Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The carousel of faith
One of the people I got to catch up with in California last week was Oklahoma law prof Mike Scaperlanda, who runs (along with other people) the Mirrorofjustice blog. They recently posted an interesting bit of news: That 25% of Americans have left the religious affiliation of their childhood.
While commentators seem shocked by this, I think the number seems a little low, if anything. For many of my friends, the breaking point was college-- they stopped going to church then, and if they went back later, it was to a different church. Catholics became Unitarians, UCC people stayed home on Sunday and read the paper, Baptists became Catholics.
This might be good, if you believe (as I do) that people need to choose a faith instead of having one choose them. An adult choice of faith is often fully informed and committed relative to an affiliation of habit.
Of course, that logic may not apply to those many many people who drift away and never think about it much.
So, is this 25% "drift" good or bad?
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I think faith in any form is a good thing. And I believe the freedom to worship, or not, according to the dictates of our own conscience is central to God's plan.
But it concerns me that so many people base their faith on what is right for them rather than on what is Right. There are hard Doctrines, and it is our choice to accept them or not. But that doesn't make those Doctrines less Right.
If we're not careful, we may choose to "walk no more" with what is Right to walk with what is right for us, or we may choose not to walk at all.
If we focus on ourselves, we'll never find our what is Right because what is Right doesn't come from us.
But it concerns me that so many people base their faith on what is right for them rather than on what is Right. There are hard Doctrines, and it is our choice to accept them or not. But that doesn't make those Doctrines less Right.
If we're not careful, we may choose to "walk no more" with what is Right to walk with what is right for us, or we may choose not to walk at all.
If we focus on ourselves, we'll never find our what is Right because what is Right doesn't come from us.
"UCC people"? Is that the church that Bates belongs to? Do the reformists of that church drift to the Temple of the Restatement 2nd of Contracts?
# posted by 
: 12:49 AM
: 12:49 AM
Oh, for heaven's sake, this Pew study is really nothing new...similar studies have been done in the past three decades, with similar results.
Religion has always had a certain fluidity in American society, either due to lack of denominationally sanctioned clergy in regions that experience explosive migration (i.e., look at southern states that have experienced a huge influx of Northern Catholics, without a substantial clergy base to support them...many have been moving to other denominations for quite a while...look at the numbers of Episcopalians who moved west in the nineteenth century, and shifted to Methodist affiliations), or to the intricate links between socio-economic status and denominational affiliation (i.e., the Catholic Church was a major socializing factor for poor immigrants from Europe for two centuries...and evangelical churches in this country still tend to appeal overwhelmingly to poorer demographic groups).
We are a "fluid" population in terms of so many things; we move much more than other countries' citizens do, we uproot ourselves constantly in search of jobs and economic opportunities, which is not seen in many other countries...and we tend to "glom on" to the latest trendy spiritual/emotional/cultural wave, be it yoga/meditation/etc., without much thought (just look at what many celebrities in Hollywood do, and how they unfortunately tend to be role models for the rest of the country).
Not much new here.
Religion has always had a certain fluidity in American society, either due to lack of denominationally sanctioned clergy in regions that experience explosive migration (i.e., look at southern states that have experienced a huge influx of Northern Catholics, without a substantial clergy base to support them...many have been moving to other denominations for quite a while...look at the numbers of Episcopalians who moved west in the nineteenth century, and shifted to Methodist affiliations), or to the intricate links between socio-economic status and denominational affiliation (i.e., the Catholic Church was a major socializing factor for poor immigrants from Europe for two centuries...and evangelical churches in this country still tend to appeal overwhelmingly to poorer demographic groups).
We are a "fluid" population in terms of so many things; we move much more than other countries' citizens do, we uproot ourselves constantly in search of jobs and economic opportunities, which is not seen in many other countries...and we tend to "glom on" to the latest trendy spiritual/emotional/cultural wave, be it yoga/meditation/etc., without much thought (just look at what many celebrities in Hollywood do, and how they unfortunately tend to be role models for the rest of the country).
Not much new here.
# posted by : 2:34 AM
: 2:34 AM
Seconding Anon. 1:34 - My grandparents moved out of NYC to a small town in northern New Jersey and there were no Lutheran churches around. (Keep in mind it was a VERY small town - my mother literally walked to get milk from the farm down the road. Now it's all pavement.) So they went to the Presbyterian church close by instead - that had been there for 200 years already. Ironically, a Lutheran church is now right next door. My grandmother is still Presbyterian and goes like clockwork, except now she drives instead of walks.
Meanwhile, of the 3 children, my uncle goes to Mass, my aunt never goes to church and my mother is deeply involved with the Presbyterian inner-workings. Before I was confirmed, my mother encouraged me to investigate other denominations and religions, as she did.
And that's just one family. I think I would be disheartened to hear that people didn't "drift" - that just seems to imply a lack of choice. I am a Presbyterian, not because my mother forced it upon me but because I chose it. If I one day decide differently, I have the power to do that. I like that - religion is so intensely personal and people should seek the religion or denomination that fulfills them. Or no religion at all, if that works for them.
Meanwhile, of the 3 children, my uncle goes to Mass, my aunt never goes to church and my mother is deeply involved with the Presbyterian inner-workings. Before I was confirmed, my mother encouraged me to investigate other denominations and religions, as she did.
And that's just one family. I think I would be disheartened to hear that people didn't "drift" - that just seems to imply a lack of choice. I am a Presbyterian, not because my mother forced it upon me but because I chose it. If I one day decide differently, I have the power to do that. I like that - religion is so intensely personal and people should seek the religion or denomination that fulfills them. Or no religion at all, if that works for them.
Not surprising. People move. People who move don't always find a [insert denomination here] church in their new place or don't like [insert denomination here]'s church that's there.
I think that theory encompasses both people who move based on college as well as other things.
I think that theory encompasses both people who move based on college as well as other things.
I do believe that there is an absolute, revealed truth. I feel that a central issue with modern American worship, in general, is that individuals seem to chose a faith that "fits them," rather than chosing a doctrinally correct faith. The experience of church should be one that involves the immersion of oneself in centuries of tradition, not a fruitless search for what makes one happy. If religion becomes a search for personal happiness, rather than a search for God's will for each of us, I believe we have sadly failed in our task in life.
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- Chicago
# posted by : 9:54 AM
: 9:54 AM << Home
