The next time a “Sola Scriptura”-type Protestant asks you where some Catholic practice is in Scripture (statues, candles, incense, etc.)*, ask them where the following are in Scripture:
–Organized youth groups. Where does St. Paul ever say, “Organize youth groups so teenagers can flirt with each other and have sleep-overs and get away from their parents”?
–Church camps. Ditto above.
–Church-affiliated schools and universities. Ditto yet again.
–Formal church buildings. I don’t remember Our Lord ever building a physical church building. To our knowledge, the Apostles didn’t, either. They met in a dining room (the Cenacle).
–Pews at church. If you have an issue with statues, why not with pews, or stained glass, or steeples, or bells, or tacky banners?
–Asking people if they’re saved. Where in Scripture does a Christian ever walk up to someone and ask them point-blank, “Are you saved?”
–Pamphlets and cartoons. Think of Jack Chick tracts. Does the Book of Acts say, “On Pentecost, the Apostles published a bunch of cartoons for distribution by the faithful. And the laundromats of the world were filled with tracts, from Judea and Samaria even unto the ends of the earth.”
Turns out we all do lots of things that aren’t mentioned in Scripture. If you do any of the above, and you accuse Catholics of violating some supposed principle of Sola Scriptura, you are being a hypocrite. And Holy Scripture shows what awaits hypocrites on the Last Day.
*Incidentally, statues, incense, and candles (or at least lamps) *DO* appear in Holy Scripture.
Driftless Catholic 