"How do we tell correct inferences based on faith from faulty ones?" The Catholic Church claims teaching authority based on the argument that Jesus gave Peter,

"How do we tell correct inferences based on faith from faulty ones?" The Catholic Church claims teaching authority based on the argument that Jesus gave Peter, the mantle of the rock he will build his church. The Church argues it knows what Jesus meant, even though it is the first to admit it has often erred and has a history of ancient corruption and new corruption. The Church further argues that God cannot be in error, but our understanding of God is often in error. As a Catholic, the arguments of the church are summarized in the Catechism which is available on the vatican.va website. The best apologetics I have ever read are those of Pope Emeritus Benedict and those of Peter Kreeft, a Catholic philosopher. As for philosophical arguments, the teachings of the church are summarized by two arguments. a) We are all brothers and sisters, children of God, deserving of equal dignity and respect, and literally made in the image of God. b) We should reject evil even if it brings about good. This is a direct rejection of utilitarianism, the argument that the ends justify the means, and it is why the Church argues against eugenics, abortion, and capital punishment. As for historical arguments, the Catholic narrative is like this. God intervened directly throughout mankind's history and has slowly revealed himself. First, to Abraham, then to Moses, and lastly through his divine Son. The world of ancient Europe during Jesus' time was dominated or some might argue enslaved by Rome. Through a divine miracle, the faith of impoverished uneducated Jewish fishermen became the official religion of the Roman and Byzantine empires.