Is That All There Is? Disaffiliation From Religion Increases

Perhaps one of the least liked of Jesuss parables is that of the wealthy man who reaps a great harvest, puts up extra barns, believes he should eat, drink and be merry, and finds himself dead that night. What a downer. Im reminded of Peggy Lees fabulous song Is That All There Is? thinking that those would be the last words of the wealthy man.

Exceptan awful lot of people think that is enough. They are satisfied with whatever the world can give; if they die, they die. Such is the nihilism afflicting the nones, the disaffiliated from religion folks. Statistics tell of a catastrophic decline in religious faith among those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, but particularly among those who are younger. Each generation is less religious, and that fact is radically changing society. Most observers throw up their hands in confusion and despair, unsure why this is happening. However, the fact is we know why it is occurring. Its complicated, but we can understand.

Just a few factors in this decline include lack of religious practice in childhood, disaffiliation in high school and decline of the two-parent family, pluralism in religious belief, a politically conservative identification with religion., the absence of religious experience, and the inability of religion to answer big questions. There are other reasons, but these are the most important.

Two things mitigate a vibrant return to religious faith. First is the fact that the disaffiliated were never that connected to religious faith to begin with. Their parents and grandparents had begun the gradual disconnection decades before. Second, the growing isolation of individuals is directly connected to the decline in religious faith, which was the major player in community and civic life. Even now, those with the most connection to religious faith are the most involved in civic affairs and community practices.

Yet, a few things can be done to change all this:

Religious researchers point out that in the recent past, those who left religion were likely to come back as older adults. These researchers now say dont expect the disaffiliated to return. Not really having left much, they are not motivated to come back to something that never really fed them. I am not that pessimistic. The Church has always been able to talk to the culture, though it almost always is late to the table. Its time for the Church and those who think religious faith is important to step up. The modest proposals above wont completely deal with the nihilism gripping our world. But successful implementation of these suggestions might nudge the worldly from an eat, drink, and be merry way of approaching life to finding an answer to Peggy Lees soulful musical question, Is That All There Is?

***For clarity of reading, I deliberately left out footnoting the research as it is easily available on Google from the Pew Research Center, NPR, and other outlets.

Excerpt from:

The Catastrophic Decline in Religious Faith And What To Do About It - Patheos