Dear Padre,
WHICH BIBLE STORIES ARE TRUE?
It seems to me that Church teaching on biblical fundamentalism isn’t consistent. For example, the Church doesn’t teach that the world was created in seven days, but it does teach that the Last Supper happened exactly as written. How does the Church decide what in the Bible really happened and what is just a story?
Aidan
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Dear Aidan
The Catholic Church doesn’t divide the Bible into what “really happened” and what is “just a story.” We believe everything in the Bible is the inspired Word of God and, as such, is all true. The Bible isn’t only one book. It’s a collection of books written by different people in different times and with different purposes. Parts should be read like poetry, others like history, and others like the law. We don’t read, “Your teeth are
like a flock of ewes to be shorn” (Song of Songs 4:2) the same way we read, “Be careful to observe my commandments. I am the LORD”(Leviticus 22:31).
A Catholic study Bible will help you understand
how the Church interprets the Bible. If your parish doesn’t have a Bible-study group, ask your pastor for one. Studying the Bible by yourself is a great thing, but you can learn even more through guided group discussion.
So no part of Scripture is “just a story.” It’s all the inspired Word of God, who reveals himself throughout the Bible in a variety of ways.
PATRICK KEYES, CSSR
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i'd say, in a similiar fashion. the events stated in the Bible are inspirations of the Holy Spirit. it aint a history book which records EVERYTHING that happened in B.C & A.D. hence....to answer a friend's question of the Dinosaurs. im not a teacher, what i say may not be accurate.
but to have Faith, i'd say that Dinosaurs may have existed. just that it wasnt written in the bible. like the Fallen Angel Lucifer? he was banished. i'd like to believe that when God banished him from Heaven, God was angry & burnt Earth. then he rebuilt it again in 7 days.
until you can find a better explaination, i'd just stick to this :)
i imagined this story when i was young :)
kept my faith strong still, no doubts. :)
cheers, & peace be with you.