I never met any one who thought today is Tuesday ,I am a Catholic. Wednesday , I will no longer believe in god. It is not a decision you go after. The logic comes to you a little at a time until you can no longer defend against it. It is erosion. The whole edifice just slowly crumbles.
Then you get a little pissed off. The time and effort wasted seems overwhelming. All the religious classes ,the endless sermons and the time spent in confessionals is grinding. I was pissed because my parents made me go through all that crap. The guilt for imaginary sins of a kid. The fear of being char broiled for eternity if I eat a pepperoni on a Friday pizza. What a total waste.
True - but their children often would become true members of the majority religion, because the parents would not feel safe letting the kids know.
A big chunk of Will in the World discussed Shakespeare and his parents possible hidden Catholicism, by the way.