Religion in America

A lead article in today's New York Times (Monday, February 25, 2008) covers the decline of formal religion in the United States.

...........The rise of the unaffiliated does not mean that Americans are becoming less religious, however. Contrary to assumptions that most of the unaffiliated are atheists or agnostics, most described their religion “as nothing in particular.” Pew researchers said that later projects would delve more deeply into the beliefs and practices of the unaffiliated and would try to determine if they remain so as they age............

In my work as a wedding celebrant, I meet couples continuously who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. Most of these young adults were raised with religion, but abandoned the practices somewhere in their high school years.

This is no small issue for the older generation, for the parents of these twenty and thirty somethings. But somewhere along the line, teenagers will think for themselves and sometimes they rationalize their way into a spiritual framework that may be more open and accepting of larger ideologies than their family religion allows. I once spoke to a bride on the phone who used the following to screen her officiant: "Do you marry gay couples?" I replied that I do, but she had just described her fiance as male. I was a little perplexed. "I could never have an officiant marry me who has a narrow view of the right for anyone of any gender orientation to marry whomever they want."

I conclude from this (and many other samples I won't go into here) that single issues might become intolerable to some young people, and that a single issue, particularly indicating intolerance, can tip the scale. Tolerance is a hallmark of the current generation of young adults. This sends a message to the guardians of religious dogma. Open up to fresh air or watch the numbers decline.