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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Errors in the Bible and Pope's Infallibilate	Nez	Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Question: As a Catholic I was brought up to belive that the bible was written by man but inspiredby God, so it was with out error. One day when I was reading it, I found contridictory passages. Is this belef I was brought up with correct? ALso, as for the Pope I can not comprehend one person chosen by people as being infallible. Will you explain this for me? Thanks!
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Nez: Yes, the Bible was written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and contains no error in its religious message. You didn't mention the alleged contradictory passages, but there are no contradictory passages concerning the religious message of the Bible. There are some passages that "seem" contradictory but actually are not once one understands the context of what is going on. With that said, there are some contradictions of a non-essential nature. For example, one passage says that Judas hung himself, another passage says he threw himself into a pit of fire. This is a non-essential issue. The point is that Judas killed himself, regardless of how he did it. The reason for the discrepancy is that no one was a witness to the suicide and one writer heard the story one way and the other writer heard a different story about how Judas killed himself. But again, how he did it is not important, the point is only that he did it. There are other discrepancies of an unimportant nature dealing with history or other peripheral facts and issues. Again, these issues to not matter and do not change the religious message. The Bible is not meant to be a book of history, science, sociology, or the like. The Bible tells a religious message and it is that religious message that is infallible, not material minor details. As for the Pope being infallible, God was not so cruel as to leave us without a definitive way to KNOW that faith. If there was not a definitive "buck-stops-here" Magisterium we would be like the Protestants who have no authority and thus form 30,000 sects all believing they have the truth, but contradict each other. The Faith is too important to leave to the mere opinion of men. We can have two theologians who honestly disagree about a certain doctrine. How do we resolve the dispute definitively? God has given us a "supreme court" to settle once-and-for-all doctrinal differences and disputes. How can we really know what the Faith is without some infallible source of authority. The Bible CANNOT be that authority because one must "interpret" what the Bible says. A living person must have the charism given by the Holy Spirit who can infallibly interpret and declare matters of faith and morals. Without that, we have chaos and the whim of opinion. How a man elected by men can have this charism of infallibility in matters of faith and moral is because the Holy Spirit gives that charism to the man who sits in the Chair of Peter. This is no different than matters such as our own salvation. No man has the ability to save himself. It is only by the action of the Holy Spirit that we can be saved. Likewise, no man can be infallible in himself; it is the action of the Holy Spirit that guarantees infallibility when the pope declares and defines dogma. We actually have an historical event that proves that the Holy Spirit protects the Church and the Chair of Peter. In the 6th century Pope Vigilius actually murdered his predecessor in order to gain the chair of Peter. He was in a conspiracy with Empress Theodora to attempt to bring the Church into heresy. Once Vigilius sat in the chair of Peter, however, something came over him. He could not go through with the plan. He told Theodora that he could not contradict his predecessors or the Faith. Theodora was very angry at this and caused Vigilius to go into exile. The Holy Spirit protects the Faith -- otherwise how can we know for sure what the Faith is? God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Errors in the Bible and Pope's Infallibilate

Nez

Tuesday, November 2, 2004

Question:

As a Catholic I was brought up to belive that the bible was written by man but inspiredby God, so it was with out error. One day when I was reading it, I found contridictory passages. Is this belef I was brought up with correct?

ALso, as for the Pope I can not comprehend one person chosen by people as being infallible. Will you explain this for me?
Thanks!

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Nez:

Yes, the Bible was written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and contains no error in its religious message.

You didn't mention the alleged contradictory passages, but there are no contradictory passages concerning the religious message of the Bible. There are some passages that "seem" contradictory but actually are not once one understands the context of what is going on.

With that said, there are some contradictions of a non-essential nature. For example, one passage says that Judas hung himself, another passage says he threw himself into a pit of fire.

This is a non-essential issue. The point is that Judas killed himself, regardless of how he did it.

The reason for the discrepancy is that no one was a witness to the suicide and one writer heard the story one way and the other writer heard a different story about how Judas killed himself. But again, how he did it is not important, the point is only that he did it.

There are other discrepancies of an unimportant nature dealing with history or other peripheral facts and issues. Again, these issues to not matter and do not change the religious message.

The Bible is not meant to be a book of history, science, sociology, or the like. The Bible tells a religious message and it is that religious message that is infallible, not material minor details.

As for the Pope being infallible, God was not so cruel as to leave us without a definitive way to KNOW that faith. If there was not a definitive "buck-stops-here" Magisterium we would be like the Protestants who have no authority and thus form 30,000 sects all believing they have the truth, but contradict each other.

The Faith is too important to leave to the mere opinion of men.

We can have two theologians who honestly disagree about a certain doctrine. How do we resolve the dispute definitively? God has given us a "supreme court" to settle once-and-for-all doctrinal differences and disputes.

How can we really know what the Faith is without some infallible source of authority. The Bible CANNOT be that authority because one must "interpret" what the Bible says. A living person must have the charism given by the Holy Spirit who can infallibly interpret and declare matters of faith and morals. Without that, we have chaos and the whim of opinion.

How a man elected by men can have this charism of infallibility in matters of faith and moral is because the Holy Spirit gives that charism to the man who sits in the Chair of Peter.

This is no different than matters such as our own salvation. No man has the ability to save himself. It is only by the action of the Holy Spirit that we can be saved. Likewise, no man can be infallible in himself; it is the action of the Holy Spirit that guarantees infallibility when the pope declares and defines dogma.

We actually have an historical event that proves that the Holy Spirit protects the Church and the Chair of Peter. In the 6th century Pope Vigilius actually murdered his predecessor in order to gain the chair of Peter. He was in a conspiracy with Empress Theodora to attempt to bring the Church into heresy. Once Vigilius sat in the chair of Peter, however, something came over him. He could not go through with the plan. He told Theodora that he could not contradict his predecessors or the Faith. Theodora was very angry at this and caused Vigilius to go into exile.

The Holy Spirit protects the Faith -- otherwise how can we know for sure what the Faith is?

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum