Only problem with that theory is that I'm an adult convert, with my 12-year Bible pin from Sunday School and a couple of prizes for Scripture knowledge. I was also a history major with a lot of reading in the medieval Churchmen, among others. As Blessed Cardinal Newman (who also saw the light) said, "to be deep in history is to cease to be protestant."
The Church stands on Scripture, Tradition, and Right Reason. So she has always stood and will always stand.