Essay Example on Religion and Sociology

Religion's significance lies in the practical fact that it can bring people together and also vehemently divide them. If an individual believes in the fundamental doctrines and values of a religion, then one doesn't need to look far for its influence in various social aspects, especially among the American communities. Is religion declining or gaining strength among the Americans? Evidence will be given for both sides.

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Subsets of American communities have taken religious beliefs and communities to be critical aspects of their lives. A survey done in 2009 suggests that 60% of Americans think religion is important (Jones & Daniel, 2017). Growth experiences in most Christian dominations are driven by non-Americans for example; the growth of the Catholic Church was attributed to the Hispanic race. Congregations that are multiracial are growing with higher spiritual vitality when compared to the racially homogeneous ones. Christianity especially is no longer dubbed the western religion. The dramatic demographic and geographic changes have been expressed in Latin America, Asia, and Africa (Jones & Daniel, 2017). The yearning for experiences that are authentically spiritual has increased communities that hold religion sacred- belonging before believing (Jones & Daniel, 2017).

However, a subset of Americans to whom religion's significance applies is shrinking by the day. Different analyses posted in the PlosOne journal, expose a seismic shift in committing to religion that is generational. In 2010 versus the 1080s, twice as many senior high schoolers and three times as many university and college students describe their religion as none (Jean et al., 2015). For many young Americans, the move away from religion is not towards spirituality but secularism. The analyses weigh against adolescents (say the 1970's and 2010's 12th graders). The Millennials are less religious than the GenX'ers and Boomers and has been deemed the least religious age group in the last six decades (David & Mark, 2016; Jean et al., 2015). The reason for this decline is certainly due to high individualism in the society- less observance of social rules, limited social support and more focus on individual freedom. It makes absolute sense that a culture that is individualistic is less religious. Religion requires a commitment to an organization or a large group where individuals follow certain practices and beliefs hence, would be intricate in an environment favoring more personal choice (David & Mark, 2016).

Conclusion

The number of religious men and women is on the verge of intense growth. Many are identifying themselves as spiritual and not religious. However, with the individualism trend holding, more Americans will detach from religion not just in partaking but also in affiliation. America of the outlook will be unprejudiced, unmarried and unchurched.

References

David Voas & Mark Chaves. (2016). Religion is in decline in the west and America is no exception. Retrieved from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2016/09/05/religion-is-in-decline-in-the-west-and-america-is-no-exception/

Jean M. Twenge ,Julie J. Exline, Joshua B. Grubbs, Ramya Sastry, & W. Keith Campbell. (2015). Generational and time period dieffernces in american adolescents' religious orientation, 1966-2014. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0121454

Jones, Robert P., & Daniel Cox. (2017). America's Changing Religious Identity. PRRI. Retrived from https://www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-christian-religiously-unaffiliated/.