Monday, November 12, 2012

The Authority of Roman Catholic Apologists....

This sort of posting from Catholic Answers makes me wonder as well why any Roman Catholic should listen to any Roman Catholic apologist.... they aren't "invested with authority to teach, never ordained, never canonized..." I've never quite understood why Roman Catholic apologists think they need to be the middle men... or the interpreters of Rome....

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Default Re: Tertullian does not reject infant baptism.....(hmm)

Erick,

Tertullian's position on baptism should not matter a hill of beans to any of us, not what he thought or taught. He was never invested with authority to teach, never ordained, never canonized, and joined a heretical sect. You would do 100% better to listen to the Church today rather than attempt to figure out what thoughts were generated in antiquity by questionable theologians. What possible bearing could that have on any of us?
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1 comment:

PeaceByJesus said...

R. Sungenis: As far as the Church is concerned, I’m just another peon with an opinion. “ http://www.catholicintl.com/epologetics/dialogs/church/dimond3.htm

Related, if not current teaching from the Magisterium which works to eliminate confusion:

"We furthermore forbid any lay person to engage in dispute, either private or public, concerning the Catholic Faith. Whosoever shall act contrary to this decree, let him be bound in the fetters of excommunication." — Pope Alexander IV (1254-1261) in “Sextus Decretalium”, Lib. V, c. ii:

"That a layman must not publicly make a speech or teach, thus investing himself with the dignity of a teacher, but, instead, must submit to the ordinance handed down by the Lord, and to open his ear wide to them who have received the grace of teaching ability, and to be taught by them the divine facts thoroughly.

If anyone be caught disobeying the present Canon, let him be excommunicated for forty days." (Quinisext Ecumenical Council, Canon 64)

...the theologian, like every believer, must follow his conscience, and Joseph Ratzinger (as Archbishop) taught that "over the pope as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority there still stands one's own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else. (cf. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19900524_theologian-vocation_en.html

“Do not converse with heretics even for the sake of defending the faith, for fear lest their words instil their poison in your mind.” Bl. Isaias Boner of Krakow (Polish, Augustinian priest, theologian, professor of Scripture, d. 1471)

“Thus, the Church forbids the faithful to communicate with those unbelievers who have forsaken the faith by corrupting it, such as heretics, or by renouncing it, such as apostates.”

“...the Church forbids the faithful to communicate with those unbelievers who have forsaken the faith they once received, either by corrupting the faith, as heretics, or by entirely renouncing the faith, as apostates, because the Church pronounces sentence of excommunication on both.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Article 9,
“Whether it is lawful to communicate with unbelievers?”; http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3010.htm)

“On the other hand, there are unbelievers who at some time have accepted the faith, and professed it, such as heretics and all apostates: such should be submitted even to bodily compulsion, that they may fulfil what they have promised, and hold what they, at one time, received.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Article 8. “Whether unbelievers ought to be compelled to the faith?”)

Is it permitted for Christians to be present at, or to take part in, conventions, gatherings, meetings, or societies of non-Catholics which aim to associate together under a single agreement everyone who, in any way, lays claim to the name of Christian? In the negative! - (Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos)

"No one shall pray in common with heretics and schismatics" - Council of Laodicea.