Bridge of Reason

  The Roman Catholic Church stands or falls on the doctrine of apostolic succession. It is from this doctrine that the Church claims its supreme authority. Now, the Roman Church is not the only church to believe this doctrine, but they are the only church to claim unique and complete authority from it. The Catholic apologetic website, Catholic Answers says that the Roman Church, unlike ‘separate’ churches, can lay claim to being the true church by means of apostolic succession. What is apostolic succession? Apostolic succession is the idea that bishops in the Roman Church are the successors of the apostles to whom Jesus gave the authority, to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It presupposes that the original twelve apostles ordained others to be apostles through the laying on of hands. In doing this, they conferred upon them the same authority they had been given. These apostles (bishops) then ordained others, who in turn ordained others, who in turn… well you get the id...

If you want to know your heart leap for joy at the hope we have in Christ read the first two chapters of Ephesians. Chapter one reminds us of who Christ is, what he has achieved, reminds us that all we have as believers is 'in him.' Then, as though to sober us from our celebrations lest we get cocky about all that we have, Paul reminds us: 'And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked...like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive in Christ...'  (Eph.2:1-5) The first thing to realise is you can be dead and alive at the same time, alive to the things of this world but dead to the things of God. The second is that it is the common lot ( like the rest of mankind ) until Christ comes along. The third is that your new life is a work of God, and the fourth is that this new life costs you your old life. The Bible calls relinquis...

  On their website, the Watch Tower define their New World Translation Bible as: ‘ A translation of the Holy Scriptures made directly from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into modern-day English by a committee of anointed witnesses of Jehovah. These expressed themselves regarding their work as follows: “The translators of this work, who fear and love the Divine Author of the Holy Scriptures, feel toward Him a special responsibility to transmit his thoughts and declarations as accurately as possible. They also feel a responsibility toward the searching readers who depend upon a translation of the inspired Word of the Most High God for their everlasting salvation.” This translation was originally released in sections, from 1950 to 1960. Editions in other languages have been based on the English translation.’ ( Reasoning From the Scriptures, p.276 ) T heir stated aim (italicised) is laudable, however we judge things not by intentions but by results. We can’t build a reputation on what ...

"Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" [1] At the time of the Reformation, the Church of Rome taught that the Word of God consisted of both the written word (The Bible) and the unwritten word (Tradition). It held that both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition were both infallible and of equal value. The Roman Catholic Church believes the same today. What does the Roman Catholic Church mean by tradition? The website Catholic Answers says that: Divine Tradition comes from God, either through the written word of the Bible or through the oral teaching of Christ himself or his apostles. Because it is revealed by God, divine Tradition may not be altered by men. [2] The Reformers vehemently denied that this ‘divine Tradition’, said to be found within the Roman Catholic Church, was in anyway comparable with God’s written word. For them, the Bible was the true only rule of faith for the Christian. The Protestant Church believes the ...

  Image by  Dimitris Vetsikas  from  Pixabay   In the Watch Tower book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived we read about Why Jesus Came to Earth (ch.24) ‘ Jesus came to earth particularly to preach about God’s Kingdom, which will vindicate his Father’s name and permanently solve all human ills. However, to give evidence that he is sent by God, Jesus performs miraculous healings. In the same way Moses, centuries before, performed miracles to establish his credentials as God’s servant.’ The Kingdom It is clear from so many texts that Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom. John the Baptist, we are told, preached, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Mt.3: 2 ) Later in Matthew’s gospel we read, ‘He went throughout Galilee, teaching in t heir synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…’ (Mt.:4:23) Jesus himself insisted, ‘I must preach the good news of the k i ngdom to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ (Lk.4:43) Je...

  The Council of Trent was the 19th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. It met from 1545 to 1563 in Trento, Italy in response to the ever-growing influence of the Protestant Reformation. The Council was particularly concerned about a former German monk named Martin Luther. He was teaching that a person could be saved by faith alone, in Christ alone, without the need for the sacraments and ceremonies offered by the Roman Catholic Church. It was his doctrine of ‘sola fide’ (Latin for ‘by faith alone’), amongst other things he taught, that angered the Council, causing them to gather and respond forcibly. They were furious that Luther was preaching and teaching that salvation could be obtained outside the visible Church. Extra ecclesiam nulla salus The Roman Catholic Church taught, and continues to teach (though they seek to make it a little more palatable these days) extra ecclesiam nulla salus, which means that ‘outside the Church there is no salvation’. It teaches that ...

  I used to play this trick where I took a handful of change from my pocket and asked someone to count it for me before I used it as an illustration. They would come back with a number and I would look puzzled and ask, ’Are you sure?’ I would then count the change for myself, taking out all the foreign coins that looked like British currency. ‘That,’ I would say, ‘is how easy it is to fool someone. With blinding familiarity and an unsuspecting mark.’ So it is that along comes a Jehovah’s Witness, pointing out the Bible clearly says, ‘You are my witnesses,’ declares Jehovah.’ Isaiah 43:10, and our mark, thinking this an insight, and feeling how clever of him to see it, says, ‘Oh, yes! Tell me more.’ So, too, a Mormon comes along and says, ‘The true church is built on a foundation of apostles and prophets.’ Eph esians 2:20; 1 Co rinthi a ns 12:28; Eph esians 4:11-14, and our mark, thinking he knows something now, and how clever he is to know it, says, ‘Oh, yes! Tell me more.’ ...