Quote:
Originally Posted by antiochian
Pablo, I think you'll agree for those of us who come from Catholic (or in my case Orthodox) backgrounds there is not only a big emphasis on the biblical text itself, but on "Tradition" and "Patristics."
So, when talking to a traditionalist Catholic, you'll not only have to explain how their reading of the Bible is wrong, but have the added (and harder burden) of convincing them that the "infallible" Church Fathers (Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Cyprian of Carthage, etc.) were wrong.
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I certainly know what you're talking about here, Jeff. I have given up posting on the Catholic.com forums because there is always that brick wall of the "Church Fathers" that blocks any discussion.
What surprises me a lot being in the Catholic church is how few "Traditionalist" Catholics there seems to be. Maybe I just hang around with a very liberal group and read books by liberal Catholic authors, but I see an acceptance of a wide variety of viewpoints in the church.
And that "infallability of the pope" teaching was a recent teaching in the 20th century and was proclaimed by one of the popes himself. (Seems like a conflict of interest to me.) I know I'm not one of the "good" Catholics, heretic that I am. (Being a "bad" Catholic is more interesting, however.
I wonder sometimes why they put up with me
)
Pablo