Wrong: Catholicism was a progressive later development, and is substantially absent in the inspired record of the NT church and . contrary to it
Which NT church manifestly did not teach perpetual ensured magisterial infallibility, which is unseen and unnecessary in the life of the church, nor did it have a separate class of believers distinctively called "saints" or distinctively titled "priests, " offering up "real" flesh and blood as a sacrifice for sin , which is to be literally consumed in order to obtain spiritual life.
Nor is it otherwise Scripturally manifest in the life of the church as being the sacrament around which all else revolves, and the "source and summit of the Christian faith," "in which our redemption is accomplished."
Nor is the NT church manifest as looking to Peter as the first of a line of exalted infallible popes reigning over the church from Rome (which even Catholic scholarship provides testimony against), and praying to created beings in Heaven, and being formally justified by ones own sanctification/holiness, and thus enduring postmortem purifying torments in order to become good enough to enter Heaven, and saying rote prayers to obtain early release from it, and requiring clerical celibacy as the norm, among other things.
No wonder Catholics rely on amorphous "oral tradition," for under the premise of magisterial infallibility all sorts of fables can be chanelled into binding doctrine, even claiming to "remember" an extraScriptural event which lacks even early historical testimony. , and was opposed by RC scholars themselves the world over as being apostolic tradition.
I for one enjoy the iron sharpening here. If done right, one goes to the Bible to prove their point, at least in my opinion. On second thought, it is not so much proving a point as revealing the truth.
And that is obviously the issue and revelation here. What is the “touchstone” to test the truth? Some use the Bible, some use tradition, some use “experts” to do their thinking, Some use their own worldly thinking, etc..........
But the following did come to mind this morning:
1Co 11:19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
God is involved in the process here. He is listening. A reminder to me also.
Now for you thinkers, WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF TRUTH?