Looking around, it is easy to see tons of new religious organizations popping up everywhere. Some are affiliated with schools, some target a younger crowd and some focus on making sure to give an experience to someone who would not typically have these types of religious encounters. So how could this modern-day religious revival be a bad thing?
The issue is that religion is being watered down.
We've all heard members of older generations saying that younger generations are entitled and expectant, but that's not exactly the case. The problem is that from a young age, we have this idea of instant gratification filling our lives. Everything is meant to happen right this minute, as fast as possible. This all began when we first started our fast-food obsession with a Happy Meal, with those timed multiplication tests in elementary school and when we were first handed a cell phone. We are raised in a world where things move quickly, and we see results from the very beginning.
So how can a person who can find the square root of pi in .4 seconds with a handheld device be expected to sit and read their Bible (or other religious text), have faith in something they can't see and most of all, do the right thing that isn't usually the most fun option?
That's where this idea of instant gratification and religious values meet a fork in the road.
People don't want to sit back and wait for something good to happen, they'd much rather get the quicker, lower-quality version. They definitely don't want to resist temptation in hopes that they'll thank themselves later. People would much rather live a life that they can enjoy on the surface right now than fight for something that their future self would thank them for.
Odds are, whatever deity you worship, they are a forgiving one, but the confusion in the modern world is that you have to strive to make yourself better, because you can't just ask for forgiveness and keep rolling the same way you were. It's not a drive-thru where you can get what you want and leave—it's a way of life that you choose to live or you don't. There is no shame in living either way, but wavering over that line is what is causing religion to stay watered down.
Because we have been accustomed to the modern way of living in a fast-paced world where the mottoes are "no ragrets," "YOLO" and "live for the moment," we've lost our ability to see the bigger picture and make sacrifices for the people around us as well as our future selves.
If you believe in God, or any other religious figure, you believe that there is something bigger than yourself and you should do your best to behave that way. People aren't perfect, after all; that's why we believe in the religions we believe in, but the effort is the most important thing. If you want to get the best out of life, you have to choose something to believe in and go with it whole-heartedly, whether it's religious or not. Once the modern world can accept that kind of passion, we won't have to worry about the thought of being watered down.
