THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC PEOPLE: Their Beliefs, Practices, and Values

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 1986

The nation's leading pollster and Castelli, a ""Catholic journalist"" and author of The Bishops and The Bomb, prove themselves master examiners but only middling diagnosticians in this thorough checkup of the political, economic, and religious leanings of American Catholics. Drawing on polls conducted from 1965 to 1986, the authors organize their mounds of data into 13 categories; a further distillation reveals three main areas of concern: religion; extra-religious subjects such as financial status and political affiliation; and particular trends of two sub-groups, Hispanics and teens. In most cases, Catholic poll results are compared with those of Protestants, with the authors constructing a portrait of Catholics as, on the whole, more tolerant, liberal, and dovish than their wealthier, more conservative fellow Christians. For example, in 1985, while 52 percent of Catholics supported decriminalization of marijuana, 57 percent of Protestants opposed it. But here is a rub: on nonreligious matters, are there indeed distinct Catholic and Protestant constituencies? Do Catholics tend to be liberals, or do many union workers and minorities tend to be Catholic? The authors fail to address the fundamental question of the validity of their polling differentials, a validity undermined by their deeming as ""Catholic"" all people who define themselves as Catholic--including 20% who admit ""they are not church members."" On more solid ground are the conclusions arrived at from questions dealing with matters of faith; and here there is a sure inference: American Catholics, by every measure, are more engaged with their religion than they have been since the early 1970's; and this engagement comes hand-in-hand with an open revolt against Rome on matters of divorce, birth control, and sexual mores. An impressive array of information, but probably less suggestive than the authors hope. Given its flood of statistics, it's more suitable for sociologists and concerned clerics than for general readers.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION