that we follow in the tradition of Protestantism, Luther, Calvin etc. when we are anti or non tradition.

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The tradition of non tradition?

Stefan Davidovich said:

The tradition of sola scriptura.

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I don't think that's a tradition, that's a decision by each and every person who believes in it. I'm not sola scriptura because it is a tradition or because someone told me that's the way I should be, I am sola scriptura because that is what I have determined is the only way to be sure that I am following God's intent and not some man's idea of what is better than God's intent.

Stefan Davidovich said:

Did the idea come from Scripture or from tradition? As far as I know sola scriptura is nowhere found in Scripture.

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Neither, it came from my own head and heart. If you start letting other doctrines, teachings and traditions in, where do you stop? Some nuns and monks have a tradition of having themselves walled up in a church with only a little hole in one wall to let air and food in and waste products out. They do this so they can devote their lives to prayer without knowledge or influence from the world. This is not scriptural, because the Bible says that we are to be in the world not of it. Where tradition and scripture conflict, I can't see any reason to err on the side of tradition instead of scripture.

Another tradition is for people attending an easter mass at a certain cathedral in France to receive a tiny tatoo that acts as an indulgence. Indulgences themselves are tradition, not scripture, yet the church is still dispensing them. There is nothing in scripture that says one can get out of hell buy performing some act, receiving a tatoo or paying an amount of money to the institution of the church. Where scripture conflicts with tradition, I go with scripture because it is the one absolute.

But let's go outside of catholicism and look at tradition. A certain church here in town has a big christmas pagent every year. It is a tradition. They invite santa, the elves, the christmas princess (like a fairy) and do christmas up like a big fairytale. That is a tradition that takes all the attention off Christ and teaches children that christmas is about fairytales. Christmas itself is a tradition, but making it about a fairytale only makes it worse. I have never seen anywhere in scripture where it says that it's okay to mix fairytales in with our faith. I go with scripture on this one, too.

There are a hundred examples besides these very poor ones. It's a tradition to eat pork on new years day to bring good luck, but luck is a concept incompatible with faith in a loving and all-powerful God that is personally involved with our lives.

Traditions that take our focus off Christ, or which claim for others the attributes of God, or which absorb fairytales or other fables into the faith have convinced me that there is no hope of knowing what is right except by comparing it to the Bible and that is why I am a sola scriptura person.