Does the Catholic Church teach from the Bible?

smiddle · #1 May 30, '12, 1:52 pm

Before you jump at my throat, I know that this is where we get our dogmas, rules, etc. My question pertains more to Sunday school.

It was just pointed out to me, by a Baptist, that all we (Catholics) do is read the same Bible stories at church, so we never really learn anything new. Naturally I jumped to defend the Church, but after I thought about it, it's kind of true.

In Sunday school, not once did we ever look at or read from the Bible. We were taught how church and the sacraments work and how to complete them, not why we even do them in the first place. In eighth grade, about 3 weeks before my confirmation, I was given a Bible. That was great, except for the fact that we never opened them, except to write our names on the inside cover.

This does not make any sense to me, especially since how powerful the Bible is. It has really opened my eyes and helped me better understand my faith. My friends that are Baptist, Protestant, etc. know the Bible very well, and they can recite verses as quickly as they can prayers.

I think the teachers should stress reading the Bible and actually understanding why we do things and where we got them from, instead of reviewing what to do at confirmation everyday.

ExGratia · #2 May 30, '12, 2:24 pm

Hmmm...I'm a Sunday school teacher and we read plenty from the Bible! Each chapter has at least one Bible quote at the beginning, and then references through out. My teacher book has specific passages to read to the children for each lesson. I teach middle-primary grades.

Perhaps your teachers didn't utilize the recommended lesson plan. I don't know your age, but if you are not in your early 40s or younger, I assure you that texts are different (some would say for better, others decidedly not) than they were pre-1970s.

Remember, though, that we have scripture and tradition. So a lesson plan needs to balance both and cannot be Bible-only!

After re-reading your post, I assume you are around confirmation age. If this is the case:
Since your teachers don't seem to be giving you what you thirst for, you'll have to do some Bible study and catechism study on your own! You can do it! After all, once Confirmed, you are an adult in the Church! God Bless you on your faith journey!

Hummleberry · #3 May 30, '12, 2:27 pm

I'm completely with you. Although I didn't go to a Sunday school, we did learn a lot in our Catholic school. We were taught about the sacraments, the ten commandments and the saints. The only time when the bible was introduced was during some season like Advent or Easter.

I didn't really think about it until you mentioned it but I do know that I have learnt a lot by attending various retreats where we read and study the bible. I guess that if you really have the desire to learn more about the bible and scripture readings you have to pursue it. In saying that, it would be extremely difficult for a young child. Hopefully parents can read bible stories to children and get them to know more about it.

I know I didn't really answer your question but I just wanted to share my experience.
God Bless x

Deo Gratias42 · #4 May 30, '12, 2:30 pm

We do teach from the Bible. We're the ones that created it. The problem is those who should be teaching this stuff, and we as Catholics, should be reading our Bibles. That being said, the Catholic Church isn't based on scripture alone, as Protestant forms of Christianity are.

ExGratia · #5 May 30, '12, 2:31 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deo Gratias42

We do teach from the Bible. We're the ones that created it. The problem is those who should be teaching this stuff, and we as Catholics, should be reading our Bibles. That being said, the Catholic Church isn't based on scripture alone, as Protestant forms of Christianity are.

And the Protestants are using an abridged version!

Corki · #6 May 30, '12, 2:33 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiddle

It was just pointed out to me, by a Baptist, that all we (Catholics) do is read the same Bible stories at church, so we never really learn anything new. Naturally I jumped to defend the Church, but after I thought about it, it's kind of true.

I

New? In a three year cycle, the readings at Mass cover virtually the WHOLE Bible, including books the Protestants don't even have. The only way to add something :"new" to the readings at Mass would be to go outside the Bible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExGratia

Hmmm...I'm a Sunday school teacher and we read plenty from the Bible! Each chapter has at least one Bible quote at the beginning, and then references through out. My teacher book has specific passages to read to the children for each lesson. I teach middle-primary grades.

Ditto. I have taught just about every grade from PK to high school at CCE and my kids have been in three different Catholic schools. Betwen all of those, I have used at least 6 different series of books. They ALL use Scripture in every Chapter. They are taught to use the Bible independently to look things up and for spritual reading.

St Francis · #7 May 30, '12, 3:03 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiddle

Before you jump at my throat, I know that this is where we get our dogmas, rules, etc.

We do not get our dogmas and rules from the Bible.

Catholic teaching is based on three foundations: Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterial teaching. Any teaching of the Church must align with and not contradict any of the three foundations.

SonCatcher · #8 May 30, '12, 3:06 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiddle

Before you jump at my throat, I know that this is where we get our dogmas, rules, etc. My question pertains more to Sunday school.

It was just pointed out to me, by a Baptist, that all we (Catholics) do is read the same Bible stories at church, so we never really learn anything new. Naturally I jumped to defend the Church, but after I thought about it, it's kind of true.

In Sunday school, not once did we ever look at or read from the Bible. We were taught how church and the sacraments work and how to complete them, not why we even do them in the first place. In eighth grade, about 3 weeks before my confirmation, I was given a Bible. That was great, except for the fact that we never opened them, except to write our names on the inside cover.

This does not make any sense to me, especially since how powerful the Bible is. It has really opened my eyes and helped me better understand my faith. My friends that are Baptist, Protestant, etc. know the Bible very well, and they can recite verses as quickly as they can prayers.

I think the teachers should stress reading the Bible and actually understanding why we do things and where we got them from, instead of reviewing what to do at confirmation everyday.

It could be more an issue with the particular curriculum but could also be the catechist. I teach catechism and each lesson includes Bible passages. Even though they are printed in the lesson, I usually read them directly from the Bible.

As others have correctly pointed out, the Catholic Church does use more scripture in the Mass than Evangelicals do (many Mainline Protestants have adopted the Catholic readings for their own use because it is so thorough). I was surprised how many times the Mass readings matched with the week's catechism lesson.

anjoh66 · #9 May 30, '12, 3:15 pm

We ought to read the Bible more, that has been encouraged by the Holy Father in his apostolic exhortation, "Verbum Domini"

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/sto...ns/1004616.htm

Godfollower · #10 May 30, '12, 3:36 pm

The Catholic Church has always encouraged the study of Scripture, even before the New Testament was written and compiled. Once literacy became wide-spread, study of the Bible necessarily included reading it. I keep hearing people say "Not once have we ever opened the Bible," but I have yet to encounter a religious education class that met that description. Those of you who have never opened the Bible, by my experience you're in a small minority of strange catechism classes.

Assuming that Bible passages aren't in whatever materials you are using.

mskejj · #11 May 30, '12, 3:36 pm

I understand her point....the more we study scripture, the more we grow in our faith. Many of the teachings of the Church are found in the Bible and our young people (and old) need to know how and where to find the verses that support the Church's teaching. They also need to have the "whole picture" of salvation history in order to really understand the New Testament. Jeff Cavin's Great Adventure Bible Timeline is a MUST for all adults and important for all ages. We need to understand the Old Testament and how Christ relived the life of Israel and how the Church is to relive the life of Christ. The study of typology and how the early Jewish Christians read the Bible should be taught to all Catholics.

smiddle · #12 May 30, '12, 3:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExGratia

Hmmm...I'm a Sunday school teacher and we read plenty from the Bible! Each chapter has at least one Bible quote at the beginning, and then references through out. My teacher book has specific passages to read to the children for each lesson. I teach middle-primary grades.

Perhaps your teachers didn't utilize the recommended lesson plan. I don't know your age, but if you are not in your early 40s or younger, I assure you that texts are different (some would say for better, others decidedly not) than they were pre-1970s.

Remember, though, that we have scripture and tradition. So a lesson plan needs to balance both and cannot be Bible-only!

After re-reading your post, I assume you are around confirmation age. If this is the case:
Since your teachers don't seem to be giving you what you thirst for, you'll have to do some Bible study and catechism study on your own! You can do it! After all, once Confirmed, you are an adult in the Church! God Bless you on your faith journey!

Sorry, I can see where my post seemed like it could have been attacking teachers, so I apologize to any of you that felt offended!

We had those books (the white ones with glossy covers), but every teacher I've ever had just makes you skip around the book and then read one page or so to the class. Nobody really took anything out of it, and I found that the only time I really learned is when I took the books home and read them by myself.

I got Confirmation a few years ago, but my connection with the Bible really started in sixth grade. A late start, but I'm still glad I started in the first place!

cessnawag · #13 May 30, '12, 4:00 pm

Roughly 70% of the catholic mass is strait out of the bible. If you count scripture readings and psalm responses. That is usually more than a protestant mass. Most catholic prayer are either bible verses or in reference to a bible verse. The catholic church has been around for so long that they teach differently than protestant churches. Before widespread literacy the church would teach with pictures and statues (which is why catholic churches are known for there artwork ). The catholic church has always tought with the bible, just in a different way.

smiddle · #14 May 30, '12, 4:10 pm

Different

Quote:

Originally Posted by St Francis

We do not get our dogmas and rules from the Bible.

Catholic teaching is based on three foundations: Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterial teaching. Any teaching of the Church must align with and not contradict any of the three foundations.

I asked a deacon where our traditions came from and he told me that we pull a lot of it from different Bible verses, like our baptism of children to cleanse them of original sin, our statues, confession to a priest, etc.

**1ke** · #15 May 30, '12, 4:18 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiddle

Before you jump at my throat, I know that this is where we get our dogmas, rules, etc. My question pertains more to Sunday school.

It was just pointed out to me, by a Baptist, that all we (Catholics) do is read the same Bible stories at church, so we never really learn anything new. Naturally I jumped to defend the Church, but after I thought about it, it's kind of true.

In Sunday school, not once did we ever look at or read from the Bible. We were taught how church and the sacraments work and how to complete them, not why we even do them in the first place. In eighth grade, about 3 weeks before my confirmation, I was given a Bible. That was great, except for the fact that we never opened them, except to write our names on the inside cover.

This does not make any sense to me, especially since how powerful the Bible is. It has really opened my eyes and helped me better understand my faith. My friends that are Baptist, Protestant, etc. know the Bible very well, and they can recite verses as quickly as they can prayers.

I think the teachers should stress reading the Bible and actually understanding why we do things and where we got them from, instead of reviewing what to do at confirmation everyday.

Please consider the following:

a) Your experience is in one parish program. The Church has billions of people, in thousands and thousands of parishes, in almost every country in the world. Can you really make such sweeping statements with such limited exposure to Catholic education?

b) Catholic teaching is that PARENTS are the primary educators of their children in the faith. They have an obligation to teach the faith to their children and create a Catholic household in which they train up their children in Catholic living. Whatever religious education you get from Catholic schools or parish programs is a supplement to that only, not a replacement for it. Your parents should have been reading the bible to you from a young age, studying it themselves, and making it central in your home. Where is your family bible? How often do you read it as a family? Pray as a family? How often do your parents discuss and explain the faith to you, for example reading the Mass readings ahead of time and discussing them? If the answer to these questions are something along the lines of you not having a family bible and not praying/studying as a family... I think you should conisder that you have misdirected your criticism towards the Church when it really should lie elsewhere.