What was a reason for God to sacrifice His Son?

[irosie91]

well -----you got that one right-----John was a PHARISEE like Jesus----
the people that the ROMAN SHILLS like Herod disliked. The roman shills
liked the sadducees a LOT BETTER because the romans liked them and
they did not resist the filth of the "holy roman empire". For the record---
the sadducees WERE Israelites--------but traitors sorta

The bible does not say that John the Baptist and Jesus were Pharisees.[/QUOTE

yes It does.------you just MISSED it because you have an UNPREPARED
mind

Show me the Scripture.

they were Pharisees by with whom they socialized and with whom they OPPOSED and by what THEY PREACHED AND SAID AND DID. Jesus
was around Pharisees all his life and they "HATED HIM AND WANTED
TO KILL HIM" <<<<what a joke----what was stopping them? the romans
would not care. The Pharisees were INCENSED over the presence of
money changers in the temple courtyard. Jesus just decided to
do the Pharisees a BIG FAVOR. The Pharisees and Caiaphas hated
each other-----so Caiaphas just decided to do the Pharisees a big favor?
Jesus quoted HILLEL the Pharisee Talmudist INCESSANTLY-----because
Pharisees hated him?

I see you read a book.

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Pharisee-New-Look-Jewishness/dp/1592443133&tag=ff0d01-20

nope----never read it----never even heard of it.-----thanks for letting me
know that someone finally wrote a book about the OBVIOUS

 

[irosie91]

Caiaphas - Wikipedia

thanks ---I already knew about the bad guy Caiaphas from jewish history and the silly remake of Caiaphas as a co-conspirator with Pharisees in the NT put
together by the minions of Constantine. I knew---because I FIRST read the
NT-----then I became familiar with jewish history from the Talmudic and
contemporaneous stuff like Josephus. Once you know it is obvious that
a MEETING OF THE MINDS between the Sadducean priests and the Pharisees is just SILLY

 

[ESay]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

 

[ding]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

 

[Taz]

God sacrificed his son because his editors thought it would be a good story for His autobiography.

 

[ding]

God sacrificed his son because his editors thought it would be a good story for His autobiography.

Did you get that line from a militant atheist website?

 

[ESay]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

 

[ding]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

 

[irosie91]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

he was justifying the inclusion of old pagan customs into
DA CHURCH----------it is a reasonable justification

 

[ding]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

he was justifying the inclusion of old pagan customs into
DA CHURCH----------it is a reasonable justification

You mean like the Jews do?

 

[Taz]

God sacrificed his son because his editors thought it would be a good story for His autobiography.

Did you get that line from a militant atheist website?

No, the bible.

 

[ding]

God sacrificed his son because his editors thought it would be a good story for His autobiography.

Did you get that line from a militant atheist website?

No, the bible.

Was that what your militant atheist website told you to write as a response to my question?

 

[ESay]

I think that almost no one has ever done to Jesus' teaching more damage than Roman Catholic Church has done.

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

Actually I dont dismiss traditions and rituals, but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.
And what do you mean by saying 'our heritage'? Whose heritage?

 

[ding]

Some like to think so; others, literate types, think many Catholics also contribute much of value to the theology and existential survival of Christianity, like the expulsions of the Islamo-terrorist thugs from Europe, and the scholastics like Thomas Of Aquinas and the Summa Theologica, one of the most influential works of genius in world culture and philosophy. And, we haven't even gotten to Augustine and dozens of others, nor the great legacies of the Monastic Orders like the Cistercians in the spread of science and education, just to name a very small selections of examples. Whatever their failings, they still manage to out-shine the Eastern Orthodox and the other major denominations in many areas of practical results. Don't believe most of the stupid rubbish derived from left-over 17th century Protestant propaganda; that stuff is like the old Soviet Cold War rubbish still fashionable in academia and 'Progressive' propaganda, and still just as ridiculous.

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

Actually I dont dismiss traditions and rituals, but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.
And what do you mean by saying 'our heritage'? Whose heritage?

Christian heritage.

Who are you to say which traditions and rituals are and are not Christian traditions and rituals? The authority on that is the Catholic Church. Scriptures are only a part of the Christian heritage. An even larger portion of our heritage is contained in Tradition with a capital "T." Which is the knowledge that was passed down orally.

Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Transmission of Divine Revelation

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE

One common source. . .

80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".41

. . . two distinct modes of transmission

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."42

"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."43

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."44

Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions

83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46

The Magisterium of the Church

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."48

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",49 the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

The dogmas of the faith

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.50

90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."52

The supernatural sense of faith

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them53 and guides them into all truth.54

92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."55

93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."56

Growth in understanding the faith

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";57 it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".58

- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",59 the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."60

- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".61

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."62

IN BRIEF

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.

97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1).

99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

 

[Taz]

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

Actually I dont dismiss traditions and rituals, but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.
And what do you mean by saying 'our heritage'? Whose heritage?

Christian heritage.

Who are you to say which traditions and rituals are and are not Christian traditions and rituals? The authority on that is the Catholic Church. Scriptures are only a part of the Christian heritage. An even larger portion of our heritage is contained in Tradition with a capital "T." Which is the knowledge that was passed down orally.

Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Transmission of Divine Revelation

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE

One common source. . .

80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".41

. . . two distinct modes of transmission

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."42

"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."43

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."44

Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions

83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46

The Magisterium of the Church

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."48

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",49 the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

The dogmas of the faith

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.50

90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."52

The supernatural sense of faith

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them53 and guides them into all truth.54

92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."55

93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."56

Growth in understanding the faith

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";57 it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".58

- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",59 the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."60

- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".61

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."62

IN BRIEF

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.

97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1).

99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

Brah, that's a LOT of bullshit, even for you.

 

[Taz]

God sacrificed his son because his editors thought it would be a good story for His autobiography.

Did you get that line from a militant atheist website?

No, the bible.

Was that what your militant atheist website told you to write as a response to my question?

No, the bible.

 

[ESay]

The main fault of the Catholic Church is that it turned the simple teaching of Christ about constant moral self improvement, rejection of violence and worldly concerns, love and forgiveness of your fellow ones into a cult of outward ceremonies with pagan remnants, which sunk in worldly matters and people's vices.
I dont think that the Eastern Orthodox churches are any different with that. But they are too far from the atrocities committed by the Catholics during their fight with heresis.

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

Actually I dont dismiss traditions and rituals, but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.
And what do you mean by saying 'our heritage'? Whose heritage?

Christian heritage.

Who are you to say which traditions and rituals are and are not Christian traditions and rituals? The authority on that is the Catholic Church. Scriptures are only a part of the Christian heritage. An even larger portion of our heritage is contained in Tradition with a capital "T." Which is the knowledge that was passed down orally.

Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Transmission of Divine Revelation

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE

One common source. . .

80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".41

. . . two distinct modes of transmission

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."42

"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."43

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."44

Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions

83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46

The Magisterium of the Church

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."48

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",49 the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

The dogmas of the faith

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.50

90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."52

The supernatural sense of faith

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them53 and guides them into all truth.54

92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."55

93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."56

Growth in understanding the faith

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";57 it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".58

- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",59 the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."60

- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".61

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."62

IN BRIEF

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.

97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1).

99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

I am a human being who has his own opinion, though I am fully aware that this opinion may be wrong.
So, if someone lives according to the Scriptures and accepts Christ as their saviour but dont accept those ideas accepted by your 'fathers' then this one isnt a Christian?
And why is that Chatolic Church? Why not say Coptic Church or Armenian Apostolic Church?

 

[ding]

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

Actually I dont dismiss traditions and rituals, but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.
And what do you mean by saying 'our heritage'? Whose heritage?

Christian heritage.

Who are you to say which traditions and rituals are and are not Christian traditions and rituals? The authority on that is the Catholic Church. Scriptures are only a part of the Christian heritage. An even larger portion of our heritage is contained in Tradition with a capital "T." Which is the knowledge that was passed down orally.

Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Transmission of Divine Revelation

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE

One common source. . .

80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".41

. . . two distinct modes of transmission

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."42

"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."43

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."44

Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions

83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46

The Magisterium of the Church

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."48

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",49 the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

The dogmas of the faith

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.50

90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."52

The supernatural sense of faith

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them53 and guides them into all truth.54

92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."55

93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."56

Growth in understanding the faith

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";57 it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".58

- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",59 the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."60

- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".61

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."62

IN BRIEF

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.

97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1).

99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

I am a human being who has his own opinion, though I am fully aware that this opinion may be wrong.
So, if someone lives according to the Scriptures and accepts Christ as their saviour but dont accept those ideas accepted by your 'fathers' then this one isnt a Christian?
And why is that Chatolic Church? Why not say Coptic Church or Armenian Apostolic Church?

I guess I would flip this around on you and say

but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.

I wasn't the one criticizing you for being "a human being who has his own opinion."

I am the one defending his faith from "a human being who has his own opinion" by explaining the basis of why we do things. And now it appears that you want me to explain where we get our authority from? Is that correct?

 

[ding]

Confucius based his teaching on traditions and rituals. He found that it was the glue that held the society together. Interestingly enough, it was the early Chinese dynasties he based his model upon. He found their society to be orderly, peaceful and harmonious. The early Chinese dynasties worshiped Shang Di, who was the God of Abraham, which came to them when civilization migrated from Mesopotamia which is described in the Bible in the account of the Tower of Babel and captured as written characters in the Chinese language ~4500 years ago. 1500 years before Moses penned the oral account/tradition of Genesis.

What do all that have to do with Christ?

It had to do with your dismissal of traditions and rituals. If not for traditions and rituals our heritage would be lost.

Actually I dont dismiss traditions and rituals, but you mainstream Christians have adopted the traditions that dont belong to the true Christianity.
And what do you mean by saying 'our heritage'? Whose heritage?

Christian heritage.

Who are you to say which traditions and rituals are and are not Christian traditions and rituals? The authority on that is the Catholic Church. Scriptures are only a part of the Christian heritage. An even larger portion of our heritage is contained in Tradition with a capital "T." Which is the knowledge that was passed down orally.

Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Transmission of Divine Revelation

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE

One common source. . .

80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".41

. . . two distinct modes of transmission

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."42

"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."43

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."44

Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions

83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46

The Magisterium of the Church

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."48

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",49 the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

The dogmas of the faith

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.50

90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."52

The supernatural sense of faith

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them53 and guides them into all truth.54

92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."55

93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."56

Growth in understanding the faith

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";57 it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".58

- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",59 the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."60

- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".61

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."62

IN BRIEF

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.

97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1).

99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

Brah, that's a LOT of bullshit, even for you.

If nothing else you have a new ally in ESay, amirite?

 

[ding]

God sacrificed his son because his editors thought it would be a good story for His autobiography.

Did you get that line from a militant atheist website?

No, the bible.

Was that what your militant atheist website told you to write as a response to my question?

No, the bible.

Atheism

2123 "Many . . . of our contemporaries either do not at all perceive, or explicitly reject, this intimate and vital bond of man to God. Atheism must therefore be regarded as one of the most serious problems of our time."58

2124 The name "atheism" covers many very different phenomena. One common form is the practical materialism which restricts its needs and aspirations to space and time. Atheistic humanism falsely considers man to be "an end to himself, and the sole maker, with supreme control, of his own history."59 Another form of contemporary atheism looks for the liberation of man through economic and social liberation. "It holds that religion, of its very nature, thwarts such emancipation by raising man's hopes in a future life, thus both deceiving him and discouraging him from working for a better form of life on earth."60

2125 Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the virtue of religion.61 The imputability of this offense can be significantly diminished in virtue of the intentions and the circumstances. "Believers can have more than a little to do with the rise of atheism. To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion."62

2126 Atheism is often based on a false conception of human autonomy, exaggerated to the point of refusing any dependence on God.63 Yet, "to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man, since such dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God. . . . "64 "For the Church knows full well that her message is in harmony with the most secret desires of the human heart."65