Dear Brad C.,
"'She is, after all, in Her own understanding, the Body of Christ.'"
I said this in this way to make it so that you wouldn't need to challenge this fact.
"I think this is the rub here. She may have an understanding of what she thinks she is, but that does not make it the truth to others outside the church."
Yet you challenged it anyway.
Sorry. I'm a Catholic. I accept fully and completely the infallible, irreformable teachings of my Church. The Holy Catholic Church is the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ. There isn't much basis for discussion once you challenge this basic fact of Christian truth.
"We can all do so much working together, rather than fighting against ourselves. Which, I believe, is the reason that discussions of religion and politics are prohibited inside lodge rooms."
I'm not fighting against myself or anyone whom I would count as part of "ourselves." ;-)
I'm not even fighting against Masons, whom I do not recognize as being part of "ourselves" at least when I'm also a part of "ourselves."
I've just been pointing out the valid reasons why Catholics cannot be Masons.
sitetest
"The Holy Catholic Church is the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ. There isn't much basis for discussion once you challenge this basic fact of Christian truth. "
To be a nit, that's a "basic fact of Roman Catholic truth."
Me, I follow what St. Paul expressly says about who is a Christians and how ALL Christians are part of the UNIVERSAL (the meaning of "catholic") body of Christ.