I have to admit I always kind of brushed off the whole idea

[wnylib]

15. In some ways, that kind of teaching in Catholicism

is the same as in fundanentalist evangelical churches. Maybe that's why Catholics and fundies have become allies in RW religious political activism.

I grew up in a neighborhood that was overwhelmingly Catholic in a city that was predominantly Catholic. So I heard a lot from friends about what they were being taught, and received some criticism for not belonging to the "true faith." But, overall, we got along outside of occasional religious comments. I also have some Catholic relatives through marriage, and was once married to a Catholic myself.

But there are also some Catholics whose beliefs transcend simplistic heaven or hell doctrines. It seems like there are fewer of them these days. Some have left religion altogether for the reasons you mention. Others have switched to a different denomination. I once had a pastor in a Protestant church who had grown up as a Catholic and switched. His wife was also a former Catholic.