Brea Jones/Staff Writer
With the declining numbers in church attendance and religious affiliation, our current generation seems to be more separated from religion than ever before, especially when compared to previous generations.
However, although many believe religion will quickly die out in the next few decades, that may not actually be the case.
Many millennials have a strong belief in God and consider themselves to be spiritual. Younger generations want a place to practice their beliefs but feel as though there is nowhere to go and feel welcomed.
There are a number of reasons as to why so many millennials feel this way, and have abandoned current established religions, particularly Christianity.
For starters, Christian churches have a tendency to condemn and shame members of the LGBT community. This practice drives millennials away because they are likely to have a friend who is apart of that community.
Many young people are also confused and feel like their churches send mixed messages. One common example would be preaching a message about how God loves everyone and then disgracing a person for being themselves.
While the number of female preachers are on the rise, there is still an overwhelming amount of male preachers in Christian churches.
This can become hard for some of the younger female millennials because they don’t have anyone they can relate to within the church. Some male preachers also have a tendency to call out women and tell them they should live their lives ‘‘according to the Bible.”
For instance, I once attended a church where the male pastor said that women should feel ashamed of themselves if they used birth control because it is unnatural and goes against God.
One of the most overlooked issues is the church’s stance on mental health. A lot of preachers say that you can pray the “evil spirit” of depression and anxiety away but in most cases, mental health isn’t something that can be prayed away.
All of the overlooked, problematic preaching and unexplained answers end up pushing younger generations away from churches. Most millennials actually want to attend church, but are unable to feel welcomed.
When this happens, millennials tend to lose faith in the church and organized religion.
In order to bring back millennials and younger generations to church settings, they have to feel comfortable with that church’s atmosphere. Millennials shouldn’t be forced to compromise on their beliefs just to become a part of a religion.
Parents should talk with their children and consider what they are looking for in a church. Parents and elders also need to stop forcing religion onto their children as it pushes them away from religious settings.
Also, instead of making assumptions about a person’s religious beliefs, church members should have a conversation with them. They may just be searching for the right church to attend or feel more comfortable practicing their beliefs in their own home.
Churches shouldn’t be afraid to be different from the norm. They should focus on creating a safe space where everyone can come as they are without being judged.
If these points are implemented in religious settings, churches will be once again be filled with younger people, which, in turn, can help modernize organized religion.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Daniel Tseng on Unsplash.
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