The Bible is indeed the Word of God, but you only know that because the Catholic Church told you so. How do you know what books should be in the Bible when the Bible doesn't tell you? You only know it because the Catholic Church definitively declared the Bible canon at the end of the fourth century.
If the Bible canon is necessary for our salvation, but Christ did not reveal it to His apostles, then Christ must have established an authority that would guarantee the early Christians' determination of the Bible canon after He ascended into heaven. This authority is the Holy Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church wrote, translated, copied, and preserved God's written word throughout the ages. That is the only reason you even have a Bible.
Having grown up Protestant, one of my biggest problems with it is that its structure leads to a very shallow knowledge of its faith by its members. I know a great many who distinguish themselves as “Bible believers”, and who could recite many a passage, but do not dwell on the messages contained therein.
That’s one of the great effects of standardized prayers such as the Rosary, the Lord’s Prayer, etc. So many have castigated them as merely repetition without meaning, but in actuality, one cannot help but to reflect on their depth of meaning as one learns their use and utility over time.
Back to being a “Bible Believer”, I never know whether to be shocked or amused when I hear that used as opposition to Catholicism. As you said NYer, just where do they think their Bible came from?