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Hi James,
Don't worry about the way you come across. That's
not a problem.
You said:
Regardless if Timothy LaHaye is known as anti-Catholic,
he brings up interesting points in the beliefs of
Catholics that don't line up with Scripture.
When
you say that the Bible was written by Catholics,
that is false. The Bible was written by Jews. It
might have been translated eventually by Catholics
but was not written by them.
Your first statement makes no sense. If someone
doesn't like another person or organization, of course,
they can fabricate all the interesting points they
want. The question is whether these interesting points
are true or not.
Catholic's can historically show that the books of
the Old Testament were written by the Old Testament prophets and writers.
At the time, when Paul was writing his epistle (2 Timothy 3:16), there
was no known New Testament canon or measuring rod.
By 100 A.D. all the books were written but no one knew
which one's were inspired and which ones were not,
not until 382 A.D. at the council of Rome. There, the decision
of which books would make up the New Testament was
made by Catholic bishops guided by the Holy Spirit.
That's just basic history you
can look up in an objective Church history book.
Every time a Protestant Christian opens their Bible
to read it, they are implicitly saying,
I trust the decision that Catholic bishops,
guided by the Holy Spirit, made on which books
make up the Bible that I have it in my hand.
Yes, the Old Testament books were written by Jews.
I would consider them our ancestors.
They obviously
couldn't be literal Catholics because Our Lord had
not come yet to establish His One Church on St. Peter
and His Successors (Matthew 16:13-19). They are the
chosen people who Our Lord said, Salvation
comes from the Jews. (John 4:22) The chosen people called
to pave the way for the Lord, the Jewish Jesus!
They are our elder brothers, but they have not accepted
the fullness of the Faith in Jesus' One, Holy, Catholic,
and Apostolic Church.
To be Catholic is to be a fulfilled Jew.
Many are unaware of the similarities between
the Catholic and Jewish faith. You can find out more here:
You said:
I wonder how people justify the
things they do, when they don't line up with Scripture.
Then you must not believe in the Trinity or the Bible,
because neither the words Trinity nor Bible are in the
Bible.
- What does the Bible say is the pillar and bulwark
of Truth?
Let's look at 1 Timothy 3:15 and Matthew 16:13-19.
- The Church came before the Bible.
- The Bible didn't come before the Church.
In my opinion, what you should focus on is what
came after the Church but before the Bible:
The
Early Church Fathers — the very first
Christians after the Apostles.
Find out how the apostles instructed their
followers and successors!
I hope this helps.
Mike
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