New Report: Nearly Half of American Youth Have No Faith in God
In a new survey from The American Worldview Inventory of 2021, research shows that nearly half the youth of the nation currently reject the notion of God.
57% of Millennials consider themselves Christian. The other 43% “don’t know, care or believe that God exists.” These numbers have increased significantly from our parent’s time, rising from only 19% who thought the same over the period of time since the baby boomer generation.
Of that 43% of youth who have lost faith in anything but themselves, the survey shows that they are more likely to consider an abortion, more likely to never become married, more likely to support liberal policies, more likely to support socialism and more likely to reject having or raising children of their own.
This all comes as our nation’s birth rate continues to decline in recent years to all time lows, marriage rates plummet as divorce rates skyrocket, suicide and drug overdoses increase and cancel culture continues to dominate the landscape of America.
Does belief in God create a better life for our youth?
Is a lack of faith the root reason for the modern problems of American youth?
Sociologist George Barna, CRC director of research, said recently in a statement included with the survey that “The family unit and traditional family practices have been reshaped, with some long term, fundamental family ideals and practices outlawed. The responsibilities of government have been significantly broadened and transformed. The influence of the Christian church has diminished while the influence of arts, entertainment and news media has exploded. As millions of parents discovered during the pandemic, public schools have become indoctrination farms rather than places for teaching basic life skills”.
He cautioned further saying, “time is running out to aggressively and strategically act on that (Christian or religious) belief… before those who so vehemently disagree succeed in destroying the freedom and opportunity to preserve the ways of God”.
We cannot keep the founding ideal of being one nation under God if our modern leaders and culture continue to divide us from the notion of God existing.
Even with this decline in belief, hope still remains. Even by the numbers, the silent majority continues to keep its place in our nation as a God loving people.
Only time will tell if the Church and religious people of Christian, Jewish, and all other faiths will become what has long been considered the “sleeping giant of American politics”.
Maybe if the giant wakes up, we will be able to truly make America great again.
Thank god… ha, see what I did there?
Jacob, I would venture to say that religion has done more harm than good in human history. Although I don’t have proof of this, even a 50/50 60/40 split isn’t very good odds. No matter what prophet you believe in to get you to the one true God’s eternal life, religion is used to justify so many bad things, it gives all of you believers a bad name.
Is it any wonder that rational people are foregoing the rituals demanded by your sky daddy?
My “Sky Daddy”, jerk, says all you need to know about conduct and strength in the Sermon on the Mount. Do not lie, cheat, steal, or do harm. Love your neighbour, be productive, honour your parents…do you object to THESE life proposals? Maybe you’ll wevev ANSWER me, eh…smartass?
I would argue that it is more noble to love thy neighbor and parents, not lie, cheat, steal, or kill out of the content of your character as opposed to doing so under threat of eternal damnation from your sky daddy. I am able to adhere to a personal code of ethics that include all those things with out having someone tell me a fictional story to coerce me to.
I’d also argue that calling me a jerk and a smart ass is not very Christ like.
The consequence of not having faith is too great to ignor. It’s all about having that personal relationship with God. There’s not enough time to test a Godless world. The damage will be done. Peace is offered by God through trust in him and we are not seeing peace in a Godless world.
Micheal,
By your rationale, up until this point in American history, there should have been love, peace, and harmony. Obviously that has NOT been the case.
It is not just in the USA and it has ben going on for a very long time, and it is not just youth, I am 80+ years old and many of my friends and others I am acquainted with believe there is a GOD by do not believe in any type of religion at all. In the 1950 where i grew up there were 5 Christian Churches which held between 150 and 300 persons, with in a 10 mile area and on Sunday if you did not get there early, you would have to stand for the service, 3 years ago I went back for a friends funeral and I spoke with the preacher who now serves all the churches and he told me if they have 35 people, they think they had a very good crowd. People today are more educated and want actual proof of what they are told, that old saying, “you just have to Believe” no longer applies to anything in any place. People want proof.
The FOUNDERS of this USA did not have much faith in religion, even though they believed in a GOD, they made it so RELIGION would never be part of this Government, which has been violated since the Constitution was actually adopted.
It is not a lack of faith in God that is causing the social issues facing our young, but a lack of faith in their futures. They look at the past, and can see that the government has done virtually nothing for the average American for the last 50 years, while the corporations and the wealthy have seen their holdings grow by as much as five-fold. They see basic jobs, like janitorial, requiring college degrees, while the cost of such an education has increased over ten-fold what inflation, calculated from 1960, says it should be. Housing is over twice the calculated inflationary costs, and medical care is five times what their grandparents paid, even when adjusted for inflation. Before 1970, a family could exist on one income, and still buy a house and a car, and raise the kids at home. Now, even two decent incomes don’t cover all the costs, especially when you have to throw childcare into the financial requirements. Bring back decent jobs at decent wages, and these Millennials and Generation Zs might see a future again.
Thanks god I’m an atheist!