Does learning the Bible make one a real Christian?

The insight God gave me with this incident was connected to the accusation of Protestants against the Catholic Church that it does not allow its followers to learn the Bible. This incident put a big question in my mind; ‘Does the learning of the Bible make one a real Christian?’ It is true that the Catholic Church never insisted on or demanded its believers to learn the Bible earlier as done by Protestants. I found that non-Catholics are very loyal to learning the Bible.

Is learning the Bible only the prerequisite to being a good Christian? Another major question that came to my mind was who knows the Bible better? It might not be any human being but surely God. Again, another question arose in my mind; after God, who knows the Bible better? Will it be the Pope or any pastor or the one who has by-hearted the Bible words? The answer was ‘No’. The insight I got was that the one who knows the Bible better than God is ‘Satan’. Yes, Satan is well versed and knows all the words of God. If it is so, Satan should be the best Christian as he knows all the word of God! We know that it cannot be true. Thus, it is clear that learning and knowing the Bible does not make one a real or a good Christian.

Here lies the fundamental difference between Catholicism and Protestants. Protestants choose the Bible verses selectively to criticize the teaching of the Catholic Church as Satan did it while tempting Jesus Christ and did in tempting Adam and Eve. That is why criticisms raised against the Catholic Church by non-Catholics seem convincing and pleasing to people. They put them in such a way to show that many of the practices of the Catholic Church are against the Bible. On the other hand, the Catholic Church takes and considers the Bible in totality in its teaching.

Nowadays every Christian denomination encourages reading the Bible. Many Catholics also take interest in learning the Bible and by heart it. It is good and there is no harm in it. But the problem lies when one only learns the Bible and does not live it. Many Christians read the Bible and use passages from it to justify themselves and accuse others the same way other Christian denominations do it against the Catholic Church. But reading and learning the Bible should go along with practicing it by loving our fellow beings and forgiving people who have harmed us. Without practicing the teachings of Jesus reading and learning the Bible is useless.

This is what we see everywhere mostly among Protestants, the Bible is being interpreted piecemeal so that people are confused. It is the same that we see in the uprising of Protestantism in the medieval period and many other movements in Christianity even today. It is a fact that strangers have a great influence in taking away one on the right path as we see in the case of Adam and Eve. It is also true today. 

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Emergence Of Neo-Protestantism

One of the major challenges the Catholic Church faces today is the emergence of Neo-Protestantism. Neo-Protestant movements were always there in the Catholic Church and have taken many shapes and could succeed in taking many people away from the Church. Nowadays it is very strong and is poisoning the mind of believers. Due to its influence, many forsook faith and lost their trust in priests who should be the role models and symbols of the Catholic faith. There are many reasons for the emergence of neo-Protestantism and the major one is the indifferent attitude of the church leaders and their members to each other. The selfish life of Christians who live their life without giving any consideration to others even to people of their religion is the major reason. This attitude encourages one to despise his fellow beings and people in authority and to annihilate them at every level. This is being done with great enthusiasm and precision.

The aim and the purpose of many newly emerged laity groups are to criticize the church and its leadership, rather than helping it in its difficult times and supporting and nurturing it. For them, priests and bishops are soldiers of the enemy nation.  They envisage a community that would destroy the existence and power of the clergy and gives the whole control of the Church to laity groups. If this movement strengthens over some time, many independent church communities may be formed under individual leaders even within the Catholic Church.