Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
When discussing 2 Maccabees and prayers/offering for the fallen, David argues that Catholic misuse (purgatory) is not grounds to discard a book, comparing it to Catholic interpretations of Revelation 12; what would it look like to apply his principle consistently to passages your tradition thinks are misused by other groups (Calvinists, Catholics, charismatics, etc.)?
Another way to ask: If a book can be misused, does that mean it should be rejected, or should it be interpreted carefully instead? How would you apply that same rule to Bible passages your group says other Christians misuse?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Applying his principle consistently would mean refusing to throw out or downplay a passage just because another group builds a doctrine from it that you believe is wrong. Instead, you would keep the text, interpret it carefully in context, and critique the misuse rather than rejecting the source.
- He recounts the 2 Maccabees episode: soldiers find dead comrades wearing “a pagan amulet,” then make an “offering… asking God to forgive them.”
- He emphasizes limits of the text: “The account doesn’t say God accepted their intercession or that it helped… The writer merely commends them” for belief in “the resurrection of the dead.”
- He says Rome later taught prayers shorten time in “purgatory,” but claims there is “very little connection between that false doctrine and what happened in 2 Maccabees.”
- He states the principle: “Just because the Roman Catholic Church misuses something… is a poor excuse for throwing out an entire book.”
- His comparison: Catholics claim the woman in “Revelation 12 represents Mary… So should we take Revelation and remove it…? Of course not.”