the Blessed Virgin Mary

[mickeyfan2]

For the gazillionth time, I never said no Catholics read the bible. It is encouraged, but not required. A few born-to-Catholicism do, lots of converts do. But most Catholics don't.

I am one of the few born-to-Catholicism Catholics who has read the entire Bible. I too like to study the "history" of the times and the Church. I have read the Dead Sea Scrolls, nothing earth shattering there and will read the Apocraphar (spelling?) next. I bought the book and it is in my queue. I also have a history of the Catholic Church book to read after that. Reading the Bible without understanding the times it was written in can be dangerous. I believe the Bible is a spiritual book that is a great guide to live my life by, but it is not to be taken literally and a single line quote is very misleading. I love the Mysteries of the Bible show and others like it too.

 

[auntpolly]

I am one of the few born-to-Catholicism Catholics who has read the entire Bible. I too like to study the "history" of the times and the Church. I have read the Dead Sea Scrolls, nothing earth shattering there and will read the Apocraphar (spelling?) next. I bought the book and it is in my queue. I also have a history of the Catholic Church book to read after that. Reading the Bible without understanding the times it was written in can be dangerous. I believe the Bible is a spiritual book that is a great guide to live my life by, but it is not to be taken literally and a single line quote is very misleading. I love the Mysteries of the Bible show and others like it too.

I'd like to say that we seem to be on the same page about this stuff, but I certainly respect those that disagree with us. For those that believe everything happened in the Bible just as it says it did, it's just another POV and I respect it.

 

[DisneyDotty]

That'd be me and most Catholics.


For the gazillionth time, I never said no Catholics read the bible. It is encouraged, but not required. A few born-to-Catholicism do, lots of converts do. But most Catholics don't.

Hi Mouse! We're going to have to agree to disagree here. Clearly you're speaking for yourself (and you're certainly entitled to live your faith as you see fit ). Somewhere along the way the idea has come up that Catholics in general avoid the Bible, and that's not a fair representation of Catholicism.

Enjoy your day!

 

[JoyG]

I am one of the few born-to-Catholicism Catholics who has read the entire Bible. I too like to study the "history" of the times and the Church. I have read the Dead Sea Scrolls, nothing earth shattering there and will read the Apocraphar (spelling?) next. I bought the book and it is in my queue. I also have a history of the Catholic Church book to read after that. Reading the Bible without understanding the times it was written in can be dangerous. I believe the Bible is a spiritual book that is a great guide to live my life by, but it is not to be taken literally and a single line quote is very misleading. I love the Mysteries of the Bible show and others like it too.

Aren't the Apocrapha (sp?) part of the Catholic Bible? I'm curious because you stated that you just "bought the book" and I assumed Catholic's added the Apocrapha to their bibles around the time of the Protestant Reformation (might be off on the timeline, I'm going to go google it).

I wonder if you meant you bought the book you were talking about the Gnostic Gospels (the earliest of which was written about 100 years after Christ's death by people posing as Mary Magdeline and Timothy, etc.). Those "gospels" have been out recently in book form capitalizing on The DaVinci Code.

I enjoy a good history study too. I learned recently that the Dead Sea Scrolls are not considered Christian documents, but Jewish ones. They were written before Christ.

 

[sodaseller]

One should not presume that the individual the particular Gospel is named for is the actual author, particularly in the case of Gnostic Gospels. But that happens in many Gospels and Epistles. There is specifically a Catholic apocrypha, consisting of books recognized in Catholic bibles but not Protestant bibles. The term is also used generally for many nonCanonical texts that are in neither.

And it is somewhat imprecise to refer to books "added" at the time of the Reformation. It would be more accurate to characterize the debate as one involving which books had traditionally been recognized as part of the Canon. A modern misperception is to view "publishing" as it exists today, i.e, with a singular text at the printer of which there can be no debate. There were few full "Bibles", as they had to be copied manually, and were wide variations in text. We are certain that the nature of the "publishing" industry through the first millennia and half of Christianity produced many variations, mostly unintentional recopying errors. Constantine did ask the then Bishops to amass an approved Canon and released significant funds to have 5 copies of the approved text copied by professionals copiers (such a profession existed at the time). We sadly do not have what was provide to him but do have conflicting accounts, and those conflicts continue.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

History validates her worldview. Many of the most heinous acts in the history of mankind have been perpetrated upon the perceived authority of Sacred Scripture. To imagine that any of us alone can avoid that temptation is to deny our fallen nature, which is itself heresy. For that matter, Christ established a Church. Christ is present in the Word Logos, but is also present in his Body of believers. Though the Spirit certainly can touch us during solitary reading, recall that Christ specifically said that when "two or three are gathered in His name" he will be there. Focus on Christ

No it doesn't. Any madman can use any book for heinous acts. Or write his own.

It has to be read in context certainly. Satan tried to use Scripture out of context to tempt Jesus.

The Bible encourages all Christians to read the Bible and study it diligently. I agree with your last 2 sentences. Maybe we're not that far apart on this, but all Christians need to take the effort to read the Scriptures for themselves regularly.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

I'd like to say that we seem to be on the same page about this stuff, but I certainly respect those that disagree with us. For those that believe everything happened in the Bible just as it says it did, it's just another POV and I respect it.

Yes, I believe everything happened in the Bible just as God said it did.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

Hi Mouse! We're going to have to agree to disagree here. Clearly you're speaking for yourself (and you're certainly entitled to live your faith as you see fit ). Somewhere along the way the idea has come up that Catholics in general avoid the Bible, and that's not a fair representation of Catholicism.

Enjoy your day!

Yo, yo, yo, wassup, my peep?

Maybe it varies from place to place. It is just that in all my years of Catholic school, we never had to read it once. When I worked for the church, we would always talk about joining the bible-study class, and laughed about how even the church's employees didn't go (almost nobody ever signed up). None of the Catholic people I know read it, except one girl's mom (and she was a convert.)

Even my grandma, who went to church daily and said the rosary while she vacuumed (I swear!) didn't read it.

Around here, most Catholics don't read it. But maybe there are places where the majority of folks read it, I could be wrong.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

Yes, I believe everything happened in the Bible just as God said it did.

Do you really? I'm serious, not mocking. And I'm not going to fight with you about it, promise. You don't believe any of it is allegory or metaphor?

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I enjoy a good history study too. I learned recently that the Dead Sea Scrolls are not considered Christian documents, but Jewish ones. They were written before Christ.

Ha! I KNEW that! Mouse knew something!

 

[sodaseller]

No it doesn't.

Frantic orthodoxy is never rooted in faith but in doubt. It is when we are unsure that we are doubly sure.
Reinhold Niebuhr
US Protestant theologian (1892 - 1971)

 

[DisneyDotty]

Yo, yo, yo, wassup, my peep?

Maybe it varies from place to place. It is just that in all my years of Catholic school, we never had to read it once.

WOW. I'm amazed that you never had a religion class in Catholic school in which you read Bible passages and discussed them. (I'm a product of the old CCD in central Illinois--afterschool religious instruction once a week for us public school kids and even we studied Bible passages, made little booklets about them, etc.) I guess dioceses vary greatly!

So you never studied the stories about Jesus, fish and the loaves, finding in the temple, Elizabeth and Mary, sermon on the mount, etc? Just curious--what did y'all talk about in religion classes?

Back to Mary--quite a gal, wasn't she!?

 

[MouseWorshipin]

WOW. I'm amazed that you never had a religion class in Catholic school in which you read Bible passages and discussed them. (I'm a product of the old CCD in central Illinois--afterschool religious instruction once a week for us public school kids and even we studied Bible passages, made little booklets about them, etc.) I guess dioceses vary greatly!

So you never studied the stories about Jesus, fish and the loaves, finding in the temple, Elizabeth and Mary, sermon on the mount, etc? Just curious--what did y'all talk about in religion classes?

Back to Mary--quite a gal, wasn't she!?

We studied all kinds of relgious stuff, all the time. We watched relgious films (on the wall, not on the screen where we watched everything else, because the State paid for the screen, so we had to turn our desks for religious films). And we prayed all day. We also went to mass as a class.

We had a Relgion book, like we had Science and Math. There was bible-related stuff. And sometime quotes from the bible. As we got older there was some Latin and explanations of things in the bible. All I remember is the numbers, but I know they taught us other stuff.

We just never, ever, even once, opened up a bible and read it.

A CCD kid stole my pencil with the cool eraser. I told my teacher that I hated CCD kids and had to wash every desk in the class and write the word Encyclopedia 50 times. (That's a hard word to write in cursive in the third grade.) Not to mention the call to my mom and my penance from confession. After all that, I REALLY hated CCD kids (but would never say so.) Now I think they're great, though. And am happy to know one. I'm quite sure you didn't steal anyone's favorite pencil.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Aren't the Apocrapha (sp?) part of the Catholic Bible? I'm curious because you stated that you just "bought the book" and I assumed Catholic's added the Apocrapha to their bibles around the time of the Protestant Reformation (might be off on the timeline, I'm going to go google it).

I wonder if you meant you bought the book you were talking about the Gnostic Gospels (the earliest of which was written about 100 years after Christ's death by people posing as Mary Magdeline and Timothy, etc.). Those "gospels" have been out recently in book form capitalizing on The DaVinci Code.

I enjoy a good history study too. I learned recently that the Dead Sea Scrolls are not considered Christian documents, but Jewish ones. They were written before Christ.

I am referring to books not in the Catholic Bible. The Catholic Bible has books that are not in the Protestant Bible.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are Jewish writing. Some think it could have been written at the time of Christ but I tend not to agree with this assumption.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Yes, I believe everything happened in the Bible just as God said it did.

So how do you reconcile the two different Creation stories and the two different Noah stories?

 

[DisneyDotty]

A CCD kid stole my pencil with the cool eraser. I told my teacher that I hated CCD kids and had to wash every desk in the class and write the word Encyclopedia 50 times. (That's a hard word to write in cursive in the third grade.) Not to mention the call to my mom and my penance from confession. After all that, I REALLY hated CCD kids (but would never say so.) Now I think they're great, though. And am happy to know one. I'm quite sure you didn't steal anyone's favorite pencil.

Looking back, I'm feeling really guilty now. In 5th grade CCD, Se. Julian said anyone with gum would have to stand in the corner. Of course, I had gum and so stuck it in the desk (of the student who attended St. Vincent's during the day.) That poor kid must've been really unhappy opening his desk the next morning.
I'm sorry.
You Catholic school kids put up with a lot from us public school kids.

 

[DISUNC]

I am one of the few born-to-Catholicism Catholics who has read the entire Bible. I too like to study the "history" of the times and the Church. I have read the Dead Sea Scrolls, nothing earth shattering there and will read the Apocraphar (spelling?) next. I bought the book and it is in my queue. I also have a history of the Catholic Church book to read after that. Reading the Bible without understanding the times it was written in can be dangerous. I believe the Bible is a spiritual book that is a great guide to live my life by, but it is not to be taken literally and a single line quote is very misleading. I love the Mysteries of the Bible show and others like it too.

In my Catholic learning, The Bible is a guide....Not at all considered actual literally word for word absolute truth!!!!
If anybody has read the Bible, there are just way too many inconsistancies.
Depending on which book you read, there are 2 versions of Jesus's birth with some similarities! The Catholic church does not believe that there was actually 2 people named Adam & Eve and they really excisted. I have learned evolution in Catholic school.
The Catholic religion is a very complicated religion, with various sets of 'laws', some of these 'laws' are in no way based on anything in the bible. More so the 'laws' todays Catholics are familiar with came from various Popes throughout time. Most of these 'laws' created in early part of the Catholic Church were for political purposes rather than based on the Bible. Many of these were changed during Vatican II in the early 1960's. Even since then many 'laws' have changed and evolved. So much so as recently as yesterday, there is news that the Vatican may change their 'laws' on the use of condoms in some aspects.
What was STEADFAST the solid rule 30 years ago, may not me the rule today. A example of this is The consumption of meat of Fridays.
For myself I find it 'simplest' to just try to follow the 10 Commandments along with the Golden rule. From these life abiding affirmations, all else falls into place.

 

[DISUNC]

Looking back, I'm feeling really guilty now. In 5th grade CCD, Se. Julian said anyone with gum would have to stand in the corner. Of course, I had gum and so stuck it in the desk (of the student who attended St. Vincent's during the day.) That poor kid must've been really unhappy opening his desk the next morning.
I'm sorry.
You Catholic school kids put up with a lot from us public school kids.

THAT WAS YOU!!!!!!!!
Thanks.....I love Juicey Fruit Gum!

 

[MouseWorshipin]

Looking back, I'm feeling really guilty now. In 5th grade CCD, Se. Julian said anyone with gum would have to stand in the corner. Of course, I had gum and so stuck it in the desk (of the student who attended St. Vincent's during the day.) That poor kid must've been really unhappy opening his desk the next morning.
I'm sorry.
You Catholic school kids put up with a lot from us public school kids.

Well, then. Now you have to come clean my house, write the word "Encyclopedia" 500 times, says 10 rosaries, and clean all the desks in the local school.

I woulda gotten in trouble for that. We had to keep our desks free from pencil and pen marks and food. Gum wasn't even mentioned, that would have been like Catholic School Kid heresy. The morning after the CCD kids had been there, we were to clean our desks...our responsibility - no pinning it on them! So, the CCD kids also got to make a mess which we had to clean up or get sent to Sr. Mary Michael's office. But...

A little part of me always felt bad for CCD kids having to go to school at night or on Saturday, too. I always thought of religion as just another part of school, the easy class. And going to mass was like going to gym or art, but you didn't need special clothes.

 

[DisneyDotty]

DISUNC and Mouseworshipin--Consider yourselves that much closer to heaven for having to put up with public school heathens like myself!