Children of the 80s: Have you stopped believin’?
Either coming out as atheists or living in church limbo, many adults in their 20s (dare I make another rock reference? YES.) are “losing their religion.”
For many young adults, religion is something they did as kids out of obligation to their parents and weekly family routines.
But once they’ve headed off to college, minds and habits change. While undergrad years can be a time for students to be drawn deeper into their faith, some, exposed to new ideas and others who’ve been secretly skeptical of God stuff for years, join the country’s growing minority of non-believers. Others might still give a nod to the Big Guy Upstairs, but admit having grown too busy to attend services, pray daily or do the kinds of religious rituals with which they were raised.
Click below to read about different ways that Americans in their 20s are beginning their own religious, not-so-religious or not-religious-at-all, lifestyles.
Coming out Atheist – Young non-believers reveal their atheism to their parents, find community online and develop their own, secular identities.
Living in church limbo – Faced with the guilt of their declining religious practice, young Christians talk about their search for a church and the role God plays in their lives.
And, just because I can’t get “Don’t Stop Believin’” out of my head, listen to some rock, not necessarily religious tunes but at least with religion-related references and titles:
- Coming out atheist: young nonbelievers build community in college and online
- The Wesleyan world of social networking
- Ethnic or assimilated? Children of immigrants outline sibling differences
- Baptism at the beach
- Go Calvin, it’s your birthday
Related Stories on Shift
Tags: atheism, Christianity, music, religion














