FK, the catholic hierarchy held those views from the beginning of the Church to this very present day. They are no different now than they were back in 1 AD. What you see as catholic hierarchy today is not an outgrowth of a 16th century revolt by a local priest over selling indulgencies that grew out of proportion into a man-made "church", but the interpretations held by those whom the Apostles in person ordained bishops (+Ignatius, +Polycarp, etc.). If they were wrong, then the whole Church, including the Apostles, were wrong from the get go!
You keep harping on this sola scriptura nonsense. Let me tell you: there are two possibilities only. One, the Apsotles, and the Church that continued in their steps, as documented from the beginning, was wrong or you and all the Protestants are wrong. Either the Apostles were wrong or you are wrong.
You keep saying that yuou want to make sure that man's pride doesn't take over, yet that is precisely what the Protestants do -- they exalt individual interpretations over those held by Apostles and their disciples. You take it upon yourself to re-interept Apsotle's own teachings and those of their successors, simply by reading disconnected verses. Being one's own "pope", or your own "Peter" or "Paul" or "John" or "James," etc., i.e. relying on one's own interpretation (supposedly under the Holy Spirit) is the worst example of human pride and arrogance as I see it.
But you make assumptions that I can't accept. You believe in the infallibility of non-Biblical writers, assuming they are accepted by the Church. I don't. You assume and declare that the truth was handled down extra-Biblically and infallibly by men you trust. I can't accept that based on an extra-Biblical say-so. Your side seems to say that any individual man can be completely in error, but that a pack of men, ever changing throughout the ages, are flawless and infallible. I'm not sure why I should accept that.
In addition, I don't see this as either we're right and you're wrong or vice versa. There is much upon which we do agree.
You keep saying that yuou want to make sure that man's pride doesn't take over, yet that is precisely what the Protestants do -- they exalt individual interpretations over those held by Apostles and their disciples. ... relying on one's own interpretation (supposedly under the Holy Spirit) is the worst example of human pride and arrogance as I see it.
I say that the Holy Spirit dares to help ALL believers in matters of faith, and you declare that to be false. You say the Spirit only helps your leaders on matters of faith. So, if you dismiss the Spirit away from us, there is nothing left but our own interpretation. Attack away, I guess. We believe the Spirit loves all those He indwells.