INTRODUCTION REVIEW

So in brief, here is a Introduction (Thanks to the help of Beginning Apologetics 1 by Father Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham!)

Cheat Sheet Review of the Discussion.

1. What is Apologetics? It means, "giving a reasoned explanation of your faith" This means that a Catholic person should charitably explain Catholic Doctrine and teaching by using Common Sense, Scripture, and History.
2. What are some tips for discussing questions of faith with your family and friends?                 A. Remember that your goal is to explain your faith and evangelize, not win an argument. Even in the most heated discussions, you should remain charitable at all times and focus yourself on loving God and His Truth. B. STUDY: You should read the bible 10 minutes a day or at LEAST 30 minutes a week. If you don't have one, get one. Also read the Catechism of the Catholic Church at least once a week. C. FOCUS: During discussion, insist on staying on the main issues. Don't allow someone to ask you 20 questions and expect you to answer them in 10 minutes. There should be plenty of time for answers because you are focused on truth. Also, question time should be equal. Just as they ask you challenging questions so you should be able to ask them challenging questions. D. If you are not familiar with a topic and do not know how to properly answer, there is nothing wrong with saying you need to do research and would like to get back to them on it. E. INTERPRETATION: If your non Catholic brethren misinterpret bible verses to fit their denominational teaching against Catholic doctrine, you should read the verse itself in context and be able to show how it can be interpreted to support Catholic teaching. E. If you are not an expert in Catholic Doctrine, DONT BE AFRAID. Just tell them what you do know politely. F. MOST IMPORTANTLY:  Begin and end discussion in prayer. Calmly end the discussion if the other person is becoming verbally abusive. INSIST that they refrain from making abusive attacks on the Eucharist and Our Lady and ask them to simply state what they disagree with and why they do.
3. Is the Bible the only authority when it comes to matters of faith?    How many times have you heard the phrase: "Well its not in the bible so I don't have to listen to it"? Basically all Protestants claim that the Bible is the only authority in matters of faith. Fancy term for this is called the Protestant doctrine of "Sola Scriptura" (Translation: Scripture Alone) IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for a Catholic to know why the Bible is not the sole rule of faith and to NOT agree with Protestants on this point. There is something called AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH and SACRED TRADITION. We Catholics accept the authority of the Bible in matters of faith because it is the inspired Word of God, but we do not accept it as the only rule of faith.
4. Why is the Authority of the Church important? Because Christ left a Church to teach, govern, and sanctify in His Name until the end of time. If you reject this authority left on earth by Christ, then you reject Christ and His Gospel.
5. What does the BIBLE say about it?   First of all, no where in the bible does it say to follow Scripture alone. In fact, the doctrine of sola scriptura cannot be found in the bible. Yep, thats right, the bible says that not everything Jesus did and said is recorded in the bible. Read John 21: 25.

 HERES A BIT MORE:  It goes against the bible to think that Christ did not leave an authority. GO AHEAD, get out your bible! Matthew Chapter 16, verses13-20 / Chapter 18, verse 18/ Luke Chapter 10, verse 16. CHRIST PROMISED THAT THIS CHURCH WOULD BE HERE TILL THE END OF TIME!  (Matthew 16:18/Matthew 28: 19-20/John 14: 16) What about Sacred Tradition? The BIBLE says to follow Sacred Tradition along side scripture. Read 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, verse 15, Chapter 3, verse 6.  Also, the Bible says that we must hold fast to oral tradition, the preached word of God (1 Corinthians 11:2 and 1 Peter 1:25 )

I think thats enough to digest for now. On another day we will have the Topic of Biblical History, where the bible came from, all the different translations, why the Catholic Bible has more books than the Protestant Bible and how that happenend FYI.