Three types of worship in Catholic theology

In Catholic theology there are three types of worship – one of which is condemned in the Bible if offered to anyone but God:

1) Latria – this is adoration which is given to God alone – giving this type of worship to anyone else is considered to be a mortal sin and it is the idolatry condemned in the Bible.

2) Hyperdulia – this is a special type of worship given to Mary the Mother of Jesus – it is only given to her and it is not considered to be idolatory as it is not adoration, merely reverence.

3) Dulia – this is the special type of worship given only to the saints and angels – it is also not idolatrous as it, too, is a form of reverence.

The distinction was made by the 2nd Council of Nicaea in 787 AD. The council was called to condemn the people who claimed that it was idolatrous to have statues and images of saints. The canons of the Council can be read here.

Just to clarify: “Latria is a Latin term (from the Greek ???????) used in Orthodox and Catholic theology to mean adoration, which is the highest form of worship or reverence and is directed only to the Holy Trinity.” – there are lower forms of worship (as is implied here). A Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying to it. The images of saints (whether it be in statue form or painting) serves as a reminder of the holiness of the person depicted.

source: http://listverse.com/2009/07/13/top-10-misconceptions-about-the-catholic-church/

Do Catholics Worship Statues?

Do Catholics Worship Statues?

"Catholics worship statues!" People still make this ridiculous claim. Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4–5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31). 

It is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. But calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ and the saints is based on misunderstanding or ignorance of what the Bible says about the purpose and uses (both good and bad) of statues. 
Anti-Catholic writer Loraine Boettner, in his book Roman Catholicism, makes the blanket statement, "God has forbidden the use of images in worship" (281). Yet if people were to "search the scriptures" (cf. John 5:39), they would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statues. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts! 

God Said To Make Them
People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20). 
David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels. 

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim." 

The Religious Uses of Images
During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9). 

One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations. 
Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Catholics also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas. 
If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images. 
It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan"), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4). 

What About Bowing?

Sometimes anti-Catholics cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where God said concerning idols, "You shall not bow down to them." Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Catholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry. 
Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying to it. 

Hiding the Second Commandment?

Another charge sometimes made by Protestants is that the Catholic Church "hides" the second commandment. This is because in Catholic catechisms, the first commandment is often listed as "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3), and the second is listed as "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." (Ex. 20:7). From this, it is argued that Catholics have deleted the prohibition of idolatry to justify their use of religious statues. But this is false. Catholics simply group the commandments differently from most Protestants. 
In Exodus 20:2–17, which gives the Ten Commandments, there are actually fourteen imperative statements. To arrive at Ten Commandments, some statements have to be grouped together, and there is more than one way of doing this. Since, in the ancient world, polytheism and idolatry were always united—idolatry being the outward expression of polytheism—the historic Jewish numbering of the Ten Commandments has always grouped together the imperatives "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3) and "You shall not make for yourself a graven image" (Ex. 20:4). The historic Catholic numbering follows the Jewish numbering on this point, as does the historic Lutheran numbering. Martin Luther recognized that the imperatives against polytheism and idolatry are two parts of a single command. 
Jews and Christians abbreviate the commandments so that they can be remembered using a summary, ten-point formula. For example, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants typically summarize the Sabbath commandment as, "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy," though the commandment’s actual text takes four verses (Ex. 20:8–11). 
When the prohibition of polytheism/idolatry is summarized, Jews, Catholics, and Lutherans abbreviate it as "You shall have no other gods before me." This is no attempt to "hide" the idolatry prohibition (Jews and Lutherans don’t even use statues of saints and angels). It is to make learning the Ten Commandments easier. 
The Catholic Church is not dogmatic about how the Ten Commandments are to be numbered, however. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confession. The Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities" (CCC 2066). 

The Form of God?

Some anti-Catholics appeal to Deuteronomy 4:15–18 in their attack on religious statues: "[S]ince you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth." 

We’ve already shown that God doesn’t prohibit the making of statues or images of various creatures for religious purposes (cf. 1 Kgs. 6:29–32, 8:6–66; 2 Chr. 3:7–14). But what about statues or images that represent God? Many Protestants would say that’s wrong because Deuteronomy 4 says the Israelites did not see God under any form when he made the covenant with them, therefore we should not make symbolic representations of God either. But does Deuteronomy 4 forbid such representations? 

The Answer Is No

Early in its history, Israel was forbidden to make any depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural object (e.g., a bull or the sun). 
But later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Daniel 7:9: "As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire." Protestants make depictions of the Father under this form when they do illustrations of Old Testament prophecies. 
The Holy Spirit revealed himself under at least two visible forms—that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and as tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Protestants use these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when they wear Holy Spirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars. 
But, more important, in the Incarnation of Christ his Son, God showed mankind an icon of himself. Paul said, "He is the image (Greek: ikon) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Christ is the tangible, divine "icon" of the unseen, infinite God. 

We read that when the magi were "going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11). Though God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount Horeb, he did reveal one in the house in Bethlehem. 
The bottom line is, when God made the New Covenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we can make representations of God in Christ. Even Protestants use all sorts of religious images: Pictures of Jesus and other biblical persons appear on a myriad of Bibles, picture books, T-shirts, jewelry, bumper stickers, greeting cards, compact discs, and manger scenes. Christ is even symbolically represented through the Icthus or "fish emblem." 
Common sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images, most especially in the incarnate Jesus Christ, it’s not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. That’s why God revealed himself in these visible forms, and that’s why statues and pictures are made of them. 

Idolatry Condemned by the Church

Since the days of the apostles, the Catholic Church has consistently condemned the sin of idolatry. The early Church Fathers warn against this sin, and Church councils also dealt with the issue. 
The Second Council of Nicaea (787), which dealt largely with the question of the religious use of images and icons, said, "[T]he one who redeemed us from the darkness of idolatrous insanity, Christ our God, when he took for his bride his holy Catholic Church . . . promised he would guard her and assured his holy disciples saying, ‘I am with you every day until the consummation of this age.’ . . . To this gracious offer some people paid no attention; being hoodwinked by the treacherous foe they abandoned the true line of reasoning . . . and they failed to distinguish the holy from the profane, asserting that the icons of our Lord and of his saints were no different from the wooden images of satanic idols." 
The Catechism of the Council of Trent (1566) taught that idolatry is committed "by worshipping idols and images as God, or believing that they possess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our worship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them" (374). 

"Idolatry is a perversion of man’s innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who ‘transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God’" (CCC 2114). 
The Church absolutely recognizes and condemns the sin of idolatry. What anti-Catholics fail to recognize is the distinction between thinking a piece of stone or plaster is a god and desiring to visually remember Christ and the saints in heaven by making statues in their honor. The making and use of religious statues is a thoroughly biblical practice. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know his Bible. 
source:
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/do-catholics-worship-statues

Questions about Estatwa, Larawan, Imahe ng mga katoliko.

Questions about Estatwa, Larawan, Imahe ng mga katoliko. by: Carlo Cortez

Ito ang pinaka-karaniwang maririnig mo na reklamo o batikos ng mga taga-ibang relihiyon tungkol sa ating pananampalataya. Bakit dw may mga larawan tayo eh ayon sa nakasulat sa Exodo 20 ay bawal ang paggawa ng anumang larawan at ang pagsamba sa mga ito.

Heto ang ilang mga halimbawa ng dapat isasagot ninyo kung sakaling makakaenkwentro kayo nito sa inyong mga kakilala o kaibigan.

Tanong: Bakit kayo gumagawa ng larawan? Bawal iyan sa Bibliya, nakasulat sa Exodo 20:4 o, "Huwag kang gagawa para sa iyo ng larawang inanyuan".

Sagot: Kung all-out bawal pala yan, hindi na rin sana pinaggawa ng Diyos yung mga kerubin sa Exodo 25:18 at ang ahas na tanso sa Numeros 21:8-9 . Mga larawan din ang mga iyon eh. Kung pinaggawa ng Diyos ang mga larawang iyon, eh ibig sabihin nun eh hindi yung mga larawan mismo ang bawal. Pero nakasulat diyan sa binasa mo na bawal gumawa ng larawan. Kung ganyan edi magkakakontra ang sinasabi ng Diyos sa Bibliya o kaya eh masasabi natin: "Makakalimutin yata ang Diyos sa sinabi niya". Hindi naman pwedeng ganon, di ba?

May sentido komon ang Diyos, na higit na sa atin. Para mapatunayan nating di sinungaling ang Diyos, tingnan natin kung anong klaseng larawan ang di niya pinapaggawa, heto sa Exodo 20:4-5:

"Huwag kang gagawa para sa iyo ng larawang inanyuan o ng kawangis man ng
anomang anyong nasa itaas sa langit, o ng nasa ibaba sa lupa, o ng nasa tubig
sa ilalim ng lupa: Huwag mong yuyukuran sila, o paglingkuran man sila."

Hindi kumpleto ang binigay mong talata. Hindi mo dinugtong yung kasunod na talata na nagsasabi na pinagbabawal ng Diyos na yukuran at paglingkuran sila. Iyon ay ang mga larawan na nagnanakaw ng paggalang at pagsamba na dapat ay para sa Diyos.

Tanong: Hindi ba't ang inyong mga larawan ay nagnanakaw din ng pagsamba na para lang sa Diyos? Hayan nga't niluluhuran at niyuyukuran ninyo ang mga iyan.

Sagot: Hindi porke't niluluhuran o niyuyukuran ay sinasamba na. Mababasa sa Bibliya na may pagyukod na hindi pagsamba. May pagyukod bilang tanda ng paggalang. Mababasa ito sa Exodo 18:7

"At si Moises ay lumabas na sinalubong ang kaniyang biyanan, at kaniyang niyukuran at hinalikan."
(Exodo 18:7)

Hindi ibig sabihin na dahil niyukuran ni Moises ang kaniyang biyenan ay Diyos na ang turing ni Moises sa kanyang biyenan. Hindi. Ang pagyukod at pagluhod ay mga tanda ng pagpapakita ng paggalang. Ganoon din sa amin. Ginagalang namin ang mga larawan ng mga banal dahil higit pa silang dapat igalang kaysa sa mga tao rito sa lupa dahil sila'y pinarangalan na ng Diyos.

Tanong: Ngunit ang pagyukod ay senyales ng pagsamba, hindi ba? May posibilidad na sinasamba ninyo ang mga larawang iyan!

Sagot: Kahit na senyales ng pagsamba ang pagyukod at pagluhod, wala kang kakayahang malaman o karapatang magdesisyon na sumasamba ang isang taong gumagawa niyaon. Ang pagsamba ba ay nakikita sa panlabas na anyo? Hindi ba ang pagsamba ay nangyayari sa loob ng tao? Nakasulat sa Mateo 22:37

"Iibigin mo ang Panginoon mong Dios ng buong puso mo, at ng buong
kaluluwa mo, at ng buong pagiisip mo."

Iyan ang pagsamba, ito ang nangyayari sa loob ng tao. Walang outer bodily gestures ang makakapatunay na ang isang tao ay sumasamba. Kahit ang Bibliya ay umaamin na ang pagyukod ay di isang eksaktong deskripsyon ng pagsamba, nakasulat sa 2 Hari 5:18-19

""At sana ay patawarin niya ako sa gagawin ko. Kasi, pagpunta ng aking hari sa Rimon upang sumamba,isasama niya ako at kasama ring luluhod. Sana'y patawarin ako ni Yahweh sa aking pagluhod sa templo sa Rimon." Sinabi sa kanya ni Eliseo, "Humayo kang payapa." "

Si Naaman ay isang opisyal ng hari ng Assyria na obligadong yumukod at lumuhod sa templo sa Rimon ngunit sa puso niya ay di siya sumasamba sa paganong dios doon. Dito natin makikita na ang pagluhod at pagyukod ay mga bodily gestures na hindi esensyal sa pagsamba, kasama na ang lahat ng mga bodily gestures tulad ng paghalik, pagpunas, pagbigkas ng dasal atbp. Kaya napakamali sa iyo kung sasabihin mong sinasamba ng isang katoliko ang isang larawan dahil lang sa nakita mo siyang nakaluhod sa paanan nito. Itigil niyo na ang panghuhusgang ganito dahil hindi iyan ang kalooban ng Panginoon na nagsasabi sa Juan 7:24

"Huwag na kayong humatol batay sa nakikita, kundi humatol kayo ayon sa nararapat."

Tanong: So paano ninyo malalaman na ang isang Katoliko ay sumasamba sa isang larawan kung di pala senyales ng pagsama ang pagluhod, pagyukod, paghalik etc?

Sagot: Kung aaminin ng debotong katoliko sa pamamagitan ng pagsasalita na ang mismong larawan ang sinasamba niya. Nakasulat kasi sa Bibliya, sa Mateo 12:34

"Kung ano ang nag-uumapaw sa puso ay siyang sinasabi ng bibig."

Ito ay patunay na sinasamba talaga ng taong iyon ang larawan. Gayunpaman, kung magtatanong ka sa maraming katoliko kung sinasamba ba nila ang mga larawan, tatanggi sila o di kaya ay magdadalawang-isip sila sa isasagot sa iyo. Tanda na rin ito na wala talaga sa isipan o sa consciousness nila ang pagsamba sa mga larawan, dahil kung talagang itinuturo sa mga katoliko na dapat sambahin ang larawan, madali lang mapakanta ang maraming katoliko tungkol rito.

Subukan mo, magtanong ka sa isandaang katoliko, malamang lahat o karamihan ay magsasabing "hindi ko sinasamba ang mga larawan"

Tanong: Di ba ayon sa Bibliya "SELOSO" ang Diyos? (see Exodus 20:5) Di ba kapag nagselos ang asawa mo ibig sabihin ino-offend mo siya dahil may tinitingnan o minamahal kang iba? Gusto niyo bang i-offend ang Diyos?

Sagot: Ang kaibahan naman ng asawa mo at ng Diyos ay ito: ang asawa mo ay tao. Ang Diyos ay Diyos. Ang asawa mo nagseselos kahit hindi pa alam o nauunawaan kung ano ang buong sitwasyon. Pwedeng pagselosan ng asawa mo ang maganda o gwapo mong pinsan kasi di niya alam na pinsan mo pala ito. Limitado ang kaalaman ng iyong asawa.Pwede siyang magselos kahit walang sapat na ebidensya o kahit wala kang ginagawang masama

Iba naman ang Diyos. Ang Diyos alam niya ang lahat. Hindi kasi magkatulad ng pag-iisip ang tao at Diyos. Nasusulat:

Sapagka't ang aking mga pagiisip ay hindi ninyo mga pagiisip, o ang inyo mang mga lakad ay aking mga lakad, sabi ng Panginoon. Sapagka't kung paanong ang langit ay lalong mataas kay sa lupa, gayon ang aking mga lakad ay lalong mataas kay sa inyong mga lakad, at ang aking mga pagiisip kay sa inyong mga pagiisip" (Isaias 55:8-9)

Kaya pwede lang magselos ang Diyos kung mayroon ka talagang "ibang dios", na binabawal niya. At kapag may iba kang dios, siyempre ang dios na iyon ang mahal mo ng buo mong pagkatao. Kapag itinuring mo ang isang larawan na dios, siyempre magseselos ang Diyos, kasi duon ka nagtuturing ng pagmamahal mo. Doon lang balidong magseselos ang Diyos.

Pero kung alam ng Diyos na Siya ang mahal mo, at ang mga larawang iyon ay nagpapaalala sa isipan mo sa Kanya. bakit siya magseselos? Magseselos ba ang isang pintor kapag buong araw na tinitingnan at hinahangaan ng mga tao ang mga ipininta niya? Magseselos ba ang magulang kahit ilang ulit pa tumuntong ng stage para sabitan ng medalya ang anak nila?

Si Satanas ba ang naiisip at pinupuri natin kapag nakakakita tayo ng mga santo't santa sa Simbahan? Si Shiva ba ang hinahangaan natin kapag nakita natin ang imahen ni Birhen Maria? Kay Buddha ba tayo napapaisip kapag nakikita natin ang larawan ng Itim na Nazareno?

Tanong: Ano pa ang maipapatunay mo na di mali ang paggamit ng larawan sa inyong relihiyon?

Sagot: Ang aming relihiyon ay mayaman sa kasaysayan at tradisyon dahil ito ang pinakauna at pinakamarami nang naranasan sa napakatagal na panahon. Kaya hindi kataka-takang umaapaw sa disenyo ang aming malalaking mga Simbahan, kasama na ang mga imahen ng mga taong di mo marahil kilala. Ang isang matanda at marangyang bahay ay makikilalang mas may mayamang kasaysayan kaysa sa isang bagong gawang kuwartong paupahan. Kaya may estatwa tayo ni Rizal ay dahil may totoong Rizal na nabuhay at naging magiting para sa bayan, kasama na ang lahat ng mga bayani. Sa parehong paraan, kaya kami may mga estatwa ng aming mga banal dahil totoo sila at nabuhay silang minsan at naging magigiting din para sa kaharian ng Diyos. Naniniwala kaming sila ay nasa langit na't kapiling ng Diyos at nagdarasal para sa amin.

Tanong: Hindi ba't dios-diosan ang inyong mga larawan? Kasi, sa lumang panahon sa Greece at Roma ay mga anyong tao din ang kanilang mga dios-diosan at naniniwala silang sila rin ay nasa langit na.

Sagot: Hindi mahahalintulad ang mga santo sa mga dios-diosan ng mga pagano noon. Kasi ang mga dios-diosan ng mga pagano ay hindi totoo at hindi kailanman nairecord sa history na nabuhay. Ito rin ang dapat na gawing batayan kung ano talaga ang isang dios-diosan at ano ang hindi. Nakasulat sa 1 Corinto 8:4

"Kaya nga, tungkol sa pagkaing inihandog sa diyus-diyosan, alam nating ang mga diyus-diyosan ay larawan ng mga bagay na di-totoo, at alam nating iisa lamang ang Diyos."

Hindi totoo ang mga dios-diosan, kaya sina Zeus, Hera, Diana at iba pa ay dapat lang tawagin na mga dios-diosan dahil sila ay mga kathang-isip lamang at gawa-gawa ng mga sinaunang tao. Sa kabilang banda, sina St Francis of Assisi, St Ignatius, St Bernadette atbp ay mga taong totong nabuhay at namatay sa mundong ito, kaya di sila kasali sa hanay ng mga dapat tawaging "dios-diosan", ayon na rin sa kategoryang sinasabi ng Bibliya.

Novena

So what is a novena anyway?  A novena is a prayer that is said over 9 days, which imitates the apostles after the Ascension of Jesus. We know from Acts 1 and Acts 2 that they prayed and fasted for 9 days, between the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.  The results of this were life changing, as the Holy Spirit came on the 9th day and empowered the apostles and Mary to boldly proclaim the Gospel, with no fear of either the Jews or the Romans. Some novenas have one set prayer said over 9 consecutive days, while other novenas have a different prayer for each on of the 9 days, like the novena to the Holy Ghost.  Saying a novena for a petition of yours, from the heart, tells God that you are serious about wanting Him to take care of you.  The sincere Catholic who wants his or her prayer answered will be well advised to say novenas!
Source: http://www.catholicbible101.com/novenas.htm

For a list of novenas go to : http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/novena.htm

Should Catholics Go to Non-Denominational Bible Studies? By: Steve Ray

Every day, Catholics are invited by coworkers, neighbors, and even family members to "ecumenical" Bible studies. Should they go? Certainly all of us would benefit from more study of Scripture, but as someone who has been a part of a number of Protestant Bible studies—I’ve even taught them—I discourage Catholics from attending them because of the foundational premises and principles in operation at these studies.

Protestants are delighted to have Catholics attend their Bible studies, but it is often not because they want to hear and discuss the Catholic perspective on Scritpure. Instead, they see it as an opportunity to bring them to the "true Gospel"—to evangelize them, to get them saved. In many cases, though certainly not all, the non-denominational Bible study is the Trojan Horse that infiltrates the Catholic’s mind and succeeds in drawing him away from the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church—to join a Protestant group. Most of us have a family member or friend who has been affected in this way.

An unwary Catholic who steps into the Protestant Bible study usually does so with no intention of leaving the Catholic Church. They just want to study the Bible. The Catholic usually has a hard time finding a good and welcoming Bible study in Catholic circles—but this is changing.

First, while the Bible study may call itself "non-denominational," Catholics and Orthodox are not usually included under this umbrella. While they may be invited, you’ll rarely find them in leadership.

Protestants think of themselves as people of the Book, not hampered by human tradition. They think of Catholics as, at best, followers of traditions for whom the Bible is secondary. That is a huge misconception: Protestants are also people of tradition. No one reads the Bible objectively. People who claim to "just read the Bible" really read it through the eyes of a tradition they’ve already accepted, whether that be Fundamentalist, Calvinist, Pentecostal, Baptist or one of many others. Everyone depends upon tradition, but not everyone recognizes it.

"Bible Christians," based on their tradition, study the Bible with these premises:

There is no binding authority but the Bible alone.

There is no official binding interpretation or interpreter.

The Bible is perspicuous (i.e., easy to understand) and can be interpreted and understood by anyone.

An individual can and should read the Bible and interpret it for himself.

Catholics, based on their Tradition, study the Bible with different premises:

The authority of the apostles and the Church preceded the Bible, and the Tradition of the Church is an equally infallible authority (2 Thess. 2:15; CCC 80–83). The Bible is part of the apostolic Tradition.

The authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the prerogative of the Catholic Church (1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 18:17; CCC 85-88).

The Bible is not always easy to understand (2 Pet. 3:15-16) and needs to be understood within its historical and contextual framework and interpreted within the community to which it belongs.

Individuals can and should read the Bible and interpret it for themselves—but within the framework of the Church’s authoritative teaching and not based on their own private interpretation (2 Pet 1:20-21).

These basic differences place the Catholic and Protestant worlds apart even though they are opening the pages of the same book and accepting it as an authoritative revelation from God. The Catholic position is biblical and has been espoused from the first days of the Church. The Protestant position is unbiblical and is of recent origin. The Catholic is in full continuity with historical Christianity; Protestants are in discontinuity.

Catholics attending a non-denominational Bible study need to be aware of these differences and be ready not only to filter out false conclusions but also to guard themselves against the false underlying assumptions (e.g., that everything has to be found and proven explicitly in the Bible).

Catholics who are unaware often begin to adopt a Protestant mentality without knowing they are doing so, gradually learning to suspect the Catholic Church and trying to prove everything from the Bible.

Let’s Take Just One Example: Baptism

But what difference do these premises make? Let’s take the example of 1 Peter 3:18-21:

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Notice the words in italics. What does it say? To Catholics it makes perfect sense because Christians have always taught (until the Reformation) that baptism is essential for salvation. As Catholics, we can draw from a wealth of other biblical and patristic passages that consistently and continuously teach a seamless garment of doctrine—the constant teaching of the Church, of all Christians.

A few examples:

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)

This has always been understood to mean water baptism, until descendants of the Reformation denied it and came up with new interpretations, such as that the water refers to the water in the womb, the word of God, or even a synonym for the Spirit (as in "water, even the Spirit"). There is no consensus among Protestants.

Other examples are Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16. The first says, "And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’"

The second one says, "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name."

These verses agree with the words of Jesus, Titus 3:5, and the rest of the New Testament about the necessity and importance of baptism. But many Evangelicals will offer in reply a list of verses that say salvation is by faith (e.g., John 3:16) and argue that since he can find twenty-five verses that say salvation is by faith, it can’t be by baptism.

Can we cut two verses out of the Bible because we find ten others that seem to contradict? Heavens, no! We have to find a way to explain and accept both and harmonize them into a cogent theology. That is what Catholics have been doing well for two millenia.

One of the great reliefs for me as a Catholic was to read the Bible without having to set aside verses that didn’t agree with my preconceived assumptions. Catholics do not have this problem.

A Figure of a Figure? Go Figure.

Now, back to 1 Peter 3:18-21. Protestant commentaries on Scripture admit it is one of the most difficult passages of the Bible to interpret. Here is a quote from my book Crossing the Tiber:

In his recent anti-Catholic book The Gospel according to Rome, James McCarthy says that "when Peter says that ‘baptism now saves you,’ he is speaking of the typological, or symbolic, significance of baptism. . . . It [the word figure] tells us that what follows, ‘baptism now saves you,’ is a figurative illustration that complements the symbolism of a preceding figure" (331-332). It seems he is saying that baptism is a figure of a figure instead of the fulfillment of a figure. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature offers a different and more straightforward interpretation: "Baptism, which is a fulfillment (of the type), now saves you, i.e., the saving of Noah from the flood is a . . . ‘foreshadowing’ and baptism corresponds to it [fulfills it]" (75). McCarthy does go on to say: "This verse is part of one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament to interpret. Nevertheless, this much is clear: it does not support the Roman Catholic doctrine" (331-332). (Crossing the Tiber, p. 130, note 56)

The Catholic interpretation explains the passage quite comfortably without twisting the text from its clear meaning, accepting the literal meaning of the text, and complementing the rest of New Testament teaching. It is difficult for McCarthy to interpret because he comes to the passage with a handicap: his Fundamentalist preconceptions.

Catholics: Seen but Not Heard

Baptism is just one example, and we have only scratched the surface. Other examples of passages that are difficult for Evangelicals—and where unwary Catholics attending a non-denominational Bible study can be misled—are John 20:23, Colossians 1:24, James 2:24, Matthew 16:18-19, and John 5:28-29.

Catholics often find non-denominational Bible studies appealing because of the warm, serious, loving, and family-like environment. Being used to reverence and quiet devotion, Catholics find the welcoming and chatty nature of these gatherings refreshing and new. But there is such a thing as an ecumenical Bible study that doesn’t allow knowledgeable Catholics to participate in leadership or where the Catholic perspective is not equally presented and discussed with respect. In a truly ecumenical Bible study, the Catholic interpretation and teaching is not treated as substandard or heretical.

Also, the Catholic Church is not a "denomination" (which means "to take a new name"); it is the Church. Those who are in schism, who break away or subsist apart from it are denominations or sects. The Church is not. It is the Church.

There’s still a long way to go to get Catholics to the point of scriptural study that Protestants have achieved. But it is happening, and you can help. For more information, see my article "Starting a Parish Bible Study" at www.catholicconvert.com.

SIDEBARS

Before Chapter and Verse

Chapter and verse divisions in the Bible are quite recent. They have proven quite helpful in biblical study and finding our way around. But they can also be a great hindrance if people begin to see the Bible as an unrelated collection of wise maxims listed numerically. It becomes quite easy to pluck a numbered statement (a verse) out of its context and quote it as in independent entity. For the first 1,600 years of Christianity, biblical study was conducted without verse numbers, forcing the reader to see whole texts and not simply lists of unrelated sentences randomly compiled.

Bible Resources

Sites to help you find a Bible study, start a Bible study, or get Bible study materials:

www.catholicscripturestudy.com

www.greatadventureonline.com

A Catholic Answers booklet to help you get started reading the Bible:

Beginning Apologetics 7: How to Read the Bible by Jim Burnham and Fr. Frank Chacon (San Juan Catholic Seminars, 2003)

Books available at www.catholic.com to help your understanding of Scripture:

A Guide to the Bible by Antonio Fuentes (Four Courts Press, 1987)

Inside the Bible by Kenneth Baker, S.J. (Ignatius Press, 1998)

You Can Understand the Bible by Peter Kreeft (Ignatius, 2005)

How to Read the Bible Every Day by Carmen Rojas (Servant Books, 1988)

Books that answer common Protestant questions:

Where Is That in the Bible? by Patrick Madrid (Our Sunday Visitor, 1999)

Where We Got the Bible by Bishop Henry G. Graham (Catholic Answers, 1997)
Source:http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/should-catholics-go-to-non-denominational-bible-studies