Young people and religion

A recent Pew poll states:

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 ... the percentage of "nones" has now skyrocketed to between 30 percent and 40 percent among younger Americans. (via ABC news)

I certainly know what it is to be young and religious. I was raised as a Catholic and was quite faithful until my mid-30s, when I locked onto Christian Science. But it took until my mid-60s to see what more and more young people today are seeing, according to the above poll.

It is only now after having been away from the absurdity of religion the past four years that I am gaining a sense of what I lost. For over 30 years I fancied myself - and tried hard to be - a spiritual healer, a thinker, a defender of the faith, a biblical scholar, a visionary, and at times even a savior of a church. Though along the way I met a few interesting and lovable co-religionists, in the end I just couldn't abide the hypocrisy, the dullness, the meanness and the arrogance of those who were supposed to be my leaders and examples. Also, unknowingly, I was slowly (at first) losing my ability to swallow some of the absurd beliefs and traditions of both conventional and unconventional religion.

Yes, this took a long, long time to devolve. Shortly after I left the fold, I resumed being the person I was when I was took the leap of faith and set off on a spiritual career. That's why these days I often say I'm immature for my age.

It took a few years, but I gradually reestablished my interest in music. Today I play in a brash blues dance band and work part time at a cool computer store. I can't help wonder where I would be by now if I had stayed on a musical path, developed my skills as a writer and composer, poet, essayist, etc. I'll never know. What I'm grateful for is that during that lost period I somehow managed to keep those embers glowing - though on a back burner.

So I'm somewhat resentful - ya think? - that I wasted my youthful years - truly wasted them since I never really fulfilled even the religious/spiritual expectations. I don't want to admit it, but I am getting to be an old man and while I rejoice in my present activities I know that I will never ever achieve my potential since I am 30+ years behind where I would be if I’d continued to develop along my natural, non-religious lines.

That's why I occasionally speak out against religion - especially for young people. I know what a comfort it can be to adhere to what seems certain, authoritative, and beneficent. When things get crazy in your life the orderliness and fixedness of religious belief seems like safety. But it isn't. It's a huge waste of your time. Get to your true potential - explore it, hone your skills, learn from your mistakes. Yes, if you're going to make mistakes - and you certainly will - let them be in the right direction. Don't let them be like mine, thousands of mistakes within a single Big Mistake.

Your life is yours to develop, not some supernatural being's, not some evangelical community's, not some spiritual leader's or some sacred book's. Religion has been invented to give you the assurance you crave but can never achieve. The ultimate facts are that we live and then we die. In between, we develop our talents and abilities - and have some fun. Work on those and don't waste your time on fantasies of salvation or eternal happiness.

So, it isn't just burnt out religionists like me!

** After 60+ years of carrying the torch for religion in one form or another, it might not be so remarkable that I would choose to spend my final years as a contented atheist. But new research from The Barna Group, which specializes in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture, shows that the thrill is also gone for most younger Americans. Here are some highlights of the report (via DC)

As the nation’s culture changes in diverse ways, one of the most significant shifts is the declining reputation of Christianity, especially among young Americans. A new study by The Barna Group conducted among 16- to 29-year-olds shows that a new generation is more skeptical of and resistant to Christianity than were people of the same age just a decade ago.

The study of Christianity’s slipping image is explored in a new book, entitled unChristian, by David Kinnaman, the president of The Barna Group. The study is a result of collaboration between Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons of the Fermi Project.

The study shows that 16- to 29-year-olds exhibit a greater degree of criticism toward Christianity than did previous generations when they were at the same stage of life. In fact, in just a decade, many of the Barna measures of the Christian image have shifted substantially downward, fueled in part by a growing sense of disengagement and disillusionment among young people. For instance, a decade ago the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society. Currently, however, just 16% of non-Christians in their late teens and twenties said they have a "good impression" of Christianity.

One of the groups hit hardest by the criticism is evangelicals. Such believers have always been viewed with skepticism in the broader culture. However, those negative views are crystallizing and intensifying among young non-Christians. The new study shows that only 3% of 16 - to 29-year-old non-Christians express favorable views of evangelicals. This means that today’s young non-Christians are eight times less likely to experience positive associations toward evangelicals than were non-Christians of the Boomer generation (25%)...