Christ taught ONE truth, established ONE Church, based on ONE authority.
There are books enough to fill scores of colleges and libraries around the world to establish this and it has stood the test of solid historical inquiry by the finest theological minds both in the Church and Protestant theologians who converted to Catholicism. This has been attested to by saints, martyrs and stigmatists.
The sheer shallowness of Bible Christianity has given us a mudslide of interpretations. Do we take “your” interpretation; or that of the Rev. Osteen’s, David Koresh’s, Jim Jones’s; Rev. Graham’s, Rev. Moon’s, Rev. Jeremiah Wrights or the TD Jakes of this world, or what Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses have to say?
I’d rather take the interpretation of the early Church theologians who assembled the texts and books of the “Bible” (the Bible did not fall from the skies) and the authority of these early Church fathers that was based on Petrine authority and the Bible books were based on historical accuracy, the received oral traditions, and revelation. This authority did not suddenly vanish after the books in the Bible were assembled. It continues until the end of times interpreted for its lasting truths, the Credo and the Catholic Catechisim until the end of time.
Ok, the history founding of the church is solid. The church has also been under attack by evil since its beginning.
The current question is, has the smoke of corruption reached a critical mass of the men supposedly keeping the keys?
The smoke of corruption has certainly made it to the level of cardinal. (See cardinal law if you doubt this.)
The church needs to truly clean house. It should have zero tolerance for pedophiles, or those that enable them. Immediate excommunication for each, with a referral to the DA.
I’m sorry that you were not able to support your assertion that “There is one authority given exclusively to Peter and his successors.” It would have been interesting to read, I think.
Instead, you give me something along the lines of “Everybody knows this,” which is clearly not the case.
And for the record, I do “take the interpretation of the early Church theologians who assembled the texts and books of the ‘Bible’ (the Bible did not fall from the skies)” and the authority of the early Church fathers that was based on the combined authority of all the Ancient Patriarchates “and the Bible books were based on historical accuracy, the received oral traditions, and revelation.” And yet I still do not find one authority given exclusively to Peter and his successors. Not anywhere.