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Two equally intelligent people can read the whole Bible ( in context!) without bringing any theological baggage with them, and pray and meditate, and still come to different conclusions about this central issue. So why is one private interpretation better than the other?

Yes buttttt…………………..you’ll both have come to your conclusions through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and not some man who you thought was probably holier then you, but you have no idea of what God saw in this persons heart.

You may come to the same conclusions that they came to, but you’ll know that you’ve taken charge of your own salvation, and not left it up to someone you have no idea of their true relationship with God, or what was in his heart.

My argument isn’t that your Mass is totally outside of reason or scripture, the reason I critique your Churches position, is because they tell all other Christians that outside of their method, there is no communion with Christ.

This attitude forces us to either accept what you say as true, or to prove to our selves that you are wrong and we are right, otherwise we condemn ourselves as being hypocrites and searing our own conscience.

Paul said Romans 14:22-23 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

When we doubt those things we do are right, we condemn our selves before God.

JH :)

Are two interpretations, polar opposites, both inspired by the Holy Spirit? If I prayerfully read St. Paul and St. James and come to the conclusion that justification is by faith and salvation is by faith and works, is that conclusion guided by the Holy Spirit?

Because honestly, thats how the "original" Catholics came up with this stuff. They didn't just invent salvation by faith and works for the fun of it, or because they were unholy people bent on deforming scripture. They read the Gospels and the Epistles, and came up with what they believed was the proper teaching. Was their interpretation guided by the Holy Spirit?