[Maru]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Catholicism has mellowed out quite a lot over the years though

Maybe where you're at it's different. Here there's never been any substantial pressure above a few comments here and there... unless people happen to run into an uber church going family in their circle who sees them as their meal ticket to heaven/ego boost, but it's not like FLDS/Scientology level pressure and dogma...

For me the difference is it being voluntary versus being brainwashed/forced. Outside of your family home (if they even practice), I would say most institutions, like a school, are atheist. For example, most teachers who have ever vocalized anything about belief, talk about lack of evidence that God exist, etc... so it pretty much cancels itself out.

It's very hard to pressure someone here into a religion nowadays without it becoming synonymous with a cult. There is no church of the US