[metmom]

Nothing like hanging someone’s eternal salvation over their head to keep them in line.

This is the major reason that I don’t believe that Jesus meant that Peter was the rock that His church would be built on and that Peter was given power to retain or remit sins. Too much potential for corruption to enter and result in that kind of manipulation (misusing the power to eternally condemn someone).

Scripture it’s not, but *Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely* is about as true as it comes. Precious few men can handle that kind of authority.

[small voice in the wilderness]

How about the fact that Christ died for our sins, and yet we could potentially be condemned for eternity if a doctrine of men was disobeyed? What a perversion of His sacrifice for all. There just MUST be a stopping point where nothing else is considered or thought out to it's logical conclusion, and eyes close and acceptance of rules and regulations are accepted. Without a fight. Or a question. It does amaze me, the things people are willing to accept with enthusiasm. Because it FEELS good. And it's SO beautiful. And SO many have accepted it.

The Big Flock Mentality.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

This is the major reason that I don’t believe that Jesus meant that Peter was the rock that His church would be built on and that Peter was given power to retain or remit sins. Too much potential for corruption to enter and result in that kind of manipulation (misusing the power to eternally condemn someone).

Amen. And this accurate perception that all men are fallen sinners is what drove the early church to invest its loyalty into the Scriptures of the prophets and apostles, and not into a procession of fallible men.

From that we then developed this country's self-determining, republican form of government with its built-in system of checks and balances -- to keep them honest.

There's an inherent danger in every monarchy, albeit governmental or ecclesiastical.

No king but Christ.