Rev. Richard Smith
I don’t know how aware you are about the challenges facing contemporary religious institutions and groups, but there is some disconcerting information. USA Today on September 22 had a piece titled, “Why Are Millions Leaving Organized Religion”? It shared these stark insights:
**Within 10 years, the number of people in the U.S. who affiliate with no particular faith will be larger than any religious denomination.
**As many as 70 million American adults now identify as “Nones”; that is, people who make no commitment to organized religion; to the institutional church; to particular religious practices; to a specific moral code or spiritual plan.
**65 million American adults alive in the U.S. today have already dropped out of active religious attendance and that number grows by about 2.7 million every year.
This data doesn’t mean that the “Nones” or others dissatisfied with organized religion are inherently atheists or agnostics; or that they have no spiritual leaning at all. This may be true, but not necessarily.And, of course, the Pandemic hasn’t helped. I heard just today another alarming stastic; that 35% of churchgoing Americans will not return to church after the pandemic truly subsides.
For me, the primary question is what attracts people to give religious faith a try. What draws people to want to adhere to basic belief in God; to want to follow the teachings of Jesus; to want to lead a spiritually grounded life?
Here are some simple responses to the church’s challenge, to the question of religion’s credibility; to the growing body of evidence that religion really is in trouble.
First, people need to know that God is loving and caring. So many representations of God have him stern and demanding. Yes, God expects his children to understand and seek to obey his expectations. Yes, God rightly assumes that those who make a decision to connect with him have some responsibilities. Yes, God’s moral and spiritual codes can be challenging; to say the least. But, the God who demands much of us is a loving and caring God who wants to positively shape us, not smite us. This God, as Jesus saw it, is our Divine Father who created us with a desire for a joyful partnership in which we receive his blessings and He receives our loyalty.
Secondly, people need to know the real Jesus! The real Jesus knew what it is like to be a human being with all sorts of emotions and feelings, including darker emotions in times of great trial and challenge. He could laugh a hearty laugh, cry at the death of a friend, struggle with God’s plan, have moments of questioning, see the worst and the best without giving up on humanity, and all the while commit himself to be God’s Son and prime witness for God’s plan. He was, as our doctrine teaches, wonderfully human and glorioiusly divine. All this matters…he’s a Jesus in whom all persons can find a grand spiritual guide; an inviting moral leader; a venturer into a God-promised future; and one whose example of love empowers us beyond our own limited vision and choices.
Finally, people need to understand the blessing of a community of folks who don’t hesitate to do all we can to make this world a more just and loving place. Across lines of different religions, across the chasm separting religious denominations, people can get excited when there’s a movement that is unrelenting in doing all that can be done to reshape this world in the spirit of a caring God and a loving Jesus. This movement passionately seeks to help the poor, address the climate, empower the weakened, heighten hope for the beleagured, and refuse to ignore injustice and evil. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this vanguard? Who wouldn’t get inspired by association with such a group of God’s people?
I don’t know what the future holds for religion as we now know it, but I do know this:
Getting to know a loving and caring God can inspire anyone.
Knowing the real Jesus provides a compelling reason to believe.
Helping change the world with others can’t help but motiave all who care.
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