I and all Catholics as members of the Body of Christ have the authority of the Catholic Church passed down through the Apostles and their successors and authorized by Jesus Christ and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.
As stated in a previous post, non Catholic scholar Newman’s research. Newman was not a Catholic when he started the book, but his research convinced him of the truth of the Catholic faith, and as the book was finished he converted. Fundamentalist leaders make no effort to trace their version of Christianity century by century.
What do you have? Personal opinion.
Perhaps you should examine the dogma of the Catholic Church more thoroughly for the Truth and for your benefit. I realize when one is 71 years old, then it can be difficult to change. You have tried to challenge me to accept your truth and I have tried to challenge you to see the wisdom of the Catholic doctrine.
Whoa there...you and all Catholics have authority? We’ve been told only the priests do. Are you a priest??
Newman is allowed an opinion, you have opinions.
What about when this;
has been done (already) and the results of the examination be not as supportive of a few 'dogma' in particular?
Sorry mister, or sister, or whoever you are -- you simply cannot get away with accusing others of having merely and only "personal opinions" (if aspect of "mere" was included though unstated within your screed) when opinions contrary to your own and Newman's are based upon evidence as it more truly is (compared to how it's often massaged/manipulated/cherry picked by RCC apologists) when it is your own opinion and Newman's also that things are as commonly advertised (advertised by promoters of various and sundry RCC claims towards their own [Roman Catholic's] alleged unique 'authority' to have introduced doctrine and dogma not found within the texts of Holy Writ, and not present either within the first few centuries of existence of Christianity.
Newman, and a few of those in his own era all but invented that kind of idea, adopting that while still attempting to successfully assert "unchanging", and "as instituted by Christ" etc., at the same time.
Singular papacy, as that is known by the Church of Rome? What's not pure invention about it is distortion of what was more properly "instituted" among the early centuries 'Church'.
Marionism to the extents that has been expanded from beginnings of need for recognition of her (Mary) being the virgin prophesied that would give birth to Messiah? Pure inventions overlaid truths serving to much distort and introduce significant change (theologically speaking) to the underlying truths.
We (myself and millions of others who have examined these things --in detail--) could go on somewhat further, but for now, that is enough.
It is not from standpoint of "personal opinion" alone that there is opposition to particular doctrines and dogma of the RCC (if but limited to particular key aspects of those same).
In this, your (failure of a hunting dog) dog is barking right back at you, each time it yaps while running around the same (and wrong) "tree"...
That I don't tolerate your Catholic dogmas should not be construed as not tolerating you. [ Ego amicus tibi, quia Deus te diligit et vult salvare animam tuam. ] HOWEVER, as a Priest you have fellow human beings in your sphere of influence. If I tolerated the false dogmas I would be violating the teaching God's Spirit has graciously given to me the last forty years. Eternal destinies are in the balance.
You imagine that I am giving you my opinion. Yet you toss out the opinion of Newman as if he is somehow authorized to substantiate the Catholic dogmas which he now adheres to, which my studies of Scripture have exposed as not from God. You dismiss my 'opinions' because they do not support your empowerment in your religion. You approve of Newman's opinions because they substantiate the empowerment scheme at the heart of Catholic Priesthood.
Let me be perfectly clear, Newman is wrong and he is not serving The Christ with his 'opinions'. He endorses striving to obtain salvation. God offers Salvation to those who have done what the Israelites did when Moses raised up the snake in the desert ... they believed God's Promise and were immediately healed of the snake bite poison. Newman has, however, been given great succor by the org to which you both swear fealty. I do not believe his motives are godly.
I continue to contend for THE FAITH because you are institutionalizing fellow human beings with what I am convinced is non-Christian dogma sourced in the demonic.
If I have learned from God's Spirit (and He has shown me on more than one occasion that it is He Who is at work) I would be in disobedience to ignore the demonic twisting of Jesus's Gospel.
You cannot earn Grace; if you could earn Grace it would cease to be Grace and become wages. You cannot receive Grace by agreeing with sources which are not from God's Spirit.
The Human Race is fast approaching a point in History when a great delusion will take over men's minds and they will believe a lie. This great lie will be fed to the humans alive on the planet at the time after The Rapture, through great signs and wonders, signs and apparitions which will make Fatima pale in comparison. Your org will leap to conclusions regarding source of these 'signs', calling them God's Miracles. They will be demonic in origin.
AFTER the Rapture of the REAL CHURCH, the body of believers in Jesus as their Savior and Lord down through the ages, the Bible tells us that even with Christians gone a number so great no man in Jesus's day could have numbered them will get saved and show up in Heaven for the Marriage feast. They will be saved by the same simple means Christians are born from above today, by the same mechanism which cured the snake-bite poison long ago in the desert: they will turn their will to believe the Promise of God manifested in The Grace of God in Christ. THEY WILL BE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE. God in His mercy will honor His Promise to spiritually save those who call out to Him in the name of The One He sent for their salvation, even as the astonishing proof of the Rapture is the source of these awakening to Faith in His Truth.
The Bride will be outta here, but a number so great no man could number them will follow during the Tribulation. We know John could identify 200 million (as stated in The Revelation), so the number must be much bigger than 200 million.
As you now manifest faith in rituals and striving to obtain eternal life, you will not likely be taken in the Rapture. Too many of your flock will also be left behind. I plead with you to be counted among the ones who are swept to Heaven during the first half of the Tribulation, and bring along those in your flock for whom you are now responsible. Do not be among those who will try to argue that you have done this or that in His name so you are due eternal life. Get saved by faith alone in His Promise, which Honors Him, His Grace, and the Salvific glory of Jesus The Christ.
When we ALL know that CATHOLIC opinion is what counts in this world!