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Traditions which many other non-catholic churches practice or believe in:
Sunday as the Holy Day: Not found in the Bible. Catholic Tradition.
Wednesday night Church meetings: A tradition that is not found in the Bible!
Alter calls: A tradition that is not found in the Bible!
Sola Scriptura: A Protestant tradition not found in the Bible.
Faith Alone: A Protestant tradition that is not found in the Bible.
Dates of Christian Holidays: Dates are based on Catholic Church tradition. They are not found in the Bible!
Canon of the Bible: Tradition! No list of books is found in the Bible. The Bible was compiled under the tradition if the Catholic Church.
The Trinity: Not defined in the Bible. Defined by the Catholic Church as a Dogma of the Christian Faith.
The Creeds: Not found in the Bible. The Creeds where written down by the Early Church. Catholic Tradition!
Ash Wednesday: Not found in the Bible! A tradition which comes from the Catholic Church.
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The Gospels: The original manuscripts do not tell us who actually wrote the Gospels. The Catholic Church named the Gospels based on the traditions of the time.
Are Catholic Traditions Biblical?
?
Since non-catholics do not believe that the Catholic Church is infallible does that mean that the Bible may contain errors since it was the Catholic Church who compiled it?
The Catholic Church is often accused of going against scripture by creating traditions. Many non-catholics believe that traditions are bad things and that they are not Biblical. Common sense tells us that traditions in and of themselves are not all bad. A quick look around us will reveal that all churches retain some sort of tradition. The Bible clearly shows that not all traditions are condemned by God. In fact the Apostles first taught the Gospel through oral tradition since the Bible was not yet put together. The traditions of the Catholic Church are scriptural and do not go against the Bible. Lastly, it is very evident from scripture that the Apostles were not against following tradition since they often spoke of it. By holding and teaching these traditions the Catholic Church is actually adhering to what the Apostles taught and what the Bible clearly teaches
Some Bible verses on tradition:
"I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them
to you" (1 Cor. 11:2).
"So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by
letter." (2 Thess 2:15)
“Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God..” (1 Thess 4:1)
"You, then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:1-2)
Question: My Protestant friends say that their church goes by the Bible Alone, but that the Catholic Church has added a lot of man-made traditions to the Word of God...is that true?
Answer: No, it is not true. Protestants have as their sole rule of faith the written Word of God, which they claim to find in Sacred Scripture alone. The Catholic Church uses the entire Word of God, as it is found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Word of God was at one time passed on orally (Sacred Tradition) by the Church. Eventually, some of this oral teaching was written down and then compiled under the authority of the Catholic Church. Scripture itself tells us that not all of the things that Jesus said and did were written down.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith, contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing, and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful." (Part 1, Chapter 2, Article 2, Paragraph 84)
One Last Thing to Consider: Every church whether they will admit it or not has it's own traditions. Many of these traditions come from the Catholic Church.
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