@wgiwf @idea_enjoyer @dictatordave >the unspoken tradition of ignoring church authorities when they say stupid shit helps.
The highlight of the post IMO.
>Maybe the interface of a pastor with his congregation is different than a priest with the rules and regs he follows, idk if it makes a difference.
From what I'm told, yes and no. The Pope can and does say stuff that makes all Catholics wish he'd cloister himself for a while and never talk to the press again. The priest has to listen to the bishop, although there's extra stuff for some of them. In Eastern churches, a Parrish priest actually has a decent bit of protection from the bishop trying to meddle in things too much. Heresies and things that will lead people away from Christ are obviously something else entirely. One of the benefits of having many centuries of Church tradition is that we have something akin to common law precedent, and there's no major changes that could get in the way of that which could be decreed by a Bishop.