University of Northern Iowa senior Stef McGraw is a "none."
If asked her religious affiliation, that's her short answer.
McGraw is an atheist, and as president of UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers, she has seen a growth in the number of members in the secular organization, as well as an increase in positive feedback from the UNI community.
"Just in general, we're finding students who are willing to say, 'Yeah I'm an atheist, I support what you're doing' and I think that's really great," McGraw said.
In 2012, a Pew Research Center study showed that a third of adults under age 30 are religiously unaffiliated and that the number of American adults identifying as spiritual, agnostic, atheist or unaffiliated rose about 5 percent in the last five years.
Father Ken Glaser from St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center and Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum from Sons of Jacob Synagogue said young adults are not identifying with the church because of a growing individualistic viewpoint.
"We're so centered on doing what's best for me that we kind of lose track of the common good and what's best for society, for a community in general," Glaser said. "They're searching for happiness, and our society said it is found in money."
Glaser said that while he has not seen a decrease in UNI students attending service at St. Stephen's, he has counterparts who are struggling to keep their young adults in the church.
"Our young people feel a disconnect. The Bible was written 2,000 years ago, that's ancient history. So how can something 2,000 years ago relate to me or pertain to me? As an institutional church how do we reach out?" Glaser said.
While he's unsure whether the number of Jewish young adults in the Cedar Valley has shifted, Rosenbaum said there are fewer Jewish young adults staying in the Cedar Valley once they go off to college, and that plays a role in the rise of religiously unaffiliated young adults.
"With how it's going, you planted seeds, you talk about values and you hope they set in, and once they get out and graduate college, most of them go to the big cities and they don't stick around here," Rosenbaum said.
Abdullah Al-Asmari, former president of the UNI Muslim Students Association, said his organization had a slow increase in members from 2011-2013, and has concerns about the rise in secularism.
"If you don't have religion, it could make problems in societies, because we see good Christians here do great things, the good Jewish, the good Muslims. But if you don't have religion (it's), 'I can do whatever I want to do,'" he said. Still, it's important to show respect to everyone, even if there are disagreements, he added.
From the moment she stepped on campus, Danielle Brunson, a UNI junior, knew she wanted to participate in Christian organizations. She was able to find a couple that met her needs, including UNI Navigators, an interdenominational Christian organization.
Since high school, Brunson has seen friends stray away from the church because they struggle to identify with church leadership or maybe had an initial bad experience at a church.
"It's something that the people within religious communities are aware of. They know it's happening, they're not pretending it's not happening," Brunson said. "Don't let that one bad experience in one community affect how you perceive all other churches. Be willing to try a few other churches out."
Growing up, McGraw said she identified as a Unitarian Universalist but knew that she didn't believe in God. In high school, she identified as an atheist and became active in the secular community once she started at UNI in 2009.
McGraw believes young adults are leaving organized religion because of disagreements over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, women's reproductive rights and a more vocal secular community.
"Some people grow up and don't realize it's an option to not believe in a god at all," McGraw said. "We're kind of getting rid of that taboo of being a non-believer."
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Growing number of young adults eschewing religion
University of Northern Iowa senior Stef McGraw is a "none."
If asked her religious affiliation, that's her short answer.
McGraw is an atheist, and as president of UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers, she has seen a growth in the number of members in the secular organization, as well as an increase in positive feedback from the UNI community.
"Just in general, we're finding students who are willing to say, 'Yeah I'm an atheist, I support what you're doing' and I think that's really great," McGraw said.
In 2012, a Pew Research Center study showed that a third of adults under age 30 are religiously unaffiliated and that the number of American adults identifying as spiritual, agnostic, atheist or unaffiliated rose about 5 percent in the last five years.
Father Ken Glaser from St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center and Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum from Sons of Jacob Synagogue said young adults are not identifying with the church because of a growing individualistic viewpoint.
"We're so centered on doing what's best for me that we kind of lose track of the common good and what's best for society, for a community in general," Glaser said. "They're searching for happiness, and our society said it is found in money."
Glaser said that while he has not seen a decrease in UNI students attending service at St. Stephen's, he has counterparts who are struggling to keep their young adults in the church.
"Our young people feel a disconnect. The Bible was written 2,000 years ago, that's ancient history. So how can something 2,000 years ago relate to me or pertain to me? As an institutional church how do we reach out?" Glaser said.
While he's unsure whether the number of Jewish young adults in the Cedar Valley has shifted, Rosenbaum said there are fewer Jewish young adults staying in the Cedar Valley once they go off to college, and that plays a role in the rise of religiously unaffiliated young adults.
"With how it's going, you planted seeds, you talk about values and you hope they set in, and once they get out and graduate college, most of them go to the big cities and they don't stick around here," Rosenbaum said.
Abdullah Al-Asmari, former president of the UNI Muslim Students Association, said his organization had a slow increase in members from 2011-2013, and has concerns about the rise in secularism.
"If you don't have religion, it could make problems in societies, because we see good Christians here do great things, the good Jewish, the good Muslims. But if you don't have religion (it's), 'I can do whatever I want to do,'" he said. Still, it's important to show respect to everyone, even if there are disagreements, he added.
From the moment she stepped on campus, Danielle Brunson, a UNI junior, knew she wanted to participate in Christian organizations. She was able to find a couple that met her needs, including UNI Navigators, an interdenominational Christian organization.
Since high school, Brunson has seen friends stray away from the church because they struggle to identify with church leadership or maybe had an initial bad experience at a church.
"It's something that the people within religious communities are aware of. They know it's happening, they're not pretending it's not happening," Brunson said. "Don't let that one bad experience in one community affect how you perceive all other churches. Be willing to try a few other churches out."
Growing up, McGraw said she identified as a Unitarian Universalist but knew that she didn't believe in God. In high school, she identified as an atheist and became active in the secular community once she started at UNI in 2009.
McGraw believes young adults are leaving organized religion because of disagreements over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, women's reproductive rights and a more vocal secular community.
"Some people grow up and don't realize it's an option to not believe in a god at all," McGraw said. "We're kind of getting rid of that taboo of being a non-believer."
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