I anticipate that American Catholicism will go the way of Quebec Catholicism. Quebec was once a very, very Catholic society, right up to my wife’s generation, during which the population just basically “walked away”. During a time when many of the Protestant (read “Anglophone”) population were actually moving out of the province to Anglo Canada (which should have actually increased their majority), the percentage of practicing Catholics plummeted. Folks stopped marrying in the church, stopped baptizing their kids and now, they live together without formal marriage or any form of baptisms at all.
Having lived through this with my own generation of family, I have hope that America can find its way out of its “Religious Iron Lung”. The stranglehold the Religious Right has on so many parts of America is choking, but there is evidence available to us that this doesn’t have to be permanent.
I only hope that my optimism isn’t misplace. If so, I do still have plans for a chain of “Misplaced Americans Refugee Inns” - Great food, great atmosphere and French Lessons for a modest additional fee!
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