Your argument lacks continuity. To accept that the Bible, as written and reproduced is a Divine work one must accept that the hand of the Holy Spirit guided a group of learned and pious men in determining which books to include and which to exclude. To then deny that the Holy Spirit retired and no longer guided similar groups of learned and pious men in the selection of St. Peter's successors and their continued interpretation of doctrine and writings before them doesn't compute.
>> To accept that the Bible, as written and reproduced is a Divine work one must accept that the hand of the Holy Spirit guided a group of learned and pious men in determining which books to include and which to exclude.
Yes.
>> To then deny that the Holy Spirit retired and no longer guided similar groups of learned and pious men in the selection of St. Peter’s successors and their continued interpretation of doctrine and writings before them doesn’t compute.
I do not deny that groups of pious men are guided in many ways. I simply deny that such guidance is limited to the Catholic heirarchy, or is necessarily present in the Catholic heirarchy at all times. I deny that the Catholic heirarchy is the sole source of doctrinal guidance, and that all edicts of the heirarchy are necessarily divinely inspired.
SnakeDoc
Interestingly enough, I believe the Protestant reformation was itself guided by the Holy Spirit in an effort to reform His church from excessive religiosity.
SnakeDoc