There are plenty of people out there who want to dismiss the Catholic faith because of bad Catholics. “How can you follow a faith” they wail, “which has suppressed women, tortured and raped little boys and killed millions of people?”

Every Catholic has to admit that there are bad Catholics. Really bad Catholics. Vile, evil, wicked and depraved people who are Catholics.

However, since when do we judge any group or nation or religion only  by their worst examples and by only by their followers and not by their beliefs?

Let’s say we want to decide if America is a great country or not. Would it be fair to judge America by the corrupt politicians, the murderous gangsters, the greedy Wall Street bankers, the drug addled movie stars, the serial killers and the inhabitants of our worst jails? I don’t think so.

Sure we’d have to take them into account, but we’d also have to consider the great and good Americans, the ordinary good folks, the noble, brave and best examples of American citizenry. We’d also have to weigh America not only by the actions and decisions of her citizens, but by her founding principles, her documents of state–the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Same with the Catholic faith. Consider the whole thing objectively.

Or just remain an ignorant, brainwashed bigot.