Re: OP

Fingers crossed it keeps going in that direction.

Interesting, because the wife and I were discussing this very subject last night. And together we came up with a hypothesis/speculation as to the cause of such decline. Keep in mind, what follows is meant to be taken in broad/general terms, but overall it fits.

Basically, going back to the generation of my grandparents, most people NEVER questioned religion or the bible. Furthermore, to even have somebody question such things was severely frowned upon, and often punished... (especially if you were a child doing the questioning). God said it in the bible, and that was the end of the discussion. Period. Times were much tougher then for most folks, and a majority of people were still under-educated in many ways.

But then you have the generation of my parents. Making a living is starting to get a bit easier. Education is starting to improve. More information is becoming available to the masses through widespread technological advances in television and phone services and such. That isolated little bubble their parents had lived in is starting to expand. As a result, questions about God and the "accuracy" of the bible naturally start to develop. Even so, though, they were raised such that openly questioning those things brought unpleasant consequences. So they pushed those questions deep down inside to maintain the faith they were so strictly taught to believe. Then they have children of their own, such as me...

Now, yes, I (and others of my age) was raised to be a good Christian and believe in Jesus and the bible. At the same time, however, I was also told, "Learn. Be a good student in school. Ask questions. Be your own person and think for yourself." So that is what I did, with questions about God and the bible being near the top of my questions list. And I dare say I was not the only kid out there doing that.

The difference, though, is that - for the most part - those questions we had were not met with "wrath", but rather with an attempt to explain. Because, truth be known, I personally believe my parents and their generation were struggling with those same questions, but were too deeply vested in their faith to ever let it go. (Let the apologetics begin!) Of course, those few answers I ever received only served to increase my confusion and doubts. Nevertheless, like my parents before me, it was still difficult to shake the fear of Satan and hell. Plus, to turn away from the faith (especially during that time period) would have been "catastrophic" on many levels, not to mention being a public insult to my parents and grandparents. So, I (and others like me) played along as best we could until the opportunity arrived that finally allowed us to break free.

Now we have the generation of my nieces, nephews, and stepchildren. Kids who grew up with the internet and cell phones. Vast stores of worldwide knowledge at their fingertips. Plus, many of the parents of those children are now no longer regularly associated with the religion they were raised to believe. And a majority of those who ARE still "flying the flag" pretty much just "go through the motions" of believing and worshiping out of long-practiced habit. Therefore, the religion is not stressed as much to the children. My stepdaughter and stepson are prime examples of that. Mention religion to either one of them and you are likely to get an "eye roll" and a bemused shake of the head in reply... *chuckle*...

I suppose what it amounts to is that the newer generations have far greater amounts of information instantly available to them, and they are no longer afraid to question. Hey, it's a start, at least.