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Young Americans losing their religion at a rapid pace
Zerokku
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I found this very interesting, though not terribly surprising.
I bolded some of the parts of the article that stuck out to me. I'm a little surprised at quite the rate that people are "losing their religion" I mean I see it around me, but the 30-40% seemed a bit higher then I was expecting.
I disagree with the assumption that most of these people would still be going to a church if it weren't for some of the views presented though. The article seems to paint the picture that young people are losing faith in organized religion and not religion itself, but I'm not sure if that's the case.
Having previously been mormon though, It was obvious to me that the church was trying to reign in our younger generation, and keeping us engaged in the church (And failing terribly at that). I see the local christian churches with rock bands and video game tournaments trying to appeal to the younger generation, and if this is true, then obviously something isn't working.
What are your opinions on America's growing godlessness?
Source - http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=7513343&page=1New research shows young Americans are dramatically less likely to go to church -- or to participate in any form of organized religion -- than their parents and grandparents.
"It's a huge change," says Harvard University professor Robert Putnam, who conducted the research.
Historically, the percentage of Americans who said they had no religious affiliation (pollsters refer to this group as the "nones") has been very small -- hovering between 5 percent and 10 percent. However, Putnam says the percentage of "nones" has now skyrocketed to between 30 percent and 40 percent among younger Americans.
Putnam calls this a "stunning development." He gave reporters a first glimpse of his data Tuesday at a conference on religion organized by the Pew Forum on Faith in Public Life.
The research will be included in a forthcoming book, called "American Grace."
This trend started in the 1990s and continues through today. It includes people in both Generation X and Y.
While these young "nones" may not belong to a church, they are not necessarily atheists.
"Many of them are people who would otherwise be in church," Putnam said. "They have the same attitidues and values as people who are in church, but they grew up in a period in which being religious meant being politically conservative, especially on social issues."
Putnam says that in the past two decades, many young people began to view organized religion as a source of "intolerance and rigidity and doctrinaire political views," and therefore stopped going to church.
This movement away from organized religion, says Putnam, may have enormous consequences for American culture and politics for years to come.
"That is the future of America," he says. "Their views and their habits religiously are going to persist and have a huge effect on the future."
This data is likely to reinvigorate an already heated debate about whether America is, or will continue to be, a "Christian nation." A recent Newsweek cover article, entitled "The End of Christian America" provoked responses from religious thinkers all over the spectrum.
Putnam, author of the book "Bowling Alone," which tracked the decline in civic and community engagement in America (exemplified by the diminution of bowling leagues), fears the reduction in religiosity could have widespread negative impacts.
His research shows that people who go to church are much more likely to vote, volunteer and give to charity.
However, he says, it's possible that the current spike in young people opting out of organized religion could also prove to be an opportunity for some.
"America historically has been a very inventive and even entrepreneurial place in terms of religion," he says. "We're all the time inventing new religions and reinventing religions that we have. It's partly because we have a free market in religion. That is, we don't have a state church."
Given that today's young "nones" probably would be in church if they didn't associate religion with far-right political views, he says, new faith groups may evolve to serve them.
"Jesus said, 'Be fishers of men,'" says Putnam, "and there's this pool with a lot of fish in it and no fishermen right now."
In the end, he says, this "stunning" trend of young people becoming less religious could lead to America's next great burst of religious innovation.
I bolded some of the parts of the article that stuck out to me. I'm a little surprised at quite the rate that people are "losing their religion" I mean I see it around me, but the 30-40% seemed a bit higher then I was expecting.
I disagree with the assumption that most of these people would still be going to a church if it weren't for some of the views presented though. The article seems to paint the picture that young people are losing faith in organized religion and not religion itself, but I'm not sure if that's the case.
Having previously been mormon though, It was obvious to me that the church was trying to reign in our younger generation, and keeping us engaged in the church (And failing terribly at that). I see the local christian churches with rock bands and video game tournaments trying to appeal to the younger generation, and if this is true, then obviously something isn't working.
What are your opinions on America's growing godlessness?
Zerokku on
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..what a terrible, terrible misconception!
Edit: Also, that's a very poorly written article.
I haven't gone to chuch since I was like 7, not because I stopped believing in God but because I stopped subscribing to organized religion.
Church has to evolve or they will die out. Church isn't about religion, it's about community (with a bit of religion as a unifying theme).
Man, if Churches were more like religious nightclubs with a dance floor and drinks and music and shit that would be so badass.
This is the part that jumped at me the most, as it's something I been thinking about.
Lately, as an agnostic liberal, bordering on socialist,, I been attempting to explore my lapsed religious beliefs. But even when I try to, I remember so many statements the Church has stated that go agaisnt everything else I believe, and I reconsider my exploration.
Also, the whole "need to be conservative" thing that the church has nowadays sorta drives off the 60%+ (pulled from my ass, will update later) of liberals in the 18-30 age group.
I'd post more thoughts, but I have a physics exam in 20 minutes. Wish me luck!
The article is pretty much saying they're not turning atheist, they're just not going to church. Which I can see, as it's kind of dull and half the community thinks your generation is a sinful mess for doing the same shit their generation did. My mom at least had the sanity to not give me the "don't have sex before marriage" talk because damn if she hadn't done it, and enjoyed it. Also: lol birth control/condom hate.
Churches can be a great source of community involvement, but they need to be less.. what's a better word for the subject than "preachy" :winky:
Easy access to information = less religious belief.
I know, my comment at the bottom was more tongue-in-cheek.
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Also, re: all these people in need of a religion: science!
Going to Church has nothing to do with religious belief.
There are devout atheists who would go to Church for nothing more than just picking up some hot chicks.
Granted. Some people who go to church aren't religious. Some people who are religious don't go to church.
This is still an immensely stupid thing to say.
That sounds like a fucking terrible idea. I mean, I've hooked up with a religious girl or two in my time, and it's more effort than it's worth when you couldn't be farther from each other on the religious spectrum of things.
I'm always skeptical when I hear this. Mostly because I suspect they include volunteering their time and money to the church when they say "volunteer and give to charity".
I can't speak to the second point, but the first one is pretty true as far as I can tell, or at least I'd say that going to church doesn't directly correlate to religious belief. Like people are saying, church can be a social thing as much as a religious thing for some people. I guess the article is trying to make the point that just as some people who go to church aren't particularly religious, some religious people don't necessarily go to church - and the latter group is getting bigger.
People telling me I'm going to hell just because I don't follow one faith, people telling me individuals who've never heard of Christianity are going to hell because they don't practice it... people like that scare me away from organized. There are some wonderful people out there who have been enriched by their faith but they don't seem as common as the people who wield it like a weapon.
addition: Plus, I'm pro-gay rights which puts me at odds with most organized religions, anyway.
The first thing you should know about me is that I speak in hyperbole pretty much all the time.
Going to church obviously correlates with religious belief, people. The fact that there are exceptions does not negate the entire correlation.
You can also not go to church and believe in god/whatnot. That's what the article is going on about. Not that people are going atheist in droves, but that they're abandoning churchgoing as a regular thing.
I agree... Maybe not on the last part, but I agree that Church should be more about the community of believers. This is why I stopped going. I felt like I was going to another class.
Given that this can involve stuff like taking care of elderly members of the congregation (bringing them food, driving them to appointments, etc.) or babysitting for working parents I don't see why this is so horrible.
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Science is the worst religion.
No. Dear GOD no.
If I end up having kids there's no way I would make them do that.
Well yeah, pedophiles gotta go somewhere to have their meetings.
I can hear all the old people complaining about it. :P I'd love to GO to it, but I can't imagine how this would work out well at all.
Actually, I guess it would depend on how the poll defined church. Because "church" just means "assembly." So, on one hand, it's possible you have some devout Christians who are only meeting for Bible studies and would say that they don't go to church. On the other hand, if you're a devout Christian and you're meeting for Bible study, you may well consider such "assemblies" as churches, since you're probably somewhat familiar with early Christianity.
I really just wish surveys asked more specific questions:
• Do you believe in a personal God who hears your prayers?
• If so, on a scale of 1 to 5, how accurately does the Bible describe the God you believe in? The Quran?
1 2 3 4 5 haven't read/don't know
Science is not a religion and if you're treating it like one you're doing it wrong.
I think he was saying that there are other "fishers of men" out there nowadays other than Jesus. Science is not religion, but it does provide understanding and meaning, roles traditionally filled by religion. And most people today—even religious people—derive their morality from secular philosophical sources rather than religious sources (i.e. "slavery is wrong" and "questioning authority is good.")
You sir made me giggle at work. Bravo.
Bravo.
That's why we invented Oneg (essentially brownies and coffee after services).
Also, volunteerism. Fuck you Mr. 'organized religious affiliation is necessary for volunteering' guy.
...
In other news, I wonder if the erosion of religious influence among young people is due to a surge in post-materialist values. People identifying with their hobbies and likes and dislikes, and finding social networks on the internet and the like.
I mean, it's the X and Y generations that have really been feeling the brunt of things like video games, anime (and its subcultures), tabletop games, coffee shops, and the goddamn internet.
Maybe people are finding their social and other needs met in the plethora of newly available arenas to explore.
Church does serve to increase happiness via social networking and sense of belonging. If we can divorce that from religion, so much the better.
For the most part, I think all "mono" type religions ascribe the same things to their deity, and the social requirements are also all the same, minus some minor variations. That's why I always kind of chuckle at not only the modern western thought of what God is, but also the people who claim that laws and order all come direct from religious teachings, when I would argue it's the exact opposite scenario.
As to younger generations leaving Christianity, I'm not terribly surprised, I really feel that Christianity has completely lost it's way in the states. For instance the Catholic Church's stance on condoms/birth control in 3rd world countries is bizarre. I do wonder how other religions like Mormonism are doing though.