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Benjamin John's avatar

A little correction: the Church does not teach that the Bible is only infallible on matters “necessary for salvation,” but rather in everything that the sacred author asserts, including historical details. In fact, that category of beliefs “necessary for salvation” is question begging. Is belief in the virgin birth necessary for salvation, for example? One would probably say yes, but why? Is that not just an “historical detail”? While it’s true that the Bible isn’t a scientific textbook, it is a book about history. A science textbook would say that a virgin can’t give birth, and yet God says that a real virgin in real history did, in fact, give birth. This is something we must believe because God revealed it, just as He reveals everything else that a sacred author asserts as the truth.

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Kelly Garrison's avatar

I’m a Catholic and love Catholicism. The only other faith that has really ever tempted me is Orthodoxy, but (among other issues) I don’t like that the Orthodoc Church has no clear position on matters like contraception and IVF. I’ve also seen Orthodox believers defend legalized abortion and gender ideology, which is difficult for the Church to combat because (in my view) it lacks centralized authority and traditional mechanisms for establishing dogma.

Also, I have always wondered - how do literalist types reconcile their emphasis on inerrancy with John 6? There have to be some mental gymnastics going on there.

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