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Children Lose Their Faith Far Earlier than Parents Realize

"The Secret to Evangelizing the Nones" by H.W. Crocker III at Crisis Magazine

Nov 30, 2023

[The] falling away [of young people] from Christianity…. [is] the result of young people cultivating shallowness, superficiality, and solipsism as a philosophy of life—and from a very early age. A recent, fascinating report from Lyman Stone at the Institute for Family Studies shows that the recent sharp drop in religious affiliation in the United States comes not from adults losing their faith but from children losing their faith far earlier than parents realize. The risk is less that a young person will lose his faith in college than that he lost his faith before he was fifteen, when he accepted that social media, online computer games, pop culture, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe constituted all the philosophy he needed; religion was irrelevant.

The Secret to Evangelizing the Nones by H.W. Crocker III at Crisis Magazine. [The] falling away [of young people] from Christianity…. [is] the result of young people cultivating shallowness, superficiality, and solipsism as a philosophy of life—and from a very early age. A recent, fascinating report from Lyman Stone at the Institute for Family Studies shows that the recent sharp drop in religious affiliation in the United States comes not from adults losing their faith but from children losing their faith far earlier than parents realize. The risk is less that a young person will lose his faith in college than that he lost his faith before he was fifteen, when he accepted that social media, online computer games, pop culture, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe constituted all the philosophy he needed; religion was irrelevant. Read 

 

Rhoades Urges St. Mary’s College to ‘Correct’ Transgender Policy at The Pillar. Indiana’s Bishop Kevin Rhoades pushed back Monday on a plan that would allow enrollment for students who identify as female, regardless of biological sex, to enroll at St. Mary’s College, a women’s college in South Bend, Indiana. Rhoades, the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, issued a Nov. 27 statement which “urge[d] the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary’s College to correct its admissions policy in fidelity to the Catholic identity and mission it is charged to protect and to reject ideologies of gender that contradict the authoritative teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the human person, sex and gender.” Read

 

Michigan Tries to Force Christian School to Hire Anti-Christian Teachers, But the School is Fighting Back by Alliance Defending Freedom at LifeNews. “Here, Michigan is forcing [Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and its school, Sacred Heart Academy] to make an unconstitutional and unconscionable choice between teaching and practicing the Catholic faith or closing their doors forever, while denying parents the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish has faithfully served Grand Rapids families for more than a century, and its school provides a rich academic and spiritual environment for hundreds of children….” said ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch. Read

 

Christian School Sues Vermont after Ban from Sports League over Transgender Policy by Tyler Arnold at Catholic News Agency. A Christian school based in Vermont filed a lawsuit against state officials after the school was banned from participating in the state’s sports leagues and a tuition program because of its policies related to transgender athletes…. Mid Vermont Christian School was banned from participating in the sports league earlier this year after its girls basketball team refused to participate in a playoff game against Long Trail School because the team’s roster included a biological male who identifies as a girl. Mid Vermont Christian chose to forfeit the game due to concerns about fairness and safety. Read

 

Voters Think Schools Should Inform Parents about Gender Changes by Brendan Clarey at Washington Examiner. The Center Square Voter’s Voice Poll conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights found that two-thirds of voters back measures requiring parental notification of changes in a student’s preferred gender as school gender policies have been scrutinized by the courts in recent years. Read

 

Tennessee Governor Calls for Expanded School Choice Programs by Tony Kinnett at The Daily Signal. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was set to announce new legislation Tuesday to expand school choice in his state to 20,000 more students next year—with plans to make a pilot program’s scholarships available statewide in 2025. In a statement to The Daily Signal before making his scheduled announcement… Lee said…. “it’s time for a statewide school choice plan that empowers parents, equips students for success, and allows Tennessee taxpayers to decide how their own dollars are invested.” Read 

 

Throwback Thursday

 

If You Want Your Kids to Stay Catholic, Here’s What Matters Most by Theresa Civantos Barber at Aleteia on May 21, 2021. As children get older, they are more influenced by peers and adults besides their parents. This is when parents can “channel for internalization,” as [University of Notre Dame sociologist Christian] Smith puts it. While non-parental influences pale in comparison to the impact of parents, they can still make a meaningful difference. He writes…. “Research suggests that among the most important of these channeling influences is the presence of non-­family adults in religious congregations who know the children well and can engage them in talk on serious topics, beyond superficial chitchat. The more such adults are present, the more a church... feels like a community or an extended family, which is itself a strong bonding force.” Read

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