And just where has the Catholic church’s form of church governance gotten them?
The whole denomination is led astray by false teaching instead of only a few people.
And people are not left to their own devices.
God’s word is unchanging Truth and not all that hard to understand, and the Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to guide believers into truth.
It’s the Holy Spirit which enlightens one.
And there’s not anywhere in Scripture that demands that all doctrine be the same for all churches and everyone must adhere to it. There are many other non-Catholic FReepers here who are my brothers and sisters in Christ and I don’t have a clue which church they belong to and I disagree with them on some lesser points of theology or doctrine.
Paul refers to, in Romans 14, things that are what he calls *disputable matters*. Lockstep fidelity to centralized teaching and doctrine is not necessary or possible.
God doesn’t care if our doctrine is perfect. None of us can have it anyways and when I see the differences between theology and doctrine right here on the RF between practicing Catholics who are condemning each other because one’s pre-Vatcian 2 and one is a sedevacantist, the Catholic church has nothing up on any other church.
The EO have significant differences in theology and doctrine and yet are still considered in communion as Catholics.
And even if someone has differences, sometimes it’s just a matter of Christian maturity.
One is not a mature believer instantly.
So your whole argument fails on may levels.
There’s no subjectivism and relativism when what you believe is founded on the unchanging word of God.
You write: “There’s no subjectivism and relativism when what you believe is founded on the unchanging word of God.”
There is nothing more that I can say to you because you are your own pope since you are above any subjectivism or relativism. Thus you will only believe yourself and there are no words that myself or anyone else can offer since you believe to be able to interpret the “unchanging word of God” always infallibly according to you!
The problem is that in heaven there is room for only one God, not two!