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Faith Of Our Fathers? Survey Says Not So Much
Filed under: In The News
Young Americans are less religious than their parents, a new study shows. Credit: Corbis
"Faith of our fathers, holy faith, we shall be true to thee 'til death."
Maybe so. Maybe no. The old hymn might not ring true anymore.
A study released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life concludes that young Americans are significantly less religious than their fathers, mothers and grandparents.
Pew researchers interviewed more than 35,000 Americans about their religious views.
They found one in four "millennials" (that is, people born after 1980 who came of age around the millennium) characterize themselves as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. Fewer than one in five members of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) expressed similar religious doubts when they were in their early 20s.
Only 13 percent of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) were unaffiliated with a religious tradition when they were young adults, according to the survey and comparison with past data.
None of this means the younger generation doesn't have a prayer.
In fact, 45 percent of the millennials surveyed say they pray daily -- about the same percentage as generations past. They also believe in an afterlife and concepts such as heaven, hell and miracles at roughly the same percentages.
"While growing numbers of people are unaffiliated, it's not necessarily a sign that they're committed secularists," Greg Smith, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum, tells CNN. "We're seeing among young people that there are ways of practicing faith and being religious outside" of church.
Roughly two in three millennials surveyed say they believe in God with absolute certainty, similar to the number of Gen Xers who reported such certainty about God a decade ago.
People tend to get more religious as they get older, Pew researchers tell CNN. A third of baby boomers attend church at least once a week these days. Only a quarter of them did in the 1970s, according to Pew.
The Rev. J. Hill Jr. of New York's Riverside Church admits to CNN that church can be a hard sell sometimes for young folk. But he tells the news network he gets a big response when he rallies young people to help Hurricane Katrina victims in Louisiana.
"Church is difficult because young people today want to engage actively," Hill tells CNN. "They just want to experience God."
Related: How the Recession Made Me More Religious
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 3)
2-18-2010 @ 3:44PM
gal3601 said...@dcbrandt....give it up honey!! All your name calling and your hatred on here really shows your true colors. You are a hate filled mongrel, who obviously has serious underlying issues with God and all your neagtive comments and drool won't change a christians faith one bit, it only makes us pray for lost people like you that one day your heart won't be so filled with hatred.
P.S. DCgenius??? LMAO, there you go again....hhmmm, whenver there is a religious article you come out from under your rock....lol
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2-18-2010 @ 3:48PM
dcbrandtpd said...I am willing to bet that if I was using the same vitriol to oppose gay people, you would totally agree with me...
2-18-2010 @ 3:50PM
gal3601 said...dcbrandt...you are really dcgenious, doesn't take a genius to figure that out. You don't know me, so stop pretending and spreading your hatred like you are infamous for. You are seriously a pathetic individual who spreads hate like no other....I don't preach hate, just where on here did you read any hatred from me? Reading comprehension is a wonderful thing, you should try it some time....you are a hate filled mongrel, there I said it again, is that me being hateful? No, I just speak the truth..your words described you, you put it out there like you always do....and yes, RIP, not....if the shoe fits wear it....
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2-18-2010 @ 3:54PM
coleyboley16 said...Who are we to say there is or isn't a God? What if there is then all of you who don't believe are screwed and those of us who do get to live forever! If there isn't; well it doesn't really matter now does it? We all turn to dust and that is that.
But why bash those that do believe? Not every Christian pushes it down your throat and besides religion is very personal. But anyways who cares what others believe if it doesn't affect you.
I believe in God and am a Christian but my boyfriend thinks its crap therefore we just don't talk about it. Wow two people who have different beliefs can live together peacefully!
To dcbrandtpd: why does it bother you do badly that someone choses to believe?
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2-18-2010 @ 3:53PM
Rhino said...Of course fewer people believe in religion now then before. Why? To answer that question, I give you a quote by Dick Cheney.
"It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you."
We, Generation X-ers and 'millennials,'(which I am a part of) have never lived without anything. We have everything. I mean, who is gonna care about an all powerful god that feeds and clothes us when a McDonald's and an Old Navy are right down the street?
And now we are going to suffer for it. We think that we deserve whatever we want whenever we want it. So who cares about a bunch of old books that some long dead guys wrote?
Well...we should care. Those 'old books' are the only hope this world has. But that hope means nothing if no one is there to spread it. We are letting our one true hope be forgotten and we are proud of it.
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2-18-2010 @ 3:53PM
gal3601 said...Christians are haters, lol lol lol, that has go to be the lamest thing I have heard in a long time, but not surprising coming from you!! Thanks for the laugh today, you are always so amusing.....
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2-18-2010 @ 3:57PM
dcbrandtpd said...Ever heard of the Crusades? The Inquisition? You are SO right, Christians do not have the capacity for hate or intolerance. My bad. It's ok to have sex with children, though? You religious people scare me.
2-18-2010 @ 3:54PM
Georgianna said...dcbrandtpd: two things:
1) As far as the Bible being everything you said it was, I clearly don't agree but you're entitled to your own opinion and unlike you, I'm not a jerk towards people for what they believe.
2) Don't be so quick to judge. You're making all your assumptions based on stereotypes. Not every Christian hates gays. I sure as heck don't, they comprise about a quarter of my group of friends.
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2-18-2010 @ 4:01PM
Sonya said...Jesus is coming! Quick! Hide the eggs!
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2-18-2010 @ 4:03PM
Wil said...I am living proof there is a God in sept . 2009 I had a bad experience there was a blood vein leaking in my brain after ct s mri the doctors told me what they had found I ask them what do we do about it they said we don't know we have to do an emergency operation and started to explain what they would do I saw them getting ready it was scary I heard a small voice saying use your faith all fears were gone about 15 minutes the doctors came in and said we believe we can treat this with medication . so here I am feb 18th thinking God each day .
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2-18-2010 @ 8:12PM
c8smum said...while you were indeed fortunate to survive, what about all the kids in childrens' hospitals with cancer? where are their miracles? many kids are still dying from leukemia, mostly teens. i know: our 19 yr old daughter fought like a warrior for almost 5 yrs before dying. these kids go thru a hell that most adults cannot even imagine.
i am sick of hearing about miracles. the truth is that sometimes people get lucky and sometimes they don't.
i am sick of hearing about GOD's plan. his mysterious ways. try thinking on that while you are holding your child while drs are poking a huge needle into their spine or hip to check for relapse.
believers' kids die just like non-believers'. shit happens. that's just the way it is.
2-18-2010 @ 4:21PM
Chuck said......and what religion is o'Bama?
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2-19-2010 @ 1:22PM
chucklaborde said...When our government was founded as one nation under God we prospered.
As we move away from God we find ourselves with a corrupt government that quarrels for the sake of party lines, kids who lack discipline, direction and respect, and violence and perversion is tolerated. I could go on.
I am not a devout, church-going fundamentalist Christian but I can tell you that faith in God makes a positive difference in your outlook and moral compass.
That said, I will fight for your right to believe what you want. Regardless if I share your beliefs.
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2-18-2010 @ 4:42PM
Rick said...Many believe in God, the Bible says even the demons believe, and they quake. The question is, Who do YOU say that JESUS is?
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2-18-2010 @ 4:48PM
Robert said...Georgianna, why do you need to believe in something to prove the nothingness of being? Why isnt this enough for you, your life right now? Heaven is nothing more than another elitist type club where the "bad" dont go. Rubbish!! Also, everything described about heaven is materialistic, gold, etc. those are earthly things. It grieves me to see people not living life to the fullest so they can get into the non-existent afterlife. You are supposed to make the most of it here, you only have one shot, and its short. We are simply animals with more developed brains, not guaranteed anything, and yes, there are some really bad people. Thats just the way it is!
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2-18-2010 @ 5:03PM
Lori said...Why is it that everything but Christianity is accepted and we have to be tolerant to it? What is it about Christianity that everyone is threatened by?......
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2-18-2010 @ 5:10PM
Rick said...Lori, it is simple, being a christian means we have admitted we are/were sinners. The Cross is offensive to those who are so prideful to admit that they are sinners who NEED Salvation. Many think it is this life only that they have to get through, not concerned at all about eternity. It is hard to believe that people turn down the free gift that God gave HIS only Son to die for OUR sins. BUT, it does take a move on our part to believe and receive that free gift. The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing!!!
2-18-2010 @ 5:09PM
Larry said...I wonder what the world would be like if man had never created God?
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2-18-2010 @ 5:06PM
usa569 said...This is not really anything that people can't figure out on their own. It is most definitely not something to be proud of...more of a sad truth. Those of us who do have the "faith of our fathers" still exist, though. Sometimes people waiting until they are older to "get religious", as the article says, is taking a risk that you will make it to old age.
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2-18-2010 @ 5:28PM
Dean said...Theres a story here.
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