Pushback on Organized Religion: The "Spiritual but not Religious" Trend

Madison Wahl  

September 5, 2014

Pushback on Organized Religion: The "Spiritual but not Religious" Trend

        People tend to be leaving churches and religious organizations in striking numbers. Some people choose to instead identify as 

“atheist” or “agnostic,” but most are self-professed “spiritual but not religious” individuals (“Religion and the Unaffiliated”). There are many reasons for this shift in behavior, but some of the most widely-accepted theories state that religion has become too political to be helpful or that religious affiliation is not important to their everyday lives. “The most common response, given by 28% of the unaffiliated asked this question, concerns disagreements with the beliefs of the religion or their church leaders, or beliefs that attending worship services is not particularly important. Other religion-related reasons include mentions of hypocrisy or the idea that church leaders were too pushy or demanding in terms of pushing beliefs or actions among congregants” (“Religion and the Unaffiliated”). This response is interesting as it goes against the way religion has been viewed throughout history. As Marx famously stated, “Religion is the opium of the people.” Religion has been a way for human beings to rationalize, justify, and find solace. It has been used as a political and social tool in countless theocracies and societies. What’s interesting is the fact that lately we have began to turn from it when it has consistently been such a huge part of our human history, dating even back to the Neolithic period.

One particularly interesting aspect of our turn away from religion is the fact that one of the most progressive and tolerant Christian denominations, the Episcopal Church, is suffering some of the worst downward trends in church attendance. This is particularly interesting because the Episcopal church has made a conscious effort in recent years to appeal to a younger audience by embracing more a tolerant and progressive attitude. However, their attendance and membership has been severely hit, while the more conservative  denominations of Christianity have not suffered as much backlash. “The most successful Christian bodies have often been politically conservative but theologically shallow, preaching a gospel of health and wealth rather than the full New Testament message” (Douthat). 

Analyzing this trend can perhaps give us new insight into the religious and spiritual perspectives of people in the 21st century and can hopefully help us to understand the way the history and modern-day will influence the future.

Sources:

Douthat, Ross. "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 July 2012. Web. 04 Sept. 2014.

"Religion and the Unaffiliated." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. Pew Research Center, 09 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Sept. 2014.