Looking at something else, I happened on a Youtube of Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus in "The Chosen," addressing the Catholic National Eucharistic Conference.
I bookmarked the video to watch later, but what struck me was that he was wearing a tee-shirt
with a quote from Flannery O'Connor about the Eucharist: "If it's just a symbol, then to hell with it."
Googling to find out more about her quote, I ran across an article in the National Catholic Register which suggested the same might be said of baptism.
But I was totally gobsmacked to read there that (my emphasis)
"We have an obligation to baptize because Jesus told us to.
And we have an obligation in obedience and love to baptize
correctly. Given that the non-Catholic media does not
believe in sin or in the divine authority of Jesus, it is
no wonder they are befuddled."
Not to charge Catholics with brain-dead insularity. The Register seems to be some kind of hyper-"Conservative Catholic" publication; and not to be confused at all with the National Catholic Reporter out of Kansas City, which is respected (even among the Church' hierarchy, of which it's independent) for honest, penetrating, coverage of Catholic news and issues.
In contrast, the Register's writer seems to think no one can be considered honest except those who believe exactly as he does. Jesus IS "The Truth," he evidently reasons, so obviously no unbeliever (including, in his view, "non-Catholic media") can possibly tell the truth.
That self-blinding attitude is hardly unique to Catholics. It's the same prideful solipsism that underlies "Evangelicals' " contempt for "the liberal media," science, historians, etc., etc. And at root it is, itself, unbelief; denial that "The Truth," Jesus, in actuality rules anywhere except in our self-chosen little group.
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