Generation Z is far less religious/theistic than previous generations

[southernhybrid]

https://thehumanist.com/magazine/september-october-2018/features/faith-and-faithlessness-by-generation-the-decline-and-rise-are-real

WE’RE REACHING THE END of the alphabet—and the end of a religious statistical oddity in the United States. Generation Z, more so than the preceding Generation Y (the millennials), and even more so than Generation X, is demonstrating a telling and permanent downtrend in religious identity. This is reminiscent of changes that began decades ago in other wealthy nations of the world but that didn’t happen here at the same time.

Western Europeans in particular, under the influence of a long cultural memory of religious wars and in the immediate wake of World War II and its horrors, began a voluntary exodus from the churches. This was aided by a gradual increase in economic and other forms of security (which are known to reduce dependence on the hopeful magical thinking of faith), made possible through Europe’s adoption of social democratic forms of government dedicated to advancing social rights (such as the right to medical care) along with individual liberties. Beyond this, European governments engaged in the practice of funding state churches, which managed to satisfy these churches politically as well as sap their proselytizing zeal. Meanwhile Eastern 
Europeans were brought under the influence of Soviet communism, which acted to ensure that whole generations of children would be reared in a secular environment that discouraged religious faith. Between these two developments, secularism eventually became the norm across most of Europe. And the influence of this revolution spread to Europe’s 
English-speaking former colonies of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

There is a lot more interesting information in the article. If interested in the decline of religion in the US, I suggest that you read all of it. It gives this old baby boomer a little bit of hope that the more insane religious views are in dramatic decline and there are a lot more atheists around than we might think, as many remain in the closet. I'm adding that I've known several that are in the church pews on Sunday, either for cultural reasons or to please family members. The only group that isn't declining is nonwhite Christians. But, let's give them some time. Imo, we need to be patient and understanding. People must be allowed to come to terms with the false claims made by religion on their own time. I doubt it will ever go away and that's fine. It just needs to become irrelevant.

 

[Lion IRC]

Which ones are the Z generation?

Are they the ones egotistically taking pictures of themselves and their own conspicuous consumption then posting it on Instagram/Twitter/FB while simultaneously virtue signalling some cause de jure?

 

[southernhybrid]

You didn't read the entire article, Lion, if you are asking such an ignorant question. And, why must you make stereotypical remarks about any generation? As a baby boomer, I sometimes get tired of hearing insults like we are all Trump supporters, or we ruined the country, or we are greedy people etc. etc. Sure, a generation of 58 million at its peak is all exactly the same. I have no idea what generation you represent, but I'm sure you wouldn't like being stereotyped in the same way that you have done in your nasty post. If you have something to say,
learn how to make a positive, realistic argument, instead of just lashing out with an insult. People might actually respect you if you do that.

 

[Jobar]

^Good advice. Didn't somebody once say something about speaking as gently as a dove, and wisely as a serpent? You need some practice at that, Lion. A LOT of practice, actually.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I'm a boomer, which means I received an affordable college education but was raised in a very religious time. I've also been making a decent living which means I paid a lot of taxes over the decades. Raised a couple millennials too and sent them off to college but could have sent four of my generation for each one of them because of higher costs.

Many of my boomer siblings are deconverted as are all my millennial children, and all but two of my millennial nephews and nieces. It's nice to see folks rising out of their cult shackles and enjoying their freedom.

I'm very proud to have been a big and outspoken part of this change, a change I can see out my front door every sunday morning where very small crowds of mostly older folk attend services.

An old ethnic lutheran church turned mega parish is down the street, but it is very different because the easter bunny parachutes into it's easter celebration up at the high school. None of the old school solemnity and piety, just fun, toys, candy and bunny eggs for the kids.

I know things have changed when the easter bunny jumps from a helicopter and brings presents to boys and girls on Easter! On Easter!

I love it.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Which ones are the Z generation?

Are they the ones egotistically taking pictures of themselves and their own conspicuous consumption then posting it on Instagram/Twitter/FB while simultaneously virtue signalling some cause de jure?

Dang young’uns with their twitter feeds and their rock n roll music. Why can’t they just stay off of my lawn?

 

[Lion IRC]

I’m surprised Jobar and southerhybrid think Gen Z would be insulted to have their behaviour described that way. They seem to wear it as a badge of honour.

Why would they be ashamed of hedonism? (Or atheism?)

Attention-seeking? There’s an App for that.

 

[Lion IRC]

Whoa....Hang on Lion IRC.
Now I get it.

It’s you who feel insulted by the connection selfish, egotistical, hedonistic, vane, self-absorbed
AND less religious than previous generations.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

... selfish, egotistical, hedonistic, vane, self-absorbed ...

Add the word "fictional" and you've just described heaven.

 

[abaddon]

Each generation in turn talks about how "selfish" the younger people are. Stodgy conservative old farts illustrate the necessity of aging and death.

 

[Rhea]

Are they the ones egotistically taking pictures of themselves and their own conspicuous consumption then posting it on Instagram/Twitter/FB while simultaneously virtue signalling some cause de jure?

Very funny because we boomers were all OVER this stuff. Our new color cameras, our cars, our loud clothing, our cigarettes and cocktail parties?
You funny. You don't remember this about the boomers?

I’m surprised Jobar and southerhybrid think Gen Z would be insulted to have their behaviour described that way. They seem to wear it as a badge of honour.

Why would they be ashamed of hedonism? (Or atheism?)

.

Interesting - but they aren't hedonists.
They volunteer more than previous generations and they seek to make social impact in their jobs as well as their lives.

And yes, everyone can see that you chose insulting words and then try to say the youngsters would embrace it.

No, that's not at all what they are like.
How old are you that you don't know this?

 

[steve_bank]

Abandonong relgion yet trbbalizing around music which for some provides a morality of sorts. In the 69s many saw Bob Dyln as a proget and folk hero, right up until he went electric at a Newport Folk Festival. He was a showman, not a prophet.

If it is not traditional religion it wll be something else.

In a sense electronic gadgets have become a relogion.

 

[southernhybrid]

Whoa....Hang on Lion IRC.
Now I get it.

It’s you who feel insulted by the connection selfish, egotistical, hedonistic, vane, self-absorbed
AND less religious than previous generations.

No, I'm afraid that you don't get it at all. I don't even know why you are bothering to post in this thread, unless you think that your negativity might bother someone else. You don't know any of us, yet you judge us. Why don't you do what your good books says and stop judging others. I have a lot of respect for Christians that follow that advice, and I am happy to say that I've known a few like that.

The simple fact is that religion is becoming less important and less relevant in the lives of younger people. You've given us no reasonable argument as to why that might be a negative.

 

[Jobar]

Interesting - but they aren't hedonists.

Not sure if they are, or not; purely an individual choice. I, however, have long been proud of my hedonism, as my user title attests.

But that aside- Lion, old farts have been bemoaning how badly the younger generation has degenerated since the days of Socrates, and no doubt long, long before then. But I think that it's downright un-Christian of you to so insult them; it certainly doesn't live up to that 'gentle as a dove' standard, now, does it? Believe it or not, if there were a lot more Christians trying to practice that particular preaching, I suspect a lot of us skeptics would be a lot more kindly disposed to them.

 

[southernhybrid]

Jobar, you're not even a good hedonist. You're a hard working man who cares about other people, or at least that has been my strong impression after knowing you all these years. We all enjoy pleasure, even Christians do, but most of us care about other things as well. I think you've mislabeled yourself Bro.

 

[lpetrich]

I think that that article indulged in common stereotypes of European religion. Like their state churches becoming weak and flabby from lack of competition. A lot of people seem unaware that most European countries have plenty of freedom of religion. I could easily find stuff on non-established Xian sects like Pentecostalism and Seventh-Day Adventism. Many Europeans can easily choose other Xian churches if they don't think that the "established" ones are not very good. People who leave those "established" ones don't all become Holy Rollers or whatever.

Steve Bruce in his book God is Dead points out that the strongest churches are monopoly ones, at least local monopoly ones, and that the United States has long been a religious patchwork than a religious mixture -- some areas Catholic, some areas Baptist, some areas Mormon, some areas various mainline-Protestant sects, ... He points out that the religious-market theory predicts that cities should be the most religious areas, but they are not. That's because cities typically have more variety of religion than rural areas. But in a city, there are plenty of alternatives to churches as a way to spend one's time, and plenty of alternatives for various services, something often lacking in rural areas.

 

[Jobar]

Speaking of my own area, there's a very wide variety of Christian churches- not many Catholics, but they have a nice building less than ten miles from me.

If there's any Jewish, Hindu, or Muslim groups locally, I'm not aware of them; but then I haven't looked for them, so I could be wrong. But there's any number of assorted Christian congregations, some of them very small, all over the place. I'm sure they number more than 200, and that's for a mostly rural county.