text: I hear you. Often such people you describe, many ex-Catholics, are so pessimistic about anything Catholic, that if given the choice of two evils to befall the church, they would choose both and hope for the worst. lol. They especially can't imagine Catholics who are highly educated and content with their achievements and faith. That would be an oxymoron, a mistake, a blunder, promoting a statistic that doesn't deserve a hearing. But such thinking is kind of mob-like, with hands to type and not brains, no balance. That's how I see it. And you are right, common folk are regarded as "dumb animals," as it were, "led by their pastors," ruined by the over-verification of parish bulletins or whatever. If I took this fume seriously, it would be purgatory. But I don't. Posting on a Catholic publication like this, ex-Catholics are often like little figures on a wedding cake arguing: no celebration allowed; just rant! As the Bard notes: the "tartness of their letters will sour ripe grapes." lol