[William Terrell]

I would trust the Apostles to appoint successors, but not the successors. We're talking centuries. Political and religious power is as corruptible to the human soul as raw sewage is to a squash.

I require credentials, beyond self testamony, otherwise the natural connection with God within each individual charts that individual's course.

I only had one point about a "church" and individual determination. Go back and read. They weren't long posts.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The original article was Andrew Sullivan's "My Problem with Christianism." This volleying has turned into your problem with Christianism. Or to be more accurate, with historic Christianity.

You accept no authority? You think the church was a Christ-founded, Apostle-structured community until the death of the first-generation successors of the Apostles, and then became a "community" of atomized individuals? Each one of whom was equally well-equipped to determine doctrine, even if they disagreed with thousands of other equally-well-equipped individuals?

That's not how it actually happened, historically. If I believed that way, I'd call it "Missusdonnoism." And I'll admit, it has its advantages. You never need to accept any truths bigger than your own hat-size.