A recent blog by Rachel Held Evans, a disappointed Christian, went viral. She spoke eloquently from an insider's perspective why so many young people are leaving the church.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church/
And while it's hard to argue with her observations about a lack of authenticity in our religious institutions, these complaints are certainly nothing new. People have always been alienated by the church for a number of reasons - perceptions of inauthenticity, the repressive history of religious institutions, the moral hypocrisy of clergy and adherents, the credibility of the doctrine, etc.
I believe that this recent exodus is driven by something more powerful than what Ms. Evans discusses, and it comes from outside the church. It is one thing to doubt one's faith, but not have an alternative to turn to. Fifty, or even fifteen years ago, for much of America it was simply not a viable option for people to renounce their religion, and choose a kind of life unknown and unfamiliar to them, unsupported by a community of like-minded friends and family. Atheists were not commonly encountered, they were often represented publicly by dubious individuals, were misunderstood by congregations, and slandered by clergy. And before the internet, it was entirely possible to lead an intellectually cloistered existence so that supernatural religious tenets went entirely unexamined.
But now, thanks to the popularity of "the new Atheism" there is enough of a critical mass of non-believers to dispel clerical distortions and mischaracterizations. Atheists and agnostics have come out of the shadows, Christians are learning that we're just like them - leading fulfilling, positive, moral, and meaningful lives. And we have a relevant and compelling point of view. These doubters are learning that non-belief is a viable alternative for them in a way that just wasn't there a short time ago.
The internet is also hugely problematic for religious institutions, because supernatural belief systems simply cannot remain unchallenged in the way they have been for so many centuries. In the past we would primarily see expressions of skepticism among the intelligentsia - Spinoza, Thomas Paine, Jefferson & Madison, etc. Now there is a real marketplace for ideas that nearly everybody is exposed to, if not actively participating in. And the scientific explanations have the upper hand in this environment.
So these millennials aren't only repulsed by the inauthenticity of Christianity, such as Ms. Evans so eloquently points out. They are now legitimately attracted to its alternative, in a way that wasn't possible before. And it turns out the water is just fine.
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