ePub The British Isles and the War of American Independence by Stephen Conway in History

Description

To the dismay of religious leaders; study after study has shown a steady decline in affiliation and identification with traditional religions in America. By 2014; more than twenty percent of adults identified as unaffiliated--up more than seven percent just since 2007. Even more startling; more than thirty percent of those under the age of thirty now identify as "Nones"--answering "none" when queried about their religious affiliation. Is America losing its religion? Or; as more and more Americans choose different spiritual paths; are they changing what it means to be religious in the United States today?In Choosing Our Religion; Elizabeth Drescher explores the diverse; complex spiritual lives of Nones across generations and across categories of self-identification such as "Spiritual-But-Not-Religious;" "Atheist;" "Agnostic;" "Humanist;" "just Spiritual;" and more. Drawing on more than one hundred interviews conducted across the United States; Drescher opens a window into the lives of a broad cross-section of Nones; diverse with respect to age; gender; race; sexual orientation; and prior religious background. She allows Nones to speak eloquently for themselves; illuminating the processes by which they became None; the sources of information and inspiration that enrich their spiritual lives; the practices they find spiritually meaningful; how prayer functions in spiritual lives not centered on doctrinal belief; how morals and values are shaped outside of institutional religions; and how Nones approach the spiritual development of their own children. These compelling stories are deeply revealing about how religion is changing in America--both for Nones and for the religiously affiliated family; friends; and neighbors with whom their lives remain intertwined.