Well Butch, that went sideways really fast, didn't it.
To address your OP, I would suggest that the human heart (the
fallen human heart), has an overwhelming drive/desire to belong. This is why the practice of "dis-fellowship" is so effective in cults like the JWs and Mormons, and ever so present in the continued Catholic-Protestant conflict. You might find the
Philadelphia Bible Riots (LINK) to be an interesting read. It didn't matter that neither side actually ever read the Bible, they just wanted the version of the group to whom they belonged to be validated.
The Catholics were also behind the removal of the Bible from the US public school system in the 60's. But by then, of course, the Parochial (Catholic) School system was in place.
In addition, your mention of the Dunning-Kruger Effect is also a cause célèbre for the embrace of Church Doctrine. Unlike those suffering from DKE, many people realize they don't have either the necessary critical thinking skills or the necessary education to make a substantive decision about what scripture means, and so seek solace from a group of people who declare themselves to have figured it out, whether it be a convocation of Bishops, or a "simple pastor" who suffers from such an advanced case of
NPD that each and every word uttered is replete with Convincing Speech, based upon an internal nearly-divine belief that they absolutely know they are
always RIGHT. (It would be interesting to see the overlap of DKE with
NPD.)
While the Need to Belong comes from the Fall, the Need to Be RIGHT is cultivated in the American School System (and I have no reason to believe otherwise about the rest of the world).
In his book
How Children Fail (LINK) John Holt describes the classroom "biome" that worships the "right" answer (like having five physical senses), and rarely cultivates the skills necessary for critical thinking. Rather, school indoctrinates the kids into playing the game of "AnswerLand." The teacher always has the right answer, one must seek that right answer, and one is constantly tested to show that the teacher is always right. If nothing else, I would encourage everyone to read the synopsis of the book from the link I provided above. I had four children go through the exact same elementary school system, and every two years had to go in and educate their classroom teacher (2nd or 3rd grade I don't remember) why the answer "Five" is wrong. And while each time the same teacher truly agreed with me, she just could NOT bring herself to change what was taught because of AUTHORITY.
And to be clear, your OP
is about
Ecclesiastical Authority, the second most important Doctrine after that of Soteriolgy.
(Rabbit trail warning...) From what I've seen, the Christian Church has three major divisions based upon the two most important doctrines - that of Soteriology and Ecclesiastical Authority; and these would be the Catholic Church (whether Roman or Orthodox), the Protestant Church (having a myriad of denominations typically bolstered by a seminary), and the Pentecostal Church (a very loose collection of personages who have had true supernatural experiences, but not necessarily the intelligence to link these with the appropriate scriptural passages).
Over the centuries, Ecclesiastical Authority for the Catholic has always been vested in the Church Fathers (the living ones more so than the dead ones, even if what they wrote was later declared to be scripture). When Martin Luther sought to remove the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Pope, he had nothing left but the Bible. Hence Sola Scriptura was born. But in translating the Bible into German, his purpose wasn't so that each and every man could read the Bible for himself and then decide what was true, but rather that the common folk could read the Bible (in German) and SEE that he, Martin Luther, was RIGHT. Luther's Big Mistake was that he just could not conceive that anybody else could arrive at a different conclusion than he about what scripture meant. This, of course, led to the Protestant Heresy of every Tom, **** and Stupid making up their own truths by being left to their own interpretation machine (their brain) when reading the Bible (and typically a poorly translated Bible at that). With the Pentecostal Church, I am truly vexed. There are some with whom the Holy Spirit literally talks. But what to do when this same Holy Spirit (supposedly) teaches different things to different people? I'm tempted to say "I am perplexed," but I doubt that anyone would comprehend the reference.
One last comment about why a person would be more inclined to succumb to church doctrine rather than scripture, is that Martin Luther changed the nature of Salvation to "Being Right" as opposed to "Sacramental Participation" or even "Being Loving." This would mean that when a person
does read what is actually written, and
does have a brain to see that it conflicts with the traditional doctrines of their church, then what? One is faced with the very real possibility that one just might not be saved !! And that's just scary. To avoid this, it's easier to deny the truth that is written all along the page and say, well I must be reading this wrong, and instead seek the comfort of a salvation that was given them by their church and church doctrine. In a way, this hearkens back to the book "How Children Fail" because the school system cultivates an unease about not knowing (the right answer). Not many people are comfortable with saying I don't know and that's okay.
I was hoping you'd get a bit more substantive answers from the peanut gallery, but I shall need to remain comfortable with being disappointed.
Rhema
I don't know and that's okay
My priest will tell me anyway
Sound off,
One two....
.
