Religion has always been a huge factor in history and how the world works. Would it surprise you to hear that, one third of people under 30 do not affiliate with a religion at all? (Pew Research Center) Many people disagree over whether this will be a positive or negative impact in the future. With religion having less influence over people, there will be fewer conflicts, more tolerance, and positive impacts such as more and more people becoming critical of the world or becoming more active in social change. You may be asking yourself, how do these all tie into young Americans omitting themselves from religion?

First of all, if religion stops being such a huge influence on how the world turns, it will be ensured that none of the conflicts that happened in the past will happen again. For example, in the late 1000’s there were a multitude of fights and wars between the Christians and the Muslims for the control of Jerusalem. These were called the Crusades. These conflicts still exist today. In a news article on why Jerusalem is so holy, it says, “Jerusalem - its name resonates in the hearts of Christians, Jews and Muslims alike and echoes through centuries of shared and disputed history.” (BBC News). This means that religion has divided people for thousands of years. Without religion being so defining and controlling, there would be fewer disagreements and probably no more wars.

Also, people leaving religion has a positive impact on the world because there will be more toleration and respect of all people. Sometimes religion teaches people to not treat people with respect because they don’t have the same beliefs. The Digital Universe discusses how young people have different values than their predecessors. It says, “Pew Research shows that millennials are markedly more liberal than their predecessors. Fifty percent of millennials affiliate with the Democratic party, while 34 percent align with or lean toward the Republican party. So, it’s possible that millennials experience this pull to the liberal values of “care” and “fairness.” This means young people value the really important values of care and fairness, which religion doesn’t always possess. Also, holy books such as the Bible, Old and New Testaments, Quran, etc were written a long time ago and aren’t really relevant to the modern age, but people still interpret them seriously. This leads to issues such as  xenophobia, racism, and especially sexism and homophobia. Since more young people are realizing these aspects of religion are not relevant anymore, they are tolerant and empathetic of all people, which means a more peaceful and respectful world.

To continue, less young people practice religion because they are more critical and active in social change. People are no longer taking what the church says for granted. In an interview with NPR’s David Greene, a United Methodist minister in Dallas, Texas, Reverend Mike Baughman stated, “If the church was known more for our efforts to welcome the stranger than keep them out, I think the church would have greater credibility with rising generations. For example, on immigration policies, we've taken the wrong stance on that, and they know. The thing is they're smart enough. A lot of them have grown up in the church and then rejected it.”

This means that a reason for young people leaving religion is that they have their own opinions on social issues that differ from mostly right wing churches. This has a positive impact on the future because it means more people are becoming critical which leads to more political freedom. Religion now has less of a hold on how the world runs.

Ultimately, it is a positive thing that more and more young people are abandoning religion. With religion having less influence over people, there will be less conflicts, more toleration, and positive impacts such as more people becoming critical of the world/ becoming more active in social change. For all we know, some of the disastrous conflicts of the past could've been prevented with less religious influence. Religion is still important to lots of and a big part of history, but maybe it’s time to realize it is not as relevant as it was before. It’s time to realize less religion can have a positive impact on the future.

Works Cited
Smith, Kristina, Miranda Facer, and Steven Potter. "Millennials and Religion: Why They Leave."  The Digital Universe. The Daily Universe, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

NPR Staff. "More Young People Are Moving Away From Religion, But Why?" NPR. NPR, 15 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Glenn, Heidi. "As Social Issues Drive Young From Church, Leaders Try To Keep Them." NPR. NPR, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Erbe, Bonnie. "Would We Be Better Off Without Religion?" US News. U.S.News & World Report, 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.