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Young Americans, Faithless and Fatherless
Townhall.com ^ | July 5, 2012 | Michael Brown

Posted on 07/06/2012 8:33:43 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012

According to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, almost one in three Americans under the age of 30 doubt that God exists, while, in contrast, the figure for Americans over the age of 65 is less than one in ten. Could there be a connection between the fatherlessness of this younger generation and their struggles with faith? According to a theory called “the psychology of atheism,” the answer might well be yes.

But first, some caveats. 1) There are many reasons why people struggle with the issue of faith, so it would be wrong to think that “one size fits all.” 2) The highest percentage of fatherlessness is found in the African American community, and yet African Americans tend to be more religiously oriented than other population sectors. 3) It cannot be denied that a large portion of contemporary American Christianity is often superficial, hypocritical, and powerless (in terms of radical life transformation), and these serious defects certainly account for some of the faith struggles experienced by American young people. That being said, it is important to probe the connection between fatherlessness and faithlessness.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: atheists; christianity; fatherless; god; singleparent; youth

1 posted on 07/06/2012 8:33:47 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: ilovesarah2012

..and Constitutionless


2 posted on 07/06/2012 8:39:42 AM PDT by GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
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To: ilovesarah2012

Democrats don’t worry about stuff like this - THEY care about what’s REALLY important - like how much sugar a person eats - or the size of a soft drink...


3 posted on 07/06/2012 8:40:47 AM PDT by GOPJ (Speak truth to lies and ignorance. Speak honest to corruption . Stand up to liberal elite liars..)
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To: ilovesarah2012
Democrats don't worry about stuff like this - THEY care about what's REALLY important - like how much sugar a person eats - or the size of a soft drink...

Dems have gay bath house values - do YOU LOOK GOOD?

4 posted on 07/06/2012 8:41:56 AM PDT by GOPJ (Speak truth to lies and ignorance. Speak honest to corruption . Stand up to liberal elite liars..)
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To: ilovesarah2012

“There are many reasons why people struggle with the issue of faith...”

Nope, no “Struggle” here at all.

Since man creates his own god(s) and religion(s) all are equally invalid.

The old Norse legends have as much validity as the polytheistic pagans of Greece, the Minoans, Buddhism, Aztec, Druid, Mormon, “Christian”, Muslim, or any other.

All are or were practiced with equal vigor at the time of their primacy among the culture of their time.
Some are gaining adherents today, some have faded to the point of now being openly derided as mere mythology by everyone not an adherent.

Since I am not a disciple to any of them, I am free to dismiss ALL of them as mere mythology.

Before you go jumping to conclusions, I am 57 years old, not a kid.
I was exposed to plenty of “Religion” including Catholicism when young, the obvious hypocrisy was one of the things that started me on the road to freedom FROM religion.
I decided that religion is bunk, no one had to convince me, I am capable of looking at the evidence on my own.

Flame suit on, damn me at your pleasure (it means nothing) and I have more important things to do today than answer a lot of proselytizing for the cults of the current millennia.
In time they too will all fade to “Mythology”, provided the human race survives that long.

Now let’s see how many here are truly tolerant of others views.
Not many if past experience is any guide.


5 posted on 07/06/2012 9:10:11 AM PDT by Loyal Sedition
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To: ilovesarah2012
Could there be a connection between the fatherlessness of this younger generation and their struggles with faith?

Uh ... yes. I can't remember what the exact percentages are, but if a kid is raised going to church with just a mother, the number continuing in the faith is low. If with both parents, the number is greatly higher. If with just the father, the number is slightly lower than the number of those that attended church with both parents.

The role of the father as spiritual head of the family is crucial.

The exact stats can be found in a Steve Wood book called Christian Fatherhood. His web site can be found here. I encourage any father to visit this site and the resources found in it.

6 posted on 07/06/2012 9:10:47 AM PDT by al_c (http://www.blowoutcongress.com)
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To: Loyal Sedition

Personally, I don’t give a crap what you have chosen not to believe.


7 posted on 07/06/2012 9:19:45 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: ilovesarah2012

Yes, men a running around like dicks with legs and no responsiblity. Saying, “I take care of my kids!” while running of to father more kids is a bunch a crap. Men are an example of God here on earth, albeit and dim and faulty one. When men are running around from whore to whore, being whores themselves, getting drunk and high, looking out for #1, what do we expect? Of course it’s PC to not say or do anything about it.


8 posted on 07/06/2012 9:27:24 AM PDT by vpintheak (Occupy your Brain!)
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To: vpintheak

And it continues to get worse.


9 posted on 07/06/2012 9:32:56 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: ilovesarah2012
The highest percentage of fatherlessness is found in the African American community, and yet African Americans tend to be more religiously oriented than other population sectors.

We hear this a lot, but is this still true? What percentage of the African American population actually ATTENDS church in any given week, compared to that of the white population?

10 posted on 07/06/2012 9:35:08 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: SuziQ

Good question. Just an observation and not meant to be argumentative, but it seems to me that a lot of blacks attend church just as a social gathering. Of course, I’m sure the same could be said for a lot of whites.


11 posted on 07/06/2012 9:43:17 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: Loyal Sedition

You should read “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis.


12 posted on 07/06/2012 9:51:45 AM PDT by donna (Mitt quote: ...gay couples raising kids. That's the American way...)
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To: Loyal Sedition

I find it offensive for you to be deriding the great Thor as mere ‘myth’. HE is the reason we have tides that ebb and flow. Or how about the aspects of the Fianna that have trickled down into other mythologies?


13 posted on 07/06/2012 9:54:48 AM PDT by Svartalfiar
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To: SuziQ

Sometimes I make a run to the supermarket after Church on Sunday, the number of African Americans who are obviously doing the same thing far exceeds the number of whites.

I have to say the number of folks coming out of the local predominantly “black” churches far out number those exiting the predominantly white churches, including my own.

Anecdotal, I know - but it is my observation.

Oh and there are far more children attending those churches. At the moment my 14yo daughter is the only regularly attending young person.


14 posted on 07/06/2012 10:02:19 AM PDT by Gabz (Democrats for Voldemort.)
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To: Svartalfiar
I see your Thor and raise you a Cthulhu.
15 posted on 07/06/2012 10:02:55 AM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: Loyal Sedition

“Since man creates his own god(s) and religion(s) all are equally invalid.”

Gee, how profound.

How about “Since God creates his own men, all are equally valid”.


16 posted on 07/06/2012 10:04:56 AM PDT by ngat
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