Why are millennials the least religious generation to date? I can only speak from personal experience, but I'm feeling brave enough to venture a guess.
We millennials are taught to be accepting of all faiths, all races and all people. We are told to live with love, yet we are bombarded with divisive religious ideas on a daily basis — on signs in front of places for worship, in war, in legislation — religious extremists are succeeding in turning the world into an "us vs. them" encounter every single day.
It's not that we don't understand that the majority of those who practice religion are peaceful and loving individuals, it's that to rationalize the benefits of the religious majority as outweighing the conflict caused by a very small minority is exhausting.
It's that the Big Three — Christianity, Judaism and Islam — are valid belief systems built on similar principals and common humanitarian values, yet we divide and divide again, even within those, to define our own beliefs and adhere to a complex set of beliefs that, often times, change based on what feels like convenience.
It's that sacrificing religious beliefs, in the hope of a world where peace and acceptance thrive, is something that is all too tempting.
In church, I remember hearing, "They'll know we are Christians by our love," and I couldn't help but think that love is not purely a Christian idea.
I struggled with the expectation that a kind individual is a Christian individual. Not because the Bible neglects to teach loving your neighbor as yourself, but because claiming that kindness is a Christian-identifier implies that other religions also do not consider kindness to be of the utmost importance.
I argue that today, when our generation seeks acceptance and equality, religion has shown us hurt, divide and avoidable conflict in many parts of the world.
I argue that we are less religious in an effort to be more inclusive. Religion in no means teaches division or preaches denial; but from where we're standing, it causes it all the same.
I argue that we should know that we are human by our love.I see a world where, above all else, we believe in the power of unity through our one undeniable common link, our humanity.
I have grown up in a Christian family that believes in the worth of all people. I attend a Christian university that works to create a dynamic and loving community for all students.I believe in the goodness and the well-meaning of religion. But I believe in more than that.
It's difficult to say these lines that we've drawn between us are imaginary, because I cannot say what is true and what is not, but I know in my heart that a line is a line. I believe that my generation is walking these lines, considering them, and questioning them, as we look to the future.