Well, I hate to break it to you (and any lurkers who might be reading) but any believer who is baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a member of the Catholic Church, according to the Church's teaching. Bwahahahahaha.
Because of this, I don't see a distinction between the Catholic organization and the whole body of individual believers in Christ. And I really do believe that Jesus is present when two or three gather in His name, He is there. However, I think that the pride of men also gets in the way many times. How else can you explain the myriad of interpretations of Scripture? They can't all be right - Jesus is the immutable Truth of the Universe, and is constant. Truth is truth, and it does not change to fit people's conceptions.
I'm loving this debate - it's helping me focus my thoughts and you've given me some good questions to ponder and pray about!
I totally agree,in fact that's exactly what we've been telling the Catholics who insist we're wrong! Of course we know that 'catholic' means 'universal'- in other words, any baptized believer, regardless of whether they buy the whole Catholic package. For some reason, this seems to frost the hard-core Catholics when we 'rebellious' types claim their name. :)
As for the many interpretations of scripture, we agree here also. I feel that people have a tendency to read Scripture according to their personal bias or advantage- myself included. I guess it's part of being human and noodling through divine revelation. I just reject any outside voice that presumes an air of infallible superiority. I know that preachers, priests and popes are subject to the same limitations as I am, so I'm not going to filter my right to communicate with my Father through another man's sonship, no matter who he is. I'll gladly listen, after all we are to edify one another, and make my own judgment based on what I believe God has already told me. But I can't tell you how many times I've run across this 'top-down' hierarchical attitude from a preacher, as if I'm not a valid conduit of Christ's anointing, just because I don't make a living off of offerings from a congregation! (Yes, it really gets that ludicrous.) But when it comes to me teaching or edifying them, no no, I'm not good enough- it's all a one way street.
Meanwhile, I'm doing more of Christ's work through my business (feeding the poor, reaching out to the lost, etc.) than they are by sitting inside a church office all week writing a three point sermon.
I'd better stop now, it sounds like I'm ranting! lol