Posted on 02/27/2007 11:13:01 AM PST by Alex Murphy
The current generation of young Catholics has a solid Catholic identity but they are not as committed to the Church as their predecessors.
That’s the opinion of Dean Hoge, professor of sociology at the Catholic University of America, and James Davidson, professor of sociology at Purdue University, according to the Catholic News Service.
Hoge and Davidson analyzed several surveys and concluded that Catholics born after 1979 are much different than prior generations of Catholics. They believe that most young Catholics have a weak commitment to the Church as an institution and its teaching on moral issues.
Dr. William Portier, the Mary Ann Spearin chair of Catholic theology at UD, concurs with Davidson and Hoge’s assessment of young Catholics.
“It makes sense to me that the identity and commitment of the majority of young Catholics has become more diffuse,” Portier said.
Portier believes that one of the main reasons for this is that Catholics are more of a part of mainstream American society than they once were.
“There used to be a well-defined Catholic subculture that dissolved sometime in the 1960s,” Portier said. “Catholics became demographically indistinguishable from other Americans.”
He said the disappearance of this subculture resulted in the removal of structures that strengthened young adults’ commitment to the Church.
“Young people are not embedded in structures that automatically direct them in a certain way,” Portier said.
Portier is especially interested in a small minority of young adults who tend to be exceptionally committed, and he refers to these people as “evangelicals.” These Catholics decide that Catholicism will be a central part of who they are.
Sister Dr. Laura Leming, assistant professor of sociology, has a similar view of young Catholics.
Leming echoed Portier’s thoughts on how the fading out of the Catholic subculture has weakened the level of commitment among young Catholics. She added that religious values and culture still have a place in American society, but people do not pay much attention to them. Leming also suspects that recent scandals in the Church may have increased people’s distrust of institutional religion.
Furthermore, Leming suggested that most young adult Catholics are not well informed on the Church’s teaching on moral issues. She thinks part of the problem is that the Church’s reasoning is not communicated clearly enough.
Leming went on to describe why young adults become interested in the Catholic Church.
“Just as for most of our church buildings, there are many doors to come in,” she said. “It seems to me that if most young adults are going to go through a door, they’re going to go through the social justice door.”
This can help to explain why many adolescents still have a strong Catholic identity. Leming believes young adults are attracted to the Church because they want to be a member of large group of people that can be a positive force in the world.
Previous generations of Catholics became more committed to the Church as they matured. Leming is concerned that this may not be the case with today’s young adults.
“Younger Catholics might not bounce back and become more religious after a certain age in the same way that baby boomers did,” Leming said.
However, she expressed caution about interpreting the data that was used in Davidson and Hoge’s study. She thinks it’s difficult to measure commitment to the Church using only a few criteria.
“There’s always so much more to the story when you talk with people about their perceptions and experiences,” Leming said.
The Rev. Chris Wittmann, director of Campus Ministry, also believes young Catholics are not as committed as they once were. He believes that one reason for the decrease in commitment is Americans’ ability to choose what ideas they want to believe in.
“I think that young people have a consumer mentality with everything, including their faith,” Wittmann said.
People are now more open to disagreeing with certain parts of Church teaching. Wittmann stated that the Church’s views on moral issues have not changed, but the culture has. There are currently more cultural messages in the media that are in opposition to the Church’s teachings.
In addition, Wittmann stressed that there are elements of the Church that young people like, such as helping the poor. He hopes people recognize that young Catholics still support many aspects of the Church.
“In the headlines we often see young people who disagree with the Church on a few hot-button issues,” Wittmann said. “However, those same people also value something about the Church, and this shouldn’t be lost in the conversation.”
Thank you for posting this. The reason for the lack of loyalty in my opinion is the leadership. The children sniff personal weakness and the inability to own failure in the church and see change directly. They also sniff out hypocrisy and lack of a back bone. They do not doubt Jesus is Christ or that they are Catholic, it is just that Catholicism itself doesn't know who it is.
There is also a strong need for generational gathering in the long term when it comes to religion and attendance at church and the Catholics rarely have this multi-generational reaching out compared to other congregations. Just my thoughts and experience.
I was raised Catholic and recently after twenty years away went back to the Catholic church. One thing I have observed is the lack of personal warmth that exists in other congregations. (Also, there is a distinct lack of available classes that inspire and elevate one, that one will find in other congregations). I think the children observe the lack of personal inclusion/recognition as well intuitively if not consciously. Personal warmth goes a long way in attracting others and maintaining relationships over the long term even when tied strongly with clear and distinct loving correction. Example? Jesus Christ.
Like anyone selling anything, the Catholic church needs to establish and maintain over time why one should stay. To do otherwise ends up with results that are covered in the article. They need to clarify what they offer beyond any other church.
Unfortunately, it seems to me social justice has been a code word for socialism.
Different FROM!
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