An entire generation, my generation, is leaving the church. What’s the cause? Santorum blames higher education, telling Glenn Beck last week that "62% of kids who go into college with a faith commitment leave without it."

 

 

The “war on religion” has become a frequent bogeyman among Christian and political leaders. But the reason church leaders have failed to stem the tide of a generation heading for the exit door is that they keep looking for an outside enemy to blame when the biggest problems are inside the church.

 

My Take: Don

So essentially Santorum is saying Christians are, as a majority, the more uneducated members of society? He wonders why he isn't polling better. :ohbrother:

I'll respond later....when I've gotten over the shock of Guru posting in P&R.

So essentially Santorum is saying Christians are, as a majority, the more uneducated members of society? He wonders why he isn't polling better. :ohbrother:

 

I read it as him saying that, to be truly faithful, you must be dumb and shun education. Still, the same end is accomplished.

I was puzzled as well.

There is also an article in the C-J by Cal Thomas about this. I saw an another article about how young people are leaving the church, out of high schoolers.

First, disregard anything Mr Santorum says. I truly believe he is intelligent but he's not a great thinker. Or he simply says crap to appeal to the crazies.

 

I do believer that overall there is less of a "Church" attitude among people under 40. Not sure how you assign blame for that.

 

However, let's remember that most of the people making the decision to be less "Church" are adults. In other words, they're beyond the age where college/parents/TV/Obama can be blamed.

There are as many answers to this as there are people to give them.

 

I can speak only from my rather narrow experience within the Catholic Church, but personally, I don't think organized religion has done a good job of explaining to the modern mind just why it still matters.

 

There's a quote I've always liked from Tolkien. He was speaking from what I'd imagine was a very different perspective than most of the youths we're talking about in this thread but one in one of Tolkien's letters I'll never forget he wrote "The Church, which once felt like a refuge, now often feels like a trap. There is nowhere else to go."

 

Well, in today's society, there is always an option of somewhere else to go and for many, that option is to go nowhere.

However, let's remember that most of the people making the decision to be less "Church" are adults. In other words, they're beyond the age where college/parents/TV/Obama can be blamed.

 

I agree, but don't you think that 18-22-year-olds are generally more impressionable than say...you, or me, or Guru, or rockmom?

 

I don't totally disregard what Santorum is saying, as far as kids leaving home & soon leaving the church or becoming less committed in their faith. But I don't put the blame at colleges or universities. I think most of it has to do with the individual's personal faith commitment. The more grounded or deeply rooted a young man or woman's faith, the more likely they'll stick with it, regardless of what they encounter or experience. The more shallow the faith, the less likely they stick with it.

 

Jesus' Parable of the Sower comes to mind.

I agree, but don't you think that 18-22-year-olds are generally more impressionable than say...you, or me, or Guru, or rockmom?

 

I don't totally disregard what Santorum is saying, as far as kids leaving home & soon leaving the church or becoming less committed in their faith. But I don't put the blame at colleges or universities. I think most of it has to do with the individual's personal faith commitment. The more grounded or deeply rooted a young man or woman's faith, the more likely they'll stick with it, regardless of what they encounter or experience. The more shallow the faith, the less likely they stick with it.

 

 

Jesus' Parable of the Sower comes to mind.

 

Agree on the "personal faith commitment." Therefore, there's really no one to blame as Mr Santorum seems to be saying.

I don't think Santorum is wrong to recognize that the college educated are less likely to be faithful. I think his explanation of the cause is ridiculous and ideological, though.

 

I think Getslow made a good point when he said "I don't think organized religion has done a good job of explaining to the modern mind just why it still matters." I wonder why that is. My hunch is that church/religion is far more attached and compelled by the societal status quo than people are typically willing to admit. For instance, issues like homosexuality, evolution, sex, etc. are all "newer" issues, and thus issues where young people are going to be more open to them (or at least not understand the objection), but they are also issues church/religion reject in favor of the status quo. I don't think this is a new thing. I imagine if you look back through time there would probably be similar things happening with issues we now find perfectly acceptable today.

I think many people today are more interested in how they love and treat their fellow man than they are with what they view as arcane rules ie no birth control, homosexuality is evil, no premarital sex, no dancing, etc. When the churches focus on rules instead of loving their fellow man those people say "I'm out."

I don't think Santorum is wrong to recognize that the college educated are less likely to be faithful. I think his explanation of the cause is ridiculous and ideological, though.

 

I think Getslow made a good point when he said "I don't think organized religion has done a good job of explaining to the modern mind just why it still matters." I wonder why that is. My hunch is that church/religion is far more attached and compelled by the societal status quo than people are typically willing to admit. For instance, issues like homosexuality, evolution, sex, etc. are all "newer" issues, and thus issues where young people are going to be more open to them (or at least not understand the objection), but they are also issues church/religion reject in favor of the status quo. I don't think this is a new thing. I imagine if you look back through time there would probably be similar things happening with issues we now find perfectly acceptable today.

Why do you feel the college educated are less likely to be faithful?

I think many people today are more interested in how they love and treat their fellow man than they are with what they view as arcane rules ie no birth control, homosexuality is evil, no premarital sex, no dancing, etc. When the churches focus on rules instead of loving their fellow man those people say "I'm out."

I'm out for many other reasons, but I do agree with this. I also feel we should do away with a lot of those arcane rules and thinking.

So essentially Santorum is saying Christians are, as a majority, the more uneducated members of society? He wonders why he isn't polling better. :ohbrother:

Is that entirely untrue?

 

I do agree though, stupid thing for him to say but it's Santorum...what else do you expect?