Well, I think we have completely different ideas about what constitutes "leadership" by the Spirit. I simply look to verses such as the following:
Rom 8:13-14 : 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
[Who are "those", and what sort of leading is being referenced here? I think you are forced to say believers are led to only a superficial and "minimal" degree, since so much power must be reserved for the Magisterium.]
Gal 5:18 : But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. [A clear reference to salvation in terms of what a true believer looks like. This is much greater than nudges and suggestions.]
John 16:13-15 : 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
I know the standard Apostolic position is that verses like this were only directed to the Apostles, and by extension many hundreds of thousands of priests throughout the ages, regardless of their personal worthiness(es). As with other verses also so interpreted, it really leaves the Spirit's leading of the laity to be much of a joke, IMO. For anything that actually matters, my understanding is that the hierarchy of the Church claims SOLE authority to receive and interpret any messages from God. By all appearances, that would leave the job of the laity to pretty much follow the men of the Church before following any other entity. If God ONLY leads the hierarchy of the Church on important matters, then what can a layman do? He either conforms, or he is excommunicated and, in his mind, is condemned to hell forever.
The Spirit may lead in stages, but not in conflict.
Sure, but to then claim that your particular Church THEREFORE holds ALL TRUTH doesn't make sense. There are tons of examples of hierarchs of your Church disagreeing with the majority. Are the positions of your official Church based on a majority vote of hierarchs?
As to conflict, we learn early in the NT that a personal conflict led greatly to the further spreading of the Good News. That isn't automatically a bad thing.
To God be the glory!
***I think you are forced to say believers are led to only a superficial and “minimal” degree, since so much power must be reserved for the Magisterium.***
It’s not power, it’s authority. The Apostles were given authority to interpret and to teach. Those who did not hold with the Apostles and their successors very often descended in apostacy and heresy. The Spirit leads, but sinful, prideful man very often chooses another leader.
***As with other verses also so interpreted, it really leaves the Spirit’s leading of the laity to be much of a joke, IMO. For anything that actually matters, my understanding is that the hierarchy of the Church claims SOLE authority to receive and interpret any messages from God. ***
It is not a joke and the Church has never claimed to be the sole authority to receive any message from God, but it does reserve the authority to interpret it.
Without the Holy Spirit, we would not have the Dominicans or the Franciscans. We would not have had Mother Teresa form her order. The Church is not a monolithic tower of power, stagnating all that it cannot stifle.
It is the teaching authority given first to the Apostles, and then passed on to the successors.
***If God ONLY leads the hierarchy of the Church on important matters, then what can a layman do? He either conforms, or he is excommunicated and, in his mind, is condemned to hell forever.***
The layman can do much; where do you think all the orders came from - both lay and clergy? Excommunication is not the condemnation of the Church - it has no power to save or damn. It is the formal recognition that the Church gives to one who has excommunicated himself.
***Sure, but to then claim that your particular Church THEREFORE holds ALL TRUTH doesn’t make sense. There are tons of examples of hierarchs of your Church disagreeing with the majority. Are the positions of your official Church based on a majority vote of hierarchs?***
The Church holds all Truth that is imparted to it by the Holy Spirit. We are not democrats - Truth is never uncovered by a voting crowd. St. Augustine disagreed with the Church for much of his life. It didn’t make it right then and it doesn’t make it right now.