Raggytash says: Joe, I don't know if teaching of the catholic church has altered radically since I was a child in the late 50's early 60's but the "stories" you refer to were told as the absolute truth then and God help you if you didn't believe them.

That was certainly true in some parishes, Raggytash. And there were some dioceses that were dominated by that sort of mindless literalism. But even in the most rigid dioceses, there were parishes where thinking was much more directed toward the spiritual meaning of the ancient writings. And conversely, the most progressive dioceses have had pockets of stern rigidity. The Catholic Church is not monolithic, and never has been. Catholic thinking covers a broad spectrum, and official doctrine is far less restrictive than one might think.

Still, the rigid literalists were a pain in the ass - and still are. Even those near-heretical Jesuits have a few literalists in their midst.

-Joe-