Hi Kevin,

Shea stated:
Read the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts records the true Catholic Church, and its practices and beliefs. The Book of Acts is the true, Apostolic record, followed by the writings of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle John. You can claim that the Roman Catholic Church is the one true church and the original church, but your claim does not match the Scriptures.

Shea's argument assumes that in order to be a true Christian, the only resource of Truth one has is the Bible and ones private interpretation of that Bible, but the books that make up the Bible were not known until 382 A.D. at the Council of Rome.

• What happened to all those Christians who died from 33 A.D. to 382 A.D. who didn't have a Bible?

According to Shea's argument they were not saved because they didn't have a Bible!

2 Timothy 3:15 tells us all Scripture is inspired and useful for teaching and correction — something all Catholics believe — but it does not say only Scripture is useful for teaching and correction.

Shea stated:
Catholics claims that the Early Church Fathers were Catholics.

In some senses, yes, this is true. Most of the early church fathers believed in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and infant baptism.

Then why doesn't Shea believe what the very first Christian's believed!!

Shea stated:
However, the Catholic beliefs in:

• the supremacy of Rome
• the worship of Mary
• prayer to saints
• the papacy
• Purgatory
• indulgences
• etc., etc.

are not found in the Early Church Fathers.

Shea stated:
Even if these doctrines could be found in the earliest of Church Fathers (which is not the case), that would not change the fact that Scripture does not support these concepts.

These doctrines can be found in the earliest of Church Fathers. Also, Shea is using a man-made doctrine as her rule of faith.

No where in the Bible does it say the Bible is the sole rule of Faith.

Shea is preaching an unBiblical teaching to you: that the Bible is the sole rule of faith.

Where she is correct is where she stated that these doctrines developed over the centuries.
In the same way an acorn develops into an oak tree, the Church develops, and does not mutate or change Jesus' Teachings, into what it is today.

One argument you are going to get is:

Hey, you nutty Catholics invented Transubstantiation in 1215.

• Why are you inventing new doctrines?

Our reply:
Just because the Church formally defined a Church term in 1215, doesn't mean the concept was never believed in before that time. Many times the Church will define a term to clarify for the faithful what they mean by a specific teaching.

Shea stated:
It has been said, to study church history is to cease being Protestant. That may be true. However, to study the Bible is to cease being Catholic.

I am sorry Kevin, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard any christian faith-sharer say. The Bible historically was written:

• by Catholics and their Old Testament ancestors
• for Catholics
• for use in the Catholic worship, the Holy Mass.
  (This is when we renew our covenant with the Lord each week.)

Shea stated:
In regards to the claim the Catholic Church gave us the Bible:

• If that is so, why doesn't the Bible support Catholic doctrines and practices?

It does in many places, Shea just doesn't wish to see it. In those places it doesn't, we receive these Divine Teachings through Oral Tradition which the Scriptures also support:

Matthew 23:1-3

Chair of Moses; observe whatever they tell you.
(Moses’ chair was a prefigurement of the chair of St. Peter.)

Mark 13:31

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words won't.

Mark 16:15

Go to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

Luke 10:16

"Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me."

John 21:25

Not everything Jesus said was recorded in Scripture.

Acts 20:35

Sayings of Jesus were not recorded in the Gospels.

Romans 10:17

Faith comes from what is heard.

1 Corinthians 11:2

Commends them for following Apostolic tradition.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Being saved if you hold fast to the word I preached.

2 Thessalonians 2:15

Hold fast to traditions, whether they are oral or by letter.

2 Timothy 1:13

Follow my sound words; guard the truth.

2 Timothy 2:2

What you heard entrust to faithful men who will also teach other faithful men . . .
[from generation to generation to today.]

1 Peter 1:25

God's eternal word equals the word preached to you.

2 Peter 1:20

No prophecy is a matter of private interpretation.

2 Peter 3:15-16

Paul's letters can be difficult to grasp and interpret.

St. Athanasius (360 A.D.)

Let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the Apostles, and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded; and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer ought to be called a Christian. (Four Letters to Serapion of Thmius 1, 28)

Origen (230 A.D.)

"The teaching of the Church has indeed been handed down through an order of succession, from the Apostles, and remains in the Churches even to the present time. That alone is to be believed as truth which is in no way in variance with ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition." (Fundamental Doctrines 1, preface, 2.)

Interested in what other Christians in the Early Church thought, taught, and died for?

Check out what they said on these two topics: The Church as the Expounder of the Scriptures and On Sacred or Apostolic Tradition.

Shea would have an argument if the Bible came before the Church, but historically, that didn't happen. The Church was established on St. Peter by Jesus and She started Her world-wide mission to preach the Gospel and baptize the nations on Pentecost. (Matthew 28)

The canon or list of the inspired books that make up her Bible were decided by Catholic bishops guided by the Holy Spirit but came much later in 382 A.D. Whenever a Protestant opens their Bible, they are implicitly saying:

I trust the decision that Roman Catholic bishops made guided by the Holy Spirit in choosing which books make up my Protestant New Testament.

Shea stated:

• Why would the Catholic Church give us a Bible that supports few, if any, of its primary beliefs?

The Bible is mainly a liturgical book; one that was intended to be used when celebrating the Mass. It was compiled for the Catholic faithful but in 1517 Martin Luther took Catholic Bibles and
re-wrote them to say what he wanted them to say and started his own religion based on a ridiculous theology of Sola Scriptura.

• How is it ridiculous?

When you get up in the morning, do you get a pen and note pad and write down:

Good morning, my beautiful wife, how was you night?

Then she grabs her pen and note pad and writes down:

Ahh, it was terrible. The neighbor's dog was barking all night and I couldn't get to sleep.

Then you write down:

Don't worry, I'll talk to the neighbor.

• Is this the way any human family lives?

This demonstrates how ridiculous the theology of Sola Scriptura is.

Shea stated:
If Catholics gave us the Bible, they gave us a Bible that does a very poor job of expressing their beliefs.

The Bible was never intended to be a Catechism of the Catholic Church written in 382 A.D. nor was it ever intended to be a recipe book of catechesis for teaching people — picking and choosing ones favorite teachings and parables, while avoiding others.

Shea stated:
Further, it was God, not the Catholic Church, that gave us the Bible.

• How did God give us the Bible?

1. He sent His Son, Jesus, and established His Church on St. Peter and his successors:
   the Catholic Church (Read Matthew 16:13-20)
2. That Church, which He bound Himself to:
   • chose Apostles from faithful men, who
   • guided by the Holy Spirit chose which books were God-breathed.

Shea is forgetting something many Protestants forget:

God-Incarnate, Jesus, Our Blessed Lord, chose to have, His own humanity,
His Human race, help in the redemption of mankind.

Shea stated:
God inspired the Apostles to record the Apostolic teachings of the Church. Even if it is agreed upon that the Catholic Church decided which books were canonized in the Bible — that does not change the fact that the Bible is God's Word, not the Catholic Church's Word.

God's Word is the Catholic Church's Word to all mankind coming down to us by Oral Tradition as well as the Written Tradition we have received from the Scriptures.

It is each mans choice to hear and act on [God's|the Church's] Word, or not. One thing for sure, at the end of time, we will be judged by Jesus Our Lord Himself and based on our knowledge and our reaction to that knowledge, we will be either in Heaven or Hell.

Shea stated:
It would also not change the fact that the Bible records the true Apostolic teachings ... many of which directly contradict Roman Catholic doctrine.

• What Apostolic teachings contradict Roman Catholic doctrine?
• Where are her examples?

Some people just wish to hate and disagree. We have to discern Kevin, when faith-sharing is fruitful and when it is a waste of time.

Check out my commentary on this issue:

• On the "christian" Non-believer

If anyone is interested in a great article by James Akin check it out, I title it:

If everyone is calling themselves Catholic, Who is Catholic?

• Catholic by James Akin (you may have to scroll down to read it.)

Hope this helps,

Mike