Quote:
Originally Posted by abaya
Would you guys say that Christianity has a "cultural" identity in North America? It definitely does in Iceland--religion is institutionalized here, and yet it is a nation full of functional atheists. And yet, the vast majority of Icelanders are baptized, married, and buried in the church. They can't imagine doing it any other way, even if there is no faith or practice remaining.
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When I was in high school, I lived with a family in Valladolid, Spain for a very short time. Everyone I met in Spain professed to be Catholic. On Easter, the family I was staying with dropped me off at mass. The church was filled with older adults- very few people my age. My host family picked me up after mass. Talking to other people my age throughout the following week, no one I met had gone to mass on Easter. The holiest day of the year... I thought that it was strange at the time.
My sampling of Catholicism in Spain was very limited, but it matches what you describe above.
Regarding the question posed in the OP title: If someone asked me "Are you Christian?" on the spot, I would probably say, "None of your business."