Topic:  Biblical Interpretations

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: May 23, 2005

Moderator who originally posted this source: Kathy Martyn

Question: I have many questions about the Catholic Religion from my personal reading of the bible and the teachings I have been exposed to be Charasmatic Christian preachers and the readings I have done about Catholics. I would like to again ask a question that has been touched on by this website in regards to the creation of man. I believe the bible word for word.How can you seperate the bible story of creation and say it is just a story and that it really didn't happen like that, and then say that Jesus birth really happened the way it did? I see in scripture numerous references to sin resulting in death. Examples: Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.1 Corinthians 15:22 - For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.1 Corinthians 15:45 - And so it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Also there are numerous scripture refering to creation taking six days and God resting on the seventh. If you believe in evolution are you not allowing for death to have happened before sin? If that was the case then death did not occur because of Adam's sin as the scripture says ...for as in Adam. If death did not occur because of sin, then forgiveness would be not necessary, because death occurs regardless of sin. Please help me understand why you cannot read the bible story of creation as it is, and yet you can believe the story of Jesus as it is. Thank-you and God Bless

Answer: 

Hi and thank you for your questions! Catholic Chirstians do believe death is a result of sin, of Adam's sin. Because of this "original" sin all of us are sinners and all of us need forgiveness. I think we agree on those issues.

Hi and thank you for your question. I will tell you that as a rule Catholics do not take the Bible quite so literally as some other faith traditions. Yes, absolutely, we believe in the creation story. There are even two in the Bible. Do we believe all was created in EXACTLY six days (as we know what six days means)? Not necesarily. Why? It is just not important. The important point of the creation story is that God made everything and it was good.

We also have to bear in mind that one person did not write the Bible. There were many authors and redactors. It is believed that some books were witten as much as 800 years after the event. In many instances there are more than one account of the same story.

We Catholic Christians believe the Bible is the Word of God. The Scriptures are holy. We Catholics use the Bible as one of God's great gifts to the community of faith. But that is precisely the point: God entrusted the Bible and its use to the Church, so the Church is the primary arbiter of how to understand the Bible.

Jesus, when He was on earth, did not spend His time "writing;" rather, the Lord called persons into community with Him and with each other. Therefore, we Catholics have always assumed that the community of faith has priority.

That means, in this context, that the community of faith -- the Church -- has the right and responsibility to determine how best to interpret and understand the Scripture.

I sincerely hope this helps!