Against many expectations...

[deckardcanine]

I'm about to declare something that I'm sure will disappoint more readers than it pleases:

I am converting from nondenominational Christianity...to Roman Catholicism. Complete with the doctrine of papal infallibility, including on politics.

I had talked with my family about the prospect months ago, and unsurprisingly, while they respect Christianity, they find full-fledged Catholicism hard to tolerate. It's certainly one of the least popular denominations of any religion among people I know personally or vicariously. But the social stigma has lately been my primary reason for staying nondenom, and I've finally admitted to myself that I can't morally justify keeping my faith secret.

My decision has come after a hostile religion course, an off-forum debate with a Mormon, certain philosophy course debates, many expressions of annoyance by LJ users, and even some discreet jabs within the local Christian community. So don't think I've listened to one side only.

Also -- don't any of my LJ friends fear that this entry signals a significant change in my entries from now on. I expect to stay as non-preachy as before.

Comments

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

The important points are anything that influences how we regard Jesus and his expectations of us. It matters little if a certain event is described as taking place at Sidon when it had to have been the other direction from Tyre, or if Luke chronologically rearranges the temptations by Satan. It matters a lot what we think Jesus said about the rich and poor, what happened to him when he got in trouble, etc.

To explain how I consider the Bible reliable would take quite a while, since full satisfaction requires me to address a lot of points. Here are some skeletal hints:

1. Many think the Gospels were not written by the attributed writers, but the volume of evidence (e.g., 5000+ ancient copies) exceeds what we have for other ancient texts, like Homer. Furthermore, while apocrypha such as the Gospel of Mary took advantage of pseudonyms, it is unlikely that anyone would choose the unpopular tax collector, a non-witness friend of Peter, or a physician of Paul to "authorize" the work. (John is a little more likely, but there's still evidence on his side.)

2. Many doubt the writers' memories, but in the relatively illiterate setting, memory mattered a lot and thus was exercised more. Rabbis, for instance, gained prestige from memorizing the Torah. Verbatim quotes were not as valued then, but if Jesus spoke as poetically as they say, it was all the easier for them. It's not a "telephone" situation, because these people weren't playing a game: they really cared about preserving info. And they had plenty of other witnesses to help them along. Actual legends do not develop as quickly as that.

3. If the writers were indeed as attributed, they would have no motive for lying. They wound up dying for their assertions.

4. The many copies give us enough corroboration to know copying mistakes where we see them. Also, word order didn't matter in ancient Greek.

Roman Catholicism did not match my pre-existing mores better than other faiths; in fact, it came in just about last place on selector quizzes I've taken. It called to me simply by consistency. Protestant and Orthodox churches, by virtue of their origins, implicitly assign a certain authority to the RCC, and they have all been known to reverse their doctrinal positions on things (e.g., the Anglican Church has started supporting euthanasia). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is another story: it started independently of the RCC and claims to date back to the founding days. Whether or not that's true, it has not existed perpetually and thus would appear to contradict the Bible quotes I gave before. LDS actually thinks its doctrinal flux a plus, that it signals a continuing communication with God. But why would God keep changing his mind?

I'm never all that comfortable defending my faith, because it's always at the expense of others. If you want more, I suggest Strobel's "The Case for Christ."