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Young people today, especially those raised in Christian homes, for the most part have not only turned their back on religion but also hate it to the point they will look down upon anybody who keeps their faith. Militant atheism among the younger generation is not only a belief system but also a cultural fad. If you are religious and under 30, if you let your peers know you will likely not be looked on as highly as someone who is a professed atheist. Most of these people think they are the intelligent, enlightened, and tolerant ones while the religious people are backwards, ignorant, and despicable, but what they don't see is their brand of atheism has almost everything in common with evangelical Christianity except the lack of the belief in a deity. Most churches are filled with people over 50. I've lived in Little Rock, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City within the last five years and in all of these places, there are just a few churches that even have younger twentysomething people and the vast majority are made up entirely of senior citizens. Millennials aren't the first generation with science and evolution so while those are commonly given as the reasons behind this cultural phenomenon, there is something more to it.
Keep in mind I am talking specifically about the younger generation (under 30). Belief in a deity is still very high for older generations and religious people in that generation don't suffer from the stigma they do in the younger generation.
Young people today, especially those raised in Christian homes, for the most part have not only turned their back on religion but also hate it to the point they will look down upon anybody who keeps their faith. Militant atheism among the younger generation is not only a belief system but also a cultural fad. If you are religious and under 30, if you let your peers know you will likely not be looked on as highly as someone who is a professed atheist. Most of these people think they are the intelligent, enlightened, and tolerant ones while the religious people are backwards, ignorant, and despicable, but what they don't see is their brand of atheism has almost everything in common with evangelical Christianity except the lack of the belief in a deity. Most churches are filled with people over 50. I've lived in Little Rock, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City within the last five years and in all of these places, there are just a few churches that even have younger twentysomething people and the vast majority are made up entirely of senior citizens. Millennials aren't the first generation with science and evolution so while those are commonly given as the reasons behind this cultural phenomenon, there is something more to it.
Keep in mind I am talking specifically about the younger generation (under 30). Belief in a deity is still very high for older generations and religious people in that generation don't suffer from the stigma they do in the younger generation.
There is a snowball effect involved. As a snowball rolls downhill it gathers speed and becomes bigger and bigger. The younger generation is exposed to more and more liberal and secular education, to various forms of entertainment and music which carry anti-God messages. Drugs play a part. Peer pressure is involved. Satan uses these things to condition the minds of people to reject Biblically revealed truth. Satan is the ruler of this world and he deceives the world. And many are only to willing to be deceived. Many younger people will look at the suffering and misery in the world and ask how God could allow such suffering in the world if He existed, and reject the possibility of His existence on that basis. And many people simply don't want to believe in God, and so they suppress the truth which God has made known concerning Himself through His general revelation of Himself in His creation.
I don't understand what you mean by your statement that their brand of atheism has almost everything in common with evangelical Christianity.
They don't hate Christianity. They hate Christians, particularly the condescending, pedantic, holier-than-thou set which, unfortunately, seems to be the most vocal portion of Christians.
Blaming MTV, leather jackets, and the "liberal" educational system is, in my humble opinion, lazy. If Christians are seriously concerned with bringing younger people into the church, they need to stop the easy excuses and look in the mirror.
Young people today, especially those raised in Christian homes, for the most part have not only turned their back on religion but also hate it to the point they will look down upon anybody who keeps their faith. Militant atheism among the younger generation is not only a belief system but also a cultural fad. If you are religious and under 30, if you let your peers know you will likely not be looked on as highly as someone who is a professed atheist. Most of these people think they are the intelligent, enlightened, and tolerant ones while the religious people are backwards, ignorant, and despicable, but what they don't see is their brand of atheism has almost everything in common with evangelical Christianity except the lack of the belief in a deity. Most churches are filled with people over 50. I've lived in Little Rock, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City within the last five years and in all of these places, there are just a few churches that even have younger twentysomething people and the vast majority are made up entirely of senior citizens. Millennials aren't the first generation with science and evolution so while those are commonly given as the reasons behind this cultural phenomenon, there is something more to it.
Keep in mind I am talking specifically about the younger generation (under 30). Belief in a deity is still very high for older generations and religious people in that generation don't suffer from the stigma they do in the younger generation.
Perhaps it is the fine example 99.9% of Christians set by their judgmental and hypocritical behavior. If Christians are just talking the talk and NOT walking the actual walk...can you really expect anything less???
Young people today, especially those raised in Christian homes, for the most part have not only turned their back on religion but also hate it to the point they will look down upon anybody who keeps their faith. Militant atheism among the younger generation is not only a belief system but also a cultural fad. If you are religious and under 30, if you let your peers know you will likely not be looked on as highly as someone who is a professed atheist. Most of these people think they are the intelligent, enlightened, and tolerant ones while the religious people are backwards, ignorant, and despicable, but what they don't see is their brand of atheism has almost everything in common with evangelical Christianity except the lack of the belief in a deity. Most churches are filled with people over 50. I've lived in Little Rock, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City within the last five years and in all of these places, there are just a few churches that even have younger twentysomething people and the vast majority are made up entirely of senior citizens. Millennials aren't the first generation with science and evolution so while those are commonly given as the reasons behind this cultural phenomenon, there is something more to it.
Keep in mind I am talking specifically about the younger generation (under 30). Belief in a deity is still very high for older generations and religious people in that generation don't suffer from the stigma they do in the younger generation.
What do you mean (bold) .... expecially "millennials" ?
As someone who almost fits the demographic in question, you mind if I chime in? I would like to to give you the perspective form the other side. I am 35, currently a staunch Atheist, was raised in a devoutly religiously conservative evangelical protestant home, was homeschooled from 5th grade on in an explicitly Christian group, and did not leave my faith until my late 20's. I don't consider myself an anti-religionist, although you would probably classify me as militant. I don't think of myself that way, but whatever...
Now that I have established my bona fides...
The first thing I see in your post is the idea that young atheism is pervasive, that it is everywhere and that Christians have become the persecuted minority. I am not so sure about that. I think the amount of young folks who have thought through a non-theistic belief position is pretty small. There is also a small number who have a very intense faith experience (the on-fire kids) ,and a very large number who range from privately religious, to apathetic (though still often self identifying as theists). I think depending on the local culture both sets of outliers are liable to have a hard time, but I don't think it is the atheists vs Christians, I think it is apathy vs passion, and far too often apathy makes life very uncomfortable for the passionate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bchris02
Young people today, especially those raised in Christian homes, for the most part have not only turned their back on religion but also hate it to the point they will look down upon anybody who keeps their faith.... If you are religious and under 30, if you let your peers know you will likely not be looked on as highly as someone who is a professed atheist. Most of these people think they are the intelligent, enlightened, and tolerant ones while the religious people are backwards, ignorant, and despicable...
So I concatenated some phrases here, and wanted to talk about them. It is my contention, and true for me personally, that a lot of this comes from some false associations. As an atheist, I do not look down on Christians in general, I merely disagree with them. However, I do have a lot of contempt for what I perceive to be bigotry and I get very frustrated with attempts to invoke the divine in politics, and with fallacious reasoning.
When Christians try to make the claim that "True Christianity" must of necessity support the outlawing of abortion, the discrimination against LGBT individuals, the teaching of theology as science, shunning or disfellowshipping of the wayward, they hurt their own cause. I am firmly and maybe even vitriolicly against all of these things, and if Christianity is presented as necessitating these things, then I am logically against it too. If Christianity would be content to keep these things out of the civil arena and firmly in their own sphere, I would still think it was wrong, misguided, and potentially abusive, but it is much easier to live and let live.
I think a lot of younger people have grown up with relative racial equality and relative gender equality, and see many of the positions on social issues that the Church takes as biased and wrongheaded. It offends their sense of fairness and equality. When loud, vitriolic Christians and the politicians who shamelessly manipulate the faithful for votes are what one sees, it is not surprising that there is a reaction. It is certainly unfair, as there a great many Christians who either hold more equitable social views or who take a more libertarian stance, even for things they morally disapprove of. But the Christians who take a hard line and insist on mixing politic and religion are certainly the most visible.
I think if Christians want to put off this cognitive dissonance between this generations sense of fairness and doctrine, they would do well to emphasize the grace and mercy of God, the love of God, and His transformative power. Emphasize the individuals relationship with God, and worry less about politics and social issues. If God is as big as I once believed he was, he is fully capable of changing hearts and minds one at a time, without the need for curtailing personal liberty or putting religious belief into law.
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Both the young and the old haven't lost their faith in God - most just don't want anything to do with Christians. I know plenty of Christians that believe they are treated better by those of no faith, or other faiths, than they are treated by fellow Christians. Divorce is higher in the Church than it is in secular society, "Prayer Chains/Groups" that are used as a gossip chain, congregations wanting their pastors to work 80 hours a week but refuse to give their pastors liveable wages, mistreatment of the pastor's kids and wife, backstabbing, etc. No, Christians act worse than unbelievers yet have the audacity to act all holier-than-thou. The proof of your faith is in the way you live your life and you haven't given the youth (or anyone else) any incentive to consider our faith. For every Christian who hasn't lived their life the way I have described - my apologies. You are a very small remnant of the faithful. To the rest of you - the tree shall be known by it's fruit and no one is buying your BS.
Last edited by Bulldawg82; 09-19-2012 at 08:48 AM..
Then perhaps Christianity is again evolving to be a more general god -based belief with a moral and social message rather than a Biblical one.
I am aware that there are things that religion can do that humanism and secularism can't. If it can focus on those helping aspects and less on the lecturing and hectoring and demands for authority, it could perhaps turn back the apparent trend of dislike.
I can tell you that as I have preached through Ephesians, and now James in my little country church, there have been plenty of times that I feel like the younger crowd simply doesn't want to hear that they should change the way they live. We see so many young couples living together prior to marriage, and doing other things that the Bible clearly condemns...why would they want to come to church and be convicted? Christianity is no longer the default religion in America.
Why should we be surprised when pagans are living like pagans and they don't want anything to do with Christianity?
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