Catholics needed to make private judgments during the Great Western Schism. I recognize that this wasn't exactly the same, but there were three papal claimants (granted, every single one of them were actually.....Catholic). During the GWS, Catholics did not wait for the Church to "declare" which one was the true one. They made private judgments as to which one they were going to submit to and which mass they were going to attend. Some of them submitted to the wrong one...even a Catholic that went on to be a great Catholic Saint (Vincent Ferrer). At the time of the GWS, we were in unchartered waters as well and Catholics needed to make private judgments for themselves while they awaited final Church declaration. Keep in mind that before "the Church" can make a declaration each individual makes their own private judgment on the matter.
Also, I find it interesting that Catholics (and I'm not saying you because I have yet to see you imply or say this) here have made their private judgments about me, other posters and whole groups of people who are trying to do their best to follow the Catholic Faith in these trying times. They have used their private judgment to decide that they are not Catholic before the Church has declared them non-Catholic. I wonder how many Catholics called St Vincent Ferrer a non-Catholic for submitting to the wrong pope.
“They claim that, based on what the Church has taught us through its Universal Ordinary Magisterium (which includes the Fathers and the theologians...see my earlier post)”
Sorry. This post is in a different thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3431856/posts