Spirituality Part of What Makes Us Human
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A man in his 40s has recently lost his mother. At first, he was able to take her death in stride. He tried not to think about it.
But after a few months, the man, who was divorced and has no
children, found himself profoundly affected. So many things reminded him of
her. He felt abandoned, lost. He found himself talking with her, telling her
how much he loved her and missed her, and trying to share special moments with
her.
Yet, if you asked him, he would say he didn’t believe in the
afterlife, nor in God or religion. He hadn’t practiced a religion since his
youth. But did he still carry the residual effects of growing up with faith? If
he thought his deceased mother could hear him, does that mean there is
something of faith left in him?
For full disclosure, some details of this scenario have been
changed, but it is based on an acquaintance of mine. And the honest answer to
my questions above is “I don’t know.”
Not Unique
The man’s situation certainly is not unique. Polling of
Americans continue to show a steep decline in belief, church attendance and
interest in religion.
A recent article on the National Public Radio web site attests
to that. It predicts that America’s Christian majority will likely end in a
couple of decades.
Maintaining a majority of Christians isn’t a priority, in my
view, even though I’m a committed Christian. But maintaining faith and
commitment to a religion is, both for society and for individuals. More on that
later.
Pollsters provide various factors for the flight from faith and
religion. The study mentioned in the NPR article doesn’t cover that question,
but the article quotes the study’s principal researcher, Stephanie Kramer, at
the Pew Research Center who proposed several theories.
"Some scholars say that it's just an inevitable consequence
of development for societies to secularize. Once there are strong secular
institutions, once people's basic needs are met, there's less need for
religion," Kramer said.
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Alongside U.S. Christian numbers trending down, the Pew study
also found that the percentage of people who identify as "religiously
unaffiliated" is rising and could one day become a majority.
"That's where the majority of the movement is going,"
Kramer said. "We don't see a lot of people leaving Christianity for a
non-Christian religion."
"Religiously unaffiliated" is not synonymous with
atheist, she said. The term also includes those who identify as
"agnostic," "spiritual" or "nothing in
particular."
In my opinion, the reasons for the trend away from faith and
religion include prosperity, which is mentioned in the NPR article; the decreasing
interest in reading and particularly in history; and the influence of the social
media and of TV, movies, apps and streaming platforms that not only reflect
society’s values but help form them - specifically by ignoring religion and
religious faith and by unflattering portrayals of them.
Mixture
Notice that I did not include study, investigation and close
examination of what faith means and what religions actually believe or promote.
That’s because I believe what’s at play includes a mixture of superficial roots
in religion, apathy and a willingness to uncritically follow societal trends. (It
may not be worse than the previous trend of going to church because “everybody
else does.” Also, I don’t want to be unfair to some who don’t fit in these
categories. Some undoubtedly have given up their faith after painful and
profound deliberation.)
Now to the point about why maintenance of faith and religion is
important. It’s important for society because religion – despite what critics
may say about its flaws – has made incalculably positive contributions to
society through the centuries, contributions that far outweigh its abuses.
It’s important for individuals because spirituality is an essential
part of what makes us human.
Hi Tom, Thanks for including me on your list. I think your reasons for a decline in interest in religion (prosperity, less interest in reading and social media) are on the mark. I can't help but wonder if climate disasters, wars, poverty, etc. may, at some point, make us so desperate we will give religion a try again. I read a study that said there had been a noticeable change in two things after 911: people everywhere were praying (even in Congress!) and restaurant owners noticed a definite increase in people ordering dessert.
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