BLOG #12
From ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia, the growth of Empires throughout the Middle Ages, the Age of Discovery through the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, to the Industrial Revolution, the Space Age, and now the Information Age. The world has transformed from a transcendent to a secular society.
Transcendentalism is an idealistic philosophy influenced by romanticism in response to rationalism that believes divinity pervades all nature and humanity. A divine being, God, is what governs over the goodness of people and nature. People believed that society and the institutions within it corrupted the purity of individuals. Instead, people turned to faith and spirituality. They believed that individualism and God’s divinity gave them the most meaningful life ordered to the Good.
Secularism is the principle we know as the separation between church and state. Secularism’s focus is on the development of humanism and cultural achievements. There are more freethinkers and atheists. They believe advancements of technology, careers, and politics are a movement towards modernization. Our society today is continuing to become more secular and is moving away from traditional religious values.
There is no doubt that church attendance has decreased over the last 10 years. In a recent study of about 1,000 churches, 65% of them are declining. However, 35% of those churches are growing. In a survey, only 40% of millennials consider themselves to be religious. Although there is still hope. About 80% of millennials consider themselves to be spiritual or have spiritual beliefs.
People still have faith, but the younger generation of people do not connect with organized religion in the way their parents and grandparents did. With all the thousands of child sexual abuse cases by Catholic Priest, people have the right to be skeptical or boycott the church altogether. For an institution, claiming to be men of God and ignoring this absolute evil, it is outright ugly and unforgivable. Like any institution, there is good and evil and there are many good churches out there, but how does one put their trust in going to church every Sunday?
The institution of the church is declining, but that doesn’t mean faith has to go down with it. There are other outlets to foster spiritual beliefs and raise a family with religious core values.
Non-denominational churches are appealing to many millennials that are starting young families. In the age of streaming and podcasts, people can find value in streaming services online or downloading sermons. Making religion less formal such as having a faith-based podcast or YouTube channel is a great way to appeal to the younger generation. Making sermons and preaching relevant to the times and current events while also teaching scripture will add more value to people.
Faith is the most powerful thing anybody has. If you have faith you have the power to do anything. If you have faith you can inspire family, friends, and even strangers in times of struggle. If you have faith, no matter what evil or uncertainty is present in society, you will know it is all apart of God’s plan.
I may not be an active church member, I may not preach or read scripture as much as I should, but I do know that I have Faith. The world is so complex and mysterious that in all honesty, we must accept that we really don’t know anything.
The one thing I do know is that Faith will give you purpose, hope for humanity, love and beautiful relationships, and a life driven by a set of respectful, courageous, and humble core values.
– Jake Beman