In what sense is it true, as you stated in another answer,
that Catholics are the only true authentic "Bible Christians"?
Only Catholics have a God appointed guide to the correct interpretation of Sacred Scripture. Only Catholics possess the fullness of God's revelation in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. It was from the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church alone that the correct number and contents and names of the books in the Bible were given. It is only the Magisterium (the teaching authority) of the Catholic Church which determined which books were in the Bible, which are divinely inspired, what is the meaning of biblical inerrancy, etc. The Catholic Church alone preserved the Bible down through the centuries and she alone teaches the fullness and completeness of divine revelation, as contained in the deposit of faith, given to her by Jesus Who founded her and promised to remain in her until the end of time. Jesus told His disciples to preach the Gospel… He never said to give out Bibles, which in any case would not have done too much good, since most human beings then (and even on earth today) could not read. It was only after four centuries of the Catholic Church's existence that a definitive decision was made by the Catholic Bishops about which books belong in the Bible and which do not. Protestants and others who claim to be "Bible Christians" are hopelessly and totally divided among themselves about the meaning and interpretation of the Bible. Thus they are divided into numerous quarreling and contradicting sect, churches, denominations, cults and the like, all claiming to be based on the Bible. It is not the sole rule of faith and the Bible itself tells us the Church is founded by Jesus Christ is necessary (Matthew 18:17 and Timothy 3:15).
Reprinted from June 6, 1997
A Bible-Christian I know had a cross with an image of Jesus
on it, but insisted on wearing it backwards because he did not like to see
Jesus on the cross. Is there a response to this?
First of all, the only authentic "Bible Christians" are Catholics, but I presume you are referring to a Protestant or non-Catholic here. From the most ancient times crosses were used by Christians in two ways: showing the corpus of Jesus with the signs of his passion and death; or without the corpus to remind Christians that now the cross is bare and Jesus has risen from the dead. Without more information about the motivation of your friend, it is difficult to make a further response to your inquiry. Sometimes some Protestants who make a fuss about having a cross with a corpus depicted on it, because of the Resurrection, inconsistently have no qualms about depicting Jesus as an infant in a Christmas crib scene.
Reprinted from March 14, 1997
How did the Presbyterian Religion originate?
The Presbyterian Religion is the invention of a fallen-away Catholic priest from Scotland named John Knox. About the year 1555 he abandoned his Catholic faith and adopted the views of John Calvin, a lawyer from Geneva, Switzerland. In 1560 he persuaded the Scott Parliament to declare his religion as the official state religion of Scotland, with persecution and official killing of Catholics following as a consequence. From Scotland this form of Protestantism was forced on parts of Northern Ireland and later came with settlers and colonists to North America. Presbyterianism now is divided into various sects and denominations.
Reprinted from March 21, 1997
How
should we reply to the non-Catholics who ask us, "Are you saved?"
Christ died on the cross to save the human race and he is rightly called our Savior. Subjectively, however, we are not absolutely certain about the application of Christ's salvation to our individual souls nor about our personal perseverance in His grace. This is why the Bible tells us that we must "work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We must constantly pray for the gift of final perseverance in sanctifying grace. While we must fill up our saving faith with trust in the merits of Jesus and with charity, the notion of some Protestants that an emotional experience of personal salvation after making "Jesus our personal savior" signifies something authentic and salvific in religion is not true.
Reprinted from March 21, 1997
Is it permissible for Catholics to listen to or watch radio
and television broadcasts by non-Catholic personalities like Billy Graham?
It is never permitted for Catholics to place their Catholic faith, which is their most precious possession, in jeopardy. Sometimes non-Catholic religious broadcasts can be uplifting to view or hear, but at other times they may contain doctrines and other materials contrary to Christian truth and these could be harmful, especially to the young and to those with a weak or uneducated understanding of their Catholic faith. Reverend Billy Graham is a distinguished Baptist minister who calls himself an evangelist. Much of what he says is morally sound and can even be inspiring. He seems to have a sense of the supernatural, of the divine inspiration of the Bible, and of the value and importance of prayer. However, his ecclesiology is seriously erroneous, his views of salvation and how it is attained are incorrect, and his interpretations of the Bible are often distorted and inaccurate. Much of the hype surrounding his "crusaded" is artificial and heavily contrived. I would recommend that Catholics watch and listen to Catholic broadcasting, such as that of EWTN and Mother Angelica.
Reprinted from March 21, 1997