[BlueDragon]

But what did Israel have before this monarchy?

I think I see what you are driving at. Ruled by prophets?

Though that may be desirable, if selling on that point, but delivering instead a form of new Sanhedrin bureaucracy interacting with some fantasy of "benevolent" Catholic Monarch, or simply by direct papal rule, no thanks.

Been there, done that, had the t-shirt to prove it, but it got burned at the stake along with the rest of me...

[markomalley]

I think I see what you are driving at. Ruled by prophets?

Not at all. See post #38.

Personally, I would be loathe to have any of the American Patriotic Catholic Church Ecclesiastical Hierarchy ruling over me.

Trust me, they'd burn people like me (orthodox Conservative Catholics) at the stake far quicker than they'd burn any Protestant. Though I'm sure they'd get to the conservative Protestant followers after they "cleaned their own house."