Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics

(Jacob Rumans) #1

[ 28 ]Muslim, vol.4, book 33, no. 6429.


[ 29 ]It could be said that Islam more


closely resembles Protestant Christianity


in this regard than it does the Catholic


faith. Though Islam has written


traditions (the Hadith), it lacks an


authoritative human interpreter of its


accepted revelation (the Koran) when


questions or disputes arise. A similar


situation confronts the Protestant when


he reads his Bible and seeks to


understand its mysteries — he has


nowhere to turn for definitive guidance.


The Catholic faith, however, has always


affirmed the need for such a definitive


guide in matters of belief: the


Magisterium (or ‘‘teaching office’’) of


the Church. It is the Magisterium (that


is, the pope and the bishops united with

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