Pew report discovers cultural Catholics are a thing

[VelociRapture]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/catholics-who-arent-catholic/404113/#disqus_thread (unbroken, news magazine)

9% of American Catholics say they are Catholic, but Catholicism is not their religion.

The only thing I found surprising about this was the fact that anyone else found it surprising. Then again, my background is very different from an American Protestant - my parents are from Montreal, and religion in Montreal was very much a reflection of one's ethnicity, not personal choice. Until relatively recently, Protestant and Catholic children went to different school, and ethnic areas are dense and sharply defined (for example, my parents attended a public high school that was about 99% Jewish).

Do others here find that this is a natural or easy concept to understand, or does the notion of a religious identity that doesn't match actual religious belief seem puzzling?

Not surprising to me. I grew up in an Irish-American Catholic family. I am no longer Catholic (hello Deism!), but I do still feel drawn to some aspects of Church culture. For instance, I always appreciate the beauty of Churches I come across and I love some of the music. And fiancé and I still celebrate Christian holidays because we like them and they provide a chance to be with family. I also suffer from Catholic guilt, despite not identifying with the Church for close to 15 years.