Issues Paper Introduction
I sat down to take in a deep breath, for I had just received
the news that my brother was now actively living a lifestyle contrary to that
of which our religion had taught us to live. He was the third out of my three
siblings to leave his religious roots just as my other two siblings had done.
It saddened me to be the last one standing in favor of what I knew to be right.
My siblings all abandoned our religion in their young adult lives. They did so
not to follow after drugs, alcohol, partying, sex, or other things commonly
attributed as spiritual poisons, but they did so because they no longer
believed that religion was needed in their lives. My siblings are just one
small example of a growing trend among youth and young adults throughout the
United States of America today.
Youth today
are now leaving churches more than any other generation that came before them.
Statistics show that less than 20% of Millennials (those 30 years of age or
younger) consider religion as “very important” and these Millennials seem to be
the only ones actually attending a religion on a regular basis (Barna Group).
This is a stark contrast to the elder generations (those 68 years of age and
older) where 40% believe that religion is “very important” and even a larger
percentage actually attend church on a regular basis (Barna Group). The reasons
behind this religious self-exodus of youth have been speculated by many to be
because of various desires of youth to participate in the many “fun” things in
today’s world such as sex, drugs, and alcohol. While such things may be the
branches of a large tree, they are not the root of the problem. Youth today
have experienced a great shift in their culture leading them to develop a
greater sense of individualism which changes their perceptions and churches
will need to adjust if they are to stop this efflux of youth from their pews.
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