[wintertime]

Here's what I tell people still trapped in Catholicism:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It is a cult-like trap! I was taught that the Roman Catholic Church was the **only** true church and to leave what was taught to be the truth was to be condemned to a flaming hell.

That is a powerful and emotionally trapping cult belief to impose on people and it is especially abusive when this teaching begins in infancy.

Then to make matters worse, no matter how morally or spiritually corrupt the leadership or bizarre the practices, there is no mechanism for the lay person to reform the organization. Is this not the very definition of a cult?

I thank God that I am free of that.

[T Minus Four]

When I was in 4th grade, sister drew a large ocean-liner on the blackboard and said this was the Catholic Church, and everyone on it would cruise into heaven.

Then she drew a little tiny rowboat surrounded by rough waves. This represented a protestant, who *MIGHT* make it into heaven, but the chances were slim. Only if he were very, very, very, very good AND had never really had a chance to become Catholic. Even at the age of nine, this stuck in my craw.

That and the unbaptised babies who could never go to heaven but floated around in Limbo for eternity. I NEVER bought that, even as a little kid.

still, it took me almost 50 years to do my homework and learn the truth for myself.

[Quix]

Quite a number of other supposedly Christian groups have similar problems. It’s just that the Vatican has been at it for 16 centuries and is thereby layers worse, in most respects.