Sunday, October 21, 2012 12:20 PM EDT
A recent report released by the Pew Research Center?s Forum on Religion & Public Life, showing that the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion is growing at a rapid rate, is causing a stir among area religious leaders.
The national study shows about one-fifth of the U.S. public ? and a third of adults younger than 30 ? are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling. The Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan ?fact tank? that provides information on issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It takes no position on policy issues.
Parker English, professor of philosophy and religion at Central Connecticut State University, gauging the impact of the report, made the Pew study a topic of discussion in two of his classes last week.
English?s students, in explaining their reasons for remaining unaffiliated, said they were concerned that identifying with a religious institution could mean they would have to give up certain beliefs such as gay marriage and abortion rights. Asked about their view of instant gratification, some of their responses were unexpected. For example, a few students willing to be identified as ?spiritual,? but not ?religious,? admitted that when they were younger and attending church with their parents at times, they felt a happier, elevated sense of self. However, that feeling died quickly following the church service.
Though findings of the report may be of little surprise to the clergy and professors of metaphysics, this may be the first time certain attitudes and beliefs, particularly those of young adults, have been documented.
Many of the country?s 46 million unaffiliated adults say they are religious or spiritual in some way. Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68 percent). More than half say they often feel a deep connection with nature and the earth (58 percent); more than a third classify themselves as ?spiritual? but not ?religious? (37 percent), and one in five say they pray every day (21 percent).
The view of this group might be summarized by one respondent who responded via Twitter to Pew:? ?Religion isn?t the only thing guiding people morally. Plenty of non-religious people have good morals.?
The growth in the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans ? sometimes called the rise of the ?nones? ? is largely driven by generational replacement, the gradual supplanting of older generations by newer ones. A third of adults younger than 30 have no religious affiliation (32 percent), compared with just 1-in-10 among those who are 65 and older (9 percent). And, young adults today are much more likely to be unaffiliated than previous generations were at a similar stage in their lives.
?While the ranks of the unaffiliated have grown significantly over the past five years, the Protestant share of the population has shrunk. In 2007, 53 percent of adults in Pew Research Center surveys described themselves as ?Protestant.? In multiple surveys conducted in the first half of 2012, fewer than half of American adults said they are Protestant (48 percent). It marked the first time in Pew Research Center surveys that the Protestant share of the population has dipped significantly below 50 percent. The decline is concentrated among white Protestants, including those who consider themselves born-again or Evangelical Protestants, as well as those who do not.
The Rev. Will Marotti, 53-year-old founder of the 1,200-member New Life Church in Meriden and a WTIC radio host, believes younger adults are experiencing a general detachment not only in religion but also in politics.
?My daughter, Andrea, is a student at Quinnipiac University,? he says. ?Most of her friends are disconnected politically. There?s not a lot of political or religious passion among them.?
Marotti says some adults in his church younger than 30 admit they are reluctant to commit to marriage or church membership.
?They say they want to keep their options open,? he says. Though hesitant to sound judgmental, he points a finger at technology.
?We?re dehumanizing relationships because we?re constantly on Facebook, Twittering and texting,? he says. ?We think we don?t need personal relationships and that we can do almost everything over our Smartphone.?
Though sharing the airwaves may be one of their few similarities, the Rev. John Gatzak, agrees with Marotti on the dehumanizing effects of technology. Gatzak, general manager of radio station, WJMJ and director of radio and television for the Archdiocese of Hartford, believes texting has been a factor in the growth of the unaffiliated.
?With young people, texting has become a substitute for conversation,? Gatzak says. ?It is destroying the ability to relate on a personal level with others. We end up becoming individuals in a vacuum, not caring for the other person.?
Reflecting on the Pew Study results, Gatzak charges society with becoming too focused on self-expression to the detriment of others.
?When the individual becomes the yardstick of what is morally right and wrong, the result is hedonism,? he says. ?Pleasure becomes the all-important good. If it feels good, do it.?
He feels the price society is paying for growth of the unaffiliated, is a lack of appreciation of the faith that has been handed to today?s generation of Catholics. Gatzak acknowledges that sexual scandals in the Roman Catholic Church have led to loss of membership in churches.
?But,? he argues, ?our Bishops have instituted programs to make sure history is not repeated. Every priest goes through background checks. The church realizes it has, in certain instances, failed to make young adults understand that this is their church, not just the church of their aging grandparents,?
Gatzak says he is considering bringing back his radio show, ?Take a Stand with Fr. John.?
?No topic would be off limits,? he says. ?Young people would have an opportunity to challenge me. I, in turn, would explain church teachings.?
First step, might be a radio talk show, ?Pizza with Fr. John.? The program would remind listeners of the work the church has done for such groups as the hungry and homeless.
Like Gatzak, Marotti views the future of Christendom with trepidation.
?I know of churches in our area that are aging rapidly, and will close their doors before I retire,? he says. ?There is no way they can sustain their congregation financially.?
But, for this trend to be reversed, several changes are needed. According to Marotti, young adults should understand their perception of God is not necessarily based on their parents. Parents, who are more committed to their kids? soccer team, need to reconsider the value of church attendance. Religious institutions need to make younger adults understand that religion is relevant to their life. Though there will always be hypocrites in a congregation, there are other believers endeavoring to live their life for God.
And, for those who believe a moral life is possible without a relationship with God, Rabbi Jim Rosen of Beth El Temple in West Hartford has a message. Rosen is past president of the Connecticut Valley Region of Rabbinical Assembly.
?Despite advances in technology, people will always have a passion to find meaning in their lives,? Rosen says. ?Religion leads to our true inner self and life on a higher plain.?
Scott Whipple can be reached at (860) 225-4601, ext. 319 or swhipple@centralctcommunications.com.
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Source: http://www.bristolpress.com/articles/2012/10/21/news/doc50835a61cd573768580385.txt
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