Catholics, how do you know whether a particular Catholic teaching is an infallible unchangeable doctrine or a fallible teaching?
Catholics, how do you determine whether a particular Catholic teaching is an infallible, unchangeable doctrine or a fallible teaching?
For example, limbo was consistently taught to the laity by saints like St. Augustine, and several popes issued statements about it since the Middle Ages. It even appeared in the Catechism until 1990. However, it was abolished in 2007, with the explanation that it was never an official doctrine.
In contrast, what about the Church's teaching on contraception? How can one ascertain whether the ban on contraception is an infallible teaching? How do we know it is a dogma? A thousand years from now, the Vatican might release a statement declaring it is no longer true. Where is it mentioned that certain teachings are unchangeable while others are changeable?
5 Answers
There are only two infallible (ex-Cathedra) teachings.
A) The bodily assumption of Mary into heaven
B) The immaculate conception
All the rest is doctrine.
Feb 21, 2025
Compare it with bible teaching…. Those you have mentioned are not bible teaching, but teachings of man. Anything more than this can be summed up in 1 scriptures:
(Galatians 1:8, 9) . . .However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed.
The Church will let you know. You’re not supposed to think about that kind of thing for yourself.
Dec 19, 2024
Just because individuals teach something doesn’t mean it’s doctrine. The Church never taught limbo. Augustine shacked up with a woman for decades and had at least one child. He then “saw the light” and blamed women for his sins.
Contraception stops the NATURAL act of conceiving/creating human life. Why wouldn’t an entity who believes that God is responsible for creating human life be against it? It is NOT doctrine however. You need to learn the difference. Most women who are Catholic that I know, including myself, have used the pill. Doctrine goes to the heart of why the religion exists. Neither limbo or contraception do that.
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