“St. Peter is clear that Scripture is not for private interpretation which you and your comrades conveniently choose to ignore at your own peril.”
Peter does not say scripture is not for private interpretation. He says Prophecy in scripture is not up for private interpretation.
2Pe 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
From Barnes commentary:
“The more correct interpretation, as it seems to me, is that which supposes that the apostle teaches that the truths which the prophets communicated were not originated by themselves; were not of their own suggestion or invention; were not their own opinions, but were of higher origin, and were imparted by God; and according to this the passage may be explained, “knowing this as a point of first importance when you approach the prophecies, or always bearing this in mind, that it is a great principle in regard to the prophets, that what they communicated “was not of their own disclosure;” that is, was not revealed or originated by them.”
This view is quite strong, since after the statement Peter says, as to explain, that all Prophecy is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Another view could simply be that no Prophecy should be taken in isolation, as all Prophecies make up a single fabric, or that a Prophecy is understood best by its fulfillment, since the previous verse uses metaphorical language that we understand refers to Christ.
Whatever the case, it has nothing to do with “no private interpretation of scripture.” Even in the worst Catholic sense, you’d be leaving only the Prophetic parts as left to the Papist professionals, who usually don’t have much to say that’s worthwhile anyway on the topic.
“From Barnes commentary”
Who said that Barnes is authoritative?
Let’s take a look at Barnes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Barnes_(theologian)
“mostly due to the views he expressed in Notes on Romans (1835) of the imputation of the sin of Adam, original sin and the atonement;”
Presbyterian. So you’ve got a Presbyterian, someone from PC USA, an Anglican from the COE. Basically a grab bag of theologians. Who else have you got in your bag?
Keep on reading, madame.
"And account the longsuffering of our Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:15-16