“Ask a Priest: Why Don’t We Seem to Follow All the Rules in the Bible?”

Q: I have a few questions. 1) If the Catholic Church wrote the Bible, then why do we as a body not follow all of the commandments? For example, regarding head coverings from 1 Corinthians 11, and dressing modestly, wearing makeup and jewelry, and cutting women’s hair? 2) If Jesus said to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies and to forgive seventy times seven, then why do we believe in just war? 3) The Bible says for women not to cut their hair and for men not to shave their heads. Then why do nuns cut off their hair and why did monks used to shave the tops of their heads? I live among and work with Mennonites so I have quite a few questions. I am a Catholic, though. I just can’t get anyone to talk to me about these things. Thanks! – M.T.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It is good that you want to learn more about your faith, working as you do among the Mennonites. It might help to review a few general ideas.

First, it’s misleading to say that the “Catholic Church wrote the Bible.”

God is the ultimate author of Scripture. He inspired certain humans to rewrite and redact (edit) the texts that comprise the Bible. What we accept as texts of the Old Testament came through the community of Israelites/Jews.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church eventually discerned which texts of both Testaments are divinely inspired and belong in the Bible. This is called the canon of Scripture, and the Catholic Church doesn’t accept any other texts as divinely inspired. Among Christians there is some disagreement on which books of the Bible are divinely inspired.

Second, the whole Bible isn’t meant to be read as a textbook. Neither Catholics nor your Mennonite friends, for instance, are sacrificing animals to Our Lord daily as the Old Testament directed.

The Bible is not written as an instruction manual. It contains exhortations, stories, histories and other literary genres. This is why understanding the literal meaning and context of each thing in Scripture helps us to see its spiritual meaning as well.

Third, the Catechism teaches that the Gospel that Jesus entrusted to his apostles is transmitted in two ways: in written form (Sacred Scripture) and in oral form (Sacred Tradition). It continues to be transmitted through the bishops as successors of the apostles.

Some Christians believe that it is only transmitted in written form, or that the entire Christian community interprets it authoritatively, or that different opinions on its interpretation can be held.

In contrast, when a doubt arises, the Catholic Church believes that the bishops receive a help from the Holy Spirit to determine the authentic interpretation. This is called the magisterium.

Scripture itself indicates that not all of Jesus’ teachings can be captured explicitly in writing. “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

Without Tradition, we wouldn’t even have Scripture. Before things were written down, they were transmitted orally.

Tradition also teaches us how to interpret Scripture correctly. This is how we know that certain rules in the Bible no longer apply, or that certain practices, customs and rules simply reflected the culture of the time and were abandoned as culture changed.

The apostles and their successors the bishops discerned which traditions came from God and were to be preserved, and which traditions (or customs) could be changed or discarded.

As for the issue about clothes and hair: True, women (and men) should dress modestly. I won’t try to defend how a lot of people dress nowadays; in this regard the Mennonites could teach the wider society a thing or two.

On the other hand, the style of dress can change from generation to generation. It’s up to people to apply the principle of modesty to their own lives.

As for turning the other cheek: This has been understood as a call to be patient in the face of opposition and even abuse (within bounds). It’s not a demand for pacifism. Peoples have a right to self-defense, which is one condition for a just war.

If you saw someone physically attacking your young niece or nephew, for instance, you wouldn’t just turn the other cheek and let the person get away with it. That would be negligence. You would be justified, indeed obliged, to intervene, even if you had to use force to stop the aggressor.

I realize that some people are pacifists by conviction. Yet, the Church does not teach pacifism as a doctrine. Hence, it can be justified to fight armies that are invading one’s country or to use force to subdue a violent criminal.

As for religious and monks who cut their hair: Partly that was a sign of their detachment from the world (especially for women). It could also be a sign of humility. It is a custom whose practice and meaning has changed over the centuries.

The point here is that the Bible’s indications about hair weren’t meant for every age and every culture. They have to be understood within the context of the particular passage.

If you want to go deeper into your study of the faith, you can easily find lots of accessible books. Among them: The Essential Catholic Survival Guide; The Case for Catholicism; Catholicism and Fundamentalism; the Compendium of the Catholic Church.

A good summary of key elements of the faith are found in the Catechism, Part One, Section 1, Chapters 1-2.

And don’t be shy about reading up on the tenets of your Mennonite neighbors to help you understand where their religious principles and your Catholic principles differ.

For Scripture you might look at The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation.

I hope some of this helps.

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