Why has religion become less important over time? Is it a sign of the times? I've noticed very few young people taking religious vocations, or being serious about their faith.
I'm a bit late to the party with this one (just logged back in for the first time in like a decade earlier this week, lol). Here are my two copper pieces as a disillusioned Millennial and self-identified progressive Christian Universalist; given that, your mileage may vary.
For folks in my shoes, the moving away from more exoteric displays of faith is twofold: (1) the Church has, at least in America, appeared to fully stitch itself together with various elements of evangelical culture and, in many cases, the Republican political party. In some areas this is overt, namely lobbying groups like the Family Research Council trying to brand itself as a "church" and the like. Millennials and Gen Z folks see the Church choosing not just to single out marginalized groups of people (those in the LGBT community), women seeking abortions, and other folk who are typically disenfranchised and turning them into the perceived pinnacle of sinners. I
understand the rationale of calling out the "sin" (I don't necessarily believe those areas are sinful, but that's a debate for a different day), but there is little to no perceived empathy or pragmatic aid to help those folks "stop" sinning, especially when looking at it through the lens of politics: there does not appear to be efforts made by Republicans to stop abortion via increasing funding for proper sex education (and abstinence only education patently does not work), increasing access to contraceptives, increasing aid for pregnant women and new parents, increasing funding and access for daycare (though I believe this was
talked about by Ivanka Trump), etc. All efforts made by church-backed political parties appear tantamount to efforts to control rather than prevent: it's easy to see why younger generations wouldn't want to back those they perceive to be trying to control them.
(2) is a bit more ephemeral, but beyond the disillusionment with American church culture grafting itself onto conservative politics, folks like me began to deconstruct their faith upbringing when traditional theology started failing to provide answers, or even existential meaning, in a changing world. Beyond the backlash to the church railing on LGBT folk or whatever flavor of "sin" that rallies the most people to the polls that election cycle, I distinctly remember sitting in the pews of my old Southern Baptist church and wondering "ok, I already follow Jesus. I pray, I'm baptized, I'm saved: now what?" To that end, it feels like many Protestant / Evangelical churches, at least, present as spiritually dead. They may get people fired up about some moral failing or put the fear of Hell in them, but they offer no tangible method of spiritual growth beyond "have a quiet time." Mysticism, in the sense of fostering communion with the Divine, is utterly lost in these churches or, worse: they're demonized. This spiritual deficit is why many folks in my generation started experimenting with Wicca and/or other, more esoteric/occult practices: we wanted spiritual growth and we couldn't get it from the church. While I often disagree with elements of their religious philosophy and traditions, I do believe the Catholic and Orthodox churches have much to offer Protestants in that regard.
I could probably ramble on, but I'll leave my thoughts there for the moment.
