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Page 21c: Revised 10/19/1999

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Dilemmas On this page: | Unanimous Consent Dilemma | Forbidden Books Dilemma |

Catholic Dilemma: Unanimous Consent?

FACT 1: Rome claims that she does not interpret scripture other than that which has the 'unanimous consent of the Fathers.' This is a reference to the church leaders during the first few centuries after the time of Christ. The expression, 'unanimous consent' means, in plain English, that all early Fathers of the church, without exception, agree fully on a particular topic, or interpretation of Scripture.

Evidence: "Furthermore, in order to restrain petulant spirits, it (the Council of Trent) decrees that no one, relying on his own skill, shall, in matters of faith and of morals. . . . presume to interpret the said sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which holy Mother church, to whom it belongs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, hath held and doth hold; or even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers. . ." (Dogmatic Cannons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, TAN Books and Publishers, Page 11).

FACT 2: Many of Rome's dogmas, doctrines and practices are based upon her interpretation of Scripture(s), including penance, the eucharist, purgatory, and so forth. Thus we have the right to expect to find the Fathers' in 'unanimous consent' regarding Rome's Scriptural interpretations that underpin and support such things.

FACT 3: Rome teaches and practices auricular confession.

FACT 4: The practice of auricular confession can be traced to Rome's interpretation of the Scriptures.

FACT 5: Father of the Church St. Augustine specifically refutes the practice of auricular confession; he says it should never be practiced. Click here to read his statements on confession.

FACT 5: Father of the Church St. Jerome explicitly says we must never practice auricular confession. Click here to read his statements on confession.

FACT 6: Father of the Church St. John Chrysostom says that we must make our confession directly to God, never to a person, for any reason whatever. Click here to read his statements on confession.

The Dilemma

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Some Catholic Responses to this Dilemma

Adrian C. informed me that 'unanimous consent' does not really mean 'unanimous consent' at all. He tells me I am guilty of misunderstanding the statement. What's to misunderstand? Look up the two terms for yourself and decide what the expression means! If Rome means to say something other than 'unanimous consent,' why does she not just say so?! But no, Rome insists on the terms, so we must abide by them. I am not inventing something here, or adding my own definitions either. Grab a dictionary and see for yourself what the expression means. Enough said.

Ed. S., The other respondent rolled-out nine (9) pages of rebuttal, including a number of quotes from 'the Fathers' that counter the quotes that I have used here. Little did he realize that he was only confirming my own observation that the 'unanimous consent of the Fathers' is a non-entity. . . it does not exist when it comes to a number of key Roman Catholic dogmas and doctrines! I do owe Ed a word of thanks, however. He made me aware that I had skipped a step in my argument. I had jumped from the 'unanimous consent' statement of the Council of Trent directly to the practice of auricular confession. . . bypassing the important step that the practice of auricular confession is traceable to Rome's interpretation of Scripture. While this has negligible impact on the argument itself, it did leave open a door for disagreement that has now been closed. Thank you, Ed. S.

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Forbidden Books Dilemma

FACT 2: Anyone who dared buy or read any book on this 'index' was excommunicated, was guilty of mortal sin, and therefore condemned to hell.

FACT 3: Your mom, dad, uncle, and maybe even your nana and grandpa are now roasting in hell because they had the nerve to read some books on Rome's Index of forbidden books.

FACT 4: On June 14, 1996, the Roman Catholic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, directed that the Index and the penalties no longer applied. (Source: Roman Catholic Encyclopedia, Page 290).

FACT 5: You can now read, with impunity, the same books that sent your parents, relatives, and grandparents to hell (i.e., without being excommunicated or sent to hell for a mortal sin.)

FACT 6: The Roman Catholic Church continues to insist that 'natural law' forbids the reading of certain 'classes' of books, including any edition of the Bible published by non-Catholics, and any book dealing with Scripture or religion by non-Catholic writers. (Source: Roman Catholic Encyclopedia, Page 290).

FACT 7: According to the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia, you can still go to hell for reading, say, the King James version of the Bible, or for reading a Bible commentary written by a non-catholic, or any book that questions Roman Catholic dogmas and doctrines.

The Dilemma

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