The Millennial Rift of Religion

Millennials are very often associated with “shaking up” many things and have recently been associated with leaving religion entirely, but what has caused them to do so?

Millennials, which is anyone born between the years 1980 and 1999 (according to the United States Chamber Foundation), are starting to turn away from religion for many reasons. Most seemingly returning to a certain religion after having time to settle down with a job and/or settle down with a family. But some are just not returning at all, even with or without any correlating characteristic and/or catalyst causing them to return.

So that raises the question, why are young people/millennials leaving religion and some not coming back?

Theodore Trost, a professor at The University of Alabama, said that young people will always “leave” the church for a time.

“Young people always ‘leave’ the church. Of course, this assumes that they were brought up in, or otherwise intersected with, the church during their childhood; children are introduced to a faith community for a variety of reasons, but the primary one is probably socialization,” Trost said. “Parents want their children to grow up in a safe environment in the company of people who are purportedly going to support them at best and, at least, not harm them.”

Trost also said that some people may find that relief is finally not being able to go to church after being possibly forced to by their parents, in addition to social constructs such as friends or work distracting one from attending a church.

Another reason young people might be leaving the church is that they see it as a set of rules that you have to follow as commanded by whatever document that religion uses as its basis (e.g. the Bible).

Micah Bush, one of the middle school pastors for Oasis of Praise Church, agrees that young people may be seeing any one religion as a “religion” and not a relationship with whatever deity they follow.

“It’s because they look at Christianity as a religion instead of a relationship with the one true God,” Bush said. “So many people look at Christianity as a set of rules that you have to follow, a set of things that you can do, things that you can’t do, things that seem fun in your life and you have to do the things that are boring in your life; and that’s not what Christianity is about.”

Most millennials recently beginning to graduate college, enter the workforce or some entering the workforce directly following high school, may have differing priorities upon reaching such milestones when it pertains to religion.

But some just may have obstacles preventing them from attending church for such a time, and not solely because they are trying to be successful (while that could possibly be a facet as well).

Zac Langer, the pastor of Taylorville United Methodist Church, agrees that a job could be a part of one “leaving” a church; but not be the only reason.

“When people aren’t in church on Sunday, it’s usually because they’re at home sleeping, playing with their kids/pets…If it was just because of work, then services on different days of the week would have grown far more than they have,” Langer said. “More likely, I think the emphasis on work and increasing one’s financial standing may be prompting the growth of a materialist mindset which says that the highest goal of life is to gain more and that if you just had more money you’d be happier.”

Langer emphasized that while focusing on gaining money versus attending church contradicts the message that churches are trying to teach.

Another reason some young people may not be attending church is that they don’t feel the need to, because whatever need they have is potentially filled by something else.

Professor Trost also emphasized the fact that young people may only attend church when it is important for them too.

“I would say that people go to church when it becomes more important for them personally to be in church than to be anywhere else at that particular time,” Trost said.

When millennials don’t attend a church, could they be “making idols” out of something?

Bush said that he believed that by not attending church, doesn’t create a false idol of oneself.

“I don’t believe by not attending church, do you create a false idol for yourself, but I do think putting things ahead of God is what’s creating a false idol for yourself,” Bush said. “God says that he should be the number one in our lives.”

Langer, however, thinks some may be creating idols out of materialistic things.

“We’re also prone to idolize different aspects of ‘identity’ as being the most significant parts of our lives, whether natural traits like race or age or social traits like economic class,” Langer said.

While this is no means of how some millennials will be with religion, as they grow up in life they may begin to return back to church and religion in general.