Paradigm Shift
There has been a paradigm shift in my thinking and asking questions over the last few years on my way into full communion with the Church.
As a protestant I was always posing questions to various peers about any given issue ie. infant baptism, escatology.
I would start the question with the words "What do you think about X" then discussion would follow and eventually one would maybe persuade the other to his view of "X". However, that view was not neccesarily the truth about the issue, or even what our denomination taught (if anything at all) about the issue.
On the road to the Catholic Church the question gradually became "What does the Church teach about X"?
To me this is a huge shift in my way of thinking and discovering truth. It is not up to me or my friends to research and then decide. The Tradition of the Church has already decided. I just need to think with the Church, which does imply still thinking and seeking but we do not have to "reinvent the wheel".
It is a shift from the subjective individual to the objective authority established by Christ in real space - time history.
As a protestant I was always posing questions to various peers about any given issue ie. infant baptism, escatology.
I would start the question with the words "What do you think about X" then discussion would follow and eventually one would maybe persuade the other to his view of "X". However, that view was not neccesarily the truth about the issue, or even what our denomination taught (if anything at all) about the issue.
On the road to the Catholic Church the question gradually became "What does the Church teach about X"?
To me this is a huge shift in my way of thinking and discovering truth. It is not up to me or my friends to research and then decide. The Tradition of the Church has already decided. I just need to think with the Church, which does imply still thinking and seeking but we do not have to "reinvent the wheel".
It is a shift from the subjective individual to the objective authority established by Christ in real space - time history.
posted by Sean at 5/04/2006 07:52:00 PM
5 Comments:
It's such an awesome gift to be able rest in the Church's teaching, knowing that there's no need to discuss endlessly the same doctrines until we die. No Protestant has been able to tell me how the various denominations that claim to be Sola Scriptura come to so many varying conclusions about almost everything. This one clicked for me after talking to Daniel Montgomery because he seemed to be suggesting that Scripture and Tradition were bound to contradict because they are two sources of authority. His point was that Sola Scriptura is the only way to go because there should be only one source of authority. After thinking about that for a while, it occured to me that Catholicism doesn't have any problem at all with two sources of authority... it actually works very well. But once you abandon Tradition, there's no telling where you'll end up.
Exactly, also they are not two seperate authorities, they are one based on christs authority that he established historically.
did the scriptures give themselves the authority to be the books that they are? no. it was the church's authority that infallibly declared what they are according to the faith of the church for over 1500 years. thats fifteen one hundred years of tradition. 400 doesnt even touch it.
Well, thankfully the most important thing is that we are all in Christ and baptized. I try to keep that in mind because as much as I'd love for more people to enjoy the sacrament life of Catholicism or the Eastern Orthodox faith, there are still billions of people who've never heard the Gospel at all. And I also wonder if there are millions here in the U.S. who wouldn't be Christians at all if not for the fervor and creativity in Protestant churches.
btw, I noticed you've added most of the stuff to your blog that I have on mine, like St. Blog's Parish and the daily Scripture readings... are you some kinda copycat??? ;-)
hey, sean. just wanted to say hello. you just peaked over my shoulder, though, and I had to hit you in the face...sorry bout that.
I LOVE YOU! ACHHH!!!! I REALLY DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bets
I'd like to add something to this string of thoughts, but it seems I'm already right there with ya'll. Anyways, just dropping in. Good posts, guys.
--Danny
Post a Comment
<< Home