But I didn't need a study to tell me that. Firstly, I am often in Manhattan visiting my sons who live in a trendy, Manhattan neighborhood teeming with millennials. Thankfully my sons (who are both millennials), believe in God, pray and are practicing Catholics. But as for most of their friends, from what I can tell, very few practice the faith they were brought up in. On Sunday mornings in Manhattan, (and the outer boroughs) most young people are having breakfast or brunch in trendy neighborhoods, from what I've observed. (Probably some have attended Church on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning/ afternoon but not enough.)
Millennials are the children of baby boomers, born sometime between the late 1970's to the mid-1990's. All definitions of millennials include those born between 1981 and 1989. These are the young adults of today who are very comfortable with and probably couldn't live without media, technology, cell phones, and computers of all sorts. They are tech-savvy. They can't live without technology or their cell phones, but it seems many can live without God or worship.
According to the article and the study, older adults continue to believe in God and that remains stable, but the millennials belief in God is dropping. "About 68 percent say they never doubt the existence of God which is a decline of 15 points since 2007." That greatly concerns me and it should be of concern to all Christian evangelizers, from every denomination.
One quarter of millennials identify themselves as religiously unaffiliated.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done to show this age group the importance of belief, prayer and worship and how belief contributes to an enriched and meaningful life. The New Evangelization will have to address this alarming and sad finding and put much effort and resources to engage young adults, for the future of the Church.
NJA
