Religion Among the Millennials

Less Religiously Active but Fairly Traditional in Other Ways

Interesting article, Corky.

I think human beings are wired to be spiritual. I would attribute it to a design feature of the human brain and mind. Like homing pigeons we have an innate drive, an instinct, to look for the divine-- to return home.

I think that people are falling away from the message of traditional religions not because their message of who or what God is outdated but because most traditional religions also ask people to be moderate in physical and material desires and that personal sacrifice of one's own desires for the benefit of others is considered a virtue. These ideas run contrary to a culture that has elevated one's own sexual pleasure and material wealth as the greatest good that one can aspire to. You should have it all and you should have it now is the message constantly promoted through advertising.

Thus people strip away all that the parts of religion that teaches self denial and what they are left with is "being spiritual."

Gandhi understood this. Check out number six.

The destructive Seven Blunders of the World that cause violence:
1. Wealth without work.
2. Pleasure without conscience.
3. Knowledge without character.
4. Commerce without morality.
5. Science without humanity.
6. Religion without sacrifice.
7. Politics without principle.

Gandi

Great post as per usual, Grendel. And great list.

6. Religion without sacrifice

Currently, considering pop doctrine, prosperity without faith, for it's own sake could be added.

I always wonder at people who ask forgiveness without once considering how (or if) they themselves forgive others.... "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us"... from what is actually the Disciples Prayer, but known as the Lord's Prayer.

They're all going to hell. Ya gotta pay 10% soul protection to the ministry mafia, or else.

NANC

This age group typically does not go to church. Most young people rediscover church after marriage, and especially after they have a baby.

1. Wealth without work.
2. Pleasure without conscience.
3. Knowledge without character.
4. Commerce without morality.
5. Science without humanity.
6. Religion without sacrifice.
7. Politics without principle.

God created us in his image. It's all his fault.

so where did they go to sign up for that brain issue removal procedure?
can we DR'ers get a group rate?

we have an innate drive, an instinct, to look for the divine-- to return home

We do? God must have forgotten to install mine and the millions of other atheists who aren't just missing this "instinct", but have no desire to develop it.

but about three-quarters of them believe in an afterlife

Yeah, there is no reason to hope an exception can be made just for you upon death.

Social solidarity and self-preservation is evident throughout our history. We wouldn't be here talking about it if that were not the case. Those are "instincts" and we can be certain of their universality because humans aren't the only animals to posses such powerful motivators. All our primate cousins, k-9s, even vicious predators have them and if they could talk I'll bet they would answer this "poll" the same, "sure I'd like to believe I get climb fig trees with my mates, howl at the moon, or chase down gazelles forever".

I'd only be surprised if people didn't want to believe in an afterlife.

God must have forgotten to install mine and the millions of other atheists who aren't just missing this "instinct", but have no desire to develop it.

No, it is there. The search for happiness that all humanity strives for is the instinct that I am addressing. That happiness derived from this world is fleeting, temporal, at best directs the mind to seek a source for eternal perfect happiness. That happiness is found only in the reunion with the divine.

That you and other atheists reject the existence of such a happiness as a fantasy is your choice, but, even as it does so, you exist in this world and your mind ever searches for a better happiness (a more lasting one) as it anticipates the loss of any happiness you might momentarily hold. This is human nature and the nature of worldly happiness.

You may say the faithful believe and search for something that doesn't exist.

The mind of the atheist, however, is no different from the religious minded in this sense: it wants what it wants--and that is permanent or lasting, perfect happiness. It is another part of the atheist's mind that "corrects" the desire and tells one such happiness does not exists and to settle for ephemeral happiness.

The instinct or desire for perfect happiness is there. What you choose to do with it is dependent upon a will which is guided by your intellect. Your intellect does not admit the existence of God, thus your desires for perfect happiness are rejected as unreasonable.

"My heart was restless until it rested in you [God]."

St. Augustine