Catholicism vs Fundamentalism
Conversations about the differences and similarities between Fundamentalist and Catholic beliefs usually end up being more like heated debates than conversations. A major difference between the Catholic and the Fundamentalist is how they see the Bible. The source of the Fundamentalists' faith is the Bible. But what do the Fundamentalists believe about the Bible? This is the question I am trying to answer for myself. I will present my understanding of the Fundamentalists' view of the Bible along with my Catholic view of the Bible. My mission is not to offend, but to open a dialogue between the two views. I know from experience that this is a very touchy topic. The best way to go about conversing with someone of different beliefs, I believe, is to see their belief in its best light. I believe it is important to develop a sense of respect for the variety of ways people experience the divine in the lives. Keeping that in mind, I give you my interpretation of the Fundamentalist and the Catholic view of the Bible. Both Catholics and Fundamentalists agree that the Bible is a divinely inspired, infallible, and authoritative means for people to know Christ. There are some distinctions between the Catholics' and the Fundamentalis
The Fundamentalist believes he needs no Church to interpret the Bible's meaning because the Bible is clear in its meaning; it interprets itself, and that the Holy Spirit directly interprets the Bible for him. Fundamentalists and Catholics believe the Bible to be infallible, or free from error. Catholics do not consider the Bible necessarily grammatically, mathematically, or scientifically infallible. Only the message of the Bible is considered to be without error. Fundamentalists take the idea of the Bible's infallibility a step farther with their confidence in Martin Luther's theory of sola scriptura, Latin for "scripture aloneaE?. The Bible is the Fundamentalists' only standard of authority in religion. To the Fundamentalists the Bible is the single source for inspiration, and they will not look to any extrinsic source for authority. The Catholic belief about God and his teachings can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a statement of the Church's faith. The Fundamentalists view the Bible as the single source for inspiration. Catholics look to the Church as a guide in interpreting the Bible. By understanding the Bible as the Word of God as written by man to be interpreted in light of the time, manner and mode of thinking in its creation, the Catholic religion allows for a clearer understanding of its meaning. Catholics believe that the Bible does have authority, but that this authority comes from the Church guaranteeing its infallibility. The strongest argument for this would be the fact that the Church wrote the Bi
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Approximate Word count = 1050
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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