I don't think it's as uncommon as people think. I think many people rethink their affiliations as life goes on and respond by either changing or disassociating themselves from whatever organization. Also the more rural an area the more people were likely to go to whatever church was around. Stefanie -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.296 / Virus Database: 265.6.0 - Release Date: 12/17/2004

I have seen a goodly amount of my family members changing affiliations after they came to this country especially when they married someone of another tradition. My paternal great grandparents were Roman Catholics but after she died and he remarried and had more children those children were raised in the Lutheran tradition. 2 of my half great uncles married woman who were Episcopalian and they raised their children in that tradition. One of my mothers Aunts who was Roman Catholic, married a Jewish Man at the turn of the century. They had 13 children all of whom were baptized in the Roman Catholic faith and for lack of better words were taught religion by example but had no "formal" instruction. It appears that when they married they adopted the tradition of their spouse and so some are Roman Catholic, others Dutch Reformed while others belong to various other protestant traditions. It was good for us for as children we learned about and participated somewhat in the traditions of other family members especially at a time when the Roman Catholic church frowned on it and forbade attending other traditions services. Elizabeth V. Cardinal evc1369@comcast.net