Could God’s spirit, which inspired the Holy Bible, also be responsible for other books that some consider?
Could God’s spirit, which inspired the Holy Bible, also be responsible for other books that some consider to be holy? This question was raised by an Italian Jesuit journal (La Civiltà Cattolica), published “under the supervision of the [Vatican] Secretariat of State†and thus considered authoritative in Catholic circles. “God, by means of the action of Holy Spirit, scattered the seed of the Word even in some holy books of a non-Jewish and non-Christian tradition,†said the Jesuit journal. For the Jesuits, “holy†books, such as the Zoroastrian Avesta or the Confucian Four Books, were written “not without some particular influence of Holy Spirit, and therefore, in some measure they contain a ‘divine revelation.’†However, the article makes a clarification. “Not all that such holy books contain is the word of God,†it states, adding that those who wrote these books may have “suffered the influence of a polytheistic environment or the philosophical context†in which they lived and acted. According to Marco Politi, Vatican affairs correspondent for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, this stand “opens previously unthinkable possibilities in relations between the Catholic Church and the great historical religions,†returning to the spirit of various interconfessional prayer meetings like that in Assisi in 1986, vigorously promoted by John Paul II. What are your thoughts? Thank you
Religion & Spirituality - 8 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Yes. Look up Ellen G. White and be inspired. Take care.
2 :
I believe that satan mixes truth with error as a means to confuse us and thereby fool us. I accept that it's possible for the Holy Spirit to have influenced other books, but I doubt that He would participate in mixing truth with error....... but I could be wrong.
3 :
Every religion has their holy books inspired by god. The Vatican only accepts the bible as such a document and others are done by people under various other influences.
4 :
Bleh. Sounds like the Vatican trying to bring all other religions under the fold of the Christian god, by explaining their texts as inspired by god but simply "misguided" by "compromised" writers. I guess that is easier than explaining why a single god would allow thousands of differing religions. Or explaining why god wants the Vatican to enable the death of millions of African AIDS victims because of their crusade against condoms.
5 :
You are right in that every writing by a devout Christian has a degree of inspiration by the Holy Spirit that isn't present in other writings, e.g. the writings of Charles Wesley when compared to writings promoting Confucianism. There are several differences between the Bible and other religious writings, the most important being the Bible IS Holy because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but other religions writings are considered Holy because people think they are.
6 :
no there is only one truth and it is found in God the Bible. heaveb and eart will pass away but God word will be forever!
7 :
llTimothy 3:16 states that "all scripture is inspired of God..." the fact that the Holy Bible is God inspired is accepted. That being noted, we should also note that there is no reference to OTHER books being divinely inspired. Ours being the Omnipotent God that He is, it would only make sense that He would make some sort of reference to "other works" that He inspired IF He had ,in fact, done so.
8 :
Confucianism was a school of ethics and morality based on the teachings of its founder, Confucius. Through the centuries, Confucian concepts have wielded a strong hold on Chinese culture and way of thinking. Still, being a philosophy of life, Confucianism has neither helped the Chinese to learn about the Creator nor encouraged them to cultivate a close relationship with him. Although adopting its precepts as rules of conduct brings certain benefits, Confucianism does not fully satisfy one’s spiritual needs; nor has it brought lasting peace and happiness. Were Confucius writings inspired by the Holy Spirit if he never referred to Jehovah? The same question may be applied to all "Holy Books". If the teachings do not lead to Jehovah and His Kingdom, it cannot possible be inspired by Holy Spirit (John 17:3) This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. No, they were never inspired writings. Bear in mind that Catholics view the Pope as God's earthly Representative. He has the power to cancel, over write, add to or delete any part of the holy scriptures and Catholics must abide by these decisions.
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