Catholics and Demographics

One striking set of facts discussed in the forthcoming book American Grace is that the three largest groups with attitudes about religion in the U.S. are first, Catholics; second, those who are not religious (17%); and third, those who have left the Catholic Church (10%, the second and third groups overlap to some extent). The Catholic Church's preminent position in size has been maintained despite a large loss of members primarily because of the influx of Latinos (due to immigration and population growth). Latino(a) Catholics are understudied.

I think to avoid deception of MOJ readers I should reveal that I have recently moved from the first group to the third. I continue to attend a Catholic Church in Ithaca (Episcopal Churches when on the road), remain influenced by and continue to look to past and contemporary writers in the Catholic tradition, and continue to share much of the views associated with Catholic social and legal theory.