Of course, we each make our choices on soteriology. Catholics look at it as following Christ as the head of His Church, and His authority is vested in His Church with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
See, this is where the basic disagreement is. Protestants simply do not accept that the Pope is more than a man, or that the Church has that kind of authority, as the Pope, or the College of Cardinals, or papal commissions are men, maybe filled with the Holy Spirit, maybe not. But let us face it; there have been a number of Popes that would not qualify for the word "Christian" in any but the most formal sense. Been a few Baptist preachers like that, too, and I DO NOT want to mention the choir directors.
Thanks for your reply.
Yes, Pope’s are men with all that entails.
I wasn’t talking about the pope. I am talking about the doctrines and creeds and Christian faith described by the Church that Christ established and that the gates of hell will not prevail against.
The fact that there have been good and bad popes and bishops yet the Church and the Faith continues is testament to the wisdom of Jesus in its establishment with Christ as its head, the apostles and their successors with authority, and the guidance - of the Church - by the Holy Spirit.
The Church is not the pope or any man.
Further, your alternative is the authority of yourself or perhaps Calvin or Luther or someone else - all of whom we can assume have the same limitations you note for the pope preventing you from accepting the authority of the Church.
So, you haven’t decreased your problem of accepting the authority of man, you’ve increased it.
Thanks for your reply.