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CaramonLS · 05-10-2009, 07:50 PM

Meh.

To be honest I think that certain peoples reactions to "Young America" losing their religion - such as having the ability to pull their kids out of sex ed/evolution classes is simply going to back fire right in their faces.

One of the features of this younger generation is that these kids are developing their critical thinking skills a heck of a lot earlier than their parents did. Part of this has to do with the Internet, their ability to access it and the free-flow of information across borders.

Kids actually ask the question "Why?" Reggie brought this up in an earlier post. When their parents can't supply logical answers and deny them the information, they are going to go look it up themselves. Short of locking your child in a box, you can't prevent this spread of information.

Heck, we need look no further than our own Azure. Go through his posting history, see how his thinking has progressed and how much he has grown as a person since coming to CP. I know he has posted on this exact topic before and he'll be the first to tell you how much he has changed.

I think this trend will continue to grow in the next couple of years unless organized religion does something to reform itself. The church needs to align itself more with the societal norms of the younger generation, because these red herring issues such as abortion and gay marriage are alienating people from joining.

That, in addition to becoming a much more transparent organization - you push people away when you have something to hide and try to spread misinformation (condoms, birth control, etc). Things like Creation museums and other forms of intellectual dishonesty are really going to hurt the image of religion in the long run.

There is a place for a spiritual belief system in modern society, at least for a certain segment of the population. I've had one of my best friends confide in me saying that religion is one of the things that keeps him from going over the edge and that he doesn't know what he would do if it wasn't there.

Become transparent and open. You'll probably see more people coming over to your side again.

05-10-2009, 07:50 PM	#47
CaramonLS Retired Join Date: Mar 2003 Exp:	Meh. To be honest I think that certain peoples reactions to "Young America" losing their religion - such as having the ability to pull their kids out of sex ed/evolution classes is simply going to back fire right in their faces. One of the features of this younger generation is that these kids are developing their critical thinking skills a heck of a lot earlier than their parents did. Part of this has to do with the Internet, their ability to access it and the free-flow of information across borders. Kids actually ask the question "Why?" Reggie brought this up in an earlier post. When their parents can't supply logical answers and deny them the information, they are going to go look it up themselves. Short of locking your child in a box, you can't prevent this spread of information. Heck, we need look no further than our own Azure. Go through his posting history, see how his thinking has progressed and how much he has grown as a person since coming to CP. I know he has posted on this exact topic before and he'll be the first to tell you how much he has changed. I think this trend will continue to grow in the next couple of years unless organized religion does something to reform itself. The church needs to align itself more with the societal norms of the younger generation, because these red herring issues such as abortion and gay marriage are alienating people from joining. That, in addition to becoming a much more transparent organization - you push people away when you have something to hide and try to spread misinformation (condoms, birth control, etc). Things like Creation museums and other forms of intellectual dishonesty are really going to hurt the image of religion in the long run. There is a place for a spiritual belief system in modern society, at least for a certain segment of the population. I've had one of my best friends confide in me saying that religion is one of the things that keeps him from going over the edge and that he doesn't know what he would do if it wasn't there. Become transparent and open. You'll probably see more people coming over to your side again.