MG, I think you're exaggerating. And whatever the case, it sure doesn't happen in Catholic families nowaways.

Steve Shaw, I acknowledge that there have been Catholic institutions like the one you describe and entire Catholic dioceses that have been oppressive. Even in the more balanced dioceses, there are oppressive regimes in certain parishes - but I wonder why anybody bothers to take part in such travesties when there are alternatives available.

In general, the negative comments in this thread seem to me to describe the extreme, not the usual Catholic experience. I don't deny the existence of the extremes people describe. But I have a broad spectrum of experience in the Catholic Church, both in the U.S. and internationally - and what people describe in this thread is not the reality I have experienced. It's far from perfect, but it's certainly not anywhere near as bad as what's described in so many messages here.

As far as I can tell from this thread, there is only one practicing Catholic among the persons who have made negative comments in this thread about the Catholic Church. That's mg, and her perspective is different from that of any participating Catholic I've known in this day and age. What she talks of, seems to be another era.

-Joe-