• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Which Canon is Right? With Michael Kruger

BBAS 64

Contributor
Site Supporter
Aug 21, 2003
10,051
1,802
60
New England
✟618,580.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married


Good Day, Fhansen

consider:

No, the Church Didn’t Create the Bible

Now the Roman denomination has defined for herself her own Canon at Trent, that would be correct.

The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible

Most non- Roman Christians use the Jewish OT, as they received the oracle of God.

In Him,

Bill
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
16,345
4,099
✟401,770.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
After the fact, some latter day Christians have used a version of the Jewish OT canon. The date of its establishment is debated as well as whether or not there even exists a fixed Jewish canon in the manner in which Christians have conceived and defintively determined theirs to be. But note that the Jews also did not accept Jesus as messiah, and Christians do not perform animal sacrifices for sin, and Pharisees and Sadducees held contradictory beliefs over signficant matters and there's quite a bunch that we do not blindly accept from any other religion. God's church was given the authority to understand and to teach His will, having received the basic teachings from the beginning. And then to decide on matters as they become controversial, assemble the canon as necessary, etc. Someone has to do it.

As to the authorship, these are sound teaching IMO:

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."69

"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of 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."70

106 God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."71

107 The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."72

108 Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living".73 If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."74
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

pescador

Wise old man
Site Supporter
Nov 29, 2011
8,530
4,780
✟498,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat

Saying that "there's only one church, there can only be one church, by whatever name. And it's not divided over basic beliefs" is not scriptural. While there is one body of Christ, there are many denominations, each with its own doctrine.

Have a look at the beginning of Revelation. "To the seven churches in the province of Asia..."

Seven churches written about by the Apostle John, each with its own pluses and minuses.

For example, Revelation 2:1-7...

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

So should I believe you or Scripture?
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
16,345
4,099
✟401,770.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Oh, ok, I'll take it back; God prefers cafeteria style, with confusion and disagreement abounding. That way everyone can be satisfied. Baptism regenerates and it absolutely does not, Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and He's not at all: it's just an occasional memorial service type-thing, infant baptism is valid and it's not, Jesus is God and He's not, man is justifed by faith alone but not by faith alone, all plausibly enough supported by Scripture alone.
 
Upvote 0

pescador

Wise old man
Site Supporter
Nov 29, 2011
8,530
4,780
✟498,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat

Are you really that confused? I will pray for you to gain better understanding of Scripture.
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
16,345
4,099
✟401,770.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Are you really that confused? I will pray for you to gain better understanding of Scripture.
Oh, PLEASE, why not just enlighten me with your astute understanding instead? Why just hold it to yourself? Not particularly charitable ya know . But maybe I'm a lost cause. But give me a chance anyway. Proclaim your infallible truths.
 
Upvote 0

pescador

Wise old man
Site Supporter
Nov 29, 2011
8,530
4,780
✟498,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
Oh, PLEASE, why not just enlighten me with your astute understanding instead? Why just hold it to yourself? Not particularly charitable ya know . But maybe I'm a lost cause. But give me a chance anyway. Proclaim your infallible truths.

You don't want to "listen" to what I write so I won't waste my time.

John 8:31-32, "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
16,345
4,099
✟401,770.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
You're right, between the two I'll listen to Him.
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
16,345
4,099
✟401,770.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Good choice! Why have you waited until now?
Havent had to wait-started a long time ago. And you may be there too, I dont know as while I've stated some basic tenets of the faith revealed to us by Christ you've only witheld your knowledge so far-and apparently supported the idea that a lack of unity in the faith is ok anyway?
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

The Liturgist

Traditional Liturgical Christian
Site Supporter
Nov 26, 2019
16,139
8,557
51
The Wild West
✟821,878.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Generic Orthodox Christian
Marital Status
Celibate

Well, I wouldn’t be, because as I see it, between the Great Schism with the Eastern Orthodox and the Counter Reformation, which was really an internal reformation of the Roman Catholic church driven by those criticisms of Martin Luther which were unassailable (for example, the obvious problem of the sale of indulgences) as well as an internal awareness of the corruption of the pontificate of Alexander VI of the Borgias, the failure of his successor Julius II to secure the church through military expansionism in Italy, and the extreme destruction wrought on Rome under the pontificate of Leo X when the German soldiers of Emperor Charles rebelled and sacked the city, as well as concerns over, among other things, a proliferation of dubious liturgical forms in some churches and also the sensuous character of Renaissance art (which led to Mannerism, and then the Baroque), there were a lot of problems, and the opinions of cardinals from this period should be taken with a grain of salt. Some Cardinals before Trent had really good ideas, like Cardinal Quinones plan to repopularize and de-devotionalize the Roman Breviary, something which even Vatican II has sadly failed to achieve, but which the Anglicans did achieve, and which was never an issue in the Eastern churches. Others such as those supporting the inquisition, not so much.

Certainly neither the Eastern Orthodox nor the Oriental Orthodox nor the Church of the East would be bound by the suggestions of this pre-Tridentine cardinal.
 
Upvote 0

The Liturgist

Traditional Liturgical Christian
Site Supporter
Nov 26, 2019
16,139
8,557
51
The Wild West
✟821,878.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Generic Orthodox Christian
Marital Status
Celibate
Saying that "there's only one church, there can only be one church, by whatever name. And it's not divided over basic beliefs" is not scriptural. While there is one body of Christ, there are many denominations, each with its own doctrine.

Actually that idea does contradict Scripture, because we are commanded to worship Christ in Spirit and in Truth and there can only be one Truth, personified by our Lord Jesus Christ, and to say otherwise would require multiple Bodies of Christ.

Rather, it follows that the schisms that have divided us into denominations in some cases are due to actual doctrinal errors.

That said, the difference between the Roman Catholic Church, the traditional liturgical Protestants, including but not limited to Methodists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Moravians, and others, and the Eastern churches are very slight, and this creates the hope for ecumenical reconciliation, because a great many of these schisms, for example, the Eastern Orthodox-Oriental Orthodox schism, which has partially begun to heal, or the Great Schism of 1054, were the result of misunderstandings, politics, and so on, and other schisms have resulted from denominations embracing heresies they later repented of.

There is however room for a diversity of forms of worship within the Church Catholic, up to a certain extent. Specifically, the sacraments and their importance cannot be downplayed; achieving a unified sacramental theology and reconciling the Credobaptist-Memorialist churches with the Sacramental churches is the one of the two main challenges facing the ecumenical movement, the other being the takeover of the mainline Protestant churches by corrupt modernist churches.
 
Upvote 0

chevyontheriver

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Sep 29, 2015
22,966
19,983
Flyoverland
✟1,389,630.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-American-Solidarity
Good Day,

Yes I have one of my best friends in a member of the Church of Rome and has a copy.

In Him,

Bill
So you DID get to pick up and read page 390 of the New Catholic Encyclopedia? And you are claiming that page 390 of the New Catholic Encyclopedia was accurately quoted by you in your post immediately above your citation? Can you verify that please? Because I find that VERY far fetched.
 
Upvote 0

chevyontheriver

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Sep 29, 2015
22,966
19,983
Flyoverland
✟1,389,630.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-American-Solidarity
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
16,345
4,099
✟401,770.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Cardinals are wrong all the time, so can popes be with matters of personal opinion. Either way a cardinal, even the most intelligent, learned, and holy, in no way defines dogma for the church by himself on matters of faith and morals. It just doesn't much matter what so-and-so said. It matters what the church comes to rest on.
 
Upvote 0

chevyontheriver

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Sep 29, 2015
22,966
19,983
Flyoverland
✟1,389,630.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-American-Solidarity
If BBAS were correct in citing Catholic ‘experts’ then Catholic Bibles would be shorter than they are AND Orthodox Bibles would be just as short.
 
Reactions: fhansen
Upvote 0

pescador

Wise old man
Site Supporter
Nov 29, 2011
8,530
4,780
✟498,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat

I have no idea what you're trying to say.
 
Upvote 0

pescador

Wise old man
Site Supporter
Nov 29, 2011
8,530
4,780
✟498,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
Whatever. Its all pretty plain from our posts.

You thin this is "pretty plain"...

Havent had to wait-started a long time ago. And you may be there too, I dont know as while I've stated some basic tenets of the faith revealed to us by Christ you've only witheld your knowledge so far-and apparently supported the idea that a lack of unity in the faith is ok anyway?

Can you spell "run-on sentence"? "And you may be there too, I dont know as while I've stated some basic tenets of the faith revealed to us by Christ you've only witheld your knowledge so far-and apparently supported the idea that a lack of unity in the faith is ok anyway?"

Also, check your apostrophe key (or else your typing).

In response to what I think you meant... a) How can I withhold my knowledge if I've posted what I think? b) A lack of unity in the faith is apparent everywhere regardless of who supports it. It's a reality, and has been since Christianity began. Try reading Paul's epistles.

Here is a clear example... 1 Corinthians 1:12: "What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” "
 
Upvote 0