Growing secularism amongst younger Americans is not any secret. A 2019 Pew Research Center Survey of Americans aged 13 to 17 found that only 50 percent believed religion was a crucial a part of their lives, versus 73 percent of their parents. This trend has caught the eye of america Conference of Catholic Bishops, which published on its website an article titled “Confronting Secularism Today” by Robert Spitzer, S.J., who posits 4 causes for this trend:
- A perceived contradiction between God and science.
- An absence of evidence for God from science and logic.
- An implicit belief in materialism.
- A general disbelief within the historicity and divinity of Jesus.
While all these aspects may indeed cause some young people to desert their faith, the list feels incomplete to me. In any case, the identical Pew survey found roughly 85 percent of teens believed in the next power. As a 17-year-old Catholic, I do know many individuals my age who’re abandoning their churches and their faith. I spoke to just a few to grasp why. (I’ve used pseudonyms, resulting from the non-public nature of their comments.)
The institutional church, to a lot of my peers, is seen as an antiquated and corrupted by greed, pedophilia and bigotry. They place the blame for this stuff on the shoulders of church leaders. Still, many also feel personal dissatisfaction with the church. While the answers my friends provided are anecdotal, a typical theme emerged: Probably the most prevalent issue that’s widening the gap between young people and the church is the institution itself.
The concept that any person will be turned off by the church because of the church will be tough to know.
Stigmas and Suffering
The tone and emphasis of catechesis, especially in preparation for the sacraments, can have an actual impact on how young people perceive the church as a complete. Considered one of of my friends, Jo, talked about an abstinence and pro-life lecture she was required to attend in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, a lecture she found deeply uncomfortable. She felt the presenters left no room for real questions from those that doubted the church’s teachings and focused an excessive amount of on shame. Jo told me she became concerned that individuals would assume that she can be similarly closed to discussion round her politics or personal beliefs based on her religious affiliation. “I might just [tell people] I’m a Christian, but I wouldn’t say Catholic,” she said.
The concept that any person will be turned off by the church because of the church will be tough to know. Considered one of the people I spoke with is a friend of mine named Dominic, who has a robust faith in God and attends church every Sunday. After I asked him if he thought the church was driving people away, he told me, “I believe it’s impractical to consider in God within the twenty first century, because people need to consider in what they see, not something that requires faith alone… They aren’t used to the concept that something that can not be seen will be real.” Dominic’s answer also resonates strongly with the idea that individuals are leaving the institution due to a growing sense of materialism and a sense that God doesn’t have any room in every day life.
One other friend decided to walk away from religion due to a perceived separation between themselves and God. James, who was raised Catholic and attended Mass every Sunday as a baby, is now an agnostic. While preparing for his confirmation, he began feeling that counting on an invisible God to assist him out when times were tough wasn’t enough. Witnessing the long and painful deaths of his aunt and uncle, who were each very religious, also frustrated him.
James reflected on this experience by saying, “I assume it type of set me back from religion just to comprehend what God can do to such kind individuals who also believed in him.” Today, James has abandoned the church, and, for probably the most part, his faith. James says he only entertains the concept of God existing when someone he knows is religious goes through a tragic or painful ordeal. In those situations, he says that he does pray for that person on the off probability that there’s a God listening.
While an mental approach may have the option to reply among the questions my secular-leaning friends have, I think the church leaders have to approach the problem from one other angle.
Confronting a Secular Trend
My friend Andrew is an atheist, raised by Catholic parents, who rarely attended Mass growing up. For so long as I actually have known him, he has been vocal about his stance on religion as an unnecessary institution that sets unnecessary rules. He says he is just not against the church; slightly, he simply feels no desire to attend. He also says the dearth of exposure to religion has made him query its validity.
For Andrew, the concept of religion itself is difficult. And indeed, Father Spitzer’s 4 reasons do apply in Andrew’s case, too, as he believes science and God contradict one another, and that there may be little to no appreciable scientific evidence of a creator. Andrew isn’t against going to Mass, but doesn’t see himself because the style of one who would join the church. He told me, “Possibly if the chance ever arose, I’d be open to it. But as of now, I don’t really see a reason to attend Mass or attend church recurrently.”
While an mental approach may have the option to reply among the questions my secular-leaning friends have—like Andrew’s questions on God in relation to science and James’s questions on suffering—I think the church leaders have to approach the problem from one other angle, as well.
Church leaders have to reckon with the proven fact that many individuals my age don’t feel that they need the institutional church to assist them live completely satisfied, spiritually fulfilling lives.
Church leaders have to reckon with the proven fact that many individuals my age don’t feel that they need the institutional church to assist them live completely satisfied, spiritually fulfilling lives. Jo told me how she practiced prayer and meditation in lieu of attending Mass throughout the pandemic, and the way she felt more connected with God during that period than when she was attending Mass. She said, “I began wondering if I will be religious without associating with the institution. And now, I say yes, I can, and I do.”
James continues to be unsure in regards to the existence of God, but he says that he’ll almost definitely raise his children Catholic, mainly due to its promotion of excellent morals and teachings. He says that his having been a part of a Catholic family may also influence his decision to boost his kids within the church. But as of now, he feels comfortable in his beliefs and his thoughts on God. He still contemplates his faith every day, telling me, “I do take into consideration my beliefs and I do query my faith. I’d say it’s probably a every day occurrence…and I might say it’s a healthy thing to query it.”
Crucial plan of action for church leaders who hope more young people will connect with the church could also be to achieve out to young individuals who have faith, but who don’t feel just like the church is for them. To appeal to a younger generation, those young people have to feel welcomed, loved and accepted. Our church is a refuge for sinners, not a club for the righteous. It must adapt to a more informed, opinionated and digital generation, because each time the church messes up, the world takes notice. The church cannot survive without young people, but, as my friends will inform you, many are surviving without the church.