Growthtrac Community

[TIFF4175]

I have a question about the Catholic "bible". My mother's friend told her that the Catholic Bible is the real bible and that our bible does not have all the books that it should. I was raised Baptist and now attend a non-denominational church if that helps...I just thought all bibles were the same. Does anyone know anything about this? Am I reading and following the wrong bible? Did Christ have more that he wanted us to know and we are not living up to what he wanted because we do not know about these books? Who wrote them and why are they not in our bible? When were they added to the bible exactly? I often say that I detest religion but I am sold on Christianity...not my saying, just one I picked up somewhere and truly believe. I think that religion is too political and I just want to worship and love Christ and God and live my life the way He intended. I have never cared for the political fighting that goes on amongst the religions. I would like to know, however, if there are books missing that I have a right to know about. Ya know....

[webacus]

Hey Tiff!

First of all, don't worry. Your bible is okay.

My mother's friend told her that the Catholic Bible is the real bible and that our bible does not have all the books that it should.

The 'missing' books your mom's friend refers to are the Apocrypha.
The Catholic bible contains three additional Apocryphal Books.

Unger's Bible Dictionary gives three reasons for the exclusion of these writings from our (Protestant) bibles:

"They abound in historical and geographical inaccuracies and anachronisms."

"They teach doctrines which are false and foster practices which are at variance with inspired Scripture."

"They resort to literary types and display an artificiality of subject matter and styling out of keeping with inspired scripture. They lack the distinctive elements which give genuine scripture their divine character, such as prophetic power and poetic and religious feeling"

There is no record that Christ or any of the apostles ever quoted from the Apocryphal books or that they made any reference to them, although they undoubtedly knew of them.

Who wrote them and why are they not in our bible? When were they added to the bible exactly?

Why are they included in the Catholic bible?
In 1546, 53 bishops at the Council of Trent pronounced the Apocryphal books canonical and deserving "equal veneration" with the books of the bible. But over the years even within the Catholic church, the opinion regarding the canonicity of the Apocrypha has been divided.

The reason the Apocrypha is included in the Catholic bible might be because it supports the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. But the passage they refer to (IIMaccabees 12:40-45) really doesn't support the Catholic position at all.

The More Reading links below will tell you more.

I just thought all bibles were the same

Only the Catholic bible is different.

More Reading
Christian Research Institute
Roman Catholicism, the Bible, and Tradition
Is the Bible Alone Sufficient for Spiritual Truth?
Purgatory

Does that help?

[SAM]

It is great that you are asking questions. I believe Christianity to be an intelligent faith where the tough stuff can be questionned and reasoned out logically, historically and geographically.

I know in the church I grew up in, if you asked these questions you were shunned because you didn't have enough faith to just "believe" what was being taught.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It is important to respect your mother's friend, even though she may have her faith gounded in a different religion. The relationship is the most important part. But, your mom can go to this individual and ask her if she has ever read these additional books of the Catholic Bible herself. Her friend may very well not even know what they say and is taking the word of the church or a pastor. That is why you have to go back to 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

And, perhaps, they can read them together as friends to gain an understanding of the differences. Even the King James version of the bible (one of the oldest) does not contain these additional books. Of all the versions of the bible, I would want to know why these books are found just in the Catholic Bible. From those questions, it is important to find the historical and biblical answers. Perhaps, your Mom's friend is willing to read through some of the information Webacus provided. It's not a matter of proving her wrong (she may very well become defensive), it's a matter of opening her eyes to an understanding of the differences and why they exist. It is important for us to all have some understanding of different religions and their beliefs. It helps ground me in my faith and knowing the simplicty and truth of Christianity. The 10 Commandments are my guide from God. I have to honestly question man-made rules. I agree with you that religion can become complicated, messy and create terrible conflict among people. I

We all need to do our homework and not believe just for the sake of believing what someone has told us. We need to do the reading and investigating and be willing to ask questions.

Thanks for the info Webacus - Unger's Bible Dictionary is a great resource along with Christian Research Institute (CRI).