In article , lsenders{at}hotmail.com says...
>
>Chris Smith wrote:
>
>>
>> 2. Catholics aren't encouraged to read scripture.
>>
>> You're just mistaken about this one.  Catholics are certainly
>encouraged
>> to read scripture on a regular basis.
>>
>Historically, the RCC has not been kind in its sharing of the
>scriptures with laity.  It's organized bible burnings have been
>recorded and often time noted.

You of certainly often 'noted' them. But you always failed to note what was most
important: they did not burn _bibles_, they burned unacceptably bad
_translations_ of them.

But this is not the same at all.

>I think the major mistake in this accussion is that it fails to
>distinquish American RCism from that practiced in the rest of the
>world, esp in 3rd world or Latin American countries.  All one has to do
>is research a bit and it is quite appauling how the RCC has handled the
>scriptures.

You are not the only one in the NT to have researched it, Loren. Others have
too. And they did NOT come to the same conclusion you did.

The conclusion I reached, for example, is that yes, they _did_ encourage Bible
reading, but only in the Vulgate and Old Latin translations. And they were
sincere in encouraging this, but were hamstrung by their own refusal to
recognize just how extensive the loss of Roman culture was after the Fall of the
Empire. They simply refused to admit how incomprehensible Latin was to the
masses!

It was NOT a deliberate attempt to keep the masses in the dark. It was myopia.
We are no less threatened by myopia today, it is just that we do not _see_ our
own myopias.


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