Rewind: Disagreement among Protestants

Originally published: Wednesday, September 21, 2011

JUST FOR my fellow CATHOLICS - Disagreement among Protestants

Just for Catholics is a website where Dr. Mizzi seeks to convince Catholics to leave the Catholic Church.  I am reviewing his teachings and comparing them to the Word of God in Tradition, Scripture and Magisterium.  We are currently on this article.  His words in blue.

Disagreement Among Protestants and Sola Scriptura

Question: How can all these denominations claim to follow the bible yet all come to different conclusions? How can I possibly know which one of those above teach the truth when they can't even agree on what the Bible says? Protestants believe a variety of doctrines and all claim to take their doctrines from the Bible. That doesn't really sound like perspicuity to me. 'Bible alone' has created so much havoc in this world.

Those are very good questions:  

First, God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).  Therefore, the Holy Spirit can't possibly have inspired so many contradicting interpretations of Scripture.

Second, the Holy Scriptures themselves say:

Romans 16:17

King James Version (KJV)

 17Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Yet Protestants, because of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, constantly cause divisions, in contradiction to the Word of God.  

Indeed, Sola Scriptura has wreaked havoc on Christ's Church:

Matthew 7:16

King James Version (KJV)

 16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

The fruit of Sola Scriptura is continual division and confusion.

Answer: You rashly attribute the differences of opinions among Christians to 'Sola Sciptura' - namely, the Protestant belief that the Holy Scripture is the only infallible rule of Christian doctrine.  The fault is not in the Scripture but in the human heart. 

No one said the fault was in Scripture.  The main fault is in the false doctrine which contradicts the Word of God.  Sola Scriptura, which bolsters man's sinful pride and gives him license to disobey the Authority which God placed over him in this world.

Hebrews 13:17

King James Version (KJV)

 17Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. 

We need to distinguish between two basic facts. Firstly, the Bible is perspicuous (clear, understandable) - it is not some mysterious book that cannot be understood by common ordinary Christians. 

The Bible ITSELF, says that there are some things within it which are hard to understand:

2 Peter 3:16

King James Version (KJV)

 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Otherwise why would the apostles address their epistles to them rather than the magisterium? 

The Apostles were the Magisterium of their day.  Their epistles were merely teaching tools, reiterating what they had previously passed down by word:

1 Thessalonians 2:13

King James Version (KJV)

 13For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Secondly, the human nature is such that people can misunderstand even the simplest of matters. 

Precisely!  Which confirms the necessity of a Magisterium.  And explains why Jesus established a Church and commanded it to teach His Traditions:

Matthew 28:19-20

King James Version (KJV)

 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And neither commanded He any writing, nor Himself wrote anything.

This is true of Christians -- even the apostles were hard to understand! -- and it is even more so in the case of unregenerate people whose hearts are darkened.

You're not helping your case.  This is precisely the reason why God established a system whereby doctrines are confirmed by Tradition, Scripture and Magisterium.

So, it is unfair to say that since Christians have disagreements between themselves, and since they study the same Bible, the Bible is not clear. The problem is not with the Bible but with us.

The problem is with the doctrine that gives people license to interpret Scripture against the authoritative Teaching of the Church.

Matthew 18:17

King James Version (KJV)

 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

The apparent unity of the Roman Catholic Church is illusory, as any informed Catholic would know. The unity is structural and organizational, 

That is more than we can say for Protestants.  But the Catholic Church has much more unity than that.  We all partake of one Loaf, because we are one Body in Christ.

but there are serious divisions at all levels, especially between the more liberal and conservative Catholics. Take the charismatic movement for an example. In Protestant circles, Charismatics form separate denominations (and so the distinction from other denominations is obvious). Whereas in the Catholic church, the charismatic groups remain under the Roman umbrella. Their differences from non-charismatic Catholics are hidden though they are just as real as in Protestant churches.

Conservatives and Charismatics are different in their style of worship. But they submit to and obey the Pope and the Bishops of the Catholic Church united with him.

And the Catholic umbrella is big enough to accept their differences.

So, what is the cause of the differences among Christians?

Amongst Protestants?  It is doctrine.  That which they interpret separately from the Scriptures alone.

First of all, Christians are disciples (students); we are still learning and we have not yet arrived to a full and mature understanding of the Scriptures (see Ephesians 4:13). Therefore one expects to find differences among God's children. 

Interesting.  Is Dr. Mizzi admitting that Protestants don't understand their faith?  Lets look at Ephesians 4:13 and see if it suggests that we all attend separate denominations which contradict each other.  I'll get a bit more of the ontext though:

Ephesians 4

 1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

St. Paul says that we should walk in holiness, because that is our vocation.

 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Hm?  Keep the unity of the Spirit?  Sounds as though St. Paul doesn't want disunity.  And disunity is the emblem of the Protestants.

4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 
5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

One Body!  One Spirit!  One hope!  One Lord!  One FAITH! One Baptism!

Sorry folks.  But is Dr. Mizzi trying to hoodwink us?  This entire chapter seems to be about the unity of faith.  Not about excuses for being disloyal.

 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 7But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

 8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

 9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

 13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Ephesians 4:13 is not about excusing new Christians which want to follow other denominations.  But about perfecting the new Christian in the unity of faith.  

But don't stop at that verse.  Read on:

14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

This verse, above all, describes Protestants.  They are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.  But the Catholic Church learned long ago the wisdom of Christ.  

Matthew 13:45-46

King James Version (KJV)

 45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

We hold on to that Pearl.

Secondly, Christians are not immune to error or the the deceptions introduced by false teachers. The apostle Paul had to correct the believers in Corinth, Galatia and Colosse for various errors. It is not any different today.

Precisely why we need an infallible Teacher.  In this case, the Apostle Paul, representing the Church, was that infallible Teacher.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the sin remaining in the Christian heart opposes the plain teaching of God's Word. Sometimes we find it hard to accept the teaching of the Bible because of practical implications we don't like or simply because it humiliates our natural pride. Many people did not receive the words of Jesus because of fear of the Jewish leaders and social isolation. Sometimes we do not receive the teaching of the Bible, not because we don't understand it, but because we are not willing to do so. There are differences because our beliefs and practices are not always consistent with our basic presupposition, namely, Sola Scriptura. We assert that the Bible is our only infallible rule of faith, and yet we sometimes misunderstand the Bible, or add, or take away, from the teaching of Scripture.

Exactly why God provided an infallible Teacher with the authority to teach all that He commanded throughout the world.

There is an analogous problem in the Roman Catholic Church. We find a similar constellation of opinions on any subject among the Catholic faithful, despite their 'infallible' magisterium and their rejection of sola Scriptura. For example, in a nationwide survey of fifteen hundred American Catholics,

The survey found significant gaps between individual values and the Roman Catholic Church's structure and teachings. When asked to make a moral decision on several issues, 50% said in vitro fertilization procedures are not wrong, and 61% would not condemn artificial birth control. The church opposes both.

I broke in here merely to highlight those last four words.  THE CHURCH OPPOSES BOTH.  In other words, all who hold sinful opinions and beliefs, do so in spite of Catholic Teaching.  Lets continue.

Although the church also opposes the death penalty, Catholics were evenly split on the issue. However, 61% agreed with their church's stand against stem-cell research that 'entails destruction of human embryos'; 68% agreed, 'that abortion is morally wrong under virtually all circumstances';

Note how the Church always opposes sin.

and 61% said 'homosexual behavior' is wrong.

In agreement with the Church.  Homosexual behavior is a sin.

Nonetheless, 83% said it is wrong 'to discriminate against homosexuals.

What does that mean exactly?  The Church teaches us to treat everyone with respect.  Including sinners of all types.

Most would let priests marry (54%), allow women to be ordained (53%), give the laity more leadership roles (72%) and make the church more democratic in its decision-making (62%) (Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY 11/16/2001).

Certainly, there are many different opinions amongst Catholics.  But the Pope and the Bishops united with him, the Magisterium, is guided by the Holy Spirit.  Not by popular vote.

The problem is not limited to the laity. 

I'm glad that he calls it a problem.  Because it is.  Protestants like to say that they have the freedom to believe what they want.  But as you can see, Dr. Mizzi classifies that, as a problem.

There are serious differences of opinion among priests and theologians. For example, a Catholic lady wrote to me saying, 'I just visited your website, and couldn't believe that you would quote Richard McBrien as your source for a Catholic theologian. He is well known to be a dissenter.' When I asked whether he is censored or excommunicated, she replied, 'As far as him being excommunicated, right now, if every priest who dissented from Church teaching was ex-communicated, I guess it would be the majority, especially the older ones.' Another Catholic lady was frank enough to admit: 'Among Catholic theologians right now they are trying to interpret the meaning of the Vatican II documents. People who were there have disagreements on what Vatican II said!'

This is really funny.  Dr. Mizzi wants us to take the word of two, anonymous, purportedly Catholic women?  And of course, they KNOW what is going on in the Vatican and throughout the world.  

As for disagreements amongst people who were at the Vatican II conference.  Yes, its true.  But they were resolved.  The Catholic motto is, "Rome has spoken, it is done".

Evangelicals consider the Bible as their highest authority while Catholics submit to the magisterium. 

Not really.  Yes, Catholics submit to the Magisterium.  But Evangelicals, although they claim that the Bible is their highest authority, that is really a sleight of hand.

The Bible doesn't interpret Itself.  People interpret It.  As Dr. Mizzi noted above, people are not perfect.  They "oppose... the plain teaching of God's Word. Sometimes ... find it hard to accept the teaching of the Bible because of practical implications we don't like or simply because it humiliates our natural pride.

What happens then?  When imperfect people interpret the Scriptures?  Dr. Mizzi has said it.  They follow their own contradictory predispositions.

This is why infallible Tradition and an infallible Magisterium are necessary.  So that the interpretations of sinful and imperfect humans can be tested against the Traditions of the Apostles and the Teachings of the Church from the beginning.  And we can distinguish truth from error.

In theory there is a unifying principle in both camps. In practice, we find an assortment of opinions and beliefs within both groups.

Nope.  You find an assortment of opinions.  But not of beliefs.  
1.  Every time they attend Mass, Catholics proclaim their faith.  It is called the Nicene Creed.
2.  Catholics submit to and obey the Pope and the Magisterium.
3.  The Pope and the Magisterium are united today and have been from the beginning.

Protestants on the other hand, don't need to believe any human.  If they disagree with their leaders, they simply take their Bible to another church.  The leaders of one Protestant denomination believe one thing, while others believe another.  There is no unity in Protestantism.

You might respond that the disagreements and discord among Catholics is not the fault of the Catholic authority 

You read my mind.

since the teaching of the magisterium is plain enough. 

Correct.

You might add that there is a need to teach Catholics more clearly to correct their misunderstanding of Catholic doctrine. 

Not me.  I'm of the opinion that some Catholics need to seek to learn Catholic doctrine.  While others merely need to learn to submit to and obey the Magisterium.  I am quite satisfied with the amount of learning offered to Catholics.  Most Parishes offer many programs from the most basic to college and seminary level.

You might also say that some Catholics are willingly disobedient to the teaching of the Church. 

It is evident in their words and actions.

In principle, the same is true for evangelical Christians. The doctrinal differences among Christians are not due to our authority (the Bible) but due to the limitations and sinfulness of the human heart.

With one major difference.  Because of Original Sin and concupiscence, Protestants will continue to seek to justify their beliefs which contradict the Word of God.

But Catholics have an infallible Teacher.  With infallible Doctrines.  Those Catholics who seek to justify their beliefs which contradict the Word of God, will come up against the wall of Truth, erected by Christ in His Church.  Because the Church doesn't change the Word of God.  You either believe God, who now speaks through His Church or you face the consequences.

Luke 10:16

King James Version (KJV)

 16He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Sincerely,

De Maria