[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

blah, blah, blah. RCC dogma bores me. It’s one thing to acknowledge that God’s Word tells us we are to proclaim the Gospel to spiritually dead people. It’s a whole ‘nother thing - one called heresy - to claim that man can do anything that supplements the finished work of Christ. Romans 1:16 (among others) tells us God uses the Gospel to save people - people don’t save people. Romans 10 tells us that same thing - this paradox that God chooses Whom He will save, that His work on the cross is all that needs be done to redeem sinful man, and salvation is a gift of grace and not by works, AND He uses those He has saved to proclaim saving Truth to those who are perishing.

No authoritarian, borg-like man-made hierarchical organization such as the RCC has been ordained by God; no authority has been passed down to modern-day would-be apostles. Man’s imagination is most vain. The vile self importance of the RCC is repugnant to the entire message of the New Testament.

[magisterium]

Since you refuse to address my points, let me ask again: if even you admit that God "uses" us to proclaim His Gospel, what is here to stop His using us for other aspects of His designs? Indeed, why does He hide Himself from us, with regard to directly exercising His authority? Why does He use intermediaries in formulating His Scripture (as even you acknowledge)? Why do you refuse to see (yes, I mean that) that He can, as an omnipotent, omniscient God, delegate His own authority as he sees fit to mere men, when it is beyond dispute that He at least did just that with the Apostles in general and Peter in particular? Why are we here to exercise our free will in formulating right judgment and actions through His grace? If we are as powerless as your post that prompted my comments would seem to imply, isn't our very existence here just a charade, leading to the damnation or salvation of each one of us on little more than His whim? Is there, in fact, a true purpose to our being here? I'd like a careful answer to these questions, rather than just "blah, blah, blah."

[Petronski]

...blah, blah, blah. RCC dogma bores me....

It is natural to mock what one does not understand.

In fact, understanding begins with an ability to recognize and repeat actual proper names.