helena330

If you look at the 66 books that are similar in both the Protestant and Catholic versions... there aren't any actual disagreements due to the writing. The verses would essentially be the same, depending on the translation, but the doctrinal differences come from differing interpretations of essentially the same words. (There isn't anything big, like the Protestant version having the words "do not ..." in a verse and the Catholic version having "you must do..." in the same verse or anything. We usually agree to be reading the same words, just interpreting them differently.) If you look at the 7 books that are in the Catholic Bible only, then -- as far as I know-- there is only one significant doctrine that can be found there that differs to the Protestant churches. And that is the doctrine of Purgatory, which is alluded to (not explicitly stated) in the book of Second Maccabees. The books are mostly history, proverbs, and story-telling. (The book of Judith is amazing, if you ever get a chance to read it.) Nothing really outrageous. They fit in well with the rest of the Old Testament. No big doctrines come from them. But where the Catholic and Protestant versions are the same, it's simply different interpretations of essentially the same words. When you get into different translations, then it's not really the verses that cause disagreement, but the footnotes/study notes by the editors interpreting the verses that cause the disagreement.

If I may butt in and ask a question... It was explained to me by an LDS friend that when the LDS church thinks of Jesus and God as being "one" they mean that the Godhead is not one in being, but one in purpose. So, could the verse about us as humans being one with God not then be interpreted as us being "one in purpose" with God, and not necessarily "one in being" or "one in substance" (as in, of the same substance) with God? Also, a small point: many Christians believe in things not expressly stated in the Bible. All Trinitarians believe in the Trinity even though the word is never used in Scripture (yes, it is implied but not outright stated). So it makes little difference if it is expressly stated that God can duplicate himself or not. We believe that it can be implied through other Scriptures that God is one in being, and the only Being made up of a divine substance. This is a difference between the LDS church and Nicene Creed-based churches that I have always been interested in, and I'm interested to see where this conversation goes.