The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-01-11
Questions and Answers for Non-C Catholics

How should one answer non-Catho-
lie on the following questions:
What is the Catholic rule of faith, ana
why do not the Catholics make the
Bible their rule of faith. as the Prot
estants claim to do?
The Catholic, rule of faith is Gods
word. whatever God has spoken, what
Gods Church teaches to be the revela=
ton of God. the teaching of Christ to
( His Apostles, and of the Apostles to
those to whom they preached. Divine
revelation is not all in the Bible. The
I Bible itself testifies that many other
things also did Christ that are not writ
| ten in this book" The revelation of
! God is just as valuable outside the BIZ
bic as in it. So, while the ProteStants
claim. the Bible as their rule of faith,
the Catholics say it is not the complete
rule. it is only a part of revelation. The
| Catholics claim all that the Protestants
do, and more. And. besides the Cath
Folics claim that Christ has left a teach
er in His Church TO teach and to ex-
plain His word. So, the Catholic rule
of faith is the word of God, Bible and
Tradition, interpreted by the infallible
Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Why is the Catholic Church not prog
ressive?
The Catholic Church is progressive.
She does not build railroads or develop
oil wells. Her adherents can and do
engage in all material works, as do the
adherents of other religions, or of no
religion. Her children build magniH-
cent edifices for divine worship. But
the Church's work is a spiritual work,
the salvation of souls. This work never
rio h1rt
Church suits herself to the conditions
of time and place, so far as she can do
so. She can adapt her discipline to cir
cumstanceS, but she cannot change the /
faith, She is not the creator of doc |
trineS; she is but the guardian of re /
Yealed truth and its interpreter and /
teacher. Heaven and earth shall pass
away said Christ. but My word shall (
not pass away" If to be unchanging /
in truth is to be unprogressive. the I
Church must plead guilty. But in no I
other sense can she be. called unprog-
ressive. She has always been a friend |
and promoter of learning, of the arts,
literature and science. She has been
indeed their savior at certain epochs
Some call her unprogressive because
she does not accept every new theory
OF every unfiedged scientist, because
she demands not mere unproven theo-
ries, but conclusions guaranteed by
facts. But this regard for truth is no
hindrance, but really a help to science,
tc honest scientific methods. Isn't the
Church IN the United States progress
sive? Some non-Catholics make that
her crime.
Are not all denominations branches of
the true Church of Christ? AS there are
many roads leading to a city, are there
not many roads leading to heaven?
The moment branch is cut from a
trunk, it receives no life. II becomes
4 dead branch, and it is fit only for the
Said Christ: II am the vine,
you the branches. -. If any one
lbide not in Me, he shall be cast forth
is a branch, and shall wither, and they
shall gather him up and cast him into
he fire and be burneth. ohm XIV, ..
The denominations separated from
he Church, beginning about 400 years
Lgo. Separated. they are not branches
# the Church. Our Divine Lord has {
,retty plain language regarding many
oads. He says: How narrow is the a
-ate and straight is the way that lead Y
tn to life. And few there are that find O
t MAT, vii, A. Unity Is very dear r
o Him. "He would have but one fold Y
nd one shepherd" THAT they all may b
e one, as Thou, Father, in Me, and I n
r Thee: that they also may be one in %
1e"-Johm. xrin, 81 And st. Paul v
Yrote: "One Sod; one faith, one bap- a
sm." There is but one way TO heaven; L
here is a broad road to destruction. c
10 Il
Is there any authority in the Scrip Il
Ires for a man to think that he shall =
e saved if he firmly believes in his
redestination for the kingdom of
eaven? T
No. There are some texts that the =
nwise have in their perversity so in T
But many another text of Il
oily writ severely rebukes their pride
I understanding. The Old Testament fl
lis us that no man knows whether he Il
worthy of love or Of hate. st. Paul, y
lGugh not conscious to himself of any II
ling, was not thereby justified. For ffe
1ly the Lord justifies. And He warns d
i'm who stands to take care lest he
Ill. He chastises his own body. lest ''l
hile preaching to others he may him y,
If become a castaway. And surely ~
:. Paul might well have believed him +.
IL destined for heaven. Yet he found
S surety only in fulfillment OF Gods of
ILL., Like ST. James, he knew that
Is the body without the soul is dead, ID
also faith without works is dead" 9,
nd our Lord has saiG: Not every %
lie that saith, Lord, Lord Shall enter
e kingdom of heaven. but he