ABSTRACT
The major determinant of the starting point appears to be the depth of the original internalization of the desire to be a Catholic, deriving from particular parent-child relationships; but the cultural expectations and the psychological characteristics associated with one’s sex, and the influence of one’s primary group appear to affect it as well. Leaving the Church, then, or remaining in it can hardly be called the result of an intellectual decision based on the careful weighing of evidence. Though detailed rational explanations often accompany leaving or staying in, to understand a person’s membership status one must comprehend that preintellectual starting point giving rise to it. This chapter deals with the observation that the border between In and Out Catholics was obscure and, for that reason, worth studying. Empirically, a number of things distinguish Ins and Outs: religious practice, belief, perceptions of the Church and its ability to fulfill values, and parental characteristics.
