The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-01-31
a FRIENDLY DISCUSSION.
An Interesting dialogue Between iIatho
lie and Protestant on Points Of
ReligiOn.


lie and Protestant on Points Of
Religion.
Good morning, Mr.. Thompson; fine
is it not? Are you Off for q
stroll?
am going to Mass, Mr.. Harris; will
you walk with me?
Ell. With the greatest pleasures only /
must request that you do not try to con-
vert me-. My ancestors were Professionals
ever since the time of Good Queen Bess,
and I rdean to live and die in their faitl1.
T. So, you are afraid Of NY succeeding
should [ attempt 1t; but it is my inten-
tion to ask you about your religion, and
not to speak of the doctrines OF my own.
Now, can you toll me, why are you
Protestant?
H. Why, because believe in civil and
religious liberty, of course, and in allow
ing every man to believe whatever he
thinks is right.
T. Then why don't you act up to your
principles, and accept what your private
Judgment tells you is the truth?
Ell. So do. I believe the Professionals
to be right and the Catholics wrong.
r. How have you found that out?
I'll. have always been taught that it
is so.
r. So you admit the authority of Ira
dition?
II. No, ! don't; T admit the authority
of nothing but the Bible.
T. Not even of private judgment?
H. OF course not; no man can be in
fal!ib]e in the exposition of truth end
error.
T.. Not even your ancestors?
Ell. [ don't SEQ what chat has to do
with the question My ancestors be-
]ieved what they thought was right. and
taught it to me.
Z. And you accepted and believed ii
without frst finding out whether your
Judgment told you it was right, thus ad~
uniting two things which you have just
.lsried, Tradition and InfallibiIity.
IL. But my judgment does tell me it
!: right.
r. never heard of Judge deciding
case eiter having heard only one side Of
the question; yet is not that just what
you have done?
Fl. | have read and studied the Bible
and that tells me, as far as / can see, all
that want to know.
II. Well how do you know that the
Bible is what you say it is?
A.. Because L have always been taught
SO.
r.. Yes, On the authority Of Tradition,
for the Bible itself nowhere says what tt
is or whence it comes.
Fl. There you are again with your
hothering Tradition. Does not the Bible
say "Search the Scriptures?'' and St.
Paul says, s'All Scripture is given by in"
SEPARATION OF Cod G. Tim. iii. 16).
r. Yes all those Scriptures which at
that time were written, namely, the Old
Testament; but does st. Paul anywhere
say that the Epistle he was writing to
Timothy, or indeed any of his Epistles,
were inspired?
III. No, but we may safely infer that
it they were not inspired they would not
be in the Bible.
T. Well, did the Apostles collect and
bind together all the Books as they now
stand in your version?
H. Certainly not.
T. Did the Bible, then, by a spscial act
of God, put itself together2
FL Of course not.
r. Well, then, If the Apostles did not
collect it all together, and the Bible did
not descend, ready bound and printed,
from Heaven, pray who arranged it in
it's present form?
HI. Why, men, suppose.
T. From whom you received, on Ira,
dition, the belief that it was the Word of
God; besides which, those men must
have been inspired and infaLlible, in
order to decide, among all the different
Epistles and manuscripts, what was
Bible and what was not. Now, you say
we may safely infer that alt the Books
were inspired, or they would not be in
the Bible; then why do you retain the
which you say is uninspired.
and therefore cannot be Scripture?
III. L cannot say; that is for wiser and
more learned mon than myself to decide.
r.. Then where is your private judg
ment. when you are obliged to receive
and believe what another man tells You,
the very foundation Of your
religion itself; for you profess to accept
the Bible and the Bible only, and you
say that upon that your religion is built?
H. Most certainly I do; the Bible is
the Word and the only Word OF God.
T. And every man has right to inter-
pref it as he thinks best?
FL. Certainly.
m Ulhn,, l,o~y NON r. Io fI,a Word NJ