That’s me in the corner…

Remember that REM song with the oh so catchy tune and seemingly controversial title “Losing My Religion”? I say seemingly because the truth is that the title refers to Southern slang meaning to be “fed up” or “at the end of your rope,” at least according to Michael Stipe. Originally Warner Bros. execs didn’t want to release a record with religious symbolism but finally gave in after the lyrical explanation. Good thing too: it was a top 5 single that won a Grammy in 1992.

Why bring it up? Because everyone loves pop-up music commentary and a lot of people are having the same misconception about a national study that suggests a larger percent of Americans are rejecting…what? Organized religion.

The report, organized by the Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford Conn., surveyed 54,000 adults. Among the results, the survery found that 15 percent of respondents said they had no religion, compared to 8.2 percent in 1990. Members of Christianity also plummeted from 86% to 76%.

Now what’s the problem here? Or is there a problem? I’ve already heard all sorts of arguments that this is a persisting problem that involves not properly relating to a new generation – sharing the gospel in a way that connects to the current generation.

I think that is bogus.

What are you suppose to do, deliver the message of God with an electric guitar or maybe pay Hannah Montana to deliver the message? A lot of news channels are reporting this under some title like: “Americans are Becoming Less Religious”, or something along those lines. Last time I checked, 92% of Americans believed in God and considered themselves “religious”. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “religious” as relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity.

Believing in God and being truly “religious” has nothing to do with going to church. In fact, I’ve been to quite a few churches of different religions and I can understand why many people desire to be unaffiliated with them. Additionally, it is difficult to attend church weekly or even monthly! I can fully understand when people convince themselves that they can be saved without attending a sermon or participate in highly committed social organizations. It’s difficult, but most certainly doesn’t tell us the religious inner workings of our fellow citizens.

What’s the point? This study isn’t bad news at all. Many Americans still believe in some kind of creator and some sort of after-life contingent upon our actions in this life (85% in fact). Indeed, this is wonderful news for people of my faith, the LDS Church. Although the survey shows marginal Mormon population increase in the last 7 years, no decline is certainly good news, and with a decrease in most other church attendance, this gives an opportunity for conversions.

The bad part about this study is that one may find it more difficult to believe in God without the association with other believers that many church organizations offer. This study doesn’t currently show anything, but if this 10% never join any church, it might definitely lead to an atheistic approach to life, and possibly anarchy. There is strength in numbers, but lets not assume that 10% of our nation are no longer religious, at least for a while. They're certainly not losing their religiosity, but are simply "fed up" with some of the church systems and organizations that they've belonged to.