Done with Religion, Maybe
Over 40 million people have left organized religion in the recent past. In a brand new book, Done by Daryl Van Tongeren, Ph.D., a psychologist, researched why so many people have left their church. He listed four reasons that people give in their own words:
I have evolved, and my religion does not reflect my values
My religion caused me or others harm.
My religion can't explain why life is cruel and unfair.
I don't agree with what religion stands for anymore.
He argues that even after someone walks away, there is what he calls "religious residue". This is how religion continues to affect people.
How? He offers a couple of ways:
Religious attitudes persist. Those who walked away still had positive attitudes toward God.
Religious emotions persist toward God.
Religious behavior persists; that is, people still pray.
Finally, ex-evangelicals are more prone to religious residue.
What is left is a search for meaning in the existential chasm. He said that people face the problem of making a new identity.
The book warns BEWARE of GURUS in your rebuilding of identity.
Are people continuing to leave at the record number of the past ten years? The simple answer is no. As with all social fads, the numbers have flattened.
European intellectuals, who were once known for their intense atheism, are now returning to their church. Does this vanguard mean the tide is changing toward rediscovering God and the church? Time will tell us.
What do you think about the effects of residue after leaving? Are the numbers flattening and are people finding God ever so slowly again?
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