harotzeh, if your rabbi told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it? I find it pitiable that you find people using their own brains laughable. Do the talmidei chachamim of our generation have more Torah knowledge than you and me? Certainly. Do they have a better understanding of the world around us? Possibly. But even if Moses himself told you to do something, don’t you think G-d gave you a brain to actually use it and decide if that commandment makes any sense? I completely understand and agree with having a rav and relying on his Torah knowledge for decisions, and when the available choices make sense in my own mind I will of course follow the rav’s. But to listen when what he’s saying is completely counter to everything my brain tells me about the way the world works? Why would I treat the tools G-d gave me with such worthlessness? And frankly, I’m not trying to say anything negative about anyone, but since when is ANYONE in our generation an undisputed leader of klal yisroel?
And as for those complaining about hearing half (or maybe false) quote of R’ Steinman, you’re absolutely correct, we don’t know what he really said, but I don’t have a problem arguing with the statement, regardless of whether it was actually said or not.