Declining faith of our fathers

I recently read polling reports outlining the changing religious beliefs of the American people over the past decades. Bottom line: Those who profess a religious faith have declined to about 65% from over 80% of the population, while those claiming no faith have risen to nearly 30%, from 15%, the rest answering ambiguously. “I’m spiritual” seems to be a default answer. They project, under various scenarios, that within another one or two generations “no belief” will be the majority opinion in this country. 

In this, and two columns to follow, I intend to briefly outline the reasons for the decline of religious belief, the potential efforts to reverse the decline, and the consequences should the decline not be arrested and reversed. Fundamental faith undergirds all our ideas about the world and our part in it. Ideas lead to action, and action leads to consequences, intended and unintended. 

I’m an old marketing man, and the essence of marketing is to know the nature of your intended customers. Traditional Christianity has a marketing problem, namely what it is “selling” is having declining appeal to potential “buyers.” Let us consider a few problems. 

The core of Christianity is love. Regrettably, hate has proven to be a much more satisfying emotion. Love your enemies? Revenge is much sweeter. Contemporary politics, to cite the obvious, isn’t much about love, kindness, understanding and good will among men. A most common word in political discourse is “fight.” A cursory history of the 20th century reveals the power of murderous hate. A telling example is a story of a Francoist Spanish general on his deathbed being asked if he had forgiven his enemies. “No,” he replied, “That wasn’t necessary. I shot them all.” 

Christianity enjoins generous giving, starting with a tithe and extending to gifts wherever need is felt. How many times have I heard, “All you ever hear in church is about money.” It is much more satisfying, is it not, to keep what you get. I earned it, and it is mine to spend as I please without any guilt-tripping about sharing. “Charity begins at home.” I, and my family, come first. Telling people their money isn’t actually theirs to keep is never a popular message. 

When it comes to sex, Christianity is a real kill joy. One man, one woman, married till death do them part, or chastity otherwise. Boy does that fly in the face of contemporary society! Why shouldn’t we have autonomy over our own bodies, and do with them just as we please? Hardly anyone wants to sit in a pew on Sunday morning and be told otherwise. 

Christianity seems to stand in opposition to “science,” which demonstrates that there is no God. We are just cosmic accidents, mere flotsam and jetsam floating on an indifferent sea of cause and effect, without purpose or meaning, and left to our own devices to make the most of this accident before we sicken and die. From kindergarten to graduate school that is the message, and competition from God has been long removed from our schools. 

Christianity teaches duty, when most of us just want to have fun. Besides, we want to exercise our “rights.” Who wants to hear about the trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit when the only trinity most of us want to focus on is “me, myself and I.” I will decide what “duties” I have, and if they become burdensome, I will drop them like a hot potato. 

Christianity focuses on the long term, and we live our lives in the short term — sometimes the very short term. I used to volunteer in a local prison to demonstrate to the inmates how it is possible to make a living without resorting to criminal activity, and thus avoid prison, or worse. 

Short-term thinking is what got them there in the first place. I fear such thinking imprisons most of us and certainly keeps ever increasing numbers from looking beyond tomorrow. 

Charles Milliken is a professor emeritus after 22 years of teaching economics and related subjects at Siena Heights University. He can be reached at milliken.charles@gmail.com.