Reference Section: Sola Scriptura

[phatcatholic]

phatpham,

this is where you provide info which proves that SS is a divisive doctrine. you would also provide here info which proves that such division is against what Christ intended for His Church.

thanks,

phatatholic

[phatcatholic]

http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/SOLASCRI.TXT

the following is an exerpt from the article Sola Scriptura: A Blueprint for Anarchy by Patrick Madrid

<SOLA SCRIPTURA> IS UNWORKABLE

We've reached that point where the "rubber" of <sola scriptura> meets the "road" of everyday life. The final question that should be asked the Protestant is, "Can you show where in history <sola scriptura> has worked?" In other words, where, throughout Protestantism's relatively brief life-span, can we find examples (just one will do) of <sola scriptura> actually working-functioning in such a way that it brings about doctrinal certitude and unity of doctrine among Christians? The answer is "nowhere."

As a rule of faith that, without recourse to Sacred Tradition and an infallible Magisterium, promises doctrinal certitude and a unity of faith, <sola scriptura> fails miserably. The best evidence of this is Protestantism itself. There are today,

according to one recent study, over 22,000 distinct Protestant denominations in the world, each of which claims to go by the "Bible alone," yet no two of them agree on what exactly the Bible teaches.

The blueprint for the doctrinal chaos that is Protestantism is laid out in the <Westminster Confession of Faith>: "The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men... (6)

"All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them ... (7)

"The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it may be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly. The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies of

religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can tee no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture" (<Westminster Confession of Faith> 9).

All of that sounds fine at first glance, but upon inspection, this framework collapses. First, if "the whole counsel of God . . . is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture," then <sola scriptura> must itself appear somewhere in Scripture, but it does not. And thus, under the terms set forth in all the classical Protestant

creeds, it is a self-refuting proposition.

Second, if "those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them," then we have

another problem. What are we to do with such things "necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation" as the doctrine that the Persons of the Trinity are homoousios, that in Christ there are two wills, the Hypostatic Union, the cessation of divine revelation upon the death of the last Apostle, the canon of

Scripture, whether or not infants should be baptized, and a whole host of key issues that bear directly upon the core of the Christian faith.

Scripture alone-Scripture forced to stand apart from the infallible teaching magisterium that has been given Christ's own authority to accurately interpret Scripture, and Sacred Tradition, which is the Church's living interpretation of those written words -is unstable and leads to the myriad of conflicting, erroneous, and sometimes spiritually fatal "human traditions" (c.f. Matt. 15:3-9; Mark 7:6-7) that lead people away from Christ.

Scripture alone, as the tragic history of Protestantism has shown, becomes the private play toy of any self-styled "exegete" who wishes to interpret God's Word to suit his own views. The history of Protestantism, laboring under <sola scriptura>, is an unending kaleidoscope of fragmentation and splintering. It cannot provide

any sort of doctrinal certitude for the Christian, because it is built on the shifting sand of mere human opinion - what the individual pastor <thinks> Scripture means.

Even Martin Luther saw the inescapable principle of fragmentation and disunity that lies at the heart of <sola scriptura>. In a letter to Urlich Zwingli, he complained bitterly about the doctrinal anarchy that was even then rampant among Protestants: "If the world lasts, it will be necessary, on account of the differing interpretations of Scripture which now exist, that to preserve the unity of faith, we should receive the [Catholic] councils and decrees and fly to them for refuge."

Catholics should not flinch when confronted with alleged "biblical" and "historical" arguments for <sola scriptura>. They fall apart. Scripture and history are the two best apologetics tools for effective evangelization in discussions with Protestants

about <sola scriptura>. I know firsthand the importance of discussing <sola scriptura> with Protestants. Having engaged in a number of live public debates with Protestant ministers on this subject, I've seen Protestants completely flummoxed (some even converted to Catholicism) when they see that <sola scriptura> is utterly indefensible.

So go ahead and jerk their chain. <sola scriptura> is by far and away the weakest link.

[phatcatholic]

http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/private.htm

SOLA SCRIPTURA AND PRIVATE JUDGMENT by James Akin

This article is long, but it is also extremely helpful in showing how Sola Scriptura does not work in practice. I provide the subheadings of the article below, just to show everyone why this is an amazing resource.

Private Judgement in Practice

--The first reason why private judgement is not used in practice

--The second reason why private judgement is not used in practice

The Protestant Dissenter's Dilemma

The Protestant Pastor's Dilemma

Protestant Magisteriums

--The first reason for Protestant magisteriums

--The second reason for Protestant magisteriums

--The inefficiency of Protestant magisteriums

--Protestant magisteriums out of control

The Root of the Problem

The Authority of the Magisterium and Private Judgement

The Development of Christian Doctrine

The Original Sin of Protestantism

Denominationalsm

--The first explosion of denominations

--A mitigating factor: the inconsistency of the reformers

--The second explosion of denominations

--A mitigating factor: the inconsistency of pastors

The First Rule of Bible Interpretation

Edited December 9, 2003 by phatcatholic