Why were Mexicans unwilling to stop going to movies? The question compelled activists to reevaluate the state of Catholicism. They concluded that the previous generation had succumbed. Porfirio Díaz had permitted the return of religious orders, church-affiliated charities, and public processions. But he did not rescind the Reforma laws, the nation’s “original sin,” and other essential features of liberalism. This gentler stripe of secularization had lulled the faithful into submission. Instead of fighting, they settled for accommodation. Now, the church was vulnerable to the revolutionary attacks.