Generation Z atheism is double than the adult population

The influence of Christianity in the United States of America is fading. This follows decades of dropping church attendance, Bible reading, belief in God, and religious affiliation. Religious identity is changing. The first truly “post-Christian” generation, Generation Z, is proof of this.

An average of 12 percent decrease in religion among teens from 2000 is where the world is at in 2019. A 29 percent decrease among 8th graders, 25 percent among sophomores high school, and 27 percent among high school seniors since 2010.

At present, 13 percent of teens describe themselves as an atheist. This number is double the population of the 6 percent of adults who consider themselves an atheist.

Barna has said that the drop-in religion can be attributed to the idea of suffering, evil and the question of its existence if there’s a God that does no evil. Barna has also made a claim that says that political issues such as poverty, LGBTQ rights, and immigration policy might also explain the decrease in religion in teenagers.

Over a third (37 percent) of Generation Z believe that it isn’t possible to be sure if God exists; 32 percent of all adults share this belief. However, teenagers who believe that it is possible to know if God exists are less likely to say that they are very convinced it is true than adults. The general message is that for most teenagers, the truth seems unknowable.

This lack of confidence is in line with the bigger shift in cultural attitude’s embrace of relativism.

It will be interesting to see whether this trend continues or whether it will slow down and stabilize. It will also be interesting to see if the church responds to this downward trend with innovative solutions. Only time will tell.

the future is smart. https://t.co/dHhGfD6tx6 — cleve lamison (@lamison) June 17, 2019

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