Yes, and I attended catechism until the age of 16 or 17 (stopped in 11th grade). I volunteered as a lectern in the Catholic Chapel services (USAF) until the age of about 20.
At 20 I “fell away” and turned “agnostic” for about a decade and associated with (not worshiped with) Baptists, Mormons, Wiccans, Buddhists and Neo-Pagans. Finally, I read the Bible at age 30.
Reading the Bible opened my eyes to the Catholic Church. You really ought to sit and read the Bible all the way through, absent from anything to do with rituals, Mary and traditions.
You might be surprised.
Were you ever taught that Mary was God or even god? Were you ever taught that she was divine? Were you ever taught that she was due worship or taught to worship her?
Simple yes or no answers, but I am betting that you will either dodge the question or try and hedge again.
“You really ought to sit and read the Bible all the way through, absent from anything to do with rituals, Mary and traditions.”
Reading the Bible is what kept me from every becoming a Protestant or joining some other sect. Reading the Bible has convinced me that the Catholic Church is true while Protestant sects are just man-made heretical groups.
Great post, Red Horse, great testimony. We have quite a few ex-RC in our church, I've noticed that every one of their testimonies matches yours.
Seems as long as they are going through all the motions Catholics do, the mass, saying their rosary, etc., with all the accompanying outward regalia, the priestly robes, the nun's garments, the gold, the statues of Mary, etc., they never get around to doing like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who searched the scripture "whether those things were so" (whether RC "things" are so).
The word of God, assuming they are not brainwashed by all the trappings of Roman system, will do that for honest Roman Catholics every time.