[Mrs. Don-o]

The term “a member of the Church” has several different layers of meaning.

On the one hand, foundationally, Baptism is one’s initiation into the Catholic Church. In that bare-minimum sense, even people validly baptized in other churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Evangelical, whatever) are certainly -— but imperfectly -— members of the Catholic Church in the baptismal sense.

But a member of the Catholic Church "in practice"? "In good standing"? Check it out:

https://tinyurl.com/Catholic-standing

You have to be a baptized believer who has not apostatized or been excommunicated, in a state of grace, who accepts the faith of, and is living in obedience to the precepts of Jesus Christ, as He teaches us through the Catholic Church.

If one can't make a distinction in practice between any person who has baptismally entered the Catholic Church, vs being a practicing Catholic in good standing, vs being an ex-Catholic, post-Catholic or anti-Catholic, then we shall have to accept all the moral and creedal ideas expressed by every purported Christian or post-Christian in the history of the world, as Catholic teaching. Even those of Frances Kissling, even Creflo Dollar, even John Hagee, even you!

This shows you the imbecility of refusing to make distinctions.

I would be delighted to answer any other questions.

[ealgeone]

In spite of all that, many of your fellow Roman Catholics continue to claim those freepers who have left the Roman Catholic church and are now Christians.

Ya'll need to get your ducks in a row on this issue....among others.

[metmom]

The term “a member of the Church” has several different layers of meaning.

Of course. Just like every other word in the Catholic vocabulary.

We expect no less.