Thanks for the enlightening read. I can relate to much of it. My father’s side of the family was Catholic, my mother Protestant - I was raised a Protestant.
In college, very naive and impressionable, I got sucked into extreme Fundamentalism that not only was very anti-Catholic, but anti-most Protestants. (There little group and those like them were the only “true church”.) It almost destroyed my faith.
Ironically and providentially, a Catholic friend, very tactfully helped me to wake up and smell the coffee. I got the strength to set boundaries and get out of that very cult-like group, who very quickly showed their nature - wolves in sheep clothing. I really think the Lord was teaching me a lesson on the order of the “Good Samaritan”.
I could go on and on, but I better stop for now ...
May the sweet smell of Catholic coffee be with you forever.
Your story sounds a lot like St. Augustines...