text: One of my siblings married an Italo-Canadian RC, who also teaches in the RC school system.
  
  A few New Years eves' back, (actually a couple hours later) I was present when a group they had over of around 14 or 16 sat around an expansive kitchen island, and engaged in what turned out to be essentially a "bare all" session.
  
  Around the table, the majority were RC teachers, and frankly none of them had anything even approaching a solid belief in God, the Bible, etc...they openly expressed doubts any of it was "real" - yet they all walked their own children, and their pupils through all the rituals....
  
  I remember a Bill Maher show some years back, were he was trashing the overt Christianity of Presidential candidates, and pointed out that many had not been religious before...his thought, that it was all about the optics, the cultural ritual of it all, etc...Frankly he thought most were agnostic at best..