Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Truth?

Through the past several years I have been on a journey to find religious truth.
I was raised in a non-denominational/baptist home. I have since come to realize a lot of differences within christianity and its doctrines, hence so many different denominations. ie. presbyterian, episcopal, anglican, baptist, charismatic, luthern, wesleyan. My question that I have been dealing with is this, Is there any truth that can be had about the issues that divide?
For example, What is the truth about infant baptism?
What is the truth about the eucharist?
What is the truth about grace and sacraments?
What is the truth about justification, synergism/monergism?

All of these denominations believe that the Holy Spirit led them into the truth about these issues. Someone is wrong. Truth by definition is exclusive to one view rather than the next.

These are a few issues that divide protestants from eachother and especially divide them from the Catholic faith and the Eastern Orthodox faith.

If there is no way to establish truth, then are we left with a type of Christian Relativism?

Did Christ historically found a system that the "Church" can use to find the truth about these issues?

In the past the Church has used Tradition as well as Scripture to formulate doctrines such as the nature of Christ, the Trinity, and the 27 books of the New Testament cannon. Is Tradition a reliable method?

I happen to agree with the Catholics. Both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are needed to formulate truth on any given topic.

I disagree with the protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura in this manner. If everyone is left up to their own interpretation withouth the Tradition passed on through the Church then all we have is relativism and a continual division amongst ourselves.

Did Christ establish a Church with an Authority structure that is Transcendent of our own interpretations?

Or are we all lost?

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