[Elsie]

But since God acts "sacramentally," we have no authority to minimize or abolish what He gives us.

Possibly; but Catholicism seems to EXPAND on what HE has given to someone else, to try to say that it applies to everyone.

Acts 15

[Mrs. Don-o]

The root of almost all these controversies is notion that some non-Catholics have, that everything which is not explicitly in Scripture is the "words of man." As if there were just two categories: Scripture, and words of man. There's no provision for Christ teaching us through His Church.

My impression is that such people don't actually believe that Christ founded a Church.

This other Free Republic post The Apostles Speak for Jesus. A Refutation of those who Dismiss the Teaching of the Epistles...(LINK) touches upon that, because it deals with the beginnings of the NT Church, with the words of the Apostles received as truly "God's words," and the beginnings of Apostolic succession as Matthias is chosen to replace Judas, and as Paul ordains Titus and Timothy with real power and authority by the laying on of hands.

This is evidently a succession of power and authority in the Name of the Lord, which did not "peter out" at some point, as some assume.