The Bible has the same authority as To Kill A Mockingbird, and she was a much better writer with far better editors. The Bible BTW, gave us the Dark Ages and the Crusades, not things to be proud of...
To you they have the same authority. But to those who have received a witness from the Spirit it teaches the truth of our Savior Jesus christ.
And you are wrong. The bible wasn't in the hands of the people until the end of the dark ages. It was the people studying the scriptures and applying them that lead us out of the dark ages