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[ If all Bishops were equal in the early Church why does this not show in this early Church writer? ]

Christian religion developed over time.. It was not that way in the beginning.. The Christian church was NOT a religion.. Actually Christ came to make ALL religion obsolete, AND DID..

Religion was a "pagan" thing, still is..
Although so-called heresy's proliferated, "the Church" becoming a religion as an answer to them was an even worse malady.. as time has shown..

Like God could not pick his own leaders and guide the "church" himself.. <<- rhetorical question..

He did in the beginning, and still does.. I think..

Only apostates are drawn to an apostate church.. and their are many.. Its separating the goats from the sheep.. Everything is exactly the way its supposed to be.. You and I are exactly where we are supposed to be.. else we'd move..

The religions of the world are the winnowers...
The sins of the fathers are visited on the sons.. by their religions.. But a good son can be saved by crying out to god to be saved from that religion even within that relgion.. Religions are needed as winnowers. They winnow out the spiritually weak yet challenge the weak to get stronger.. till they don't even need that religion anymore.. pure genius I would say..

The genius of God is unearthly.. Is God cool or WHAT.?.

I am not going to bother with much of you post I will let it speak for itself. But on the following:

Re: "Like God could not pick his own leaders and guide the "church" himself.. <<- rhetorical question..
He did in the beginning, and still does.. I think.."

God did pick the leader of his Church. It was Peter and it is clear the other apostles and disciples considered him so. It is in all four Gospels, Acts and even in some of Paul's letters. Remember two of the Gospels were written by a Apostle so if there was any question among them it might have shown itself.

You are correct God continues to guide the Church. The Holy Ghost will be in full force when the conclave meets to select a new Pope. The problem most have is they assume God always picks a saintly man but sometimes it is the weakness of a man that is selected. The failures of man moves us in ways we can not fully understand but God does.

The rest of your post I will leave alone.