Sola Scriptura is unbiiblical, unhistorical, illogical and unworkable.
§1 It is unbiblical.
If it were true that all matters of Faith, morals and practice derive from the Bible alone, then (obviously) this proposition would be found in the Bible itself. Yet there is not one single verse that states this. None of the ‘proof texts’ presented by Sola Scriptura advocates actually say what they want them to say.
See e.g.
By contrast, the Catholic Church maintains that the Catholic Church is supported by the Bible, but it is not *based* on the Bible.
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§2 It is unhistorical.
There is not one single text or citation stating that the Early Christians lived by Sola Scriptura. Instead, all of the historical evidence shows that they lived in tight-knit communities under the direction of the local bishop or presbyter (they were not clearly distinguished at first) and were all in communion with each other. Obstinate dissenters were expelled. Certain communities were known to have been founded by a named apostle, and the authority of the Church leaders derived from that.
Sola Scriptura also denies the existence in the Early Church of the practice of the Discplina Arcáni – yet this is an incontestible historical reality.
See e.g.
By contrast, the origins and development of the Catholic Church as the true foundation from Christ, is fully supported by the historical record.
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§3 It is illogical.
No testimony can ever rely on self-reference. Even if the Bible had claimed that it was the complete and final word of God – anybody could say that, and others actually have. The same thing is written in the Koran and the Book of Mormon. Christ Himself said ’No man can witness on his own behalf’.
No country with a written Constitution fails to have a Supreme Court to interpret, and to rule upon, the Constitution, no matter how carefully it is worded.
By contrast, the Catholic Church maintains a Living Voice that speaks with the authority of Christ Himself, passed down through the Centuries.
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§4 It is unworkable.
Martin Luther discovered, a mere ten years after he began to promote the principle of ‘Sola Scriptúra’, that instead of unifying Christians, it was already leading to bitter divisions and controversies that have persisted down to this very day.
Refusing to acknowledge the rightful place of the Divinely-inspired Church, a host of rival denominations have sprung up.
By contrast, the Catholic Church remains the only religion on the face of the Earth that has an actual working mechanism for correcting mistakes and errors.
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No alert Catholic will deny that the Catholic Church in our own lifetime has been passing through a grave and manifold crisis; but the mechanisms to remedy this are already in place, waiting to be invoked.