[Quix]

And you don't have authority to determine for the Church either the canon or the interpretation of Scripture.

WRONG, imho.

All believers with The Indwelling Spirit have sufficient authority to test the spirits and discern as well as they are able BY HOLY SPIRIT'S AUTHORITY WITHIN THEM.

Is such flawless and 100% pure 100% of the time in this fallen world with varying degrees of individual maturity and experience in such an exercise, process, action, discernment?

Of course

NOT!

NOT ANY MORE THAN are the judgments about the writings of the early church fathers.

NOT ANY MORE THAN are the judgments about TRADITION.

NOT ANY MORE THAN are judgments about human organizations and their hierarchical structures.

NOT ANY MORE THAN are judgments about THE PONTIFICATIONS of hierarchical structured leaders.

NOT ANY MORE THAN are the judgments about THE CUSTOMS of hierarchical structures, their leaders and followers.

NOT ANY MORE THAN are the judgments about THE BLESSINGS of hierarchical structures and their leaders on followers and/or others.

NOT ANY MORE THAN are the judgements about THE PUNISHMENTS, EXCOMMUNICATIONS ETC. of hierarchical structures and their leaders.

As the OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT DISPLAY ABUNDANTLY, RELIGIOUS LEADERS of EVEN GOD ORDAINED AND ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATIONS are extremely prone to flawed operations of even God given instructions.

ADD IN HUMAN generated assummptions and constructions on reality; add in demonic doctrines . . . and the flaws become enormous.

SMALL WONDER God has OFTEN withdrawn HIS ANOINTING from virtually every human organization that has existed beyond a few months to a year or so.

HINT: WE ARE ALL FALLEN CREATURES STILL IN A FALLEN WORLD, STILL SEEING THROUGH THE GLASS DARKLY. Even the most anointed amongs us. AND, God has clearly set things up that ALL US FALLEN CRITTERS NEED ONE ANOTHER to see more clearly EVEN BY HIS SPIRIT . . . to NEED one another far more than most are prepared to accept, much less submit to.

[adiaireton8]

All believers with The Indwelling Spirit have sufficient authority to test the spirits and discern as well as they are able BY HOLY SPIRIT'S AUTHORITY WITHIN THEM.

One problem with gnosticism is that it lacks any objective way of determining who has "The Indwelling Spirit", and thus who has authority. If two people each claim to have "The Indwelling Spirit", and they disagree with each other, there is no way of determining who is right. Each thinks that he is right and that the other is wrong. And so they must each go their separate ways, adding to the 20,000+ number of already existing sects. In short, the position is a concession to skepticism about the possibility of objective theological knowledge.

-A8

(PS: Please stop using all caps.)