Protestantism And The Bible

[theculturewarrior]

Protestants for the most part view the Bible as the only authority in matters of doctrine. My question is, why do so many protestants believe radically different things about Christ and what is true in matters of faith, if the Bible is the only authority for the Church that Christ prayed be one. How can one protestant read one thing in the Bible, and another read the same thing but find it means something else, and state that both are true because they come from the Bible?

[theculturewarrior]

[theculturewarrior]

[kenrockthefirst]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' post='1215781' date='Mar 19 2007, 10:16 AM']Protestants for the most part view the Bible as the only authority in matters of doctrine. My question is, why do so many protestants believe radically different things about Christ and what is true in matters of faith, if the Bible is the only authority for the Church that Christ prayed be one. How can one protestant read one thing in the Bible, and another read the same thing but find it means something else, and state that both are true because they come from the Bible?[/quote]

The answer to your question is self evident within the question, IMHO.

[theculturewarrior]

meaning?

[theculturewarrior]

Is this something else that protestants find irrelavant?

[desertwoman]

One thing is that many people lean unto their own interpretations which Christ warns us of in the Bible. This is what leads to heretical and dangerous doctrines. Another is a pride issue which is connected to leaning unto our comprehension and not letting the Holy Spirit guide us through the word.

[theculturewarrior]

Are you protestant?

[kenrockthefirst]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' post='1215781' date='Mar 19 2007, 10:16 AM']Protestants for the most part view the Bible as the only authority in matters of doctrine. My question is, why do so many protestants believe radically different things about Christ and what is true in matters of faith, if the Bible is the only authority for the Church that Christ prayed be one. How can one protestant read one thing in the Bible, and another read the same thing but find it means something else, and state that both are true because they come from the Bible?[/quote]


[quote name='theculturewarrior' post='1215853' date='Mar 19 2007, 12:12 PM']meaning?[/quote]

Sola scriptura + individual interpretation = many truths.

The logical conclusion of the Reformation doctrine of individual interpretation must ultimately be millions of "Churches of One" (to paraphrase the latest US Army campaign). On the other hand, any stop along that spectrum, i.e. any Protestant denomination that says, "you must believe [i]this[/i] in order to be one of us," logically must lead back to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

[desertwoman]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' post='1215861' date='Mar 19 2007, 02:22 PM']Are you protestant?[/quote]


yep

[thessalonian]

Each protestant becomes his own magesterium (pope), interpreting as he sees fit. This is bound to create "every wind of doctrine"

[theculturewarrior]

[quote name='desertwoman' post='1215874' date='Mar 19 2007, 01:37 PM']yep[/quote]

The question I have in reply is that if protestants do not use their own interpretation, whose interpretation do they use, and how do they know that this one is more correct than the others?

BTW: did you get your MLIS yet?

[desertwoman]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' post='1215890' date='Mar 19 2007, 03:02 PM']The question I have in reply is that if protestants do not use their own interpretation, whose interpretation do they use, and how do they know that this one is more correct than the others?

BTW: did you get your MLIS yet?[/quote]



Thats the thing. If someone comes up with something that is so contrary... like saying that Jesus is the archangel Gabriel, then they are shunned. And of course they run off and create something else... Like the Jehova Witnesses.

Many will say that they are being led by the Holy Spirit and will use other verses in the Bible to back up the claim. This causes great riffs in the community (I'm on another message board and the debates and battles between Calvinists and Armenians is crazy). Each will use the Bible as the only source to prove their point, and each will say that they are not using proper exisgeises. Sorry I can't spell it. So, they go round and round in circles about predestination and election, and man having free will and so forth and so on.

Oh, and I havent gotten it yet. Thanks for asking!! Keep me lifted in prayer so I can get crackin on my letter.

[theculturewarrior]

My next question is, if there is a universal interpretation of the Bible, would you agree that this is an interpretation handed down orally from Christians who came before you, and from which other groups of Christians diverged into heresy, on issues such as predestination, OSAS, the Trinity, etc.?

[RezaMikhaeil]

Alot of it's based upon those that are just blantantly evil. Example: Benny Hinn false prophesies constantly, but still has a faithful following of millions [maybe billions] worldwide. A friend of mine is from Cameroon [which is predominently Roman Catholic] and has told me that Benny Hinns sect is the predominent sect of Christianity in Nigeria and is making a substantial amount of converts in Cameroon now [she herself follows him]. I'd once confronted her about his false prophesies and she simply dismissed it as "a common mistake" and still continued to believe that he had "the annointing" upon him. However, she did say that his false prophesies were severely downplayed by his promoters and that most in Nigeria and Cameroon didn't know about that and those that did know, didn't care.

Reza

[cmotherofpirl]

Only the Church has the authority to interpret scripture, since she is the one to guarentee it.

[RezaMikhaeil]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1215956' date='Mar 19 2007, 04:23 PM']Only the Church has the authority to interpret scripture, since she is the one to guarentee it.[/quote]

and that right there is always the key question, even to an extent in protestantism.

[desertwoman]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' post='1215908' date='Mar 19 2007, 04:47 PM']My next question is, if there is a universal interpretation of the Bible, would you agree that this is an interpretation handed down orally from Christians who came before you, and from which other groups of Christians diverged into heresy, on issues such as predestination, OSAS, the Trinity, etc.?[/quote]


Of course there is one truth and interpretation of the Bible, and many people have distorted it. The thing that gets many people and I as well is doubt. Did someone get it wrong and allowed themselves to be speaking instead of the Holy Spirit? This is where other factions do come in as well I believe. Someone thinks that something is wrong and that we have been adhering to error. Their motives is not intended to harm, but to help. They honestly believe that they are helping people see the error of their ways because of faulty interpretations of the Bible.

Sorry if this didn't come our right, but I just finished my CHaucer class and I'm on e right now. Plus I have a paper to do tonight as well. But this paper is fun compared to my other classes. Its on suffering and suicide in Veronika Decides to Die. I'm going to add Candide in the mix as well. And proably some Faust. I'm not sure.

[Budge]

Not all Protestants follow the Bible.

You got those who have extra-Biblical writings...

SDA, Mormons, and JW {Yeah I know Mormon and JW isnt technically Prot}

You got those who are modernists and no longer hold a literal view of the Bible and no longer believe in its inerrancy

neo-evangelicals, Mainliners--liberal Presbys, United Methodists, etc.

You got those who have adapted the sacramentalism of Rome or continued with it..

Lutheranism, Emergent movement etc.

You have those who have elevated a leader too high and become a cult.

SDA--Ellen White, Koresh, etc.

You have those who have mixed in the occult and other false teachings

Science of Mind, Christian Science

Some who arent really "Christian" anymore

Unitarian Universalist.

**************

Christians who stick by the Bible, , usually have agree on most basic issues.

[thessalonian]

Don't ya get it budge. That's just the fruits of division your speaking of. The result of men being "blown about by every wind of doctrine".