“None of the Above:” Fastest Growing “Religion in America”
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
99,000,000: this is the approximate number of Americans who
reject organized religion today in America. This is the fastest growing number
related to studies related to religion in America. This may explain why you and
I are seeing an increasing number of ads by Evangelical and other Christian
organizations. The steepest decline in organized religion is among those who
claim to be Christians.
For me, this is no surprise. Just a few years ago, the
number of non-religious Americas was about 65 million, and prior to the 2020 election,
it had grown to 75 million. I know you’re asking, “why this fact exists.” There
are many reasons, as you might expect. However let’s look at the age groups
composing these statistics.
I doubt that it will surprise you that our youngest men and
women, below the age of 21, are the largest group questioning the validity of
organized religion. The group with the largest percentage of men and women who
practice one faith are seniors.
I can speak for both groups.
I permanently left the Catholic Church at the age of 16. I
had many questions but no answers. One question I continue to ask at the age of
77 is, “if there is a God, why does He or She allow the poorest and most fragile
people in the world to suffer the most, while the super-rich, who are often involved
in questionable efforts to increase their wealth, live lives most of us can
only dream about?”
As a student in a Catholic elementary school, and two years
of high school, we were instructed to believe many things. Part of these
teachings included the “eight beatitudes.”
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. (Verse 3)
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
(Verse 4)
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
(Verse 5)
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for
they shall have their fill.(Verse 6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
(Verse 7)
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
(Verse 8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God. (Verse 9)
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)
Does any of this apply in the 21st century?
As a man who frequently writes about politics, I believe
that right-wing politicians, and their fascist leader, Donald Trump, are a
large factor in these changes in America. These politicians claim to be devout
Christians. The truth is their professions of faith are composed of nothing
more or less than pure hypocrisy. They believe younger Americans are simply “stupid.”
However, they notice one fact: these fake Christians ignore the teachings of
Jesus Christ. Think about this: the average age of all Americans is 38.3 years
of age.
He taught his followers not to judge others. He preached
compassion and understanding, not anger, hatred, and eventual violence. He
believed that all men were inherently good, and we should make efforts to find
that goodness. He rejected all forms of bigotry and prejudice without
exception. He did not “pick and choose.”
Personally, I doubt that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.
However, I believe he was the greatest prophet of all time and what he taught
us all is more valuable than anything the average man can produce. If you take
the time to read the Torah or the Quran, you will become aware that the three
major organized religions share similar principles and morals.
I believe that our lives should be focused on a search for
spirituality. We don’t need material things to make us happy or even content. What
I don’t need is a man or woman standing behind a pulpit telling me what to do;
how to live a better life. Everyone knows how to improve their quality of life,
some simply refuse to do the right thing. The forces of evil are all too often
more powerful than the desire to do what is right.
We all have the ability to think freely and not allow others
to influence our beliefs. Unfortunately, some of our greatest inventions are
used against us, including television and wireless phones. Millions of
Americans are brainwashed from lies on the boob tube and more recently the evils
of all social media.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Find my nine novels on Amazon’s Kindle
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