Question:
A recently saved friend, coming out of Roman Catholicism, had the priest give him the book, “Catholic Answers to Fundamentalists’ Questions”. It states in one part that there is no such thing as a pure, pagan-free Judeo-Christian tradition. It says, “the author of Genesis 1, for example, borrowed heavily from Mesopotamian mythology for his creation account…It was the faith of the Ninevites that showed Jewish readers how to be faithful to God…Greek metaphysics encouraged Jewish hopes for an afterlife…Saint Paul’s writings borrowed from Stoic lists of virtues and vices…the faith of Gentiles, such as Cornelius in Acts 10, helped the apostles themselves to unstand that Jesus was not only for the Jews…it is obvious that pagan influences have enriched Judeo-Chrisitan religion and the Bible itself…among Chrisitan faiths, the Catholic Church stands out for its continuing openness to the wisdom of the nonchristian world…” Okay, I know there were pagan influences, but some of this stuff I never heard of before. Is there a good, non-emotional, factual book I can get (quickly) that deals with Catholic beliefs on Tradition, Papacy, Salvation, the Sacraments, Mary and the saints, Human origins and destiny, the Rapture (which they do not believe), etc. Help!
Answer:
CATHOLICS RECOGNIZE THE BIBLE UNDERMINES THEIR TRADITIONS AND SECULAR AUTHORITY. THEY DO NOT ACCEPT THE BIBLE AS WITHOUT ERROR, BUT CLAIM THE CHURCH IS INFALIBLE. Norman Geisler has a number of books on apologetics that would be very helpful. Check with you Christian book store or call me at my churh office at 813-884-4328