Who are the “Nones?”
[image error]Why are there so many unbelievers, those who tick the “none” box on surveys in what used to be thought of as “Christian countries”? In a recent Canadian survey, 23.9 % said they were non-religious. A Pew survey indicates that 17% of the US population now classify themselves as non-religious. Why is this category growing?
Timothy Larsen writes that, “Often enough, Christianity wasn’t rejected outright—either intellectually or emotionally. Rather, it didn’t take hold because it wasn’t successfully passed down.” Much of this is related to social changes. “First for good theological reasons, Christians gave up trying to coerce people into believing.” Coercion is never successful in creating genuine believers.
Secondly, he notes that the worldly benefits of being a professing Christian disappeared. In our culture, people no longer need to go to church to be viewed in their communities as respectable and moral. The rise of relativism means that many look upon morals as an individual matter. ‘If it’s good for you it’s good.’ There is a widespread decline in the west in belief that there are absolute moral values revealed by God on Sinai and in the Bible.
Thirdly, the rise of leisure opportunities, modern transportation and media mean that people have multiple choices to escape boredom. They can golf or go to the beach or watch a movie. In an earlier era going to church was a “welcome break from a boring, cooped-up life at home.”
“Fourthly, was the rise of permissive parenting. Mom and Dad no longer had the nerve to insist that Johnny get up and go to Sunday school, whether he wanted to or not. The parents had not stopped believing in God; they just neglected to give their children a spiritual formation.
Repeat the cycle just once, and you have a generation that hasn’t necessarily rejected religion—but, in all likelihood, hasn’t been initiated into it. …Many of the ‘nones’ don’t know how to pray for the same reason they don’t know how to read Roman numerals: No one taught them when they were young, and so they now assume it must not be worth learning. Maybe, Jill doesn’t believe in God because her grandparents let her parents stay out late on Saturday night and then sleep in on Sunday morning.”
And so, we have a generation that is either apathetic toward the Christian faith or question the need for a faith. Clearly, our western countries need evangelism in its most basic forms. In some ways, people with an antagonistic faith may be easier to reach that those with no faith. At least antagonists, such as Muslims, will talk about their beliefs. How to break through apathy is the big question!
We also need to inspire Christian families to pass on the faith to their children with love, enthusiasm, and creativity.
(Quotes from Timothy Larsen’s review of Alex Ryrie’s book, Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt. Christianity Today, Dec. 2019, page 55)
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