Joe, that is so disturbing.

It is not just the Catholics.

My parents met at a Congregational Church in Brighton, on the south coast of England. Like a lot of Non-conformist churches, its buildings included a lot of teaching space, and they received a good religious education there from a thoughtful and educated minister. some years ago, they went back on a visit, to find it much changed. Instead of a thoughtful educative sermon, there was an emotional address working up the congregation, and instead of thoughtful hymns with educated ideas in the words, choruses and worship songs which did not address the mind.

I could write more, but there does seem to have been a movement not only to appeal to those who find thinking difficult - people who obviously should be reached out to, don't get me wrong, but to do so by denigrating the more educated as somehow not right for Christ.

Who benefits from making the churches intolerable places for those with minds?

Penny