Well Informed 2.0: Religion

I remember reading an article not too long ago arguing that our society is continuing to move father away from religious practices.  In a way, I feel as if this is partly true because my friends and I are not religious whatsoever. According to the LDS Newsroom, "In America...the number of those who claim no religious affiliation nearly doubled from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2008. Now that number has crept to nearly 20 percent. And among those under 30 years old, disaffiliation jumps to 32 percent." Of course, I know those die-hard religious people are still out there preaching away like my aunt, but overall the majority of individuals I meet around my age are not interested in labels. I would have to admit, I am the exact same way.

Whenever I am asked the dreaded question, "What's your religious affiliation," I want to run away from the conversation as casually as possible. "Do you believe in God?" I don't know. To some, those three words are just too hard to fathom. "Don't you have faith? You're going to hell." Believe me, I have heard all of their lame excuses. Sorry, I don't pretend to know everything and neither should you.

My parents weren't forced to go to church every Sunday, so they figured why not raise their children with the same attitude. I have had varying church experiences, and even joined a youth group for a couple of years. However, I never really felt inclined to choose a particular faith. Although the LDS Newsroom argues that all "human beings are religious by nature," I have never felt this connection to God or any other higher power. The LDS Newsroom also goes on to say, "religion offers a framework by which people find meaning, belonging and identity." I agree this may be the case for many people, but it isn't true for all. I have never had trouble feeling like I do not belong without a religious affiliation. If anything, I feel as if I am able to connect with more people because I don't chain myself down to a set of religious beliefs. To clarify, I am not saying all religious groups exclude themselves, but I have met an array of individuals who use their religious views to assert a superiority over others, which limits their ability to connect with people outside of their beliefs.