Young People Are Leaving Religion Behind

Last updated on: October 19, 2010 at 10:04 pm by Jeffrey L. Falick

Young People Are Leaving Religion Behind 2010-10-19T22:04:00-05:00 Jeffrey L. Falick

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Years and years after Barry Goldwater warned the Republican Party about entangling with religious fundamentalists, it looks like it’s the religious who are now paying the price. The L.A. Times has a story today about just how high a price evangelical Protestants are now paying for becoming so entwined with Republicans:

During the 1980s, the public face of American religion turned sharply right. Political allegiances and religious observance became more closely aligned, and both religion and politics became more polarized. Abortion and homosexuality became more prominent issues on the national political agenda, and activists such as Jerry Falwell and Ralph Reed began looking to expand religious activism into electoral politics. Church attendance gradually became the primary dividing line between Republicans and Democrats in national elections.

The number one issue for these young people? Homosexuality. Having grown up in a tolerant environment, they are sick and tired of the gay-bashing that comes from the religious right:

Just as this generation moved to the left on most social issues — above all, homosexuality — many prominent religious leaders moved to the right, using the issue of same-sex marriage to mobilize electoral support for conservative Republicans. In the short run, this tactic worked to increase GOP turnout, but the subsequent backlash undermined sympathy for religion among many young moderates and progressives. Increasingly, young people saw religion as intolerant, hypocritical, judgmental and homophobic. If being religious entailed political conservatism, they concluded, religion was not for them.

That young people see religion as “intolerant, hypocritical, judgmental and homophobic” should come as no surprise to anyone. It is not evangelical Protestants alone who should be worried. The decrease in church and synagogue affiliation among young people extends also to liberal and moderate religious groups. To a certain extent they are victims of guilt by association.

Then again, in many cases it is their own fault. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I reiterate my call to the hidden humanistic rabbis and ministers. Holding onto “God” is not going to help you in the long run. Your complex, serpentine theologies will be your undoing in the end. Every time you talk about God you are invoking the same personage as your traditional colleagues. To those reactionaries you sound wishy-washy, to progressives you sound reactionary.

I await the day when you are less interested in an inter-religious dialogue with Catholics and evangelicals than you are with non-theists. It is the latter who actually share your values. We just don’t need to pretend they come from a deity.

If you will just join us, we can create viable secular humanistic churches and synagogues that might very well bring those young people back into spiritual communities.

Blog Entries

Fundamentalist Christianity

Homophobia

Liberal Religions and Theologies

Previous Post

October 18, 2010

Morality, Apes, And Religion

Next Post

October 20, 2010 Professor Glenn Beck On Evolution

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Entries

Select a Month January 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 March 2015 December 2014 February 2014 December 2013 October 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 September 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

To whom is the letter of 2 John addressed?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The seven churches The church at Ephesus Gaius The chosen lady and her children