As millions gather in churches throughout the country for Holy Week services, a quiet revolution is being developed: more Americans are leaving banks, not because they live faith, but to find it in their own terms.
A new important study shows that belief is not disappearing, but is changing. A decadienda research project discovered that while people attend services or identify with a religion, many are still praying, meditating and maintaining their faith, only in their own terms.
The study of national representative and based on probability, published in “Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World”, tracked more than 1,300 adolescents from 2003 to 2013, following them until adulthood.
The researchers used survey data, interviews and educational records to understand how religious beliefs and practices evolved over time.
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People bind to the prayer carried out by a biblical study. Researchers report a NICAX generational change, with younger Americans who show a reduced commitment to public and private religious practices. (Istock)
What they found points to an important change: people are moving away from religious institutions, not from spirituality.
Church weekly assistance fell from 26% to 8%. The number of young people who said they did not attend the services increased from 17% to almost 58%.
Religious affiliation, either identified as Christian, Catholic or other, fell from almost 89% to 60%.
But belief in God did not fall so abruptly. It submerged from 83% to 66%.
And the fewer people pray every day, the decline was not as steep as the assistance of the Church, according to the study. Meanwhile, the number of people who practice meditation or other spiritual routines almost doubled.
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A recent study finds a generational fall in private prayer, especially among younger Americans who are less likely to participate in religious practices outside formal worship spaces. (Istock)
Researchers call this “individualization.” Instead of belonging to a church or following a religious group, more people shape their own spiritual paths, maintaining what resonates and leaving the rest.
One of the main reasons why people left organized religion? Conflict with political values, specified around issues such as same -sex marriage and traditional gender roles.
Many participants described move away from the churches that saw as criticism or out of tune with their beliefs.
A former Catholic said he stopped going to Mass after listening to sermons against same -sex marriage.
“I used to love coming to church,” he said. “I don’t do it anymore.”
Another participant said he believed in God, but “not in the way the churches tell you.”
Despite the decrease in church assistance, the study shows that many older adults of continuous private prayer, a not so common habit among younger age groups. (Istock)
The study also found that political opinions made a difference.
Liberals were more likely than conservatives to abandon religion, and support for same -sex marriage and abortion related to greater decreases in the assistance of the Church and religious affiliation. But the trend was not limited to a political group; Assistance decreased in all areas to different rates.
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Instead of describing this as secularization or becoming less religious, researchers argue that this is a change in the way people practice faith.
The belief moves away from formal institutions and towards the most personal or private expressions of spirituality. Many who left the religion organized still pray, meditate or say that they believe in something bigger.