Its About Time
Religious practice should never be written in stone, nor should it be written on paper. A religious trajectory is highly individualistic. It doesn’t adhere to a pattern. It is akin to shoes: no shoe of two people is alike, and when they are, they are of a different size or width. It changes from day to day within each person, which is why people who practice religion prefer to do it silently, privately. Religious adherence not only varies from person to person but from couple to couple. I realize that I am threading were only fools tread, but I too have something to say on the matter that, I believe, is relevant: Religion and its observance are on the way out.
Baby Boomers (those born between1946 and 1964, which makes them 56-75 years of age; they constitute nearly 72 million in the US) began the exodus by their defiance to religion, something that often fails to be applauded. They raised their children, Millennials, also called Generation Y (born between 1994-96 and 1981, which makes them 25 to 40 years of age) to publicly defy the prevailing theory about religion that once these youngsters found partners and celebrated parenthood, matters would change. They would return to the fold, like a predictable tide; they would come back, maybe imperceptibly slow, but inevitably. Yet they haven’t. In America, considered one of the most religious countries, almost as many people identify as having no religion as do those who claim to be Christian.
There are many reasons for this mass departure. One is that Millennials, like their forbears, find it easier to return to something familiar than have to invent something new or return to a faith that they only saw their ancestors worship - if at all. Even if it is a return to home, it is unknown. Raised by parents who soured on religion, they are not about to return to something incomprehensible, even objectionable, and repulsive. The prevailing mood is that to be religious condemns you to intolerance, even bigotry, and sexism - a by-product of mental infantilism. Is it notable to endure lousy weather?
The other reason is that Millennials realize that religion isn’t the only road to a moral and ethical life or to finding purpose and meaning to life’s journey. One can lead a virtuous life without the notion of a supernatural force or the study of sacred texts, other than studying it as literature, alongside Homeric text and Shakespeare in its original.
Lastly, they are likely to marry a spouse who is not religious. There are indeed two oars in the water, but they are not pulling in the same direction. The non-religious partner may not reinforce the secular outlook, but, at best, the couple doesn’t have the same script, making it even more dubious that the religious partner will have a change of heart.
There are many consequences to the absence of a religious compass:
The first is how they raise their children. Only 45% take their child(ren) to religious services, and only 39% send them to any religious education program. These figures are often contrasted with that of Baby Boomers who were more likely to take (drag) their child(ren) to church service (58%) and to Sunday school regularly (61%). Nearly half (49%) of Baby Boomers themselves attended religious services, while their children are less like to do so (32%). Is it any wonder that Catholic schools are closing their doors?
Secondly, the values taught their child(ren) don’t include religious directives (keeping kosher, respecting a list of saints, or mutilating healthy organs) but are generated by ideas derived from secular notions, often virulently anti-religious.
Finally, the Republican Party, having a stronger association with religion, will lose its conservative base. The secular liberal faction of both American parties is growing.
The bottom line is: The younger generation is leaving the religion for good. Religion - as is race and gender discrimination - is an idea that has had its run. Amen and halleluiah, it’s about time.